United States Military Records

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Introduction
Military records identify individuals who served in the armed forces or who were eligible for service. This set of Wiki pages introduce strategies and records that can help you learn more about your ancestors who served in the United States military. Use these pages to set meaningful research goals, evaluate the likelihood that your ancestor is found in military records, and select the records that will help you achieve your goals.

This set of Wiki pages teach terminology and describe the contents, uses, and availability of major sets of records created mostly by the federal government. Use this set of Wiki pages to learn about federal and nationwide sources. The Wiki pages for the separate states have more information about state military records. These Wiki pages discuss only sources that identify personal information about individuals in the armed forces and their units. It does not discuss historical sources about military institutions, weapons, battles, or tactics.

If you are just beginning research, you may need some introductory information before using this set of Wiki pages. You may want to see the Wiki article Guide to Research.

Featured Content
The Basic Search Strategies page of this set suggests steps you should take to find your ancestors in military records. This section is especially valuable if you are just beginning your research.

The Record Selection Table can help you choose types of records to search. The Family History Library's collection is described on that page, and there is also a page explaining how to use the Family History Library Catalog to find specific records.

There is a explanation of general types of military records available for most wars. Each of the major wars in which Americans participated is listed in the topics column in chronological order. Not all military records sources are mentioned in the wars pages. Records not specific to a particular war but to a branch of the service are described on the page for that service branch. These pages do not include sources for the Coast Guard and Air Force. At the end of the topics column is a page for a short bibliography titled For Further Reading.

Research Tools

 * FamilySearch Record Search. Free. Includes Civil War Pension Index Cards (no images), Louisiana War of 1812 Pension Lists (images only), World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (images only), Vermont Enrolled Militia records, 1861-1867 (images only).
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. Free National Park Service site with a nationwide index to Union and Confederate servicemen, including U.S. Colored Troops (USCT).
 * HeritageQuestOnline. Search selected records from the Revolutionary War era pension and bounty-land warrant application files. This subscription site is also available at selected libraries.
 * Ancestry.com ($) A subscription site with records from most major American wars, including DAR Rolls of Honor, the Civil War Collection, and World War I Draft Registrations. Also includes selected Loyalist and Confederate sources.
 * Footnote.com ($) Subscription site to digitized and indexed National Archives documents including Civil War Service Records, Civil War Widows Pensions, Mormon Battalion Pension Files, Pension Index-Civil War to 1900, Revolutionary War Pensions, Southern Claims Commission, WWI and WWII records.
 * Family History Library, Register of Revolutionary War Records (Salt Lake City: FHL, 2006) Shows National Archives and other sources available through the Family History Library.
 * BYU Research Outline for U.S. Military Records

Related Content
Additional websites for general military research

Library of Congress: Veterans History Project

National Veterans History Archival Institute

Things you can do
In order to make this wiki a better research tool, we need your help! Many tasks need to be done. You can help by:


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