MILITARY RECORDS
Military records are wonderful sources of family information. Many are online. Many are free.
These records include:
Draft and Enlistment records
Service deployments
Pensions
Death and burial information
FIRST:
Find out as much as possible about individuals who served in the military or Merchant Marine
What Branch, Dates, Rank, Pension Application, What wars were fought in his or her lifetime.
Census records that offer clues:
1940 – Supplementary form for those on lines 14, 29, 55 and 68 asks:
Is this person a veteran of the US military or wife, widow or under 18 child of a veteran?
If Yes it gives the code for which war:
W (WW 1)
S (Spanish-American war, Philippine Insurrection or Boxer Rebellion)
SW (Spanish-American and WW I)
R (Regular establishment, Army, Navy or Marines, peace-time service only)
Ot Other war or expedition
1930 – Right two columns for veterans of previous wars. Yes if veteran and abbreviation for the war served in, Civil War, Spanish-American War, Incursion into Mexico and WW I
1910 – Third to last column “Whether a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy”
1890 - Veterans Schedule – Includes names of surviving Union veterans, details of service.
Alabama through Kansas and part of Kentucky destroyed
Born between: War Years NARA mfilm #
1726 – 1767 Revolutionary War 1775 – 1783 M860
1762 – 1799 War of 1812 1812 – 1815 M602
1796 – 1831 Mexican War 1846 – 1848 M616
1811 – 1848 Civil War 1861 – 1865 Union by state; CSA M253
1848 – 1881 Spanish American War 1898 M871
1849 – 1885 Philippine Insurrection 1899 – 1902 M872
1872 – 1900 World War I 1917 – 1918 NARA AAD
1877 – 1925 World War II 1941 – 1945 NARA AAD
1900 – 1936 Korean War 1950 – 1953 NARA AAD
1914 – 1955 Vietnam War 1964 – 1972 NARA AAD
A GOOD PLACE TO START
NARA National Archives and Records Administration, Wash. DC
BROCHURE on Getting Started:
How do I begin? [from NARA website]
There is no simple explanation for how to begin research in military records. Your research path will depend on aspects such as: what branch of service your ancestor was in, which conflict, what dates, whether Regular Army or a volunteer unit, whether your ancestor was an officer or enlisted personnel, and whether there was a pension application.
The approach to researching records of enlisted men and women, officers, and for the different branches of the military is described in this article:
An Overview of Records at the National Archives Relating too Military Service
https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2002/fall/military-records-overview.html
Revolutionary War – War of 1812 records are held at the National Archives, Washington D.C.
https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2002/fall/military-records-overview.html
Revolutionary War – War of 1812 records are held at the National Archives, Washington D.C.
World War I – Present are held in the NPRC National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO.
This includes WWII Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs)
A 1973 fire destroyed Army personnel records created from 1912-1963, but other Army files and Navy and Marine personnel files still exist.
WW II and Later Wars
WW II Army enlistment records and casualty and POW records for WWII, Korea and Vietnam in addition to other records are searchable online at NARA's AAD Access to Archival Databases website: http://aad.archives.gov//aad/
On the AAD Home Page click on the Getting Started Guide in upper right of the screen.
On the AAD Home Page click on the Getting Started Guide in upper right of the screen.
FamilySearch wiki has a section on Getting Started with US Military Records:
Other sites: $ Ancestry.com and fold3.com
Death Records
National Archives WW II Honor List of Dead and Missing
Army and Army Air Force Personnel by state
There is a link on this page to Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard
Veterans Affairs Burial Search for 120 National Cemeteries (USA)
American Merchant Marine at War
Includes lists of Merchant Marine casualties and POWS
http://www.usmm.org/
http://www.usmm.org/
Pearl Harbor Casualty List December 7, 1941
National World War II Memorial Registry (USA)
Combines 4 databases of names that can be searched:
Those buried in American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) overseas
Memorialized on ABMC tablets as Missing is Action
Listed as Missing in Action on official War and Navy Dpt. Rosters held by NARA
Registry of Remembrance – Public acknowledgments
WW II Discharge Papers were supposed to be recorded in veterans' county courthouse, as in WW I.
Military records become available 62 years after death or discharge.
WW II Draft Registrations
Sep 16 1940 – Selective Service System (SSS) established as independent agency.
First peacetime draft. Service length 12 months
(That same summer the National Guard became part of the regular Army. Those already in the military did not have to register.)
Oct. 16, 1940 – First draft registration, Men 21-36 required to register. 16 million men registered.
Oct. 29, 1940 – First draft lottery.
July 1, 1941 - 2nd draft registrations, Men who turned 21 after Oct. 16, 1940
Aug 18, 1941 – Service length increased to 18 months
Feb. 16, 1942 - 3rd draft registrations. Men born on or after Feb. 17, 1897 and Dec. 31, 1921
Apr. 27 1942 – 4th, Old Mans Draft. Men 45 to 64 (born 28 Apr 1877 16 Feb 1897.
Images at $Ancestry.com and familysearch.org except AL-TN. Only NYC for NY.
Jun 30, 1942 – 5th, Men 18-20. First time men under 21 required to register.
Dec 10-31, 1942 – 6th, Men 18 after June 30, 1941.
1943 – Navy and Marines accepted draftees.
Nov 16 – 31 Dec, 1943 - 7th , Men 18-44 living abroad.
1947 – Selective Service System act expired.
Registered – about 50,000,000 men.
Drafted – 11.5 million men, ages 18-38, 65% of those who served.
Enlisted voluntarily – 6.3 million, including 350,000 women
Draft Cards – Information includes Name, age, address, name and address of contact person, occupation, schooling, physical description.
Once a man's number was pulled, he filled out forms which were used to classify him from 1A to 4F.
Deferments were for 2-occupation, 3-dependents, or 4-by law or medical reason.
Occupations deferred – farmers, factory workers making military equipment or supplies.
Originally married men were deferred which led to marriage boom.
Then fathers were deferred which led to a baby boom.
No one over 38 was drafted.
Classification record – shows name, local draft board number, classification, dates he received the classifications.
For more information and to obtain copies of draft and classification cards:
WWI and Earlier
Draft Registration
May 18, 1917 – “ The Selective Service Act was passed authorizing the President to increase temporarily the military establishment of the United States.” Registration took place in the 48 states, the District of Columbia and the territories of Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
June 5 1917 – 1st registration - Men ages 21-31
June 5, 1918 – 2nd registration - Men now age 21
Aug 24, 1918 - Men becoming 21 after June 5, 1918 – included in 2nd registration
Nov 11, 1918 - SSS rapidly curtailed
Mar 31, 1919 - All local, district and medical advisory boards were closed
Mar 31, 1919 - All local, district and medical advisory boards were closed
May 21, 1919 - All state headquarters closed
Jul 15, 1919 - Provost Marshal General relieved from duty ending SSS
WWI draft registration card images are available at Ance$try and Family Search. The actual cards are
stored in the NARA branch in Morrow, Georgia. There are about 24,000,000 cards, about 23% of the population.
Information includes name, address, telephone, age, date and place of birth, contact person, employer's name and address, place of employment and signature. Back shows race, height, color of eyes, hair and complexion and any other physical characteristics. On cards for African Americans, the lower left corner was clipped off.
Information includes name, address, telephone, age, date and place of birth, contact person, employer's name and address, place of employment and signature. Back shows race, height, color of eyes, hair and complexion and any other physical characteristics. On cards for African Americans, the lower left corner was clipped off.
Some WWI records are at: www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/st-louis-ww1-series
Civil War
National Park Service listing of Civil War Soldiers and Sailors.
National Park Service listing of Civil War Soldiers and Sailors.
Most Confederate records are held at the State level. Check individual state archives.
ORDERING RECORDS
Older military personnel records (prior to 1917): Many are online $ at http://www.fold3.com
To order from the National Archives in Washington DC use Form Number NATF86, available at:
Military Records from 1917 – Present:
At National Military Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, MO
Most are not digitized and not online.
To order follow instructions at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records
Order online or by mail. Make sure you ask for all documents.
1957 or before - open to public. 1958 and after next of kin only.
Cost – 5 pages or less $25, 6 pages or more $70
Revised June 2019
