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

Record Description
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.

For a list of records by localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
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 to Use the Record
To begin your search you will need to know the full name of your ancestor. In addition, the following information will help you to match the correct records with your ancestor:


 * Rank
 * Company
 * Regimant
 * Branch of the military
 * Approximate dates of service

Search the Collection
To search this collection it is helpful to know


 * The name of the soldier
 * Other identifying information such as the birth place or birth date

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name 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.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection image by image. ⇒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 the images one by one. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. 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.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
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. For example:


 * 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.

Related Websites
The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers

Related Wiki Articles

 * National Homes for Disabled Soldiers
 * US Military Old Soldier Home Records lists known federal and state soldier homes; cites records.
 * United States, Records of Headstones Provided Deceased Union Civil War Veterans (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"United States, National Homes for Disable Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938" index and images FamilySearch, (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V4X6-JQK : accessed 03 July 2012), Alfred G. Henderickson, 11 September 1899; citing United States Military Records, Federal Archives and Records Center, Washington D.C., United States.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.