How to Trace Your U.S. Military Ancestors

Nearly every generation of Americans has known war. From the early colonists, to the men and women currently serving in Americas armed forces, most of us can claim at least one relative or ancestor who has served our country in the military. Even if you have never heard of military veterans in your family tree, try a bit of research and you might be surprised! Determine if your ancestor served in the military The first step in searching for the military records of an ancestor is to determine when and where the soldier served, as well as their military branch, rank and/or unit. Clues to an ancestors military service may be found in the following records: Family storiesPhotographsCensus recordsNewspaper clippingsJournals, diaries correspondenceDeath records obituariesLocal historiesGrave markers Look for military records Military records often provide an abundance of genealogical material about our ancestors. Once you have determined that an individual served in the military, there are a variety of military records which can help to document their service, and provide useful information about your military ancestors such as birthplace, age at enlistment, occupation, and names of immediate family members. The primary types of military records include: Military service records Enlisted men who served in the regular Army throughout our countrys history, as well as discharged and deceased veterans of all services during the 20th century, can be researched through military service records. These records are primarily available through the National Archives and the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). Unfortunately, a disastrous fire at the NPRC on July 12, 1973, about 80 percent of the records of veterans discharged from the Army between November, 1912 and January, 1960, and about 75 percent for individuals discharged from the Air Force between September, 1947 and January, 1964, alphabetically through Hubbard, James E. These destroyed records were one of a kind and had not been duplicated or microfilmed prior to the fire. Compiled military service records Most of the records of the American Army and Navy in the custody of the War Department were destroyed by fire in 1800 and 1814. In an effort to reconstruct these lost records, a project was begun in 1894 to collect military documents from a variety of sources. The Compiled Military Service Record, as these collected records have come to be called, is an envelope (sometimes referred to as a jacket) containing abstracts of an individuals service records including such items as muster rolls, rank rolls, hospital records, prison records, enlistment and discharge documents, and payrolls. These compiled military service records are primarily available for veterans of the American Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil War. Pension records or veterans claims The National Archives has pension applications and records of pension payments for veterans, their widows, and other heirs. The pension records  are based on service in the armed forces of the United States between 1775 and 1916. Application files often contain supporting documents such as discharge papers, affidavits, depositions of witnesses, narratives of events during service, marriage certificates, birth records, death certificates, pages from family bibles, and other supporting papers. Pension files usually provide the most genealogical information for researchers.More: Where to Find Union Pension Records | Confederate Pension Records Draft registration records More than twenty-four million men born between 1873 and 1900 registered in one of three World War I drafts. These draft registrations cards may contain such information as name, birth date and place, occupation, dependents, nearest relative, physical description, and country of allegiance of an alien. The original WWI draft registration cards are at the National Archives, Southeast Region, in East Point, Georgia. A mandatory draft registration was also conducted for WWII, but the majority of WWII draft registration records are still protected by privacy laws. The fourth registration (often called the old mans registration), for men born between April 28, 1877 and February 16, 1897, is currently available to the public. Other selected WWII draft records may also be available.More: Where to Find WWI Draft Registration Records | WWII Draft Registration Records Bounty land records A land bounty is a grant of land from a government as a reward to citizens for the risks and hardships they endured in the service of their country, usually in a military related capacity. At the national level, these bounty land claims are based on wartime service between 1775 and 3 March 1855. If your ancestor served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, early Indian Wars, or the Mexican War, a search of bounty land warrant application files may be worthwhile. Documents found in these records are similar to those in pension files.More: Where to Find Bounty Land Warrants The two main repositories for records relating to military service are the National Archives and the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), with the earliest records dating from the Revolutionary War. Some military records may also be found in state or regional archives and libraries. The National Archives Building, Washington, D.C., holds records relating to: Volunteer enlisted men and officers whose military service was performed during an emergency and whose service was considered to be in the federal interest, 1775 to 1902Regular Army enlisted personnel, 1789–October 31, 1912Regular Army officers, 1789–June 30, 1917 li]U.S. Navy enlisted personnel, 1798–1885US Navy officers, 1798–1902US Marine Corps enlisted personnel, 1798–1904Some US Marine Corps officers, 1798–1895Those who served in predecessor agencies to the US Coast Guard (i.e., the Revenue Cutter Service [Revenue Marine], the Life-Saving Service, and the Lighthouse Service, 1791–1919) The National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri, holds military personnel files of US Army officers separated after June 30, 1917, and enlisted personnel separated after October 31, 1912US Air Force officers and enlisted personnel separated after September 1947US Navy officers separated after 1902 and enlisted personnel separated after 1885US Marine Corps officers separated after 1895 and enlisted personnel separated after 1904US Coast Guard officers separated after 1928 and enlisted personnel separated after 1914; civilian employees of Coast Guard predecessor agencies such as Revenue Cutter Service, Lifesaving Service, and Lighthouse Service, 1864–1919 The National Archives - Southeast Region, Atlanta, Georgia, holds draft registration records for World War I To have the National Archives staff search these records for you, get a World War I Registration Card Request form by sending an email to archivesatlanta.nara.gov, or contacting: National Archives - Southeast Region5780 Jonesboro RoadMorrow, Georgia 30260(770) 968-2100http://www.archives.gov/atlanta/