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When researching internationals conflicts, utilizing maps with other types of records can provide a greater understanding about its historical and social context, as well as the conflict's modern implications.
For instance:
- map can assist in visualizing locations listed in military records.
- comparing maps with archival documents and reports can provide a better understanding of why a battle happened in one location rather than another.
- photographs can help visualize what military operations looked like, when compared with a map.
For an overview of the different types of materials that can be used with maps when conducting research into modern international conflicts, please review Military Records from Genealogy : Getting Started at The New York Public Library.
To see an example of how these different types of materials can work together, click the "Example" tab.
In the meantime, see below for a list of additional non-cartographic materials that could be of use:
Image Source: Main Reading Room looking South; NYPL Digital Collections Image ID 1153330
During World War II, Frank W. Norris served as the Lieutenant Colonel of the 345th Field Artillery Battalion for the 90th Infantry Division during World War II. Using both non-cartographic and cartographic materials, let's learn more about this officer and the division he served.
First, I utilized our Online Research Catalog to conduct a keyword search of "90th Infantry Division Regimental Histories."
The first item of interest is War from the ground up : the 90th division in WWII by John Colby. Published in 1991, this text is a comprehensive look at the 90th Division's work in WWII.
In regards to Frank W. Norris, several of his first-person accounts are included, where he describes major campaigns that he experienced during the conflict.
As Norris worked specifically with the 345th Field Artillery Battalion within the 90th Infantry Division, my keyword search also led me to 1945's 345th Field Artillery Battalion, 90th Infantry Division. Third United States Army. Besides containing text about the history of the division, books like this one will often include photographs and images.
For instance, this book includes an artistic rendering of Frank W. Norris' profile (left image), as wells photographs and drawings of soldiers (right image):
Listing of soldiers' names are also common in these types of text. For this book, a listing of all soldiers in the 345th Field Artillery Battalion and a page dedicated to "In Memoriam" provides more information about soldiers and who they were. For Frank W. Norris, we can see that he was the Colonel for this battalion at the start and end of World War II (left image). For the soldiers listed "In Memoriam," we find information of where they were from (right image).
From our book, there is also a listing of events important to this battalion and in turn, Frank W. Norris. As you can see on the image to the right, the battalion moved quite frequently throughout the war. As such, how can we visualize these movements?
Going back to our Online Research Catalog, I went to the Advanced Search function. There, I did a keyword search of "90th Infantry Division Regimental Histories" with "Cartographic" checkmarked under Format. As such, I was able to find the map, Battle route of the 90 Inf. Div. in the European Theater of Operations from 1945. This map includes a listing of historical events that are pertinent to the division, as well as markings of various routes taken.
Since the 345th Field Artillery Battalion was part of the 90th Infantry Division, this map can be used to visualize some of the events from the previous text.
Heading into online resources, I visited NYPL's Articles and Database site to access Fold3. Within this site, I was able to find a collection titled Unit History-90th Infantry Division. As noted on the collection page, this collection includes "photos, scrapbooks, memorials, and personal memoirs. Some donated books containing valuable information regarding individuals and unit histories may also be part of this collection." Using the facets, you can see what items are available in the collection. You can further parse down your search to specific sections in the division. In this case, I was able to find a photograph of the 345th Field Artillery Battalion, as well as their 1945 Unit History (cover image shown). These records provide additional context about the soldiers traveling along the battle routes that are shown in the above map.
Returning to Frank W. Norris, in the unit history that is hosted on Fold3, I was able to find a short description concerning his military service. From this description, I was able to cross-reference this information to find him in other records on the site. For instance, I was able to find him in multiple years for Fold3's Army Registers, 1798-1969. Below is an example from the Army Register of 1945.
Having matched Frank W. Norris' birth date and service number, I was able to find him again in the Active Army Lists for the Vietnam War.
As such, having utilized a multitude of records - both cartographic and non-cartographic - allows us to learn more about a military division's history and the soldiers serving in them.
General Resources at NYPL
The Archives & Manuscripts Portal includes a large number of material that range from manuscripts to photographs to records.
Feel free to type a keyword into the search box, to see what collections would be available. Once you get to the results page, you can filter by year range and/or by division.
In addition, if any items in a collection is digitized:
- the Overview tab of the collection will indicate if a portion/whole collection is digitized under "Access to Materials"
- If you click the tab titled Detailed Description, the number next to each item will be hyperlinked to their digital counterpart
Starting your search, you can search by the name of the military branch, the name of the conflict, and/or the units that you are searching for. As such, please see below for example searches and their associated results:
555th Parachute Infantry Association photograph collection.
- Catalog Note: The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, of the United States Army, was activated in 1944. Nicknamed the Triple Nickels and The Smoke Jumpers, the unit was intitially authorized, in 1943, as the first all-African American parachute unit. Though the unit never served overseas during World War II, it served in the Pacific Northwest (1945) to combat forest fires started by incendiary bombs dropped by Japanese balloons. After being transferred to the 82nd Airborne Division (1945-1947), the Battalion was inactivated and personnel transferred to other battalions. In 1950, the 555th was disbanded; however, many of its former members served during the Korean War (1950-1953).
- Forms part of the 555th Parachute Infantry Association Collection, 1949-1998.
Military Collection in NYPL Digital Collections
- Collection Note: The Military collection documents primarily the military activities of African Americans in the United States armed forces, dating from before the American Revolution to the mid-1980s. The collection, which depicts mostly the wartime activities of the United States military and is strongest for the period from World War II (1940s) to the mid-1950s, includes single and group portraits of enlisted personnel and officers; views of battles and troop movements; views of military encampments near battle sites or in foreign lands; and views of military bases and training camps, depicting daily military life and basic training, mainly from the 1940s to the mid-1950s. The U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps are the most represented branches of the armed services. Images from the 1700s, the 1800s, the Korean War and Vietnamese Conflict, and the late-1950s to the 1890s are limited. Images depicting civilians employed in the war industries during World War II are filed separately. There are some depictions of foreign troops, mainly during World War II.
Image Source: Pvt. Dave Kelly and Sgt. Richard Owens of the 369th Infantry Regiment (also known as the Harlem Hellfighters) during World War I from Military Collection, NYPL Digital Collections Image ID 1953552
- Written by the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research & Reference Division, this guide covers the resources and methods of researching that is useful when conducting African American genealogy. Within this guide, we highly recommend reviewing the tab entitled Military Records.
- Under the "Search" tab, click "Military." Here, you can do a general search through Ancestry's military records, or narrow your search to the following categories:
- Please note that this database is only available on-site at a NYPL location.
- Digital National Security ArchiveContains over forty collections of declassified government documents related to U.S. foreign and military policy since 1945.
Please note that this database is only available on-site at a NYPL location. - Fold3Consists of mainly military history, as they pertain to genealogy research .Please note that you do need a NYPL Library card to access this database.
As many records often do contain some form of a location and/or address, this database can be useful in identifying locations that are of interest to your research. To access, these records, you would click the country of interest, and then click "(conflict of interest) (country of interest)" in the resulting page
**Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
Military Records for Genealogy Research
- Written by the Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, this guide covers what are the different types of military records and what records are available for different conflicts.
- We recommend you review the tabs entitled
Additional Online Resources
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
- Under the tab Our Missing, there is a Searchable List of the Missing, a Searchable Map of the Missing, and a list of personnel who have been Recently Accounted For.
- From their site: "The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel from past conflicts to their families and the nation. Within this mission, we search for missing personnel from World War II (WWII), the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf Wars, and other recent conflicts. Our research and operational missions include coordination with hundreds of countries and municipalities around the world."
- You are welcome to do a general query in the search bar. The dropdown menu can allow you to facet your results to a specific format.
- United States Army Technical Manuals: A Resource Guide and Inventory: "U.S. Army Technical Manuals, commonly known as 'Army manuals,' are part of a series of official U.S. military manual publications intended to be instructive and informative for all branches of the military...This inventory focuses on those War Department and Department of the Army Technical Manuals that were primarily received into the general collections from the 1940's to the 1970's."
- Online Military Records in AAD: "Using the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) System, you can access and search some of the National Archives' holdings of databases and other electronic or computerized records. These include many military records, such as Enlistment Records, Casualty Reports, Prisoner of War Data, and other records that may be of interest to anyone doing veterans or military research."
- Military Records Research: On this page, you can search for military records either by branch of by conflict.
New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center
- This site focuses specifically on military history pertaining to New York State. Of note:
- Unit History: Contains overview of New York State-related units. If digital resources are available, they will be linked in the appropriate unit's record
- Soldiers and Sailors: Contains service records and oral histories
- Since its establishment in 1802, the US Army Corps of Engineers "has responded to changing defense requirements and played an integral part in the development of the country." As such, the Corps has been involved in both military construction and civil works. To learn more about their history, please review their section titled Brief History of the Corps. Of particular note:
- US Army Corps of Engineers Digital Library: "The materials in this repository include information by and about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Most materials were published by USACE, but some collections contain materials by other government agencies written about USACE." Of particular note is that this portal has digitized Maps and Drawings, Histories, and Photographs (click here to see a listing of their photograph subcollections).
- Exhibits and Collections: This page includes virtual exhibitions pertaining to the role of Army Engineers in the US Army and during times of conflict, with many including photographs, maps, and other artifacts. In particular, please see the virtual exhibits specific to armed international conflicts:
- Army Geospatial Center: This center was "organized as a major subordinate center under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2009 to support ground operations with the dissemination of terrain data." This site is hyperlinked on the page Centers of Expertise on the About tab.
- You can access the center's cartographic resources under the Maps tab, which hosts Standard and Sharable Geospatial Foundation (SSGF) resources. Included are links to the Geospatial Planning Cells (GPC) for regions around the world, sites used by Geospatial Engineers to support Standard and Sharable Geospatial Foundation (SSGF) data creation, and standard NGA product ordering through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
- Please note that not all material is available immediately online and might require submissions of forms to access.