How To Find Military Service Clues In Genealogy Research

Finding your ancestors in military records can often be the answers you’ve been looking for (or at least they can offer clues). This isn’t always beginner level genealogy research, but it doesn’t have to be difficult either.

In this blog post, you’ll learn how Veterans Day started and what records you’re probably already using that might lead you to military service clues for your ancestors.

When I was researching my 2x great-grandfather, John Dunnahoo, his obituary said he served in the Civil War. But I didn’t discover more about that until I looked through his military records – information I could find anywhere else.

In genealogy, military records can be key to finding hidden stories in your family history. Let’s get started…

How Veterans Day Began

Veterans Day goes back to the end of World War I. On November 11, 1918, Germany and the Allies signed a treaty ending a war that lasted over four years. Since it occurred at 11 am, “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” became a symbol of peace.¹

A year later, in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 as Armistice Day in the United States. Over the years, it changed from honoring World War I veterans to recognizing all veterans. Today, Veterans Day serves as a time to thank those who served in the military for the sacrifices they made to protect the country.

Types of Records That Reveal Military Service Clues

Military records can be great sources of information about your ancestors. Let’s look at some of the records that can provide clues for your genealogy research.

1. Draft Registration Cards

The United States had a series of draft registrations, especially from World War I and World War II, where men of eligible age were required to register. Even if your ancestor didn’t serve, their draft registration card can still give valuable details, including:

• Full name and often their middle name
• Birth date and birthplace
• Occupation and employer
• Physical description, such as height, weight, and eye color
• Signature
• Relative’s name
• And it’s a record that exists in between census years to help locate your ancestor

Ancestry.com has a great collection of draft registration cards. Go to www.ancestry.com/c/military-records to see links for these and other military related genealogy records.

2. Military Service Records

These records are an essential starting point if you know your ancestor served in a specific war. U.S. military service records from the Revolutionary War through World War II are available through the National Archives and other genealogical websites like Fold3. They often include:

• Enlistment date and location
• Rank and branch of service
• Service number
• Details of campaigns or battles they participated in

These records can provide a timeline of your ancestor’s military service, detailing movements, promotions, or even injuries. Service records are also a way to confirm military involvement when no other family stories or clues exist.

I wrote a blog post about finding my 2x great-grandfather’s Compiled Military Service record or CMSR. You’ll see for yourself what wonderful genealogy details you can gain through these records. Check it out here.

3. Pension Records

Veterans or their widows often applied for pensions, especially in the years following a war. Pension records are rich in personal details and may contain:

• Military service details including dates and locations
• Personal statements or affidavits from the veteran or their spouse
• Information on next of kin
• Financial status or property information, especially if the veteran was disabled and unable to work
• Widows applying for pension would sometimes include marriage records to prove they were who they claimed to be

For Revolutionary and Civil War ancestors, pension records may even include details of everyday life, including testimonies from neighbors and friends, which offer a closer look into their lives.

My 2x great-grandfather, John Dunnahoo’s pension record is over 100 pages long and is the only place I’ve found some pieces of information about his life.

4. Bounty Land Warrants

From the Revolutionary War to the Mexican War, veterans were sometimes rewarded with land for their service. This included War of 1812 veterans. Bounty land warrants can provide:

• Locations where ancestors were given land (often leading to new clues in that area)
• Further details on military service
• Records that connect to later land deeds

These records can provide hints about an ancestor’s travel or migration after their service, showing where they settled and possibly leading to new family connections.

5. Grave Markers and Memorials

Cemeteries can hold valuable military clues. Veterans often have markers indicating their branch of service, unit, or even specific wars they fought in. Many cemeteries and local historical societies also maintain records of veterans’ graves. Gravestones and memorial plaques can reveal:

• Rank and branch
• Unit or regiment numbers
• Military symbols and inscriptions noting service

Online resources like Find A Grave can be helpful for locating ancestors’ military headstones.

6. Census Record Clues

If you’re having trouble figuring out if your ancestor served, census records can be a great clue with questions you may have missed. Here are the ones you should look for:

1840 Census

The 1840 Census was the first to ask about military service. The column for this is on the second page. In this year, the question was specific to Revolutionary War veterans. Heads of households were asked if anyone in the household had served in the American Revolution, and their age. The government wanted to know how many people were receiving pensions.

1890 Census (Veterans Schedule)

Fire (and the water that put out the fire) destroyed almost all the 1890 population schedule. But a valuable portion that survived is the 1890 Veterans Schedule. This special schedule recorded information about Union veterans and their widows from the Civil War. In it you’ll find:

• Names of Union veterans or their widows
• Rank, company, and regiment or vessel
• Dates of enlistment and discharge
• Disability information

This can be a great resource for finding Civil War veterans in your family tree, especially since most of the general 1890 Census data was lost. And since it’s locality based, you’ll see others from the area your ancestor lived who served.

1910 Census

The 1910 Census asked if a person was a “survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy.” It’s in column 30. This question was only asked of men, and the answers are typically marked as “UA” for Union Army, “UN” for Union Navy, “CA” for Confederate Army, and “CN” for Confederate Navy. It’s a helpful hint for anyone tracing Civil War ancestors.

1930 Census

In the 1930 census, columns 30 and 31 asked whether a person was a veteran (yes or no) and if so, in what war did they serve. Possible answers included “WW” for World War I, “SP” for the Spanish-American War, “Civ” for the Civil War, and “Phil” for the Philippine Insurrection, among others.

1940 Census

While the 1940 Census didn’t ask about military service directly, it did include questions about “usual occupation,” which can sometimes reveal military service for individuals still enlisted at the time. Veterans of World War I or those who served in peacetime may have had occupations related to their service, especially if they remained in the military or worked in defense industries.

Tips for Finding and Using Military Records

Here are a few tips to help your genealogy research into military records:

• Start with Family Stories: Even a small mention of military service in family stories can point you in the right direction. Ask family members if they remember any relatives who served in the military, and take notes.
• Use the National Archives and Online Databases: The National Archives has extensive military records, but you can also explore sites like Ancestry, Fold3, and FamilySearch. Many of these sites offer searchable databases of draft registrations, service records, and pension applications.
• Look Beyond Just Military Service: Often, military records lead to other records like census data, land records, or obituaries that can add so much more to your ancestor’s life.
• Spelling: Names were sometimes misspelled or recorded incorrectly, especially on handwritten documents. If you’re not finding what you’re looking for, try different spellings or even just initials.

Finally

One last place you might want to look is a passport application. A distant relative (not on my direct line) registered for the draft for World War I, but I couldn’t find if he served. What I did find in a passport application was that he worked as a civilian employee for the United States Government in France building cold storage facilities for meat. He was in World War I, just not as a soldier. Amazing! Read more about that here.

In our genealogy research, we try and add more than just names and dates to our ancestors. We want to find out their story. Take the time to explore these military resources and and by doing so, you’ll be honoring their memory in a very meaningful way.

Genealogy tip: If you come across names of people your ancestors served with, research them, too! They may have letters or testimonials describing experiences your ancestor shared but didn’t record.

If you need help finding your ancestors’ military records, give me call. Click below to schedule a 30-minute, no-obligation consultation today.

¹ Harry S. Truman Little White House (https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/guide/november-11-meaning: accessed 10 November 2024), “November 11th Meaning Around The World.”