User:Batsondl/Sandbox 3

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 and images ($)
 * 1776-1881 UK, Pension Applications For Widows and Family of Military Officers, 1776-1881 at Ancestry - index and images ($)

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's
Your soldier's regiment and company are often needed to find his records and to recognize him in the records.

Service Records

 * at FamilySearch.org — index & images; Also at Ancestry ($)

Pension Records

 * at FamilySearch.org — index & images
 * War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815 at Fold3.com — images, (Free collection)
 * War of 1812 Pension Files at Fold3.com — images, incomplete
 * U.S., War Bounty Land Warrants, 1789-1858 at Ancestry - Index and images ($); given to soldiers from the War of 1812

Misc. Records

 * National Society United States Daughters of 1812 - Ancestor Database

Step 3 - Verify your Ancestor's Regiment and Company
With a possible match or matches for your ancestor, you must prove the person you found is your ancestor. If they served in a U.S. regiment (not supported by a particular state), locate the Wiki page for the regiment to determine if the regiment was raised from the state your ancestor was living in.

U.S. Regiments
These troops were supported solely by the federal government rather than partly by a state. The men came from many states, but the troops were not organized by state. Look up the regiment of your possible ancestor and determine the enlistment place and date using the Wiki pages listed below:
 * United States War of 1812 Infantry Units
 * United States War of 1812 Artillery and Engineer Units
 * United States War of 1812 Cavalry Units

Navy

 * United States War of 1812 Navy and Marine Units

Discharge Certificates
These discharge certificates cover some of the soldiers discharged from the military (it is not complete for all U.S. Regiments). Use this information and compare what you know about your ancestor.


 * List of Company/Detachment Commanders/officers - gives name, rank, and regiment; Appendix II; incomplete
 * List of Soldiers by Name - gives name, year, regiment, and company. -Appendix III; Incomplete

State Troops
If he was serving in a state regiment, you need to determine more information about soldier to determine if he is your ancestor. Use the following records:

Pension Records: using the indexes above search for the pension application. Details of the soldier and his family is often included. A large portion of pension records are online but not all. You may have to order a pension from the National Archives. Review the pension for a wife/widow and other dependents to see if it is your ancestor.

Service Records: Service records are not online and must be ordered from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Service records can include the enlistment date and place, sometimes and age, and also subsequent battles and service information. No other genealogical information is included.

Additional Resources: Some states have records that list the soldier and when and where they enlisted. Review the sources listed on the state War of 1812 Wiki page your ancestor served from using the list below. Try each of the online sources to see if you can match the regiment of your ancestor and review the information to see if it matches what you know about your ancestor.

Soldiers came from 18 states and 5 territories and District of Columbia. Choose the state that your ancestor may have served from.

French Canadians

 * Mills, Sean.French Canadians and the Beginning of the War of 1812: Revisiting the Lachine Riot in Histoire sociale/Social History

African - American

 * Eric Eugene Johnson. Black regulars and militiamen in the War of 1812.Berwyn Heights, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 2017. FHL 973 M2jeb