Ohio, Grave Registrations of Soldiers - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
Grave sites were registered for all veterans from wars prior to 1943. The information on the grave registration cards was taken from burial or cemetery records. Each record is found on a pre-printed card arranged alphabetically by the veteran’s name. The records are all extant and have been preserved under good conditions.

Veterans were buried in private, public, church, national, and military post cemeteries. Others were buried on battlefields, in prison, or in hospital cemeteries. Ohio, along with other states, made a concerted effort to locate the gravesites of veterans from all wars prior to 1943. Approximately three to five percent of the population was recorded in graves registration. Grave registration cards were created to form an index to the graves of former military personnel.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Grave registration cards may include the following information:


 * Full name of the veteran
 * Birth date and place
 * Death date and place
 * Burial date and place
 * Enlistment date, branch of service, unit, and rank
 * Next of kin and relationship
 * Address of the deceased at the time of death

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * The location or date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s grave registration, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the age or estimated birth date to determine an approximate birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, and marriage records
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Ohio.
 * Ohio Guided Research
 * Ohio Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.