Abrams Collection Genealogy Highlights
November/December 2001
Volume 3, Number 6

Military records offer unique insight into the history of the United States dating back to colonial times. These resources can provide invaluable genealogical information to the many researchers who have family members that served in the U.S. military. The types of military records available include muster rolls, enlistment registers, pension applications, regimental histories, service records and casualty lists.

The Library of Michigan maintains a large collection of U.S. military records that can be used for historical and genealogical research. Titles may be located by searching ANSWER, the Library's online catalog. Clicking on the links in this publication will take you to the ANSWER catalog search results or the catalog record for a particular item. The easiest way to locate military resources on ANSWER by keyword is to enter the name of the war, followed by the type of record. Here are some additional suggestions to help maximize your search results:

• war 1812 pension
• mexican war service
• civil war regimental histories
• revolutionary war registers

Adding a specific geographic location also will help refine your search. For example, militia and pennsylvania will retrieve records of Pennsylvania militia units. When searching ANSWER, it is not necessary to capitalize proper nouns.

This publication is not intended to be a comprehensive bibliography of military resources. Rather, it is a list of notable documents available at the Library of Michigan. Searching ANSWER is the only way to verify that the Library of Michigan has the research materials that you need.

Printed Resources and Microfilm

General

Indian Wars Index to Pension Files, 1892-1926. 12 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1959.
Genealogy Microfilm E 81 .U55 1959

Muster Rolls of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1798-1892. 98 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1969.
Genealogy Microfilm VE 23 .A33 M87 1969

Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Inc., 1994.
Genealogy E 181 .N43 1994

Powell, William H., comp. List of Officers of the Army of the United States from 1779 to 1900. New York: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1900.
Genealogy U 11 .U5 P7

Register of Enlistments in the United States Army, 1798-1914. 81 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1956.
Genealogy Microfilm E 181 .U5 1956

Silliman, Sue Imogene, comp. Michigan Military Records, the D.A.R. of Michigan Historical Collections: Records of the Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Michigan, the Pensioners of Territorial Michigan, and the Soldiers of Michigan Awarded the Medal of Honor. 1920. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969.
Michigan F 565 .S58 1969

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Revolutionary War

General Index to Compiled Military Service Records of Revolutionary War Soldiers. 58 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1972.
Genealogy Microfilm E 255 .G36 1972

Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783. 138 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1976.
Genealogy Microfilm E 255 .R48 1976

Selected Records from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files. 898 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1969.
Genealogy Microfilm E 255 .S45 1969

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War of 1812

Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812. 234 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1965.
Genealogy Microfilm E 359 .I53 1965

Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files. 102 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1960.
Genealogy Microfilm E 359.4 .I5 1960

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Mexican War

Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Mexican War. 41 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1965.
Genealogy Microfilm E 409 .I5 1965

Index to Mexican War Pension Files, 1887-1927. 14 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1949.
Genealogy Microfilm E 409.4 U55 1949

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Civil War

Civil War Unit Histories: Regimental Histories and Personal Narratives. 5 vols. Bethesda, MD: University Publications of America, 1992-1996.
Genealogy Microfiche E 470 .C58 1990

Hewett, Janet B., ed. Roster of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865. 16 vols. Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Publishing Co., 1995-1996.
Genealogy E 548 .H4 1995
There is a similar roster set for Union soldiers.

Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Michigan. 48 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1964.
Genealogy Microfilm E 514 .I5 1964
Also available for Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and the U.S. Colored Troops regiments.

Michigan. Adjutant-General's Department. Record of Service of Michigan Volunteers in the Civil War, 1861-1865. 46 vols. Kalamazoo: Ihling Brothers & Everard, 190-.
Michigan Documents E 514.3 .M62

Pension Index File. 544 reels. Washington, D.C.: Veterans Administration Publications Service, 1953.
Genealogy Microfilm UB 373 .P4 1953
A card index primarily for Union servicemen.

Selected Records of the War Department Relating to Confederate Prisoners of War, 1861-1865. 145 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1965.
Genealogy Microfilm E 615 .S45 1965

United States. War Department. War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. 128 vols. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.
U.S. Documents Reference W 45.5

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Spanish-American War

Michigan Volunteers of '98: A Complete Photographic Record of Michigan's Part in the Spanish-American War of 1898. Detroit: G.F. Sterling & Co., 1898.
Michigan E 726 .M6 O33

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World War I

Haulsee, William M., comp. Soldiers of the Great War. 3 vols. Washington, D.C.: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920.
Genealogy D 609 .U6 S6

Landrum, Charles Hanford, comp. Michigan in the World War: Military and Naval Honors of Michigan Men and Women. Lansing: Michigan Historical Commission, 1924.
Michigan Documents D 570.85 .M5 A2 1924

World War I Card Index. 37 reels. Lansing: Michigan State Library, 1976.
Genealogy Microfilm D 609 .U7 M5
This microfilmed card set lists Michigan military personnel of the First World War.

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World War II

United States. Navy Department. State Summary of War Casualties: Michigan. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Navy, 1946.
Genealogy D 797 .U62 M53 1946

United States. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing: Michigan. Washington, D.C.: War Department, 1946.
Michigan D 769.85 .A2 W67 1946

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Internet Resources

State Level Lists of Casualty: Korea and Vietnam
www.archives.gov/research/vietnam-war/casualty-lists/
This site lists the American casualties for both 20th century conflicts, sorted either by last name or home state.

U.S. Army Military History Institute
www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/USAMHI/default.cfm
This Army site contains hundreds of digitized military records, including regimental histories for 20th century wars.

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Updated 05/08/2009