Texas Military Records

United States U.S. Military  Texas  Military Records

U.S. Military Records provides more information on federal military records and search strategies. Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The United States|United States article provides more information about the federal records. For Texas the following sources are also very helpful.

Forts
Civil War Forts: Bankhead, Chambers, Debrey, Esperanza, Green, Hebert, Jackson, Magruder, Mannahasset, Moore, Morrah, Quintana, Sabine, Scurry, Valasco

Fort Arbuckle

Port of Austin -- Textual records of this post, 18666-1875, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Belknap 1851 -1867

Fort Bliss 1849 -- Textual records of this fort, 1865-1894, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Brown -- Textual records of this fort, 1865-1906, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Chadbourne 1852-1867

Fort Clark 1852

Fort Cobb

Fort Colorado 1856

Fort Concho -- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1889, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Cooper 1855 -1865

Fort Croghan 1849-53

Fort Davis 1854 -- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1891, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Duncan -- Textual records of this fort, 1868-1883, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Elliott -- Textual records of this fort, 1870-1890, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Ewell 1852-54

Port of Galveston -- Textual records of this post, 1865-1870, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Gates 1849-52

Fort Graham 1849-54

Fort Griffin -- Textual records of this fort, 1868-1881, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Hudson 1857 -1868

Fort Inge 1849 -1869

Post of Jefferson -- Textual records of this post, 1868-1871, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Lancaster 1855 -1861

Fort Lincoln 1849-1852

Fort Martin Scott1849-52

Fort Mason 1851-1869

Fort McIntosh 1849-1946

Fort McKavett -- Textual records of this fort, 1868-1883, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Merrill 1850-55

Camp Pena Colorado -- Textual records of this fort, 1880-1893, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Phantom Hill1851-54

Fort Quitman 1858 -1877

Fort Richardson -- Textual records of this fort, 1857-1878, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Ringgold -- Textual records of this fort, 1874-1906, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Saint Louis

Fort Sam Houston 1879-Present; originally San Antonio Quartermaster Depot

Fort San Luis

Fort Sill -- in Oklahoma

Fort Stockton 1858 -- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1886, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7). These records have been microfilmed on 3 rolls and are part of National Archives Microcopy M1189. These records (M1189) are availble at the Family History Library FHL Film: 1490261 (first film of 8).

Fort Terrett 1852-54

Fort Teron

Fort Washita

Fort Worth 1849-53

References

''Encyclopedia of Indian wars Western Battles and Skirmishes, 1850-1890. ''By Gregory F. Michno. Mountain press Publishing Co., Missoula, Montana. Co. 2003. ISBN 0-87842-468-7

War of 1812 (1812-1815)
The War of 1812 between Britain and the United States confirmed the separate existence of the United States and the future Canada. See the Wiki article, Texas in the War of 1812, for information concerning military records, histories, links to relevant websites, etc. for Texas.

There are helpful nationwide records for soldiers of the War of 1812. For more information, see United States in the War of 1812.

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).

Pension Records

 * War of 1812 pensioners and others on the pension rolls as of January 1, 1883 Texas (Cullman, Alabama: Gregath, [199?] pages 40.

Veterans in Texas

 * A published roster with added genealogical information for veterans is Mary Smith Fay's, War of 1812 Veterans in Texas. (New Orleans, Louisiana: Polyanthos, 1979)..


 * Cook, Donna Gholson: Gholson road : revolutionaries and Texas Rangers (D.G. Cook, c2005) pages 387


 * Hurst, Ernice. War of 1812, the second war for independence (Houston, Texas, Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, 1094) page 16

War of Texas Independence (1835-1836)

 * Published muster rolls of soldiers who served in the war are in Muster Rolls of the Texas Revolution. Austin, Texas: Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Incorporated, 1986. . The book's preface states that the muster rolls come from "deteriorating manuscripts." It further explains: "According to the research done by Thomas Miller in The Public Lands of Texas 1519-1917, the General Land Office possesses a 'true copy of the Muster Rolls prepared by the adjutant general in 1850.' Because the adjutant general's office was destroyed by fire in 1855, and all the records were lost, the Muster Roll copies in the General Land Office and the Texas State Archives in Austin, Texas are probably the only ones in existence." In addition to the Muster Rolls, there are letters from the Quartermaster General's Office and information on the participants of the Battle of San Jacinto.
 * Abstracts of pension applications are in John C. Barron, et al., Republic of Texas Pension Application Abstracts. Austin, Texas: Austin Genealogical Society, 1987. and.
 * A detailed history of the Alamo seige and a roster of the garrison will be found in Phil Tosenthal and Bill Groneman, Roll Call at the Alamo. Ft. Collins, Colorado: The Old Army Press, 1985..
 * Biographical sketches of soldiers who served in the Battle of San Jacinto are in Sam Houston Dixon and Louis Wiltz Kemp, The Heroes of San Jacinto. Houston, Texas: The Anson Jones Press, 1932. and.
 * Patrick, Robert "Scott". Battle of San Jacinto, and It's Veterans, (accessed 20 April 2012).
 * Tabb, William H. Mrs War of 1812 ancestors and their children : from the files of John Cavet Chapter United States Daughters of 1812 (Dallas, Texas, Hudson Genealogy Co. 1985) page 94

Mexican War (1846-1848)
The Mexican War was caused by the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845. Most volunteer regiments were from southern states. Records of Mexican War veterans might exist in a state where the veteran later resided. Many soldiers from Texas served in this conflict. The National Archives and the Family History Library have the service records for Texas volunteers and the indexes to service and pension records. The pension records have not been filmed and are only available at the National Archives.


 * Mexican War Index to Pension Files, 1887–1926. (NARA T317). Alphabetically arranged and includes the veteran’s name, rank, and unit; names of dependents; date of filing and application; certificate numbers; act filed under; and state from which application was made. Also available at:


 * (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. (Learn more.)


 * Robarts, William Hugh. Mexican War Veterans : A Complete Roster of the Regular and Volunteer Troops in the War Between the United States and Mexico, from 1846-1848… Washington, D.C. : Brentano’s, 1887. Digital version available at Internet Archive.


 * A published history of the role Texas played in the war is Henry W. Barton, Texas Volunteers in the Mexican War. Wichita Falls, Texas: Texican Press, 1970..

Click on these links to learn more about the Mexican War and about Mexican War pension records.

Civil War (1861-1865)
See Texas in the Civil War for information about Texas Civil War records, websites, etc. with links to articles about the Texas regiments involved in the Civil War.

The regimental pages often include lists of the companies with links to the counties where the companies started. Men in the companies often lived in the counties where the companies were raised. Knowing a county can help when researching more about the soldiers and their families.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System allows name searching for soldiers. The result set gives the regiments for the soldiers. Then you can check the Wiki regiment pages to determine counties. Often knowing the counties that had men in a regiment will help you determine if a soldier was your ancestor.

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * U.S. Southern Claims Commission Master Index, 1871-1880 Index only $

Wiki articles describing an online collections are found at:


 * Texas, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Texas, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Indian Wars (1780s-1890s)
Stephens, Robert W. Texas Ranger Indian War Pensions. Quanah, Texas: Nortex Press, 1975. .

Spanish-American War (1898)
The Spanish-American War was largely fought in Cuba and the Philippines. Spanish-American War records might exist in the state from which the soldier served or in a state where the veteran later resided. The Texas Volunteer Guard was mustered into federal service in 1898. Records of these volunteers are at the National Archives. The Texas State Library has some records and muster-out rolls (records of soldiers discharged from military service) for 1899.

Indexes


 * (NARA T288). (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. The index covers veterans of the Civil War, Spanish‑American War, Philippine Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion (1900 to 1901), and the regular Army, Navy, and Marine forces. (Learn more.)


 * (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. (Learn more.)

Click on the link to learn more about the Spanish American War.

World War I (1917-1918)
World War I was a global war fought on multiple continents with several nations involved. Over four million men and women served from the United States.


 * United States. Selective Service System. Texas, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. Also available at:


 * (FamilySearch) - free

United States World War I Draft Records provides additional information.

Records of Texans who have participated in any war since World War I are filed in the National Archives and the National Archives—Fort Worth Branch. See the United States and the United States Military Records Wiki articles for more information.

Records of the National Guard units drafted into federal forces are at the Adjutant General's Office, Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas.

World War II (1941-1945)
On April 27, 1942, the Selective Service conducted the fourth of six draft registrations related to WWII. The "World War II Selective Service Draft Cards: Fourth Registration, 1942" is often referred to as the “Old Man’s Registration” or the “Old Man’s Draft" because it included men with a date of birth from April 28, 1877 to February 16, 1897. Since there is overlap in the WWI and WWII Selective Service registration, men born in the years 1877 to 1900 may have registered twice and have both WWII and WWI draft records.


 * (FamilySearch) - free
 * (images with partial index) (FamilySearch) - free


 * Also available at:


 * Ancestry ($)
 * Fold3 ($).

World War II United States Military Records provides additional information.

Korean War (1950–1953)
The Korean War was a conflict between North Korea (and its communist allies) and South Korea (with support of the United Nations, primarily the United States). See the Korean War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Vietnam War (1964–1972)
The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam (and its communist allies) and South Vietnam (with support of its anti-communist allies, including the United States). See the Vietnam War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Additional Military Records
The Texas State Library has pre-statehood records for groups such as the Rangers and Minute companies. The following volumes summarize many of these early records:


 * Ingmire, Frances Terry. Texas Rangers: Frontier Battalion, Minute Men, Commanding Officers, 1847-1900. Six Volumes. St. Louis, Missouri: Ingmire Publications, 1982..


 * Ingmire, Frances Terry. Texas Frontiersmen, 1839-1860: Minute Men, Militia, Home Guard, Indian Fighters. St. Louis, Missouri: F.T. Ingmire, 1982..

Records of Texans who have participated in any war since World War I are filed in the National Archives and the National Archives—Fort Worth Branch. See the United States and the United States Military Records Wiki articles for more information.

Records of the National Guard units drafted into federal forces are at the Adjutant General's Office, Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas.

Web Sites

 * The National Archives
 * The National Archives at Fort Worth
 * Texas Military Records (Texas Genealogy)