| Possible Military Service for Your Ancestor |
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There are many ways to determine if your ancestor had military service.
Many clues may be found in your home among information that may have
been passed down from a previous generation. Perhaps these are stories
or traditions about the family. Maybe you find artifacts such as old
letters, medals, pictures, or military records. Military service is
often mentioned in census records, death certificates, and insurance
papers.
Sometimes you have no clues at all except the man’s age. If a man was between the ages of 16 and 35, he is a prime target for having served during a major national conflict. Therefore, you should always compare the dates of military conflicts with the age of your ancestor. Look at the men on your pedigree chart or family group record. Were any of them born between 1770 and 1796 and living in the United States or Canada between 1812-1815? Have you checked the War of 1812 records? Were any of them born between 1800 and 1850? Have you checked the army records for service against the Indians? Chapter 13 indicated there were three main categories of military records. These should be memorized. Can you remember them? If not go to the next page. |
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