Maine, Civil War Card Index and World War I Draft Registration Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
These records are for the years 1861 to 1917.

Record Description
These collections from the Maine State Archives consist of card indexes to Civil War Soldiers and World War I Draft Registrations. The Civil War index contains transcribed information from original records including muster rolls,etc. The World War I index identifies men who registered for the draft between 1917-1918. Both collections are alphabetically arranged.

Record Content
The Civil War index cards usually have the following information:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Rank
 * Company
 * Marital status
 * Physical description
 * Occupation
 * Enlistment date
 * Muster in date
 * Muster in place
 * Birth place
 * Residence
 * Number of years of service
 * Date left service
 * How left service
 * Muster out date
 * Previous service information

The World War I cards usually have the following information:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Residence
 * Birth place
 * Birth date
 * Nationality
 * Race
 * Occupation
 * Marital status
 * Family information or nearest relative
 * Local military board
 * Remarks

How to Use the Record
To search for your ancestors in the index you will need to know their full names. Check the index for the surname and then the given name. If you are having difficulty finding your ancestor, look for variations in the spelling of the name. If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. This information will often lead you to other records. For example:


 * Death dates may lead to death certificates, mortuary, or burial records.
 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth of the deceased to locate census, church, and land records.

You may also find these search tips helpful:


 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the deceased, this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been seeking the pension.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Record History
The state of Maine was a source of military manpower, supplies, ships, arms, and political support for the Union Army during the Civil War. In addition, hundreds of civilians served as nurses, doctors, relief workers, and agents at home and on the field of battle. During World War I, men between the ages of 18 and 45 were registered for the draft and an individual record was created for each man.

Why this Record Was Created
These indexes were created to provide a rapid access to specific individual records.

Record Reliability
The records are fairly reliable; however, the records are only as accurate as the knowledge of the individual who provided the information and the accuracy of the individual who recorded it.

Related Websites
This section of the article is incomplete. You can help FamilySearch Wiki by supplying links to related web sites here.

Related Wiki Articles
Maine Military Records

Style Guide
For guidelines to use in creating wiki articles that describe collections of images and indexes produced by FamilySearch, see: FamilySearch Wiki:Guidelines for FamilySearch Collections pages.

Sources of Information for This Collection
"Maine, Civil War and World War I Records, 1861-1917." Database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/). Maine State Archives, Augusta. FHL digital images, Family History Library Salt Lake City, Utah.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

The format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections, including how to cite individual archives is found in the following link: How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection

 * United States. Bureau of the Census. 12th census, 1900, digital images, From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: September 29, 2006), Arizona Territory, Maricopa, Township 1, East Gila, Salt River Base and Meridian; sheet 9B, line 71
 * Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records, 1886-1933, digital images, from FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: April 22, 2010), Baptism of Adolfo Fernandez Jimenez, 1 Feb. 1910, San Pedro Apóstol, Cuahimalpa, Distrito Federal, Mexico, film number 0227023