Beginning War of 1812 Research

Determine What You Want to Find
The most common records for soldiers are service records and pension records. Information supplied by military records for the War of 1812 may include:
 * Age at service
 * Death date and place
 * Wife and children of soldier
 * Location of service and battles fought in
 * Place of enlistment

The chart, US Military Record Finder, shows which type of record has the various types of information you may want to find. Use the following steps to help you find information about your War of 1812 ancestor.

Most soldiers and sailors who served in the War of 1812 were men from Canada, Great Britain, or the United States.


 * The War of 1812 Website gives detailed information for the history of the war and the countries involved in the battles.

What Country did they Serve From?
Choose the Country your Ancestor lived in from this list:
 * Canada
 * Great Britain
 * United States

Step 1: Identify Where your Ancestor Lived in Canada During 1812-1815

 * Ontario and Nova Scotia, Census, 1800-1842 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * Ontario Land and Property - try the online indexes on this page to see if you can find your ancestor owning land before and during the War of 1812
 * Ontario Online Genealogy Records - Search any databases covering the correct time period found on this page, to see if you can find your ancestor and where he was living.

Step 2. Find your Soldier's Regiment and Company

 * The War of 1812 Website gives detailed information for the British/Canadian regiments which fought in the war of 1812. This website is comprehensive and should help you find which regiment you are looking for.

If it's possible your ancestor may have served in the War of 1812, check these databases to see if you can find proof of service:

Service Records

 * 1757-1836 Canada Navy Ship Muster Roll at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1795-1850 Canada Muster Rolls at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1812 War of 1812: Upper Canada Returns, Nominal Rolls and Paylists, RG 9 1B7, digitized images.

Pension Records

 * 1713-1882 UK, Royal Hospital, Chelsea: Regimental Registers of Pensioners, 1713-1882 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1776-1881 UK, Pension Applications For Widows and Family of Military Officers, 1776-1881 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Misc. Records

 * 1803-1815 Canada Prisoners of War at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1812-1813 The building of Perry's fleet on Lake Erie, 1812-1813 ($)
 * 1812-1815 War of 1812 at Library and Archives of Canada - index
 * 1812-1963 Military Medals, Honour and Awards, 1812-1969 at Library and Archives of Canada - index
 * British military and naval records (RG 8, C series) - Introduction and index at Library and Archives of Canada - alpha index and images

Step 1: Identify Where your Ancestor Lived in Great Britain During 1812-1815

 * Great Britain - Most soldiers were regular troops, so they could have come from anywhere in the British Isles, though the majority were from England.

Step 2. Find your Soldier's Regiment and Company

 * British and Canadian Regiments:The War of 1812 Website gives detailed information for the British/Canadian regiments which fought in the war of 1812. This website is comprehensive and should help you find which regiment you are looking for.

Service Records

 * 1756-1931 Web: United Kingdom, Royal Naval Officers' Service Records Index, 1756-1931, index
 * 1760-1913 United Kingdom, Chelsea Pensioners' Service Records, 1760-1913, index and images
 * 1760-1915 British Army Service Records 1760-1915 ($), index
 * 1802-1919 UK, Naval Officer and Rating Service Records, 1802-1919 ($), index/images
 * 1812-1817 UK, British Army Muster Books and Pay Lists, 1812-1817 ($), index/images

Pension Records

 * 1704-1919 British Royal Navy & Royal Marines Service and Pension Records, 1704-1919, index ($)

Misc. Records

 * 1716-1899 British Army, Royal Artillery Officers 1716-1899 ($), index
 * 1772-1935 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1793-1949 UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949 ($), index/images
 * 1793-1972 UK, Naval Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1972 ($), index/images
 * 1799-1920 UK, Household Cavalry Records of Service, 1799-1920, index ($), images available through Fold3 ($)
 * 1800-1815 British Army Officer Promotions 1800-1815 ($), index
 * 1800-1915 Scotland, Ireland and Wales, Militia Attestation Papers, 1800-1915, index ($)
 * 1806-1915 United Kingdom, Militia Service Records, 1806-1915, index and images
 * 1806-1915 UK, Militia Attestation Papers 1806-1915, index and images ($)
 * 1812 British Army, War Of 1812 Casualties ($), index

Step 1: Identify Where your Ancestor Lived in the United States During 1812-1815

 * 1810 Census: Look for your ancestor in the 1810 Federal census for the soldier or his family.
 * At FamilySearch
 * At Ancestry ($)


 * 1820 Census: Search for the soldier and his family in the 1820 Federal census to determine where he was living after the War.
 * At FamilySearch
 * At Ancestry ($)

Step 2. Find a Possible Match for your Soldier in the Records

 * All soldiers who served in the War of 1812 will be recorded in service records.
 * There are different indexes for different branches of military service. See below for the indexes.
 * Unless you know the regiment of your soldier, search each index for any possible match.
 * Compiled service records for Volunteers for the United States and state militias are not online and must be ordered from the National Archives.
 * Some service records for other branches of services are online.
 * '''Locate your ancestor in each record:
 * Service Records
 * Pension Records
 * Bounty Land Warrant Applications'''

Service Records
Information included: abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers that include references to wounds, hospitalization, absence from the unit, courts-martial, and death.

Pension Records - All U.S. and State Military Branches
Information included: Regiment, company, rank, duties, dates served, wife or widow's name and marriage information, children's birth dates and places, details about service, medical information

Bounty Land Warrants - All U.S. and State Military Branches
Information included: Rank, company, regiment, date of warrant, date land was located, details on land and where it is located, state where land was located, possibly information widow and children, to whom the warrant was sold or assigned

* A search can be requested of the complete index by contacting the National Archives.

Step 3 - Resolve Multiple Matches
If you cannot tell if the soldier you found in the service records is your ancestor, you will want to do the following:
 * Pensions Records: Check again to see if there is a pension or a bounty land warrant application (accepted or cancelled) for the soldier you found. Not all soldiers received a pension, but if pensions were applied for these records give the most genealogical information on a veteran.
 * Order the Service Records from the National Archives (NARA): Almost all service records for War of 1812 soldiers are only available by ordering a reproduction from the National Archives. The service record may include the place of enlistment which can be compared to the location of your ancestor's known residence before joining the military. How to Order Records from NARA
 * Regiments for United States Volunteers: For U.S. troops that were supported solely by the federal government rather than partly by a state, determine what state the regiments were raised from. Choose from the list below the military branch your ancestor served with. On that Wiki page, locate the regiment the soldier was with; this should give a list of states providing the soldiers for that regiment.
 * U.S. Regular Army - Infantry Units
 * U.S. Regular Army - Artillery and Engineer Units
 * U.S. Regular Army - Cavalry Units
 * Navy and Marine Units


 * Regiments from a State Militia: Even though the service records are not online, there are sometimes records at state archives and other repositories that may have information about enlistment or dates regarding service for a soldier. Choose the state below where the soldier served and use the online resources on the page to look for more information.