Military Records

BACKGROUND READING AND LISTS

• U. S. Military Records. Brochure in SSH genealogy binder at reference desk. One of the best brief overviews of military records.
• Ancestry's Red Book. 929.1072 An21r2. Lists military records by U.S. state. ROOM REF 
• Military Records. 929.3097 N249u. The best one volume book about military records. ROOM REF 
• Research Guide to Loyalist Ancestors. 929.1072 B884r. ROOM REF 
• The Genealogist's Address Book. 929.1025 B444g. Lists lineage and hereditary societies by war and historical period. READY REF D 
• Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada. 906 Am31dh. Lists military history organizations. READY REF 
• American and British Genealogy and Heraldry. 016.9291 F472a. Lists "classic" military resources and pension lists. STX
• Genealogical and Local History Books in Print. 016.9291 G286a. Lists "in-print" military resources. STX (Newer editions READY REF)
• Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research in Pennsylvania. 016.9748 H671g3. Good military and patriotic section. STX
• Pennsylvania Area Key. 016.9748 C617p2. Has a section on wars and military records in Pennsylvania. ROOM REF
• Clint's Pennsylvania County Series. E.g., Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Area Key. 929.3748 C617bu. Each area key lists some military records by PA county. FLP has guides for many nearby counties.
• Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Woodroofe Series. To see individual issues, get a call slip at the SSH reference desk. Lists Historical Society of Pennsylvania holdings for PA counties as of the 1980s. A good source for military records by Pennsylvania county.
• Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. 016.9291 Un3g. Essential reading. Gov Pub
• The Archives: a Guide to the National Archives Field Branches. 016.973 Sz71a. Lists what resources are available at each of the regional branches of the National Archives. ROOM REF 

FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA (FLP)

• Researching your Family History at the Central Library. Handout. SSH (Social Science and History Department) Reference Desk.
• To make FULL use of the FLP collection, you must be able to use the on-line catalog, especially the subject and keyword functions. If you have difficulties with the catalog, ask for assistance from a librarian. The books listed below are only SOME of the military references available at FLP.
• Bibliography of Pennsylvania History with suppls. 016.9748 P3843b. Good for histories of PA military organizations. For material after 1970, see America: History and Life. ROOM REF 
• Special Bibliography 4, 2 vols., U.S. Army Military History Institute. Uncataloged at SSH. A detailed list of US military unit histories.
• Complete Army and Navy Register of the United States of America, from 1776 to 1887. R355 H171. Gov Pub W 3.12/a: 776-887.
• Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, 1789-1903. 923.5 H365h2. Gov Pub W 3.11: 789-903.
• Powell's Records of Living Officers of the US Army. R923.5 H1713 (1883). R923.5 P87 (1890). STX
• A Compilation of the Registers of the Army of the Unites States from 1815 to 1837. 353.6 G65. STX
• Official Army Register, 1831, 1842-1976. Gov Pub D 102.9:.
• Army List and Directory, 1893-1941. Gov Pub W 3.10:.
• Official Army National Guard Register, 1922-1975 with gaps. Gov Pub D 12.9:.
• Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point..., and suppls., 1802-1900. R923.5 C89. STX
• Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy, 1912-1991. 923.5 R263o. READY REF D 
• Register of Alumni, United States Military Academy, 1845-1980. 359.0071 Un3r. READY REF D 
• Official Register of the Officers and Cadets of the United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., 1846-1961. Gov Pub D 109.7.
• Origins of Names of Army and Air Corps Posts. 929.4 Al5. 929.4 Al540. STX
• Alphabetical List of Battles, 1754-1900. 973 St81a.
• List of Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900. 923.5 C13. ROOM REF 
• The Records of Living Officers of the US Navy and Marine Corps. R923.5 H17 (1870). R923.5 H1711 (1878). R923.5 H1714 (1890). R923.5 H1712 (1898). STX
• Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, 1949-1984. Gov Pub D 208.12:.
• Naval Reserve Register, 1921-1984 with gaps. Gov Pub D 208.12/2:.
• Annual Register of the United States Naval Academy, 1865-1970 with gaps. Gov Pub D 208.107:.
• Abstracts of Service Records of Naval Officers, 1829-1924. Gov Pub AE 1.119:M1328. An alphabetical list of officers whose service records have been abstracted and microfilmed.
• Register of the Officers, Vessels, and Stations of the United States Coast Guard, 1915-1965. Gov Pub TD 5.19:.
• United States Navy & Marine Corps Bases, Domestic. 359.7097 Un3sd. READY REF D  Overseas. 359.7097 Un3so. READY REF D 
• West Point Atlas of American Wars. 911.73 Un34w. MAPS
• Locating Your Revolutionary War Ancestor. 016.9737 N249l.
• Index of the Roll of Honor, Daughters of the American Revolution, vols. 1-160. 369 D2611. The Roll of Honor, vols. 1-166, has the same call number. Errata for vols. 1-112 are in the back of vol. 112. READY REF D 
• National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, 1902. 369 So63. STX
• Pennsylvania Society Sons of the Revolution, Centennial Register, 1888-1988. 369.13 C333r. ROOM REF 
• For other patriotic organizations, search the on-line catalog using the name of the organization as a subject heading. Names and descriptions of many of these organizations are in The Hereditary Register of the United States of America. 369.1 H42r. ROOM REF 
• Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army. 973.3 H365h2. READY REF D 
• Pierce's Register. 973.34 Un36p. Paymaster General certificates for the American Revolution. ROOM REF 
• Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications. 929.3 N213i. STX
• Letter from the Secretary of War.... 973.34 Un381. American Revolution pension list as of 1818. STX
• Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. 929.3 Un35r. ROOM REF 
• The Pension Roll of 1835 (vol. 2 only). 929.3 Un38p. Gives pensioners from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. ROOM REF
• Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania, 1700-1809, Gov Pub States P38-7, and Laws of Pennsylvania, 1806-1963, Gov Pub States P38-21, contain some state military pension information.
• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services.... 929.34 Un34c. American Revolution pension information from the 1840 U.S. census. Should be used in conjunction with A General Index to a Census of Pensioners or Revolutionary or Military Services.... 973.34 G286g. STX
• Fighters for Independence: a Guide to Sources of Biographical Information on Soldiers and Sailors of the American Revolution. 016.9733092 W584f. STX
• Revolutionary America, 1763-1789: a Bibliography, 2 vols. LC 1.12/2:R32/4/763-789/. Government Publications Department.
• Summer Soldiers: a Survey & Index of Revolutionary War Courts-Martial. 973.34 N249s. STX
• The Pennsylvania Navy. 973.35 J135p. STX
• Marines in the Revolution. 973.35 Sm53m. STX
• Pennsylvania in the War of the Revolution, Battalions and Line, 1775-1783. R973.34 L64. STX
• Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants Awarded by State Governments. 973.34 B631r. ROOM REF 
• Pennsylvania Line: Regimental Organizations and Operations. Gov Pub STATES/P38-5360. Pennsylvania units in the American Revolution.
• Encyclopedia of Continental Army Units. 973.34 B452e. READY REF D
• Encyclopedia of British, Provincial, and German Army Units, 1775-1783. 973.34 K155e. READY REF D 
• Naval Documents of the American Revolution. 9 vols. Gov Pub D 207.12:1-9.
• Journals of the Continental Congress, 34 vols., with index. Gov Pub LC 4.5:
• Index, the Papers of the Continental Congress, 5 vols., with chronology. Gov Pub GS 4.2: C76/3/v.1-5. The Papers of the Continental Congress are available on microfilm at NARA, Record Group 360: M247, M40, M61, M332, M866.
• Pennsylvania Archives. 974.8 P3823a. Guide to the Published Archives of Pennsylvania is shelved with Pennsylvania Archives. Another way to get an overview of this massive set of books is to see Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research in Pennsylvania, pp. 87-96. 016.9748 H671g3. Especially important for American Revolution and War of 1812 research. ROOM REF 
• Soldiers of the American Revolution, Philadelphia City, Pennsylvania. 973.3448 W675s ROOM REF .
• Soldiers of the American Revolution, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania including Montgomery County. 973.3448 W675sm. ROOM REF
• Quasi War with France, 8 vols. Gov Pub N 16.2:Q2/.
• Barbary Wars, 7 vols. Gov Pub N 16.2:B 23.
• Pennsylvania and the War of 1812. 973.52 Sa67p. ROOM REF 
• Known Military Dead During the War of 1812. 973.52 P442k. STX
• A Brief Sketch of the Military Operations on the Delaware During the Late War....   973.52 B765s. STX
• A History of Philadelphia with a Notice of Villages....  R974.81 B67.  Contains Muster Rolls for Philadelphia units in the War of 1812. MAPS
• "A Guide to Pennsylvania Soldiers in the Mexican War," in Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, all 4 issues, vol. 36, 1989/90. A929 G28. STX
• The Mexican American War: an Annotated Bibliography. 016.9736 T8815m. STX
• Index to Mexican War Pension Files.  016.9736 W585i but shelved at 929.3097 N249. ROOM REF
• History of Pennsylvania Volunteers. 973.7448 B319h. Lists members of Pennsylvania units in the Civil War. ROOM REF
• Officers of the Army and Navy (Regular and Volunteer) Who Served in the Civil War. A923.5 Of2. Many photos. SSH OFFICE Oversize 
• Official Army Register of the Volunteer Forces of the United States Army for 1861-1865. Gov Pub W 3.12: 1-8. Pennsylvania is in vol. 3.
• The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Gov Pub W 45.5. Use with The Official Records of the American Civil War: a Research Guide. 016.9737 Ai58o. Also see Military Operations of the Civil War: a Guide-Index to the Official Records.... Gov Pub GS 4.21:1-5.
• Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Gov Pub N 16.6:.
• The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War. 911.73 Un38o. MAPS
• Military Bibliography of the Civil War, 3 vols. 016.9737 D735r. Good for regimental publications and personal narratives. STX
• Personnel of the Civil War, 2 vols. 973.74 Am13p. ROOM REF 
• A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. 973.7 D988c2. ROOM REF 
• Compendium of the Confederate Armies.  973.742 Si21c. STX
• Record of the Federal Dead Buried From Libby, Belle Isle, Danville, and Camp Lawton Prisons....  973.76 Un38r. STX
• Civil War Books: a Critical Bibliography, 2 vols. 016.9737 N417c. STX
• Guide to Federal Archives Relating to the Civil War. 016.9737 M923g. STX
• Guide to the Archives of the Government of the Confederate States of America. 016.9737 B392g. STX
• History of the Philadelphia Brigade. 973.74 B22. Lists many Civil War dead from Philadelphia. SSH OFFICE 
• Philadelphia in the Civil War, 1861-1865. 973.748 T21. Gives the designation of Pennsylvania units with significant numbers of Philadelphians. READY REF D. 
• Pennsylvania's Soldier's Orphan Schools. States P38-746. GPD. Great lists.
• Annual Report of the Pennsylvania Commission of Soldier's Orphan Schools for the year ending..., 1876-1918. States P38-63. GPD. Lists of faculty and students.
• Proceedings of the ....th Annual Encampment of the Department of Pennsylvania Grand Army of the Republic..., 1873-1935. States P38-56. GPD. Lists department officers and others. Later volumes list death dates of veterans who died during the previous year.
• Record of Changes in Membership of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1878-1919. Gov Pub War 986.
• List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883.  Gov Pub I 24.6:883 v.1-5
• Record of Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Spanish-American War.   Gov Pub States P38-667.
• Pennsylvania in the World War. A940.91 St22. WWI. STX
• Soldiers of the Great War. A940.91 So4. Casualty lists of WWI. Many photos of individual soldiers. STX
• The United States in World War I: a Selected Bibliography. 016.9403 Sch14u. STX
• The Twenty-Eighth Division, Pennsylvania's Guard in the World War.   A940.91 M361. STX OVERSIZE
• World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing. Gov Pub W 107.13: (State). 46 of the 48 states. Army.
• Combat Connected Casualties WWII, by States. Gov Pub N 1.34/2:1-2. Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard.
• American Military Casualties and Burials.  Gov Pub AE 1.124:82.   Lists National Archives record groups relating to WWII.
• World War II: Books in English. 016.94 Z62w. Good for unit histories. STX
• World War II, the European and Mediterranean Theaters: an Annotated Bibliography. 016.9405 Sm62w. Good for unit histories.
• Federal Records of WWII. Civilian Agencies (v.1), Military Agencies (v.2). Gov Pub CS 4.2:R25/2/.
• For lists of the dead for WWII and the Korean War see LDS, below.
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Directory of Names. 959.7043 V678ve. This list gives the names and other data for those whose names appear on the Washington, D.C. memorial. For a list of the names on the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial, see SSH - Philadelphia Vertical File. Another list of the Vietnam War dead is at LDS; see below. STX
• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. 359.73 Un32d. READY REF D 
• List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947. Gov Pub 4.7:44.
• Medal of Honor Recipients, 1863-1994. 355.1342 L252m READY REF D
• Jewish League of Valor.  296 G953j. STX
• American Military Cemeteries. 353.0086 H742a (shelved as 929.5025) READY REF D 
• American Battle Monuments. 973.09 Am35b. READY REF D 
• How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military. 355.0025 J636h2. READY REF

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA (HSP)

• To make full use of the HSP collection, you must be able to use all of their catalogs.
• There is an outstanding military reference book section at HSP. Many of their most important military reference books and indexes are placed here for browsing.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES - MID-ATLANTIC BRANCH (NARA)

• Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. 016.9291 Un3g. GPD and ROOM REF
• The Archives: a Guide to the National Archives Field Branches. 016.973 Sz71a. ROOM REF 
• Guide to the National Archives of the United States. 027.573 Un3g.
• Military Service Records: a Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. 016.3556 Un3m but shelved at 929.3097 N249.   ROOM REF
• Military Service Records in the National Archives of the United States. A handout available at NARA.
• Ask the archivist for specialized guides and bibliographies that describe NARA holdings by war.  Don't forget to ask about WWI draft registration records.
• Forms for requesting veteran's records from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and  from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis are available here.
• All special requests that do not fit into the categories described on these forms should be sent to The National Archives, Civil Reference Branch, NNRC, 8th & Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, D.C., 20408. For best results, talk over your request with the archivist at the Mid-Atlantic Branch.

PENNSYLVANIA STATE ARCHIVES (PAA)

• Guide to Genealogical Sources at the Pennsylvania State Archives. 016.9293 P384g2.  ROOM REF 
• Pennsylvania Military Records. Before going to Harrisburg, however, check at FLP to see if the needed records have been published in Pennsylvania Archives. 974.8 P3823a.

PHILADELPHIA CITY ARCHIVES (PAR)

Descriptive Inventory of the Archives of the City and County of Philadelphia. FLP - 016.9748 P53d.

DAVID LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (DAV)

• Guide to the Sol Feinstone Collection of the David Library of the American Revolution. 016.9733 F83g.
• The David Library has a special collection encompassing the period 1755-1800. Very strong in microfilm holdings. For a brochure, write or call. P.O. Box 748, Washington Crossing, PA 18977. (215) 493-6776.

UNITED STATES ARMY MILITARY HISTORY INSTITUTE (USAMHI)

• A vast special collection of U. S. and foreign military material. Write or call for a brochure. Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013-5008. (717) 245-3611.
• Special Bibliography 4, 2 vols., U.S. Army Military History Institute material. Uncataloged at SSH. A detailed list of U.S. military unit histories.   For an even better list, go to the USAMHI internet site.

CIVIL WAR LIBRARY AND MUSEUM (CWLM)

A special collection including unit histories, manuscripts, and correspondence of civil war soldiers. Call or write for a brochure. 1805 Pine St., Philadelphia, PA 19103. (215) 735-8196.

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC CIVIL WAR MUSEUM (GAR)

A special collection with some interesting one-of-a-kind material. Call or write for a brochure. 4278 Griscom St., Philadelphia, PA 19124. (215) 289-6484.

NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER (NPRC)

Before requesting military records from this location, see the pamphlet U.S. Military Records in the Free Library's SSH vertical files, The Source 929.1072 So84e, and How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military 355.0025 J636h2. Forms for requesting veteran's records are available at NARA.

VETERANS ADMINISTRATION (VA)

Before requesting records from this location, see The Source. 929.1072 So84e.

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS (LDS)

• U.S. Military Records. Available at Family History Centers.
• The LDS collection is the largest collection of genealogical material in the world and is worldwide in scope. Numerous microfilm reels of military records are available for loan for a nominal fee.
• Lists of American service personnel killed in the Korean and Vietnam War are available here.
• WWI Draft Registration Records for Philadelphia, on microfilm, are available here.

THE INTERNET

• There is a great deal of information about historical military units on the internet.
• Also see "Civil War Resources on the Internet: an Annotated Bibliography," in Reference Services Review, v. 25, #1, 1997, pp. 39-45.  Ask for this at the Social Science and History Reference Desk.

Questions concerning military records can be directed to the Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St., ATTN: Room 201 - SSH, Philadelphia, PA 19103. (215) 686-5396.