Maine Military Records

Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. United States Military Records provides more information about the federal records.

Because Maine was under Massachusetts' jurisdiction until 1820, soldiers may be listed in Massachusetts military records, especially during the many colonial wars. See Massachusetts Military Records for additional suggestions. For specific Maine sources see the following:

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
A man born between 1730 and 1765 who lived in Maine is probably listed in some form of military record. If he supported the Revolution, he may be mentioned in records as a rebel, patriot, or Whig. Those who opposed the Revolution were Loyalists or Tories. For patriot records of the Revolutionary War see:

White, Virgil D. Genealogical Abstracts of the Revolutionary War Pension Files. Four Volumes. Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing, 1990. (FHL book 973 M28g.) This work may include the soldier's name, unit, service and application dates and places, age, birth date, marriage date, residences, and names of relatives. These abstracts are mainly from:

United States. Veterans Administration. Selected Records from Revolutionary War Pension &amp; Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files. (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1969; FHL films 840256-406.)

United States. Veterans Administration. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1969. (FHL films 970001-2670.) This contains 80,000 complete pension files arranged alphabetically by surname.

White, Virgil D. Index to Revolutionary War Service Records. Four Volumes. Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing, 1995. (FHL book 973 M22wv.) This work shows the name, rank, and unit of over 390,000 patriots. It mostly consists of transcripts of:

United States. Adjutant General's Office. General Index to Compiled Military Service Records of Revolutionary War Soldiers. (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1942; FHL film 882841-98.)

The service records and pension files for Revolutionary War patriots are available at the Family History Library. For more information, see Revolutionary War, 1775 to 1783. You can also use NATF From 80 to obtain copies of some records fromt he National Archives for a fee.

A published list of Maine soldiers with genealogical information is:

Fisher, Carleton E., and Sue G. Fisher. Soldiers, Sailors, and Patriots of the Revolutionary War, Maine. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 1982. (FHL book 974.1 M2f.)

You can find published pension and bounty land lists in:

Flagg, Charles A. An Alphabetical Index of Revolutionary Pensioners Living in Maine. 1920. Reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1967. (FHL book 974.1 M22f.) This work list indicates name, service, rank, age, and county and contains brief information such as residence or death.

House, Charles J. Names of Soldiers of the American Revolution Who Applied for State Bounty. 1893. Reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1967 (see the "Land and Property" section of this outline).

For cemetery records of soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War (see the "Cemeteries" section of this outline).

War of 1812 (1812-1815)
The Family History Library has copies of the National Archives indexes to service and pension records for the War of 1812.

United States. Adjutant General's Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers who Served during the War of 1812. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1965. (FHL films 882519-752.) This index includes soldier's name, rank, and regiment.

United States. Veterans Administration. Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1960. (On 102 FHL films starting at 840431.) This index may have name of soldier, dates of enlistment and discharge, pension and bounty land numbers, residence of soldier or widow, maiden name of widow, date and place of marriage, date and death place of soldier, date of death of widow.

For a published index of men who served in the War of 1812 see:

White, Virgil D. Index to War of 1812 Pension Files. Two volumes. Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing Company, 1992. (FHL book 973 M22i 1992.) This index is arranged alphabetically. Applications are based on service between 1812 and 1815. Also listed in the index are the Bounty Land Warrants for which no pension application was made. There is a cross-reference to the wives, widows and other family members.

Civil War (1861-1865)
Indexes to service and pension records of Union army volunteers are available at the Family History Library. The actual service and pension records are available only at the National Archives. For the index to these records see:

United States. Adjutant General's Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Maine. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1964. (FHL films 881847-69.) This index is arranged alphabetically.

Published Civil War rosters of soldiers and officers are found in:

Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Maine Adjutant General, 1861-66. Five Volumes in seven. Augusta, Maine: Stevens and Sayward, 1862-67. (FHL book 974.1 M2mag; film 1697708 items 1-4 and film 1033935 item 4.) The Family History Library lacks the 1861 report.

For a supplement to the Adjutant General reports, see:

Maine. Adjutant General. Supplement to the Annual Reports of the Adjutant General of the State of Maine for the Years 1861,'62,'63,'64,'65 and 1866. Augusta, Maine: Stevens &amp; Sayward, 1867. (FHL book 974.1 M2mag supp. 1861-1865; on 14 fiche 6046926.) Contains alphabetical lists of volunteers.

Additional information on soldiers of the Civil War may be found in:

Johnson, Daniel F. The American Civil War: the Service Records of Atlantic Canadians with the State of Maine Volunteers. Two Volumes. Saint John, N.B.: D.F. Johnson, 1995. (FHL book 971.5 M2jd.) A transcript of the service records compiled from the adjutant general office records for enlisted men of the Maine State Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, and Navy who recorded New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland as their birth place. The information is alphabetical.

For regimental sketches and lists of officers, see:

Whitman, William E.S., and Charles H. True. Maine in the War for the Union. Lewiston, Maine: Nelson Dingley, Jr., 1865. (FHL book 974.1 M2w; film 1597664 item 2.)

A helpful reference source on Maine's participation in the war is:

Jordan, William B., comp. Maine in the Civil War: A Bibliographical Guide. Portland, Maine: Maine Historical Society, 1976. (FHL book 974.1 M23j; fiche 6046967.)

For records of national old-soldier homes including the one in Togus, Kennebec County, Maine, see:

United States. Veterans Administration. Registers of Veterans at National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1937. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (On 282 FHL films; Togus, Maine is on films 1549002-9009, 1571573-81, and 1579591.) This source includes general indexes for each of the 12 homes, but some individual volumes are indexed separately. These Historical Registers may list soldier's name, date and place of enlistment, rank, military unit, length of service, date and place of discharge, place of birth, age, physical description, religion, occupation, previous residence, marital status, nearest relative, pension, soldier home admission and discharge dates, disability, death date, or cause of death.

Spanish-American War (1898)
The Family History Library also has copies of the National Archives indexes to service and pension records for the Spanish-American War. See:

United States. Adjutant General's Office. General Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War with Spain. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1971. (FHL films 1002433-558.)

The Maine State Archives also has records for the Spanish-American war.

World War I (1917-1918)
A published roster of soldiers that provides birth dates, birthplaces, and residences is:

Maine. Adjutant General. Roster of Maine in the Military Service of the United States and Allies in the World War, 1917-1919. Two Volumes. Augusta, Maine: [Published under the direction of James W. Hanson, the Adjutant General], 1929. (FHL book 974.1 M2ma; Volume 1 film 1036025; Volume 2 film 1036049 item 1.) The information is alphabetical.

Other records for Maine soldiers are in:

Maine. Adjutant General. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Maine for the Period of the World War, 1917-1919. Augusta, Maine: Published under the direction of James W. Hanson, the Adjutant General, 1929. (FHL book 974.1 M2mar.)

World War I draft registration cards for men ages 18 to 45 may list address, birth date, birthplace, race, nationality, citizenship, and next of kin. Not all registrants served in the war. For Maine cards see:

United States. Selective Service System. Maine, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On 29 FHL films starting with 1653898.)

To find an individual's draft card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration. The cards are arranged alphabetically by county, within the county by draft board, and then alphabetically by surname within each draft board.

World War II (1941-1945)
An alphabetical list of soldiers from Maine who died in World War II is:

Maine. Division of Vital Statistics. Deaths of World War II Veterans of Maine. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1954. (FHL film 010216.) This lists the soldier's date and place of death and may also include the place of residence in Maine, marital status, date and place of birth, occupation, and parents' names. It is arranged alphabetically.

Additional Military Records
Major collections of veterans' cemetery records are described in the "Cemeteries" section of this outline.

A published roster of soldiers who served in the Aroostook War (1839) is:

''Aroostook War: Historical Sketch and Roster of Commissioned Officers and Enlisted Men. . . . ''Augusta, Maine: Kennebec Journal Print, 1904. (FHL book 974.1 M2a.)