About
There are many types of record that describe our ancestors military service. Some are online, some are in archives and libraries, in print as transcriptions, or on microfilm, and some are lost. 
- Draft cards
- Enlistment records
- Rolls
- Service records
- Pension applications
- Bounty land warrants
- Final payment vouchers
- Casualty lists and reports
- Wounded and missing
- Imprisonment records
- Society applications
- Military cadet applications
- Burial records
- Medal of Honor recipients
- Headstone applications
- War diaries
- Correspondence
- United States Sanitary Commission
- Congressional reports
- Maps
- Photographs
- Personal archives
There a few types of military record that are of particular use to genealogists: draft records, enlistment records, muster rolls, service records, and pension and bounty land warrant applications.
Service records
Service records describe our ancestors time in the military, when they enlisted, what unit they belonged to, whether they transferred to another unit, the campaigns they fought in, their pay, and whether they were injured, taken prisoner, killed, or deserted. They provide more data: name, age, date and place of birth, civilian occupation, place of residence, marital status, physical description, and occasionally when they were discharged. Some service records help researchers overcome genealogy brick walls…
![[Unidentified African American soldier in Union uniform with wife and two daughters] Library of Congress (attributed to Samuel Smith, 119th U.S. Colored Infantry / Wikipedia “United States Colored Troops” citing the Kentucky Explorer, November 2012)](https://libapps.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/174558/images/Samuel_Smith.png)
Service records may include
- name
- age
- place of birth
- occupation
- physical description
- state from which served
- military organization
- unit and function
- location during service
- place of enlistment, enlistment papers
- whether prisoner of war
- rank and promotions
- date of discharge
- pay / land-bounty
The record right, for Sgt. Samuel Smith, of Company D, 119th U.S. Colored Infantry, includes the name of the former slaves plantation owner, Elisha Smith. This is an invaluable record of his time before the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 1870 U.S. Federal Census, the first to include all African Americans.
[Unidentified African American soldier in Union uniform with wife and two daughters] Library of Congress (attributed to Samuel Smith, 119th U.S. Colored Infantry / Wikipedia “United States Colored Troops” citing the Kentucky Explorer, November 2012)
Fold3 > Non-military Records > African American Collection > Colored Troops - Civil War Service Records > Colored Troops 56th-138th Infantry > 119th US Colored Infantry > S > Smith, Samuel (30)
Accessing the records
- Ancestry Library EditionIncludes over 1000 different military records collections, the majority for the United States, but also some international materials. Includes records of military drafts; enlistment and service, casualties; soldier, veteran & prisoner rolls & lists; pension records, military and regimental histories, awards & decorations of honor, disciplinary actions, photographs.
- Fold3Historical primary documents featuring records of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and most other military campaigns involving the United States. A rich source of military record described in this guide; draft cards, muster rolls, service records, and pension applications, in addition to records pertaining to the African American experience, naturalization records, and city directories. An invaluable resource for anyone researching their ancestors military service.
Print sources
Search in the NYPL Catalog for published histories of campaigns, regimental histories, personal narratives, indexes and abstracts of records, maps, and guide books, to give your research historical context, to help you find records, or to provide information where no records survive.
Further reading
Many military records are kept at the National Archives, who have published an online guide to research into military records at that institution.
United States Military Online Genealogy Records
FamilySearch has produced a list of useful resources for US military records research.
Mastering Census and Military Records 2E by Call Number: *R-USLHG CS47 .Q549 2013ISBN: 9781593601720Publication Date: 2013-05-14No other book details how to find and use these critical resources for amateur genealogists! This book covers the use of two of the most effective sets of genealogical information available to genealogists: Census and military records. Topics include: * Federal censuses: what they are, how to use them, pitfalls and issues concerning the information found in them; * Mortality schedules: a frequently overlooked gold mine of little-known genealogical data; * State censuses: genealogically rich resources * Military records: where and how to find them, what information is available * War-by-war records availability
The Civil War Research Guide by Call Number: JFD 18-5010ISBN: 9780811726436Publication Date: 2003-03-01Offers latest information on sources and techniques, including online resources Contains contact information for hundreds of sources Provides examples of specific documents included in genealogical research It has been more than 40 years since the last comprehensive guide to tracing and researching Civil War ancestors was published. The Civil War Research Guide goes beyond, but does not exclude, such major national sources such as the National Archives in Washington, and features information on little-known publications, websites, auctions, memorabilia dealers, and patriotic organizations. The authors lay out a systematic procedure for performing research and recording the results in order to build a proper file on a Civil War soldier, making the experience both educational and entertaining.
Guide to Tracing Your African Ameripean Civil War Ancestor by Call Number: APB 97-10438ISBN: 9780788406720Publication Date: 1997-07-01With approximately 200,000 African Ameripeans serving in the U.S. Colored Troops, the Union Army or Navy during the Civil War, it is very likely every African Ameripean had at least one ancestor who fought in the Civil War. This helpful guide describes ho
Draft records
Draft records are not records of military service, but of a pool of men who registered themselves subject to conscription. There have been several drafts in American history: during the Civil War, World Wars One and Two, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and 1980 saw the return of Select Service.
Draft records may include
- name
- age
- place and date of birth
- father’s place of birth
- address
- occupation
- employer
- name, status, and address of nearest relative
- citizenship status
- physical description
Fold3 > WWII Draft Registration Cards > California > S > Ste > Stewart, James Maitland
Muster rolls
A muster roll is a register of officers and men in a military unit or ships company. At their most basic they record when and where a military unit was created, who served in that unit, and perhaps when they enlisted, and when they were killed or discharged.
Some muster rolls may be more detailed, and include information about individuals: name, age, rank, civilian occupation, place of birth, physical description, date and place enlisted, date and place mustered in, other names, unit transfers, and information about service: battles fought, whether injured, killed, or taken prisoner, and when and where discharged.
Fold3 > Bernard Trainer, New York Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts
The muster roll above, for Bernard Trainor, records his place of birth, Strabane, Ireland.
Pension applications
The military records of most use to genealogists are perhaps those created after service has ended, and our ancestor or his dependent has applied for a pension, often for disability, or old age. Pension applications are popular with genealogists because they are the richest source of genealogical data we find in military records.
Draft cards, muster rolls, and service records predominantly describe biographical data about veterans. Pension applications, especially those created by widows and dependents, describe familial relations. A service record may, for instance, tell us that a veteran was married, but a widow’s pension application will tell us to whom, and if there were children, together with proof.
Pension applications made by veterans and dependents are usually filed under the veterans name and may include an array of documents, containing information possibly not found elsewhere, including
- Veteran's name
- date and place of birth
- military unit
- summaries of service
- affidavits from officers, comrades
- dates of service
- relationships to others who served with him
- movements after service
- name of widow and other dependents
- proof of marriage
- proof of death of the veteran
- baptismal records of children
- affidavits pertaining to relationship
Fold3 > Civil War "Widows' Pensions" > New York > Infantry > Regiment 69 . Company A . Trainor, Bernard (WC132236)
Email