A Uniform Guide To Military Records
If your family has been on this side of the Atlantic since about 1620, chances are that your ancestral grandfather served his country in some capacity or another - and you might find information on him in military records.
Military records identify not only individuals who served in the military, but also those who were eligible for service. The files include pension records (information pertaining to your ancestor or his family) after his term of duty.
The basic search strategy to use in finding military records should start with the “Research Outline for U.S. Military Records,” available from the Family History Center nearest you.
The Family History Library has copies of most microfilmed military records. For records since 1900, you must contact the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Mo. Be sure to write to state and local archives, adjutant general’s offices, historical societies….
The “Research Outline for U.S. Military Records,” about $1.50 from the Family History Center, is a dandy entry-level reference guide for this entire subject.
When you’re ready to understand more about using military records to find more information on your ancestor, consider James Neagles’ new book, “U.S. Military Records: a Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial Times to the Present.”
This 440-page book ($39.95) was published last year by Ancestry Inc. It includes great detail and also lists resources outside of the National Archives but still located in Washington, D.C.
Chapter 7 details resources outside Washington, D.C. More than 160 pages are devoted to state resources, and the last chapter is an extensive bibliography for further study. The 50-page appendix contains a historical outline for all U.S. military conflicts.
“U.S. Military Records” should be on the short list of “must have” genealogical reference books for those researching families who’ve been in the United States more than 100 years. It will answer nearly all your questions about finding and using military records and would make a dandy “present-for-no-reason” to yourself. Call Ancestry at 800-262-3787 to order a copy.