Connecticut Military Records

United States U.S. Military  Connecticut  Military Records

Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives.

An important source of military records is the Connecticut State Library. Their records include extensive militia records, orderly books, private papers, and other military records from the colonial period to World War I. Many of these are also at the Family History Library.

Forts
Fort Mystic

Fort Saybrook

Fort Trumbull 1812-

Colonial Wars (1675-1775)

 * Selected papers of the wars between 1675 and 1775 have been filed at the Connecticut State Library. Microfilm copies are at the Family History Library. The index is on Family History Library film . For rolls of Connecticut men in the French and Indian War, see Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, Volumes 9 and 10 (Hartford: Connecticut Historical Society, 1905; Family History Library ). This is listed in the Family History Library Catalog under CONNECTICUT - HISTORY.


 * Roll and Journal of Connecticut Service in Queen Anne's War, 1710-1711 (digitized book)


 * "Register of the Connecticut Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1893-1907" (Google Books) (Worldcat) - lists women who are members of the society and a description of the ancestors service.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

 * A major published source is Connecticut Adjutant General, Records of Service of Connecticut Men in the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War (Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Lockwood &amp; Brainard Company, 1889;Family History Library).
 * Supplementary sources for the Revolutionary War are volumes 8 and 12 of Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society (Family History Library volume 12 is on film ). These are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under CONNECTICUT - HISTORY.

The Connecticut State Library and the Family History Library have a 37-volume set of service rolls for the Revolutionary War on microfilm. Indexes to service records of each war between 1775 and 1848 are at the Family History Library. The pension files for the Revolutionary War are also at the National Archives and the Family History Library.

Connecticut Pension List, Rolls And Census (Free):


 * 1) 1813 Pension List: Connecticut
 * 2) 1820 Pension List: Connecticut
 * 3) 1840 Connecticut Census of Pensioners

The 1835 Pension Roll

On June 5, 1834, the U.S. Senate required the Secretary of War to submit a statement showing the names of pensioners who were on the pension rolls or had previously been on the pension rolls. For more information on the 1835 Pension Roll see Revolutionary War Pension Records. The pension Roll for Connecticut is available online.


 * Report from the Secretary of War... Vol. I (Google Books)
 * The Pension Roll of 1835, Vol. I (Ancestry) ($)
 * Connecticut Pensioners, 1835 (Ancestry) ($)

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

 * A major published source is Connecticut Adjutant General, Records of Service of Connecticut Men in the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War (Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Lockwood &amp; Brainard Company, 1889;Family History Library).
 * Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Connecticut has a section listing veterans.
 * Connecticut disapproved of the War of 1812. The militia was forbidden to leave the state, and only about 3,000 Connecticut militiamen saw active duty for any length of time. The legislature did spend some money on internal defenses, including funds for 3,000 muskets, eight cannon, 600 pounds of powder, and five tons of bullets.
 * In June 1814, the British cornered a U.S. naval squadron in New London. Some 6,000 Connecticut militiamen rushed there, and their presence may have restrained the British, allowing the American sailors escaped overland. The British then caused about $200,000 worth of damage to shipping at Essex. In August 1814, five British ships bombarded Stonington for three days.
 * In the Regular Army, Connecticut had 160 men and 156 officers. Congress decorated two Connecticut men who served in the U.S. Navy: Isaac Hull (1773-1843), who commanded the U.S.S. Constitution, and Thomas MacDonough (1783-1825), the hero of Plattsburg Bay. Though MacDonough was not born in Connecticut,he considered Middletown his home.
 * In late 1814, the Hartford Convention met at the Old State House to draft anti-war resolutions.

Mexican War (1846-1848)

 * A major published source is Connecticut Adjutant General, Records of Service of Connecticut Men in the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War (Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Lockwood &amp; Brainard Company, 1889;Family History Library).

Civil War (1861-1865)
See Connecticut in the Civil War for information about Connecticut Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to pages about the Connecticut regiments involved in the Civil War. The regimental articles often include lists of the companies with links to the counties where the companies started. Men in the companies often lived in the counties where the companies were raised. Knowing a county can help when researching the families of the soldiers.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System allows name searching for soldiers. The result set gives the regiment for the soldiers. Then you can check the regiment page to determine counties. Often knowing the counties that had men in a regiment will help you determine if a soldier was your ancestor.

Spanish-American War (1898)

 * A helpful source is Connecticut Adjutant General, Record of Service of Connecticut Men in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States in the Spanish-American War (Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Lockwood &amp; Brainard Co., 1919; Family History Library ).

World War I (1917-1918)
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 registration cards for Connecticut, see:


 * United States. Selective Service System. Connecticut World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On Family History Library films beginning with .)

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.

Most counties had only one board; large cities had several. A map showing the boundaries of individual draft boards is available for most large cities. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you in using the draft board map. There is an alphabetical list of cities that are on the map. For a copy of this map, see:


 * United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, DC: National Archives. (Family History Library film .)