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

Record Description
The collection consists of an 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 Americans. 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
The applications usually 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.

To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Name of the serviceman
 * Other identifying information such as the age and birthplace or years of service

Search the Collection
To search the collection, fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks. If you are unable to locate your ancestor through name searching, you may want to browse through the images: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Name range and application number range' category which takes you to the images.

For both images and records, compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the information relates to them. 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. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * 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.
 * Use the soldier's name, age (or birth date) and military service information to obtain his military records from the federal government.

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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

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
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: Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation: