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Finding Soldiers of "Other Wars"

Beginning Your Research

Register of Enlistments in the US Army, 1798 – 1914.

National Archives Microfilm Publication M233 (81 rolls) contains a register of enlistments in the US Regular Army from 1798 – 1914. Data in these registers was compiled from a variety of other military records, including enlistment papers, muster rolls, and unit records. The records are usually one line extending across two scanned pages.

The Regular Army is comprised of career soldiers and maintained through peacetime. Therefore, this register will not usually include individuals who enlisted as part of a reserve or during wartime for limited periods of time, or in a military unit raised by a state. (When researching volunteers, start with the compiled military service records.)

 
The National Archives

Military records from 1917 - present are held in the: National Military Personnel Records Center St. Louis, Missouri.

Military personnel records are a valuable tool in genealogical research. Most veterans and their next-of-kin can obtain free copies of their DD Form 214 (Report of Separation) and other military and medical records. Limited information is releasable to the general public without the consent of the veteran or the next-of-kin. You are considered a member of the general public if you are asking about a veteran who is no relation to you, or a veteran who is a relative but you are not the next-of-kin. Next-of-kin is defined as the unremarried widow or widower, son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister of the deceased veteran.

 
Databases

The Ancestry Library Edition (only available in all Gaston County library branches) includes a number of databases relating to the War of 1812, Mexican War, Spanish-American War, Korean War, and Vietnam War.

Fold3 (available from home and in all library branches) includes US military records, stories, photos, and personal documents of those who served.
Go to: https://fold3library.proquest.com/barcode?accountid=11047 Log into Fold3 with your library card.

FamilySearch.org (available online for free) includes United States nationwide military databases and collections.
Go to: Familysearch.org

 
Other Resources
  • 016.355 CON NCC. United States Army Unit and Organizational Histories: A Bibliography by James T. Controvich.
    • Vol. 1: Pre-World War I
    • Vol. 2: World War I to present.
  • 353.97 C N.C.C. American militia in the frontier wars, 1790-1796, by Murtie June Clark.
  • 355.6 UNI NCC. Military Service Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications (pub. 1985) by US National Archives and Records Administration.
  • 359.3 LIS NCC List of officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900; comprising a complete register of all present and former commissioned, warranted, and appointed officers of the United States Navy and of the Marine Corps, regular and volunteer.
  • 929.81 REC NCC OVER. Recipients of Military Service Awards 1898-2004, North Carolina Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy. Includes the Spanish-American, World War I, World War II, Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf.
  • 975.677 GAS NCC v. 1. "Gaston County's Military Heritage." Gaston County Heritage, Vol. 1 by John E. Ferguson Misenheimer. Pgs. 290 - 294.
  • Search our Gaston - Lincoln Biography & History Index for names of individual soldiers.
    Go to: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/biography_index
  • United States, Muster Rolls of the Marine Corps, 1798 - 1892
    Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1916228
  • Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet:

 

Author: Gaston County Public Library
Title: Finding Soldiers of Other Wars: War of 1812, Mexican War, Spanish-American War, Korean War, Vietnam War
URL: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/finding-soldiers-of-other-wars
Revised: 9 October 2018

The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) Fire

  • The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center
    Go to: https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/fire-1973
    "On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF)."
  • Auxiliary and Organizational Records, Holdings (Alternate record sources) utilized together can aid in reconstructing basic service data.
    Go to: https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/other-records

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