AMERICAN MILITARY RESOURCES for Genealogists
Please note that much of this information was put together by Veronica Walsh-Uribina for a class I host. I have added books and videos and commentary. Thank you Veronica for giving me permission to post along with some notes and resources of my own.
COLLECTING POSSIBILITIES
I like to start with this chart from Ancestry from a 2014 Blog post to identify possible ancestors who may have served.
Then you look at your family tree to identify all your direct ancestors that may have served. Compile the list with everything you know from your tree. My Working version looks like this:
So once you have assembled your list you can start your actual research. This is Veronica’s handy chart with Hyperlinks. Hover over the Bolded or underlined titles to make the hyper links appear and click.
RESOURCES
AMERICAN MILITARY RESEARCH RESOURCES BY WAR
| WAR | DAR/SAR | FamilySearch WIKI * | Fold3 | LOC | NARA | NPS |
| Indian Wars | X | X | X | X | ||
| Revolution | X | X | X | X | ||
| War of 1812 | X | X | X | |||
| Mexican War | X | X | X | X | ||
| Civil War | X | X | X | X | ||
| Spanish-American | X | X | X | |||
| Philippine Insurrection | X | X | ||||
| WWI | X | X | X | |||
| WWII | X | X | X | |||
| Korean | X | X | X | |||
| Vietnam | X | X | X |
Abbreviation Guide + Links for above
WEB LINKS
- DAR/SAR Daughters of the Revolution – Sons of the American Revolution – Free to search
- FamilySearch WIKI Free
- Fold3 Military Records site for a fee
- LOC Library of Congress
- NARA National Archives
- NPS National Park Service
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
- YOUTUBE VIDEOS for all wars from the National Archives
- Discovering Our Veterans – Finding Military Service Details Crista Cowan Ancestry
Veronica highly recommends the Family Search Wiki as a good place to start. I usually begin with Ancestry [subscription] or FamilySearch [FREE] to find out as much as I can about who may have served. Once you are on the Family Search Wiki page you can enter the word military in the search bar to see the incredible list of wiki pages with Military information. If you know exactly what you are looking for enter say Military War of 1812 [also provided in links below]. This will give you many results for perusal or you can further refine your search. This is particularly good for general, historical information, unit histories and links for further research.
HINT: If you scroll to the very bottom you will find some templates for Download. Please note that your ultimate goal is to put together your veteran’s military Narrative. I have listed some of my blog posts for inspiration.
RESOURCES BY WAR
INDIAN WARS: Colonial Period 1609–1774
—-King Philip’s War, 1675-1676
WEB LINKS
BOOKS
- Soldiers in King Philip’s War [Internet Archive read online]
- Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War by Lisa Brooks from a Native American perspective
- King Philip’s War: The History and Forgotten Leagacy by Eric Schultz & Michael J Tougias
—-Queen Anne’s War 1702 to 1713
WEB LINKS
BOOKS
—-French and Indian War, 1754-1763
WEB LINKS
BOOKS
- The French-Indian War 1754-1760 by Daniel Marston
- The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War by Fred Anderson
- George Washington in the French & Indian War (History & Guide) by Scott Patchan
REVOLUTIONARY WAR: 1775-1783
WEB LINKS
- NARA. National Archives Free
- Fold3 Military Records site for a fee
- Family Search Wiki Free
- DAR Daughter’s of the American Revolution Free to search database
- SAR Son’s of the American Revolution
- LOC Library of Congress original document Collection
- LOC Map Collection for Revolutionary War Maps
- A compilation from the archives United States Revolutionary War Compiled Service Records, 1775-1783
- Connecticut Men in the Revolution
- Revolutionary War in Deleware in 3 vols
- Soldiers of the American Revolution – Maine
- Massachusetts soldiers and sailors of the Revolutionary War
- Rolls of the soldiers in the Revolutionary War New Hampshire
- Official register of the officers and men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War
- New York in the Revolution as colony and state; these records were discovered, arranged, and classified in 1895, 1897, and 1898
- North Carolina Archives Revolutionary War
- Pennsylvania in the war of the revolution, battalions and line. 1775-1783
- Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina
- The state of Vermont: Rolls of the soldiers in the Revolutionary War, 1775 to 1783
- Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War : McAllister’s data
BOOKS: too many, so a couple of favorites with more emphasis on personal stories
- Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring. Alexander Rose
- The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff
- The People’s War: Original Voices of the American Revolution by Noel Rae
- Dear Abigail: The Intimate Lives and Revolutionary Ideas of Abigail Adams and her Two Remarkable Sisters by Diane Jacobs [Great for a more female centered viewpoint]
VIDEOS
- Basic Military Records at the National Archives: Revolutionary War to 1917
- Tracing Revolutionary War Soldiers at the State Archives
WAR of 1812: 1812-1815
WEB LINKS
- NARA
- Fold3 Military Records site for a fee
- United States in the War of 1812 Family Search
BOOKS
- 1812: The War That Forged a Nation by Walter R Borneman
MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR: 1846-1848
WEB LINKS
- NARA
- Fold 3 Military Records site for a fee
- Family Search Wiki
- NPS
BOOKS
- The Training Ground: Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Davis in the Mexican War, 1846-1848 by MArtin Dugard
- The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo and the War for America by H.W. Brands
CIVIL WAR: 1861-1865
WEB LINKS
- NARA
- Fold 3 General Military Records site for a fee
- Fold 3: Union Military Records site for a fee
- Fold 3: Confederate Military Records site for a fee
- Family Search Wiki
- National Park Service – soldier look up
- 12 Stunning Civil War Facts from Ancestry Blog
- National Archives Cartographic Research Room: Civil War
BOOKS— so, so many
- Untold Civil War, The: Exploring the Human Side of War by James Robertson
- Eyewitness to the Civil War: The Complete History from Secession to Reconstruction by Steve Hyslop
- When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg: The Tragic Aftermath of the Bloodiest Battle of the Civil War by George Sheldon
VIDEOS
- I have a Civil War Veteran Now What? Allen County Public Library
- How to Find Your Civil War Roots on Ancestry.com Ancestry
- Genealogy: Researching Ancestors Who Served in the U.S. Civil War Boston Public Library
SPANISH AMERICAN WAR 1898
WEB LINKS
- NARA
- Fold 3 Military Records site for a fee
- Family Search Wiki
BOOKS
- The Spanish War: An American Epic 1898 by G.J.A. O’Toole
PHILIPPINE INSURRECTION 1899-1902
WEB LINKS
- NARA – note on same page as Spanish-American war
- Family Search Wiki
BOOKS
- Bound by War: How the United States and the Philippines Built America’s First Pacific Century by Philip Capozzola
WORLD WAR I
WEB LINKS
- NARA
- Fold 3 Military Records site for a fee
- Family Search Wiki
BOOKS too many search by location/ topic
VIDEOS
- Library and Archives Workshop: Finding World War I Ancestors
- Researching Your World War I Ancestors Alabama Department of Archives & History
WORLD WAR II
WEB LINKS
- NARA
- Fold 3 Military Records site for a fee
- Family Search Wiki
- WWII Memorial Registry
- Military Resources: Women in the Military
- US ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY – The Army Nurse Corps
- National Archives WWII Records in the Cartographic Branch
BOOKS too many search by location/ topic ie Normandy, Tarawa, Letters etc.
YOU TUBE VIDEOS
- Discover Your Veteran’s WWII Story Allen County Public Library
KOREAN WAR
WEB LINKS
- NARA
- Fold 3
- Family Search Wiki
- Blog post on Korean War Draft Cards from Ancestry Blog
BOOKS
- Valleys of Death: A Memoir of the Korean War by Bill Richardson
- The Coldest War: A Memoir of Korea by James Bradley
YOUTUBE VIDEO
- Discovering Your Korean War Veteran by James Tanner BYU LIbrary
VIETNAM WAR 1964-1972
WEB LINKS
Miscellaneous
WEB LINKS
- History Hub (Archives)
- Veterans Military Discharge Document List
- National Cemetery Administration (Headstone/Grave Markers)
- Veterans Legacy Memorial – for Soldiers buried in VA National Cemetery’s
TEMPLATES [from Veronica]
BLOG POSTS For INSPIRATION
Please note that the reason for doing the research is to bring your ancestor back to life. Research is just the first part. The writing of the story is the second.
- A Tale of Two Soldiers Civil War
- Revolutionary War Details in Ancestor’s Pension Files: Peter P Hall
- Resurrecting the Dead Part Two: Bringing them to Life “Peter P HALL”
- Fact or Fiction? A Revolutionary War soldier talked to a boy, who became a Civil War soldier
Feel free to send a favorite resource I have missed. This will be a blog post and also a page found under the Resources Tab.
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