United States, Confederate Navy and Marine Service Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection contains images of naval and marine service records, consisting of card abstracts of vessel papers, pay rolls, muster rolls, hospital and prison records including some original documents relating to service in the Confederate Navy and Marine Corps. This is NARA microfilm publication M260 and is from Record Group 109 War Department Collection of Confederate Records.

Record Content
Information varies between individual records. They may include:


 * Name of serviceman
 * Name of vessel where served
 * When and where captured
 * When and where confined
 * When exchanged
 * Register number and page
 * Remarks which may include death and burial details

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know


 * The name of your ancestor
 * Other identifying information such as where held captive

Searching the Collection
⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Document Type" ⇒Select the "Surname Letter Range"; which takes you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors 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.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details and leads to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Continue to search the index and records to identify other relatives.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.

Related Wiki Articles

 * United States Civil War 1861 to 1865, Part 2
 * Union Service Records
 * Confederate Service Records

Related Web Sites

 * NARA Reference Report Military Service in the Confederate Navy and Marine Corps
 * Researching Confederate Marines in the Civil War
 * Confederate Navy Research Center
 * Confederate States Navy Gravesite Locator
 * Muster Rolls of Confederate Government Vessels
 * Civil War Soldier Search - Confederate Service Records
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
 * Ancestry ($) - Searchable Civil War service records

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: