Military

These records can help you find enlistment dates, learn about famous battles, local gravesites of war veterans and spouses, and discover the unique stories and details of military service that help you discover the heroes in your family history.

You will often find fathers, siblings, or other family members who served in the military. You can learn when and where your ancestor enlisted, discover where they are buried, read the history of their unit and learn who was waiting for them back home.

• The best way to find a military record is to enter as much information as you can into your search. The more you tell us about your ancestor, the easier it will be to find good matches about him or her.
• In your searching, remember to allow for name spelling variations and that sometimes records only used one or more initials for the given names.
• Since each collection includes different information, it is valuable to search collections that apply to your ancestor individually. Once you see the results for some individuals you can see what terms might be useful in the Keyword field to refine your search.
• With some record collections, the description provides instruction for how to receive additional information. For example, when you locate someone in the US Civil War Pension Index, you can send away for copies of the case file, which contains more additional information, often including a personal history questionnaire.
• Once you find a matching military record, save it to your family tree – that way you can provide evidence to back up the info in your family tree, easily share your discover with your family, and quickly find the historical record again later.