This training will acquaint you

1
U. S. Military Records

• This training will acquaint you
• with some of the
• U. S. Military Records
• available in the
• HBLL Family History Library

2

• Military Records in the U.S. have long been
  considered one of the most important sources for
  pre-20th century genealogical research.

The records detail not only military service and
activities, but also provide vital record
information concerning the soldier and his
family.
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• In America, military records are particularly
  significant because virtually all military
  actions occurred within the states or
  territories, thereby involving many more people
  than just the professional soldiers that are
  normally called into service.
• Prior to 1850 there was no standing American
  army and local militias had to be raised to
  provide protection that settlers needed.

4

• You can search original United States military
  documents at FOOTNOTES.COM, a free web site
  available at our Family History Library.
• An excellent BYU Family History Library resource
  is U.S. MILITARY SOURCES, written by our own
  Bruce Cramer, call number UB163 .X1 C725 1994.

Dont forget to look at the SOURCES web site
on the training computers on the north wall
Additional Sources gt Military Records.
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INFORMATION FOUND IN MILITARY RECORDS

• There are four major classifications
• of military records
• 1. Service Records
• 2. Pension Records
• 3. Bounty Land Records
• 4. Draft, Conscription, or Selective Service
  Records
• The next few slides will describe briefly each
  of these classifications. For a more detailed
  explanation, and to locate the records, study
  the information in the Military Records Blue
  Binder 38.

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1. Service Records

• Consist primarily of enlistment and
  discharge papers, muster rolls, attendance
  reports, and activity reports.
• Often provide a description of the
  soldier, including age and birthplace.
• Provide information concerning battles that the
  soldier fought in and the date of death if it
  occurred during service.
• Sometimes list the wifes name or the name of the
  soldiers parents.

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2. Pension Records

• Consist of applications for assistance by
  veterans or their families where the veteran is
  elderly, injured, sick, incapacitated, or dead.
• Often provide birth date and birthplace of
  veteran, marriage and maiden name of wife, death
  date and place of veteran, births of children,
  information on parents and other
  relatives, and biographical, medical, and
  historical information on the soldier.
• Included are proofs and depositions from friends
  and witnesses.

FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY CATALOG United States gt
Military Records gt Pensions.
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3. Bounty Land Records
Applications for land
offered before 1856 as a service benefit.

• Contain same type of information as pension
  records.
• May also apply to many soldiers other than those
  who appear in pension records because bounty land
  was offered to all who had served, not just those
  who were injured, sick, incapacitated, etc.

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4. Draft, Conscription, or Selective Service
Records

• Since 1863, the federal government has registered
  millions of men who may have been eligible for
  military service.
• The Civil War enrollment records and World War I
  draft registration cards typically give the mans
  name, residence, age, occupation, marital status,
  birthplace, physical description, and other
  information.

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TIME PERIODS

• There are three historical periods of
  military activity in the U. S. that are
  significant to genealogists
• The Colonial Period, pre-1775
• Early U. S., 1775 to 1900
• Modern U. S., 1900 to Present
• We will look at each time period

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The Colonial Period, pre-1775

• The Colonial Period covers all
  military conflicts in America during the era
  of British rule.

12
The Colonial Period, cont.

• Military activity during this period included
  many Indian skirmishes as well as major
  conflicts, such as the Seven Years War (French
  and Indian War) from 1756-1763.

Some of these records have been kept by the State
Archives of the original colonies (such as
Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, etc. Other
records are available on microfilm from the
Public Records Office in London. To locate
information on Public Records Office records, you
must know the regiment of service.
13
Early U. S., 1775 to 1900

• The Early U.S. Period is the most heavily
  researched because many records of value to
  genealogists were kept at this time.
• The major military conflicts that occurred
  during
• this era were.

14
Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
A man born between 1730 and 1765 who lived in the
American colonies is probably listed in
some form of Revolutionary
War record. If he supported the rebellion, he
may be
mentioned in records as a rebel
patriot, Whig, or signer of the
Continental
Association. Those who opposed the rebellion were
Loyalists or Tories.
15
Revolutionary War Documents

• FEDERAL SERVICE RECORDS Military service
  records may give rank, dates of service, age,
  place of residence prior to enlistment, physical
  description, and date and place of discharge or
  death. Look for the microfilm index to the
  Compiled Military Service Records in the FHLC.
• FEDERAL PENSION AND BOUNTY LAND RECORDS
  Contains the names of soldiers or widows who
  applied for pensions or bounty land warrants.
• STATE SERVICE, PENSION, AND VETERANS LISTS Look
  in the FHLC under Locality (The state) gt
  Military Records gt Revolutionary War.
• LOYALIST SOURCES Check the FHLC under Subject
  American Loyalists and United Empire
  Loyalists.
• PUBLISHED RECORDS Many rosters of soldiers,
  lists of veteran burials, and compilations of
  biographical data have been published.
• DAR PATRIOT AND BURIAL INDEXES The names of all
  of the soldiers whose service has been used to
  prove eligibility for DAR are indexed.
• SAR RECORDS Over 100,000 application papers for
  the Sons of the American Revolution are available
  on microfilm.

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The Revolutionary War, cont.

• In addition to Patriot records, many
  Loyalists records were kept by the British,
  particularly with regard to losses of property in
  America and property grants in Canada or other
  compensation.
• These records are at the Public Records
  Office in London, England, and many of the
  microfilm are in the FHLC.

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• This concludes part 1 of the presentation.
• Part 2, which begins with the War of 1812, will
  be presented at the next shift meeting.

18
War of 1812, 1812-1815

• This war involved citizens in most states, but
  particularly along the eastern seaboard and up
  the Mississippi River Valley.
• Militia rosters were maintained by the states but
  most
  records are found
  in the National
  Archives.

19
Mexican War, 1843-1849

• The Mexican War involved citizens from many
  states, but primarily from Texas, Louisiana,
  Arkansas, and other southern states.
• The records and indexes are maintained by the
  National Archives.
  They are filed with the
  Indian War Records.

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Indian Wars and Old Wars, 1816-1898

• These wars involved all groups of people
  throughout the country, except for New England.
• Indexes and records for
  these wars are at the
  National Archives.

21
Civil War, 1861-1865

• The Civil War involved all persons and groups in
  the U.S. and adjoining areas.
• Records pertaining to the Union Army and Navy are
  in the National Archives.
• Some Confederate records including pension
  records are also there, but many others are in
  the respective state archives.

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Locating a Civil War Soldier

• To find records, you need to know at least the
  state where your ancestor lived when the war
  started in 1861.
• Most who served were in their late teens or
  early twenties but could have been older or
  younger.
• Military service records may give rank, dates
  of service, place of residence prior to
  enlistment, age, place of birth, physical
  description, and date and place of death or
  discharge.

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Kinds of Civil War Records

• Compiled Service Records Muster Rolls,
  Furloughs, Prisoners of War, Enlistment Papers,
  and much more.
• Rendezvous Records Compiled service records for
  the United States Navy and Revenue Cutter
  Service.
• Draft Records Cover the period of 1863-1865,
  organized into districts.
• Census Records The 1890 census was 99 destroyed
  by fire, but the surviving veterans schedules
  have remained. The 1910 and 1930 census
  identifies surviving former Civil War soldiers.
  Several states also kept their own census records
  of surviving Civil War veterans.
• Pension Records A great source of personal
  genealogical information not matched anywhere
  else.
• Cemetery Records Most areas of the United
  States have records relating to burials of Civil
  War soldiers. Most of these records are located
  at local veteran affairs offices and at military
  cemeteries.
• Other resources are Veteran Organizations,
  Amnesty Records, Unit Histories, Soldier Home
  Records, Published Historical Records, and
  Photographic Collections.

24
Spanish-American War, 1898-1899

• Includes groups from each state but primarily
  from the South.
• These records are in the National Archives or in
  the Adjutant Generals Office in each state.

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Modern U. S., 1900 to Present

• The modern period is dominated by
• Two World Wars, the Korean Conflict,
• and the Vietnam War.

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WORLD WAR I, 1917 - 1918

• The United States entered World War I in April
  1917. Over 4.7 million men and women served in
  the regular U.S. forces, national guard units,
  and draft units.
• There were 53,402 killed in action. 63,114
  deaths from disease and other causes, and about
  205,000 wounded.
• New York, Pennsylvania,
  Illinois, and Ohio furnished
  the most soldiers.

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WORLD WAR I, cont.

• TYPES OF WORLD WAR I RECORDS
• Service Records Many burned in 1973 fire at
  National Personnel Records Center. Some indexes
  may be available. See FHL film 1380690.
• Pension Records The Department of Veteran
  Affairs has benefit claims files.
• Draft Records Draft Registration Cards are
  available at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com.
• Census Records The 1930 and 1940 federal
  population censuses identify veterans.
• State Records Check the Family History
  Library Catalog for some state indexes and
  records from county courthouses, state archives,
  and state offices of the adjutant general.
• Cemetery and Death Records HBLL sources
  (books) about soldiers who died in the war
  include Soldiers of the Great War, D 609 .U6 S6,
  and Officers and Enlisted Men Who Lost Their
  Lives During World War I, Gov Docs W 49.24/2.

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WORLD WAR II, 1941 - 1945

• Over 16.5 million men and women served in the
  armed forces during World War II, of whom 291,557
  died in battle, 113,842 died from other causes,
  and 670,846 were wounded.
• Because of privacy restrictions and loss of
  records, there may be few records available
  for research.

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WORLD WAR II, cont.

• Footnotes.com has an extensive list of
  original records and photos from World War II.

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KOREAN AND VIETNAM WARS

• About 54 thousand of the 5 million American
  service men and women who served in the Korean
  War were killed.
• About 58 thousand of the 7 million Americans
  who served in Vietnam died.

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The FamilySearch Military Index for the Korea and
Vietnam Wars

• The FamilySearch Military Index
• Lists individuals who died or were declared dead
  in Korea or Vietnam (Southeast Asia) from 1950 to
  1975.
• Lists birth and death dates, home residence,
  rank, service number, branch of service, race.
• Identifies the country where the individual
  died.

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A final note--

• OUR BYU FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY HAS EXTENSIVE
  RESEARCH HELPS AVAILBLE FOR U.S. MILITARY
  RESEARCH.
• BE SURE TO CHECK THE BLUE BINDERS, 38 AND
  43.

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• If your ancestor fought for this country,
• you can
• THE END

PERFORM A "SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSION FOR HIM !