Collection Information
Military histories range from an official government history to first hand accounts of a battle in addition to detailed histories of a specific military unit.
Through military histories you can know the units in which your ancestors served and learn about what battles they fought in, as well as read about their unit's experiences in the war.
Wars have always been a well studied and researched part of history. Books and articles that have documented strategic moves or battles provide a researcher with background material that can help them understand what their veteran ancestor experienced. Through military histories you can know the units in which your ancestors served and learn about what battles they fought in, in addition to reading about experiences of their military career.
While they may not mention your ancestor by name, they can include details about military battles and engagements, the daily routine, and conditions (e.g., weather, illness, food, supplies, etc.).
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Search Tips
- 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.
- 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 discovery with your family, and quickly find the historical record again later.