Michigan Territory in the War of 1812

United States   War of 1812    Michigan Military    Michigan Territory in the War of 1812



Introduction
During the War of 1812, the Michigan Territory supplied 534 infantry men and 22 cavalry men for a total of 556 men.

Fort Mackinac was in American hands at the beginning of the War of 1812. However, the British captured it June 17, 1812 and kept it throughout the war. For more information, see the Wikipedia article, Fort Mackinac.

Detroit was surrendered to the British on August 16, 1812.

Thousands of veterans settled in Michigan. Genealogical and biographical data is in published militia rolls, pension papers, and gravestone records.

Explanation of the Major Record Types

 * Pearson, Thomas A., comp. Genealogical Records of the War of 1812: an Introduction and Selected Bibliography of Materials in the Collection of St. Louis Public Library. (St. Louis, Missouri: St. Louis Public Library, July 2004).

State Records

 * Fleet, James Alvin, .Old and New Mackinac: with Copious Extracts from Marquette, Hennepin, La Hontan, Alexander Henry, and Others 1 microfilm on line. Digital Version archive.org


 * Miller, Alice Turner. Soldiers of the War of 1812, Who Died in Michigan. (Ithaca, Michigan: A.T. Miller, 1962). 335 pages. A supplement is also available.


 * Sebring, Lorna D and Alice Turner Miller, Gratiot County veterans, War of 1812 (Ithica, Michigan 1997) pages 21

Service Records

 * Ancestry. Michigan Military Records, 1775 - 1836,($) and War of 1812 Service Records($) are two searchable databases that give name, company, rank at time of induction and at time of discharge. (Accessed 11 May 2012).

Pension Records
A soldier may have been recorded in state records (see below) or in federal records (see US War of 1812 Pension Records).


 * Google EBooks. List of Pensioners on the Rolls January 1, 1883 giving the name of each pensioner, ... Vol IV, (Free). (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1883). Under Michigan. Search pages 240-407 for pensioner, first by county and then by post office. Look for "1812" under "Cause for which pensioned". Also searchable by name online at Allen County Public Library.


 * Fold3. Michigan War of 1812 Pension Files. (Free). Alphabetical by surname. Shows complete pension file for those digitized. Incomplete as of 1 June 2012.


 * War of 1812 Pensioners in Michigan, 1883. Abstracted from the U.S. Pension Bureau's List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883, volume IV.

Bounty Land
Veterans were offered a total of 6 million acres of bounty land in Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, and later, Missouri. Starting in 1852 bounty land warrants were also awarded outside these assigned districts.

Bounty land applications and warrants for the Revolutionary War and some warrants for the War of 1812 have been microfilmed. They are available at the Family History Library and are described in this set of Wiki pages for those wars. For more information about bounty land records, the following sources will be helpful:


 * Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. Rev. ed. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Record Administration, 1985. (FHL 973 A3usn 1985.) See chapter 8.
 * Hone, E. Wade. Land and Property Research in the United States. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997. (FHL book 973 R27h.) See chapter 9, pages 115–26.


 * Land Warrants U.S. War Bounty Land Warrants, 1789-1858, can be found on Ancestry.com ($). This data base contains bounty land warrants issued to veterans of the War of 1812, between 1815-1858.


 * War of 1812 Bounty Lands in Illinois. Thomson, Illinois: Heritage House, 1977. A reprint of Lands in Illinois to Soldiers of Late War. (26th Congress, 1st Session, 1840. House Doc. 262.) These records are arranged by date and include number of warrant, name of patentee, rank, description of the tract, and to whom delivered.

Important National and International Sources

 * United States in the War of 1812 has lists of records, books, etc. for the United States, not just one state. The federal records are listed here rather than on each state page. Two of the most important are:


 * FamilySearch Historical Records Collection On line Database:


 * FamilySearch Historical Records Collection On line Database:


 * War of 1812, 1812 to 1815 has lists of general books and documentaries, as well as a list battles with links to web sites about the battles, and other information not tied to one country.

Other Sources

 * Michigan War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission features educational resources and activities, community events calendar, and historical details and timeline.