New York Military Records

Many military records are at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The U.S. Military Records Research Outline provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.

Colonial Wars (1664–1775)
New York residents participated in King William's War (1689–97), Queen Anne's War (1701–13), King George's War (1744–48), and the French and Indian War (1756–63). Nearly all original muster rolls for colonial wars were destroyed in the 1911 fire at the state library. Before the fire, however, muster rolls from 1664–1775 were published with a name index:

''New York Secretary of State. Muster Rolls, 1664–1775''. These are in the Second Annual Report of the State Historian of the State of New York, 1896 and Third Annual Report of the State Historian of the State of New York, 1897 (Albany and New York, New York: Wynkoop, Hallenbeck, &amp; Crawford County, 1897–98; FHL book 974.7 M2ne; films 924818–19; fiche 6088376). Sometimes lists ages and country or town of birth.

A book which is not as complete as the above source, but which may be helpful is Carol M. Meyers, Early Military Records of New York, 1689–1738 (Saugus, California: RAM, 1967; FHL book 974.7 M2m; fiche 6105194). Lists counties where units were raised.

Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
Nearly one-third of all Revolutionary War battles took place in New York, including the battles of Long Island, Oriskany, Bennington, and Saratoga. The British occupied New York City during the war. New York contributed at least 51,972 rebel soldiers, more than any province except Massachusetts and Virginia. Some rosters are:

Roberts, James A. New York in the Revolution as Colony and State. Second Edition. Volume 1. Albany, New York: Press of Brandow Printing, 1898; Volume 2. Edited by Frederic Gregory Mather. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon, 1904. (FHL book 974.7 M28n 1898; Volume 1 on film 940048 item 2; Volume 2 on 1035618 item 14; Volume 1 on fiche 6046684.) The first volume lists some 45,000 names from regimental rosters. The second volume has lists of bounty land recipients, refugees, naval lists, prisoner of war lists, lists of suspected Loyalists, claimants for damages, and information about confiscated estates.

Fernow, Berthold. ''New York State Archives. New York in the Revolution''. Volume 1. Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Volume 15. 1887. Reprint, New Orleans, Louisiana: Polyanthos, 1972. (FHL book 974.7 H2d vol. 15; film 824391 item 1.) Indexed. Lists name, regiment, company, rank, and sometimes residence.

DeLancey, Edward F., editor. Muster and Pay Rolls of the War of the Revolution, 1775–1783. Collections of the New York Historical Society for the Years 1914–15. Two volumes. Volumes 47–48. 1916. Reprint, Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1990. (FHL book 974.7 B4n v. 47–48; film 845303 items 2–3; v. 2 also on 547506 item 2; fiche 6078201, Volumes 47–48.) Lists name, regiment, company, rank, residence, and sometimes service dates.

Wilson, Thomas B., editor. Inhabitants of New York 1774–1776. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993. (FHL book 974.7 X4w.) This book contains names from various sources of residents in New York County, Queens County, and Suffolk County.

New York. ''Secretary of State. Calendar of Historical Manuscripts Relating to the War of the Revolution, in the Office of the Secretary of State, 1638–1801''. Two volumes. Albany, New York: Weed, Parsons and Company, 1868. (FHL film 1550750.) Volume 1 includes lists of patriots and loyalists for Charlotte, Cumberland, Dutchess, Orange, Suffolk, and Ulster counties in 1775. Index in Volume 2.

Guides to more sources are:

Bielinski, Stefan, editor. A Guide to the Revolutionary War Manuscripts in the New York State Library. Albany, New York: New York State American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, 1976. (FHL book 974.4 A3r.)

Klein, Milton M., compiler. New York in the American Revolution: A Bibliography. Albany, New York: New York State American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, 1974. (FHL book 974.7 H23k; film 928293 item 2.)

Pension Records. A man born between 1730 and 1765 who lived in New York is probably listed in some form of military record. If he supported the Revolution, he may be mentioned in records as a rebel, patriot, or Whig. Those who opposed the Revolution were Loyalists or Tories. For patriot records of the Revolutionary War, see:

White, Virgil D. Genealogical Abstracts of the Revolutionary War Pension Files. Four Volumes. Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing, 1990. (FHL book 973 M28g.) May include name, unit, service and application dates and places, age, birth date, marriage date, residences, and names of relatives. These abstracts are mainly from:

United States. Veterans Administration. Selected Records from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1969. (FHL films 840256–406.)

United States. Veterans Administration. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1969. (FHL films 970001–2670.) 80,000 complete pension files alphabetical by surname.

White, Virgil D. Index to Revolutionary War Service Records. Four Volumes. Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing, 1995. (FHL book 973 M22wv.) Shows the name, rank, and unit of over 390,000 patriots. Transcripts of:

United States. Adjutant General's Office. General Index to Compiled Military Service Records of Revolutionary Ward Soldiers. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1942. (FHL films 882841–98.)

The service records and pension files for Revolutionary War patriots are available at the Family History Library. For more information, see U.S. Military Records Research Outline. You can also use NATF Form 80 to obtain copies of some records from the National Archives for a fee. Copies of records are also available online at http://www.archives.gov/.

State Service and Pension Records
Federal Service and Pension Records. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of almost all the Revolutionary War service, pension, and miscellaneous records at the National Archives. These are further described in the U.S. Military Records Research Outline.

Burial Records. The New York State Library has a special card index called Revolutionary War Soldiers Grave Card Index. It indexes Daughters of the American Revolution, Graves of Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in New York, 15 Volumes. (Typescript, 1921–55; FHL films 860330–32). Each volume is also individually indexed.

The U.S. Military Records Research Outline lists several more nationwide indexes to Revolutionary War veterans' graves, including many from New York.

Loyalists. New York had one of the highest percentages of Loyalists, and many enrolled in Loyalist military units. The majority of emigrant Loyalists from New York moved to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick after the war. The American Loyalist Claims record information about property lost by loyalists. The claims are at the Public Record Office in London and on microfilm at the Family History Library. See the Canada Research Outline and the U.S. Military Records Research Outline for more information.

Some published sources of importance include:

Yoshpe, Harry Beller. The Disposition of Loyalist Estates in the Southern District of the State of New York. New York, New York: Columbia University Press, 1939. (FHL book 974.7 R2y.) The appendices include lists of the names of Loyalists whose estates were confiscated. Lists county of residence, date of sale, and awards paid.

New York. ''Commission for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies. Minutes of the Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies in the State of New York''. Albany County Sessions, 1778–1781. Three Volumes. Edited by Victor Hugo Paltsits. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon, 1909–1910. (FHL film 1705179.) Volume 3 includes the index to all volumes. May show names, dates, residence, military service record, and occupation.

Hereditary Society Records. Several lineage societies have been organized for descendants of Revolutionary War veterans. In addition to those described in the "Societies" section of the United States Research Outline, the following register helps locate compiled genealogies for descendants of New York patriots:

Sons of the American Revolution. Empire State Society. Register of the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. New York, New York: the Society, 1899. (FHL book 974.7 C4r; film 238380 or 1673276 item 22.) Lists soldiers and descendants. Gives clues for finding SAR applications.

War of 1812 (1812–1815)
Many land and naval conflicts occurred along the New York-Canadian border during the War of 1812. The state archives has copies of payrolls and payroll card files. The National Archives at http://www.archives.gov/ has the service and pension records and muster rolls. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of indexes to service and pension records. They are listed in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under:

UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS

Applications and awards based on military service are at the New York State Archives. There are some 17,000 claims. A published index is Index of Awards on Claims of the Soldiers of the War of 1812 (1860; reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969; FHL book Q974.7 M22i). The residences of those seeking claims are included.

Military commissions, arranged by year and then by county, have been published in Hugh Hastings, compiler and editor, Military Minutes of the Council of Appointment of the State of New York, 1783–1821, Four Volumes. (Albany, New York: James B. Lyon, 1901–02; FHL book 974.7 M2ny; films 1425595–96). Since militia were organized locally, knowing the unit a soldier served in can help you determine where he was from. Index in volume 4. Volume 3 shows which county each unit was from.

Mexican War (1846–1848)
Only two New York regiments participated in the Mexican War: the First and Seventh Regiments of New York Volunteers. The Family History Library has indexes to service and pension records found at the National Archives. They are listed in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS and are described in the United States Research Outline.

Civil War (1861–1865)
New York contributed about 465,000 soldiers to Union armed forces, more than any other state. More than 50,000 of them died. Many who served were recent German and Irish immigrants.

A helpful index to New York Civil War soldiers is United States, Adjutant General's Office, Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers. New York, New York. (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1964; FHL films 882057–213;). Gives regiment, company, and rank. This information can help locate pension records.

The Family History Library has indexes to federal service and pension records of Union Army soldiers. They are listed in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS. The federal service and pension records themselves have not been filmed and are available only at the National Archives at http://www.archives.gov/. They are described in more detail in the United States Research Outline.

During the 1870s and 1880s, New York began making abstracts of various War Department records. These are available only at the state archives and include:

Abstracts of Civil War Muster Rolls for New York State Volunteers, 1,231 Volumes. These are printed forms arranged by unit number and then alphabetically by the names of officers and enlisted men (excluding naval personnel). The abstracts were published as New York Adjutant General, Registers of New York Regiments in the War of the Rebellion (supplemental volumes to the Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York, 1893–1905) Serial number 1–43 (Albany, New York: James B. Lyon, 1894–1906; 1897 and 1901 in FHL book 974.7; 1897 on film 1320818 item 4).

The series is arranged by regiment and then alphabetically by soldiers' names. There is a seventeen-volume name index (not at FHL). The books have most but not all of the information found in the original abstracts. The Library only has volumes for the 15th and 16th Artillery and 81st to 87th Artillery. May show name, age, date, and place of enlistment, unit, or death or discharge date or place.

Abstracts of Muster Rolls for New York State Militia Units Mustered into Federal Service During the Civil War, 1861–1865. 92 Volumes. These are arranged by unit and then alphabetically by name. The archives has a separate index to them.

Abstracts of Muster Rolls for Men Who Served in the United States Navy During the Civil War, 1861–1865. 96 Volumes. These are arranged by U.S. Regular officers, volunteer officers, and enlisted men.

Many published histories of the individual regiments with unit rosters exist, and some are on microfilm at the Family History Library. Military sketches of regimental officers and organizations are available in Frederick Phisterer, compiler, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1865, Third Edition, six volumes. (Albany, New York: Lyon, 1912; FHL book 974.7 M2p, except Volumes 3 and 4 which the library does not have; films 1486494–96). Volume one (pp. 72–77) has a listing of the units raised in particular counties. A similar listing arranged by county and town is C. E. Dornbusch, compiler, The Communities of New York and the Civil War: The Recruiting Areas of the New York Civil War Regiments(New York, New York: The New York Public Library, 1962; FHL book 974.7 A1 no. 308).

Compilations at the state archives include:

Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca. 1865–1867. Albany, New York: New York State Archives and records Administration, 1991. (FHL films 1993401–37.) These registers, arranged by county and town, give the individual's full name, residence, birth date and place, rank, length of enlistment, place of enlistment, race, amount of bounty paid, marital status, previous occupation, parents' names (including mother's maiden name), and promotion dates. Not all the elements are filled in. Birth date and parents' names are usually missing. The registers for New York City, Troy, and other cities are missing.

Return of Officers and Enlisted Men Who are Now in the Military or Naval Service. Three Volumes. 1865. They are arranged by county and then alphabetically by town and include such genealogical information as name, age, color, place of birth, marital status, occupation, and status as voter or alien.

Return of Officers and Enlisted Men Who Have Been in the Military or Naval Service, 1865. Similar in content and arrangement to the first-mentioned volumes.

Deaths of Officers and Enlisted Men, Which Have Occurred While in the Military or Naval Services, 1865. One Volume.

New York took a state census in 1865. This census contains detailed information on Civil War soldiers, both living and deceased. The census is available on film at the Family History Library. It is listed in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under NEW YORK, [COUNTY] - CENSUS. Additionally, a federal census of Union Civil War veterans was taken in 1890 (FHL films 338204–16; index in book 974.7 X22dv 1890).

For records of national old soldier homes, including the homes in Bath and Oxford, New York, see:

United States. Veterans Administration. Registers of Veterans at National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866–1937. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (On 282 FHL films.) Includes general indexes for each of the twelve homes, but some volumes are indexed separately.

These Historical Registers may list the soldier's name, date and place of enlistment, rank, military unit, length of service, date and place of discharge, place of birth, age, physical description, religion, occupation, previous residence, marital status, nearest relative, pension, soldier home admission and discharge dates, disability, death date, or cause of death.

Spanish-American War (1898) and Philippine Insurrection (1899–1902)
The New York State Archives has 40 volumes of Abstracts of Muster Rolls for National Guard Units Mustered into Federal Service. For a published roster of soldiers see New York State Adjutant General, New York in the Spanish-American War, 1898, Three Volumes. (Albany, New York: James B. Lyon, 1900; FHL book 974.7 M2nys; fiche 6051368). Lists age, when and where enlisted, unit, and where mustered out. This was reprinted and indexed as Richard H. Saldaña, editor, Index to the New York Spanish-American War Veterans, 1898, Two volumes. (Bountiful, Utah: A.I.S.I. Publishers, 1987; FHL book 974.7 M2nys 1987).

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of service and pension indexes found at the National Archives. They are listed in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS.

World War I (1917–1918)
A card index to World War I servicemen is available at the New York State Archives.

The New York State Archives has Abstracts of Service Records for New York National Guard and Naval Militia Units and Muster Rolls of New York National Guard Units. Veterans' discharge records have been filed with county clerks since 1909, and some have been microfilmed.

World War I draft registration cards for men ages 18 to 45 may list address, birth date, birthplace, race, nationality, citizenship, and next of kin. Not all registrants served in the war. For registration cards for New York, see:

United States. Selective Service System. New York, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987–1988. (On 441 FHL films.)

These Draft Registration cards can also be found online at http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/WWIdraft.html

To find an individual's draft card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration. The cards are arranged alphabetically by county, within the county by draft board, and then alphabetically by surname within each draft board.

Most counties had only one board; large cities had several. A map showing the boundaries of individual draft boards is available for most large cities. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you determine the draft board number if he lived in a large city.

Draft board addresses for Buffalo and other New York cities can be found in Second Report of the Provost Marshall General to the Secretary of War on the Operations of the Selective Service System to December 20, 1918 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1919; not at FHL). A street map of Buffalo without draft board registration district boundaries is on FHL film 1498803.

Maps of Albany, Rensselear, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Richmond, Rochester, Schenectady, and Syracuse have been prepared which show the draft board registration district boundaries. The cities of New York State (except Buffalo, which is alphabetical under "B") are at the end of the microfilm. For a copy of these maps see:

United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. (FHL film 1498803.)

World War II (1941–1945)
The United States Research Outline describes where to write for service files for those who served in the two world wars. Information on World War II service records can also be accessed online at:

http://www.archives.gov/research/

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html

Militia (National Guard) (1832–1962)
Militia records are valuable for finding military personnel who may have served during peacetime. The New York State Library has the Annual Report of the Adjutant General. 192 Volumes. (Albany, New York: State printers, 1832–1962; 1868, 1886, and 1889 in FHL book 974.7 M2n; 1865 on film 1000223 item 3). The reports give the names of commissioned officers serving in the militia (later the National Guard). The reports do not list officers and men in the regular U.S. Army and Navy. They give name and rank. The lists of commissioned officers do not give residences. The published reports are not indexed.

The New York State Archives has Abstracts of Service Records for New York National Guard and Naval Militia Units and annual Muster Rolls of New York National Guard Units, 1876–1941. The National Guard muster rolls contain no information other than name, rank, and whether present or absent at muster. The records are not indexed and the State Archives will not search them unless the unit number and the year are provided.