Ohio Military Records

The U.S. Military Records Research Outline and the United States Research Outlineprovide more information on federal military records and search strategies.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Although Ohio did not exist as a state during the time of the Revolutionary War, a man born between 1730 and 1765 who lived in Ohio later may have been granted Ohio land for his service for another state or for the Continental Army. 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.) May give a veteran's name, age, birth date, marriage date, residence, names of relatives, unit, and service dates and places.

To view all the papers in a person's pension files, see:

United States. Veterans Administration. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land- Warrant Application Files. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1969. (FHL film 970001, first of 2670 reels.)

If you prefer to order a copy of the original records from the National Archives, use NATF Form 80. This form is available from the National Archives or at the nearest federal office building.

United States. General Land Office. U.S. Revolutionary War Bounty Land Warrants Used in the U.S. Military District of Ohio and Related Papers, Acts of 1788, 1803, 1806. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1971. (On 16 FHL films beginning with 1025141.)

Rosters have been published for soldiers who lived in Ohio or who are buried there, such as:

Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in the State of Ohio. Three Volumes. Columbus, Ohio: F.J. Heer Printing, 1929-59. (FHL book 977.1 M23ad; films 385013 and 928143 items 7-8; fiche 6046713).

Dailey, Mrs. Orville D. The Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolution Who Lived in the State of Ohio : Volume 2, A-Z. Columbus, Ohio: State Society DAR, State of Ohio, 1938?. (FHL film 195451.)

Daughters of the American Revolution of the State of Ohio, comp. Official Roster III, Soldiers of the American Revolution Who Lived in the State of Ohio. Painesville, Ohio: Painesville Publishing, 1959. (FHL book 977.1 M2of; film 213051.)

War of 1812 (1812-1815)
Microfilmed and published rosters are available at the Family History Library. These include:

''Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812. 1916''. Reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1968. (FHL book 977.1 M2r 1968; index, published list, and originals on films 195485-87; fiche 6104621 and 6051388.)

Deifenbach, Josephine Conrad Zartman, comp. Index to the Grave Records of Soldiers of the War of 1812 Buried in Ohio. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1992. (FHL book 977.1 V22d; fiche 6100370.)

Mexican War (1846-1848)
For published rosters of Ohio soldiers who served in the Mexican War, see:

Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War with Mexico, 1846-1848. Mansfield, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society, 1991. Reprint of 1897 publication. (FHL book 977.1 M2or.)

Official Roster of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, and in the War with Mexico, 1846-1848. Volume 12. Akron, Ohio: Werner, 1886-1895. (FHL book 977.1 M2o Volume 12; film 924022; fiche 6051200; index on film 195488.)

Index to Mexican War (1846) Records at the Ohio State Archives. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959. (FHL film 223771.) Consists of microfilm of a card file at the Ohio State Archives which gives the name of each soldier's military unit.

Ryan, Daniel J. "Ohio in the Mexican War." Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society Publications. 1912, Volume 21, pages 277-295. Includes a section that tells when and where a company was raised and lists many of the officers in those companies. The Library does not have volume 21.

Civil War (1861-1865)
The index to the federal service records of Union volunteers from Ohio is:

United States. Adjutant General's Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Ohio. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1965. (On 122 FHL films beginning with 882214.)

The index to the Union pension records for all states is:

United States. Veterans Administration. Pension Index File, Alphabetical. Washington, D.C.: Veterans Administration, Publications Service, 1953. (On 544 FHL films beginning with 540757.)

The actual service and pension records are available only at the National Archives. To order a copy of the original records, use NATF Form 80, which is available from the National Archives or at any federal office building.

Names and residences of persons receiving federal pensions in 1883 can be found in:

Phillips, W. Louis. Index to Ohio Pensioners of 1883. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1987. (FHL book 977.1 M2ph; fiche 6087608.) This includes veterans of the Civil War and the War of 1812 or their widows.

Records of Civil War soldiers were also kept by county and state officials. These include:

Ohio. Adjutant General's Office. Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion: Original Muster In &amp; Muster Out Rolls of Ohio Military Organization in the Civil War, 1-3 Year Enlistments, 1861-1866. Salt Lake City, Utah, Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959-1960. (On 365 FHL films beginning with 212908.) Rosters are arranged by name of regiment and give enlistment and service information about each soldier.

Ohio. Adjutant General's Office. Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion: Muster In &amp; Muster Out Rolls of Ohio Military Organization in the Civil War, 1861-1866, 3-Month Enlistments. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959-1960. (On 9 FHL films beginning with 213031.) Arranged by regiment.

Ohio. Adjutant General's Office. Official Roster of the Colored Troops of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion: Original Muster In and Muster Out Rolls of the Civil War, 1-3 Year Enlistments, 1861-1866. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1962. (On 6 FHL films beginning with 285025.)

Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959. (On 17 FHL films beginning with 195467.) The files were compiled by the Works Progress Administration in 1938.

A published roster with rolls of honor is also available in:

Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866. 12 Volumes. Akron, [Ohio]: Werner, 1886-1895. (FHL book 977.1 M2o; film 924017-22; fiche 6051200; index on films 195467-71.)

Biographical sketches of officers are in:

Reid, Whitelaw. Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers. Two Volumes. New York, NY: Moore, Wilstach &amp; Baldwin, 1868. (FHL book 977.1 H2re; fiche 6051205.)

For records of national old soldier homes, including the one in Dayton, Ohio, which served Ohio and nearby states, 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 [55 films beginning with 1547608, for the Dayton, Ohio home].) Includes general indexes for each of the 12 homes, but some individual volumes are indexed separately. These may list a 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, home admission and discharge dates, disability, death date, or cause of death. Though most were Civil War soldiers, veterans of other wars were included.

For the state soldiers' home in Sandusky, see:

''Ohio Veterans Home (Sandusky, Ohio). Veterans Home Records, 1889-1995.'' Bowling Green, Ohio: Center for Archival Collection, Bowling Green State Univ., 1995. (On six FHL films beginning with 2026851.)

A quarterly publication devoted exclusively to Ohio and Ohioans in the Civil War is:

Ohio Civil War Genealogy Journal. Mansfield, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society, 1997. (FHL book 977.1 M25oc.)

Spanish-American War (1898)
Muster-in and muster-out rolls are on 31 microfilms at the Family History Library. Published statewide rosters are:

The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain, 1898-1899. Columbus, Ohio: Edward T. Miller, 1916. (FHL film 195489.)

Broglin, Jana Sloan. Index to Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain, 1898-1899. Mansfield, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society, 1989. (FHL book 977.1 M22b.)

''Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio. Muster In and Muster Out Rolls in the Spanish American War:. . .'' Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959, 1962. (On 31 FHL films beginning with 223766.)

By 1890, about 40 percent of the Civil War veterans were members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The descriptive books of each GAR post usually indicate each member's name, age, rank, birthplace, residence, occupation, and enlistment and discharge information. Records of GAR posts and of other veteran organizations may be found in various libraries and archives throughout Ohio.

World War I (1917-1918)
World War I draft registration cards for men ages 18 to 45 may list each registrant's address, birth date, birthplace, race, nationality, citizenship, and next of kin. Not all registrants served in the war. For Ohio's cards, see:

United States, Selective Service System. Ohio, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On 239 FHL films beginning with 1819504.)

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

Most counties had only one board; large cities had more. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you determine the board number if he lived in a large city. Special maps of Cleveland and Cincinnati have been prepared, to show the draft board registration district boundaries. The cities are listed in alphabetical order by name of the city. For a copy of this map, see:

United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. (FHL film 1498803.)

Service cards for Navy (eight films), Marine Corps (three films), out-of-state (four films), and regular service (76 films) are on films at the Family History Library. The cards containing the names and information on over 200,000 soldiers have also been published in:

Ohio Adjutant General's Office. The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the World War, 1917-1918. 22 Volumes. Columbus, Ohio: F.J. Heer Printing, 1926-29. (FHL films 195413-35.)

Ohio. Adjutant General's Office. World War I - Service Cards of the State of Ohio. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959. (FHL films 195337-412.)

Service records for World War I and later wars are at the Adjutant General's Office (State House, Columbus, OH 43215).

World War II (1941-1945)
Lists of dead and missing soldiers who served during World War II, arranged alphabetically by county, is:

United States. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing - State of Ohio, June 1946. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1960. (FHL film 213049.)

Additional Records
Ohio. Adjutant General's Office. Grave Registrations of Soldiers Buried in Ohio. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1958. (FHL films 182702-93.) A concerted effort has been made to locate the Ohio gravesites of veterans from all pre-1945 wars. Cards are arranged alphabetically.

Ohio. Adjutant General's Office. Roster of Soldiers of the Ohio National Guard, 1874-1917. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959. (FHL films 195453-66.)

Hughes, Edward Wakefield. The History of the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home at Xenia, Ohio. Ohio: Association of Ex-Pupils, 196? (FHL book 977.174/X1 J3h.) This does not include the records.

Military service records are also found in the office of each county auditor and county recorder. The Family History Library has microfilms of discharge papers, dating from the Civil War to 1920 (some to 1970), for about half the counties in Ohio.

Information about prominent Ohio veterans and major military actions is in:

Two Hundred Years: The Military History of Ohio. New York, New York: H.H. Hardesty, 1886-7. (FHL book Q 977.1 M25ha or Q 977.1 M2m; film 874293.)

Many more useful sources are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:

OHIO - MILITARY RECORDS

OHIO - MILITARY RECORDS - [WAR]

OHIO - MILITARY HISTORY

OHIO - MILITARY HISTORY - [WAR]

OHIO, [COUNTY] - MILITARY RECORDS

Web Sites
Online Military databases for Ohio are located at:

http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/military.html