Massachusetts in the War of 1812

United States   War of 1812    Massachusetts Military    Massachusetts in the War of 1812

Introduction
During the War of 1812, Massachusetts supplied 43,321 infantry men, 446 cavalry men, 2,714 artillery men, and 200 men in miscellaneous troops for a total of 46,681 men.

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).

Service Records

 * Ancestry.War of 1812 Service Records.($). This database gives name, company, rank at time of induction and at time of discharge of men mustered into the armed forces between 1812 and 1825. (Accessed 11 May 2012).


 * Massachusetts. Adjutant General. Muster Rolls and Payrolls of the Massachusetts Militia, 1812-1815. (Microfilm of records at Massachusetts State Archives, Boston). On 7 FHL films starting with.


 * Adjutant General of Massachusetts. Records of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. [Boston?]: Gardner W. Pearson, 1913 (Boston, Massachusetts: Wright and Potter Printing, 1913. and Lists commander, unit, soldier's name, and service dates. Indexed.


 * MA Militia, War of 1812. Massachusetts Volunteer Militia in the War of 1812. (Free). Searcheable. (Created June 22, 2001, c2003).


 * Pearson, Gardner W.Records of the Massachusetts volunteer militia called out by the Governor of Massachusetts to suppress a threatened invasion during the war of 1812-14, (Free). (Boston: Wright and Potter Printing Co., Massachusetts state printers, 1913). index of names lists commander, unit, soldier's name, and service dates. Indexed.(Family History Library book ; film


 * General Society of the War of 1812, The Constitution and Register of Membership of the General Society of the War of 1812 to October 1, 1899], Philadelphia, Dewey &amp; Eakens, Makers 1899). Family Search. contains registers for eight states and District of Columbia. Descendant Members of the Massachusetts Society identifies veteran ancestor by name, his rank, unit in which he served, dates of service, etc., page 135.

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


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

Bibiography

 * Newberry Library. War of 1812 Resources. Bibliography.

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

 * Crowninshield, B.B., An account of the private armed ship "America" of Salem ( Washington, D.C. Filmed by the Library of Congress, 1975) Salem Massachesetts.


 * Watkins, Walter Kendall, The defense of Boston in the War of 1812-15: with an appendix containing a bibliography of the War and a list of the officers of the Massachusetts Militia engaged in the defense, (North Clarendon, Vermont: Old Farmhouse Enterprises, c1990, originally printed 1899), 42 pages.