Georgia, Andersonville Prison Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The Georgia, Andersonville Prison Records, 1864–1865 collection contains images of records of Federal (Union) prisoners of war confined at Andersonville Prison in Georgia during the last 14 months of the Civil War. The collection consists of prison hospital admissions, death and burial records, registers of prison departures, prisoner claims for reimbursements, and consolidated monthly reports. This collection is part of the National Archives and Records (NARA) microfilm publication M1303 and is from Record Group 249 Records of the Commissary General of Prisoners. The microfilm publication for M1303 can be located and downloaded from the National Archives Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog. Microfilm Publication 1303 includes the following NAIDs:

General Information About Andersonville Prison
Andersonville Prison was built at the Confederate garrison of Camp Sumter just outside of Andersonville, Sumter County, Georgia in 1864. Built as a more secure location for Federal prisoners of war located in Richmond, Virginia, Andersonville was the largest Confederate Prisoner of War cam. The prison housed 45,000 prisoners during its 14 months of operation. Andersonville was designed to house a maximum of 10,000 prisoners, but received as many as 400 prisoners a day, housed an average of 22,000–26,000 prisoners, and held 32,000 prisoners during its peak operation of August of 1864.

The location of Andersonville Prison was chosen because it was in an area with a more abundant food supply; however, due to deteriorating war conditions the Confederate army was unable to provide adequate housing, food, clothing, or medical care to the soldiers held captive at Andersonville. Because of deteriorating conditions and a breakdown of the prisoner exchange system, the soldiers at Andersonville endured much suffering, and there was a high mortality rate. Many of the prisoners at Andersonville were moved to other prison camps throughout the South after Sherman’s march through Georgia. Andersonville was closed in April–May of 1865 after General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Prison


 * Name of prisoner
 * Date of entry in the report, list, or ledger
 * Reason for entry in the repost, list, or ledger
 * Birth date and place
 * Death date and place
 * Burial date and place
 * Cause of death
 * Age
 * Physical description
 * Names of relatives or friends
 * Enlistment date and place
 * Last residence prior to enlistment
 * Monies exchanged
 * Release or transfer date

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier
 * The date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age to calculate a birth date and to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death
 * Search for military service records
 * Search for military pension records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Georgia.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning United States Civil War Research
 * Locating a Union Civil War Soldier (1861-1865)
 * Georgia Guided Research
 * Georgia Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Georgia Research, 1880-Present
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Andersonville Confederate Prison records, 1864-1865 NARA M1303
 * Ovid L. Futch. History of Andersonville Prison. Gainesville, Florida : University of Florida, 1968. FHL 975.8913/A2 M2f
 * Dorance Atwater, comp. List of prisoners who died at Andersonville Prison : Atwater list|A list of the Union soldiers buried at Andersonville. New York : Tribune Association, 1866. reprint. Andersonville, Georgia : National Society of Andersonville, 1981. FHL 975.8913 M2a
 * Records of the Sultana Disaster, April 27, 1865 : National Archives microfilm publication, M1878

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * United States General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934
 * United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917
 * United States Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904
 * United States Remarried Widows Index to Pension Applications, 1887-1942
 * United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933
 * United States National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Iowa Monuments Rolls of Iowa Soldiers Buried at Andersonville
 * Pennsylvania at Andersonville
 * Report of the Michigan Andersonville Monument Commission

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.