United States Naval Enlistment Rendezvous - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This Collection will include records from 1855 to 1891.

A rendezvous was the recruiting station where the men enlisted in the Navy. Officers at the rendezvous kept a record of each man enlisted and reported the information weekly to the Navy Department. These documents are known as the “weekly returns of rendezvous reports.”

The largest number of enlistments occurred during the Civil War. The number of men in uniform for these years is estimated at between 26,000 and 51,000.

This collection consists of these enlistment registers. The original records are located in the National Archives Record Group 24 (NARA publication M1953): Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel. The records were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah in 2003.

They are arranged in the following order:


 * Volume
 * Chronologically by week
 * Name of naval rendezvous
 * Date of enlistment

The indexes to these records, both arranged alphabetically, are available on microfilm from the National Archives in the following publications:


 * T1098, Index to Rendezvous Reports, Before and After the Civil War, 1846–1861, 1865–1884
 * T1099, Index to Rendezvous Reports, Civil War, 1861–1865

Citation for This Collection
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Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in this collection may include:




 * Name of naval rendezvous
 * Name of new recruit
 * Date and term of enlistment
 * Rating (rank)
 * Name of ship to which assigned
 * Previous naval service
 * City and state where born
 * Age
 * Occupation
 * Personal description

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 * Death dates may lead to death certificates, mortuary, or burial records.
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You may also find these search tips helpful:


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For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

For additional information see the wiki article: Steps for research in United States Military Records.

Related Websites
National Archives Publication: “Navy”

Related Wiki Articles

 * Union Service Records
 * US Military Branches
 * U.S, Navy

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