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Members of the Native American Women Warriors, a Pueblo, Colorado-based association of active and retired American Indians in U.S. military service, at a Colorado Springs Native American Inter Tribal
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Civil War
U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 (National Park Service data) Contains the names of approximately 6.3 million soldiers who served in the American Civil War. In addition to their names, information that may be listed for each soldier includes: side (Union or Confederate), alternate names, and film number (NARA microfilm series and roll number) where soldier’s information is found. Digitized records are available on Ancestry.com from library computers and on microfilm at the NMSL.
General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 (part of RG 15) The pension applications to which this index applies relate chiefly to Army, Navy, and Marine Corps service performed between 1861 and 1916. Most of the records relate to Civil War service; some relate to earlier service by Civil War veterans; others relate to service in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Regular Establishment. There are no Federal pension records for service in Confederate forces. Each card in the general index gives a veteran's name, rank, unit, and term of service, names of dependent(s); the filing date, and the state from which the claim was filed. The darker cards relate to naval service. Digitized records are available on Ancestry.com from library computers and on FamilySearch.org with a free account.
World War I
World War I Selective Service System draft registration cards, 1917-1918 (Part of Record Group 163) In 1917 and 1918, approximately 24 million men living in the United States completed a World War I draft registration card. That accounts for approximately 98 percent of men in the U.S. born between 1872 and 1900. This is a complete index and image collection of more than 24 million WWI draft registration cards. WWI draft registration cards contain names, dates, birthplace, citizenship status, and information on the individual’s nearest relative. Digitized records are available on Ancestry.com from library computers, on microfilm at the NMSL, and on FamilySearch.org with a free account. .
American Soldiers of World War I (Part of RG 64) A record of the American soldiers who lost their lives in World War I, arranged alphabetically by state. Picture, name, rank, and means of death is provided for each soldier who fought and died. Digitized records are available on Ancestry.com from library computers and on microfilm at the NMSL.
World War II
U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 (Contains information on the majority of the men and women who served in the Army during this war, it is not complete and does not represent the entirety of the U.S. Army servicemen. Information includs: name of enlistee. residence (county and state), place of enlistment, enlistment date, birthplace and year of birth, race and citizenship, and marital status. Digitized records are available on Ancestry.com from library computers and on microfilm at the NMSL.
U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (part of RG 147) Organized by state. Information available on the draft cards includes: name,, age,birth date and place, residence, and a physical description of registrant (race, height, weight, eye and hair colors, complexion). For individuals who lived near a state border, sometimes their Draft Board Office was located in a neighboring state. Therefore, you may find some people who resided in one state, but registered in another. New Mexico is not currently in the database, but other Southwest states are - Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Texas. Digitized records are available on Ancestry.com from library computers and on microfilm at the NMSL.
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949 (Part of RG 24) Contains U.S. Navy muster rolls and associated reports of changes for U.S. Navy enlisted personnel who served on U.S. Navy ships or in other naval activities between 31 January 1938 and 31 December 1949. Over 33 million records are contained in this database. Muster rolls were quarterly lists of enlisted naval personnel attached to each ship, station or activity. Some of the information on muster rolls includes: name, date reported for particular duty or on board, date of enlistment, and date of muster roll. Digitized records are available on Ancestry.com from library computers and on microfilm at the NMSL.
A Note on Additional Military Records
Ancestry.com has gathered records from Vietnam, Korea, the War of 1812, and the Spanish-American War. Privacy laws limit the number of publicly available records, but this collection contains 200,000 Vietnam records, 150,000 Korean War records, 650,000 records for the War of 1812, and 80,000 Spanish-American War records. Ask a librarian to help you locate what you need!