United States, National Homes For Disabled Volunteer Soldiers - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in the Collection?
These are historical registers of veterans who resided in the twelve regional homes. Pages in the registers are divided into four parts for each veteran:


 * Military history
 * Domestic history
 * Home history
 * General remarks

Home numbers 1-5064 from the home in Bath, New York, are not currently available.

The National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was established on March 3, 1865, for volunteer soldiers who had received disabilities while serving in the Union forces in the Civil War. Initially, the Asylum, later called the Home, was planned to have three branches: the northeast, the central area north of the Ohio River, and the northwest (now the upper Midwest). Seven more branches were added between 1870 and 1907 as broader eligibility requirements allowed more Veterans to apply for admission. Veterans admitted into the Home were recorded in "Historical Registers," which were maintained at various branches. These registers are now at the National Archives in Record Group 15, Records of the Veterans Administration. A home number was assigned to each individual upon admission. The member retained his original number even if he was discharged and later readmitted to the branch. The records cover the years 1866 through 1938.

The records were created to keep track of the disabled war veterans who were being housed and provided for in the Homes. They are generally reliable and a great place to research Civil War veterans.


 * National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers Locations
 * Eastern Branch, Togus,Maine, 1866-1934
 * Central Branch, Dayton,Ohio, 1867-1935
 * Northwestern Branch, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1867-1934
 * Southern Branch, Hampton, Virginia, 1871-1933
 * Western Branch, Leavenworth, Kansas, 1885-1934
 * Pacific Branch, Sawtelle, California,1888-1933
 * Marion Branch, Marion, Indiana, 1890-1931
 * Roseburg Branch, Roseburg, Oregon, 1894-1932
 * Danville Branch, Danville, Illinois, 1898-1934
 * Mountain Branch, Johnson City, Tennessee, 1903-1932
 * Battle Mountain Sanitarium, Hot Springs, South Dakota,1907-1934
 * Bath Branch, Bath, New York,1876-1934

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Information found in this collection may include:


 * Name of disabled veteran
 * Time and place of enlistment
 * Rank, company and regiment in which served
 * Time and place of discharge
 * Nature of disability
 * Date admitted to home
 * Birthplace
 * Age and physical description
 * Religion
 * Occupation
 * Residence
 * Marital status
 * Name and address of nearest relative
 * Date and cause of death
 * Pension information
 * Place of burial

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search you will need to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The rank your ancestor held in the military
 * The company your ancestor served in
 * The regiment your ancestor served in
 * The branch of the military
 * The approximate dates of service

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Soldier Home" ⇒Select "Home Index or Register No." which takes you to the images Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. This information will often lead you to other records.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth to locate census, church, and land records.
 * Use the death date to search for death certificates, mortuary, or burial records.
 * It may be helpful to compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor. This is especially helpful if the surname is unusual.
 * If you are having difficulty finding your ancestor, look for variations in the spelling of the name. If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify other relatives.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation