Oregon Military Records

The U.S. Military Records ResearchOutline provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.

Many military records are found at the Genealogical library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The United States Research Outline provides more information on the federal records. For Oregon the following sources are also very helpful.

Civil War (1861-1865)
A published roster that provides each volunteer's name, rank, dates of service, place of enlistment, place of birth, age, occupation, and company is M.A. Pekar and Edna Mingus, comps., Soldiers Who Served in the Oregon Volunteers, Civil War Period, Infantry and Cavalry (Portland, Oregon: Genealogical Forum of Portland Oregon, 1961; FHL book 979.5 A1 No. 16 also 979.5 M2p; film 928088 item 8; fiche 6051234).

A published list of deaths reported to the Oregon department of the Grand Army of the Republic is Jane Myers, Honor Roll of Oregon Grand Army of the Republic, 1881-1935 (Cottage Grove, Oregon: Cottage Grove Genealogical Society, 1980; FHL book 979.5 A1 No. 53).

The Family History Library has an index to service records of Union Army soldiers (FHL film 821947) and a nationwide index to pension records. The actual service and pension records are available only at the National Archives.

On line records can be located by using a search engine and the keys words such as "Civil War History"

Spanish-American War (1898)
A published roster of soldiers that provides name, age, place of birth, occupation, physical description, and service is C. U. Gantenbein, The Official Records of the Oregon Volunteers in the Spanish War and Philippine Insurrection, 2nd ed. (Salem, Oregon: J.R. Whitney, 1903; FHL fiche 6051175).

The Oregon State Archives has the following:


 * Early service records from the Indian Wars
 * National Guard records through 1920
 * Records of the Roseburg State Soldiers' Home
 * An index to World War I veterans
 * World War I files from the State Historian of the Defense Council (biographical questionnaires)
 * Records of the state bonuses and loan applications of World War I veterans

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 Oregon, click here or see:

United States. Selective Service System. Oregon, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On FHL films beginning with 1851979.)

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, D.C.: National Archives. (FHL film 1498803.)