RECORDS OF MILITARY VOLUNTEERS
As mentioned earlier, this group of Compiled Service Records are available
from the National Archives for volunteers who served in the federal
forces between 1775 and 1903. Use NATF Form 86 "Order for Copies
of Veterans Records" prior to World War I (1917).
Complied Service Records may be ordered online at the National
Archives website at www.archive.gov.
The National Archives has records for all federal (not state) military
service from the Revolutionary War until the start of World War
I. This includes service in the Indian Wars. A Compiled Military
Service file cost $17.00.
REGULAR FORCES
Records of those who served in the Regular Army, Navy and Marine
Corps (career soldiers) are scattered among the various original
military documents at the National Archives. The National Archives
has personnel files for the Regular Army officers who served after
1863. Registers of enlistments exist for enlisted men and are microfilmed.
Important published sources were included in Chapter 13 readings.
MILITIAMEN
Records of soldiers who served in the colonial and state militia
are usually located in the various state archives or state adjutant
generals' offices. In my years of being a professional genealogist,
I have found entire pages of the militia rolls torn out of books
and given to genealogists before the days of copy machines. Hopefully
they will share the other names on the lists somewhere in the future.
These records consist mainly of muster rolls and rosters. Look first
for published sources.
CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS
Most service records of the Confederate States Army are located
on film at the National Archives (order online or use NATF Form
86). Since they were microfilmed by the states, they are available
through the Family History Library and its Centers, as well as through
the individual state archives.
CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS AND SAILORS SYSTEM
The CWSS database contains information from the indexes to the complied
service records for both Union and Confederate soldiers and histories,
battle summaries, and links to national park battlefields. The CWSS
website is located at http://www.itd.npsngov/cwss/
MILITARY RECORDS SINCE 1917
The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, has
the records center for World War I and subsequent service. These
records are subject to the restrictions of the Privacy Act of 1974
and are available only with permission of the veteran or, if the
veteran is deceased, permission of the next-of-kin. In 1973, a fire
destroyed many of the Army and Air Force records. Use standard form
180 (SF-1800) "Request Pertaining to Military Records"
for service since 1917 (World War I and subsequent service).
Forms may be downloaded from the:
National Personal Records Center (Military Records)
9700 Page Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63132
Veterans and their next-of-kin may order records online using eVetRecs
at the National Archives website at www.archives.gov
The next page provides more indepth information. |
