Family Military Records

Like the rest of us, you probably have an ancestor who was in the military and finding family military records will help to complete a family tree. As it is generally the case that veterans seldom like to talk much about the war they were in, and their role in it, it is up to you to look up the actual military records, and you can these days do this online.

The first task is to discover when and where the family member served, and you can also find out his or her branch and rank. From family knowledge, and chat down the years, you may already know enough to make a good start. Otherwise look through the house and see if you can find photographs, newspaper clippings, diaries and correspondence they may have saved from that time. For older records, if you visit the family graves for instance, look to see if there is a military marker on a grave. The government may have provided a plain gravestone for example.

Maybe, you will find an old uniform or a navy pea coat, or heavy woolen cap. These will be clues to help broaden your search and look for the military records. You might even find a sword or a gun.

The census records are another good source, they may have a column pertaining to military status. Further back in history, the 1840 census asked for the names and exact ages of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services. Then, you can search for old Revolutionary War records. Pensioners included both veterans and widows.

Since the United States Federal Census for 1890 was all but completely destroyed in a fire in January 1921 at the Commerce Building in Washington D.C., the 1890 Veteran’s schedule is an alternative means of documenting veterans or widows of veterans from the Civil War and War of 1812 who were still living and collecting pensions in 1890. This census asked whether a person was a soldier, sailor, or marine during the Civil War or a widow of such a person, when they enlisted and the length of service and any disability incurred.

There were incidents in some cases, and practically all of the schedules for the states Alabama through Kansas, and approximately half of those for Kentucky were destroyed, possibly by fire, before the transfer of the remaining schedules to the National Archives in 1943. The surviving records, and those for Louisiana through Wyoming and the District of Columbia are available on microfilm through the National Archives and your local Family History Center, but you may be better advised to look on an online database – such as the government military records database.

Then the 1910 census asked whether a person was a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army, or Navy. The 1930 census asked whether a person was a veteran of the US Army Military or Naval Forces, yes or no and whether you were mobilized for any war or expedition.

WWI registration records area great source as 24 million US men registered for the WWI draft in 1917 and 1918. They show name, age, address, citizenship, color of eyes and hair, build, names of parents or nearest relative. The name of the employer is also listed and the cards are signed by the registrant. Similar records are available for World War II. There are 8 million names of U.S. Army enlistees for the years 1938-1946.

Old West Point records are another source – more than 115,000 graduates who went on to military careers are named, such as General Custer who actually graduated last in his class at West Point! Also there are many records from the Civil War online. I was surprised to read that a book has been written documenting the dead from the War of 1812. It is well worth it to search for your family members who served in the military.

For more information on beginning a good genealogy and military record search, and interesting army facts, go to http://www.armyrecordsonline.com

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