Military Records Tips
Read these 6 Military Records Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Genealogy tips and hundreds of other topics.
Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications
Another great source to consult when researching your Revolutionary War ancestor is the "Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications". This publication is available in many libraries and is an easy-to-use reference to determine whatever pension papers are available for your ancestor. The Index gives the veteran's name, the state for which the person served or where he lived as well as bounty land warrant (LBWt), survivor (S), widow (W), or rejected (R) pension numbers. With this information in hand, you'll be able to request copies of the actual pension papers microfilmed by the National Archives!
American Genealogical-Biographical Index
An often overlooked source for information on Revolutionary War participants is "The American Genealogical—Biographical Index to American Genealogical, Biographical and Local History Materials." You can find it at some libraries, or search it at Ancestry.com. Many Revolutionary War titles are indexed in this huge source - including a Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, Soldiers, Sailors, 1775-1783; Rolls and Lists of Connecticut Men in the Revolution, 1775-1783; Muster and Payrolls of the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783; and 600 Revolutionary Soldiers Living in Georgia in 1827-8. Check it out!
National Cemetery Records
Do you have an ancestor who's buried in a national cemetery? If so, you may be able to obtain some information by writing to the National Cemetery System at:
Director
National Cemetery System
Dept. of Veteran Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue NS
Washington, DC 20410
Make sure to include as much of the following information as you have access to: ancestor's full name, date and place of birth and death, state from which the veteran entered the military service, rank and military unit in which the veteran served on active duty.
Types of Military Records
There is a great wealth of military records available for download from online genealogy and ancestry websites. Types of military records include death lists and casualty indexes, draft records, pension records, registration cards, rosters and service records. Log on and see what information you can find for your fighting ancestors.
Searching for Patriots
The first and best source to review for information on your patriot ancestor is the DAR Patriot Index. This Index contains data for men and women who provided service to the patriots' cause between 1774 and 1783. An alphabetical listing of individuals documented by the DAR lists birth and death data for the principal parties as well as information on spouse, rank, area of service, the state for which the patriots served or where they lived, and pension.
Check Pierce's Register!
Another great source for checking claim records for the Revolutionary War is "Pierce's Register". Originally published as a government document in 1915, the Register provides the certificate number, the veteran to whom the certificate was issued, and the amount of the claim.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Barbara Gibson |
