Utah, Applications for Indian War Service Medals - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1905-1912.

Index and images of applications for Indian war service medals. In 1905 the Utah legislature awarded service medals to veterans who served between 1850 and 1872 in conflicts with Native Americas. The collection is located at the Utah State Archives and is Series 2220. The applications are arranged alphabetically by veterans' name and include age, birthplace, residence, war served, date enrolled, rank, commanding officer, places served, years served, and type of service.

Record Content
 Veterans applications may contain the following information:
 * Age
 * Birthplace
 * Residence
 * War served
 * Date enrolled
 * Rank
 * Commanding Officer
 * Places Served
 * Years served
 * Type of Service

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, some tips on how to find records, and what to do if no record is found.

When searching: As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, estimated service year, and family relationships.

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Name range and application number range' category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by 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.

Using the Information

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the soldier's age and location of the military unit to find his family in census, church, and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * You may need to search for both their Indian name and their English name.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military units, counties, parishes, etc.).

General Information about These Records
"In 1905 the legislature passed an act entitled "Medals for Indian War Veterans" (ch. 86 in Laws of the State of Utah....1905. The Star Printing Co., Salt Lake City, 1905.). This authorized the governor and secretary of state to procure a medal for each of the veterans who actually served in suppressing Indian hostilities in Utah during the years 1850 to 1872, inclusive. These forms are the applications for a medal submitted by the veteran or next of kin. Related correspondence also is included as are a few actual medals which were never distributed. Most of the applications relate to service in the Black Hawk wars. Other confrontations mentioned on the forms include the Walker War, Navajo raids, Shoshone war, Paiute raids, Tintic skirmishes, etc. The form required county; veteran's age; birthplace; current residence; name of war in which served; enrollment date; rank; commander's name; and places, years, and type of actual service followed by the applicant's signature. If being completed by next of kin, there was a blank for the applicant to state his or her relationship to the veteran. The statement was witnessed by a notary and attested to by two individuals with personal knowledge of the applicant's service. The signature of the commander stating that the individual was entitled to a medal might also be included. The back of the form gives the date received, date approved, and the signatures of the governor and secretary of state." The collection is Series 2220. Description is from the archives website.
 * Physical description or format of the original material
 * History of the record
 * Why the record was created
 * Reliability of the information in the record
 * Percentage of the population covered in the record
 * Preservation quality of the record

Related Websites

 * Index to Indian War Service Affidavits
 * National Archives – Indian Wars
 * U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1784-1811 (Ancestry) ($)

Related Wiki Articles

 * Utah Military Records
 * Utah, Indian War Service Affidavits (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States Indian Wars, 1780-s-1890-s
 * United States Military Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: