Presentation by Jessica Hilburn, Historian at the Benson Memorial Library, Titusville, PA. benson.ccfls.org nwpastories.com

1. Military Records
Jessica Hilburn, Historian, Benson Memorial Library
May 2018

2. ● Can access a variety of nations’ military records: US, UK, New Zealand, Germany, Australia,
Ireland, Canada, Romania, South Africa, Belarus, Poland, Netherlands, etc.
● Revolutionary War: Rolls 1775-1783 (1.4 million); War Battalions; Militia Index
● War of 1812: Pension Apps, etc.
● Spanish-American War: Compensation Apps, etc.
● Civil War: Draft Registration, Muster Rolls, Pension Apps, POWs, State-level Records,
Awards
● WWI: Draft Registration (24 million), Draft Cards, Veteran Deaths, Compensation Apps, etc.
● WWII: Draft Cards (24 million), Navy Muster Rolls (33 million), Compensation Apps,
Veteran Deaths, Relocated Japanese Americans, etc.
● Korea: Casualties 1950-1957 (153,000), POWs 1950-1954, etc.
● Vietnam: Casualties Alive 1961-1981, Awards 1965-1972, Casualties Total 1956-1998
(118,000), etc.

3. NARA - Washington D.C.
● National Archives Washington D.C. is home to Revolutionary War
through 1912 military records
● Holds Official Unit Records & Published Unit Histories
○ WWI → Archives I Textual Reference Branch, NARA DC
○ WWII, Korea, Vietnam → Archives II Textual Branch, NARA
College Park, MD

4. NARA - Washington D.C.
● Records Available:
○ Volunteers: People who served during an emergency in the federal interest, 1775 -
1902
○ Army: Enlisted 1789 - October 31, 1912; Officers 1789 - June 30, 1917
○ Navy: Enlisted 1798 - 1885; Officers 1798 - 1902
○ Marine Corps: Enlisted 1798 - 1904; Some Officers 1798 - 1895
○ Coast Guard: Revenue Cutter Service, Life Saving Service, Lighthouse Service 1791 -
1855
○ Confederate: 1861 1865
○ Veterans: Pensions 1775 - 1916; Bounty land warrants 1775 - 1885
● Use NATF Form 86 (except for Veterans Pensions & Bounty land warrants use NATF Form
85)

5. Military History Centers
Air Force: Air Force History Support Office Washington D.C.; U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency
Maxwell AFB, AL; U.S. Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
Army: U.S. Army Center of Military History Building 35 Washington D.C.; U.S. Army Military History
Institute Carlisle Barracks, PA
Marine Corps: Marine Corps Historical Center Washington Navy Yard Washington D.C.; Marine Corps
Air-Ground Museum Marine Corps Combat Development Command Quantico, VA
Navy: Naval Historical Center Washington Navy Yard Washington D.C.
Coast Guard: U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office United States Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington
D.C.; Coast Guard Museum U.S. Coast Guard Academy New London, CT
https://www.loc.gov/vets/bib-milihist.html

6. NARA - St. Louis
● National Archives St. Louis houses records WWI to the present at the National Military Personnel
Records Center
● Most useful records are DD Form 214 (Record of Separation), OMPF (Official Military Personnel
File), and medical records
● Will need the following information to request a file:
○ Name, Service #, SSN, Branch, Dates of Service, Date of Birth, Place of Birth
● 1973 Fire at Archives
○ Destroyed 80% of Army files 1912-1960 and 75% Air Force files 1947-1964 (16-18 million
records)
○ NARA will reconstruct the records based on other sources - will take longer than the typical
request
● Get 4,000 - 5,000 requests PER DAY - turnaround time 10 days to 6 months
● https://www.archives.gov/files/research/order/standard-form-180.pdf -- Form 180 to get file records

7. Federal vs. Archival Records
● What is a Federal Record?
○ 1957 or newer and not open to the public
● FEDERAL RECORDS: Next-of-kin or veterans can order records online (but will have to mail/fax
signature page) at vetrecs.archives.gov
○ Must provide proof of death of veteran (death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published
obituary sufficient)
○ Is no fee for kin for FEDERAL records
● If it isn’t Federal, what is it?
○ Records from 1956 and before are ARCHIVAL RECORDS and public
○ Is a copying fee for Archival Records (<5 pages = $25.00; >6 pages = $70.00)
● https://www.archives.gov/files/research/order/standard-form-180.pdf -- Form 180 to get file records

8. Who is next-of-kin?
● Generally, the next-of-kin are qualified as the following persons:
○ The un-remarried widow or widower
○ Son
○ Daughter
○ Father
○ Mother
○ Brother
○ Sister
● For certain branches of the military the definition of next-of-kin is expanded (never
contracted)

9. AAD Database
● Wars/International Relations
● Mostly information on Korea/Vietnam (incidents, mine warfare,
VC, etc.)
● This database was used to create most of the Vietnam Memorial
Wall
● Was NOT created for historical use, so records are not contextually
consistent
● https://aad.archives.gov/aad/

10. Example:
War of 1812
Pension
Application

11. Example:
Spanish-American
War
Compensation
Application

12. Example: Civil War Draft Registration

13. Example: Civil War Muster Roll

14. Example: Confederate POW Record

15. Example: WWI Draft Registration

16. Example:
WWII
Draft
Card

17. Example:
WWII
Compensation
Application

18. Questions?
June Programs:
Tuesday, June 12 @ 6pm Local Genealogy Expert Speaker
June 19-21 all day, Local History Open Station