MILITARY RECORDS

Millions of men and women have served their country over the past few centuries, and their governments kept records of these brave people. Recent military records are more complete than older records, but may not be as readily available. Write to the State Archives for military records, as military units are usually called up and organized on a state by state basis.

Regimental and Unit Histories

Find out what unit the ancestor belonged to in order to acquire more information about the history of his unit. Sometimes entire books have been written about a particular battle, and these books can tell exactly what happened on the battlefield. One can then get a clear idea of the fight their ancestor participated in. Regimental histories are now becoming available online for researchers. They often list the names of the members of the regiments and units, and sometimes include pictures. The histories also will tell you what battles the unit members participated in.

Federal Records

The Federal Government also keeps military records. Draft records for World War I are available at the National Archives Branch in Atlanta, Ga. Photographs of the Civil War are available from the National Archives. Patrons can order the Compiled Service Records for Civil War Soldiers, both Union and Confederate. Information about these CSR records can be obtained from a website by Geoffery R. Walden. .

Veteran Societies Keep Records

Most American wars, and some foreign wars, have societies and organizations formed by veterans. or descendants of soldiers, sailors, and other military personnel. The Daughters of the American Revolution (the DAR) have long made a practice of tracing the genealogy of men and women who helped the American colonies win their freedom. Checking with this organization may lead to a complete documented history of the family all the way back to the Revolutionary Veteran. There is a men's group as well, entitled the Sons of the Revolution, or SAR. Visit the homepage of these organizations at Daughters of the American Revolution Homepage and Sons of the American Revolution

American Civil War Veterans

The American Civil War also has several active groups which trace the ancestors of Civil War veterans. The South has the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans . The North has the Grand Army of the Republic. Check with your local chapter to see if they have records of your veteran ancestors.

You can learn more about the Civil War and it's units at The Civil War Homepage. Most public libraries own large volume sets of the publications of both the DAR and the UDC. These volumes trace the ancestral connections members have used to gain their membership. Most of these books are fairly accurate, but they are secondary sources, and must be checked against primary documentation for real proof. Some of the entries have falsified in the past to gain entrance to these elite organizations.

For Naval units of the Civil War, check the archives of the National Civil War Navy Museum in Columbus, Georgia.

Twentieth Century Wars

Many veterans of 20th Century wars are still alive; especially for World War II and later. These vets have formed veteran's groups such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Legion. Check with the post in the ancestor's last place of residence to find any membership records. Also check Veterans of Foreign Wars Homepage

You will want to talk to any World War II vets you meet for first hand accounts of the war, but they are aging, and about 1000 of them are dying everyday. If you have a grandfather or great grandfather that served in World War II, you might want to write down their stories now if they are still alive. Veterans of World War I are down to the last man, and all veterans of the Spanish American War (1898) are deceased. But World War I draft records are online through AncestryPlus at your local public library.

War Memorial Monuments

Most towns and cities have some kind of Memorial built to the veterans from that area who served in various wars. You can often find the names of dead veterans on these monuments, listed with the war in which they died. When in Washington, D.C., you can also see national monuments to war dead, including the Vietnam Veteran Memorial which lists names of thousands who died in that war.

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This website written and designed by:
Sharon Marie Centanne,
Genealogy Research Instructor and Internet Trainer
Please direct any questions to:
Sharon.

This page updated May 2, 2008

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