When I think about it, there is no excuse for my not knowing more about military history than I should, and I still wouldn’t; unless I hadn’t found out how much a knowledge of military history could help me to locate military records. We all understand the importance of placing our ancestors and family members into historical context. This is entirely true when you are researching someone who served in the military. There is great personal and genealogical benefit to be had from studying the history of the country in which your ancestor lived, and particularly about the military at the time. Knowing what the requirements for service were and what conflicts the country was involved in can help you to understand what records might be available, and where you might find them.

In times of war it has been known for governments to enforce conscription or force people to join the military. For example; in the United Statesin the years 1917 and 1918 (World War 1), many young men were drafted by the military to boost the armed forces for fighting in Europe. Young men in particular age ranges were required to present themselves to the local draft board to fill out a draft card. Knowing the age ranges of the males who were required to register will prompt you to the early nineteenth century; it is an advantage to know that compulsory military service was required even during times of peace. You might then wish to investigate the existence of military records for your ancestor.

When You Can’t Find the Records

Many famous military leaders such as Horatio Nelson, Robert E. Lee, George Washington, and more recently George S. Patton, left detailed accounts of their military and personal lives. When there are no military records for your ancestor, unit histories, battle accounts and analysis, diaries and memoirs may provide some detail. It became especially fashionable for officers and veterans alike to compose exhaustive memoirs and historical accounts of their experiences. These accounts often contain many names of the officers and enlisted men they served with, in some cases complete rosters are included with anecdotal personal material about some individuals. In some instances these personal accounts and memoirs may be the only surviving details about soldiers who lost their lives to battle or disease.

There are as many historical accounts as personal ones regarding military units and the battles they took part in. Often these narratives include details from official records and eye witness accounts of events. You can find much of this type of material at military heritage organizations and societies, many of which have or are in the process of digitizing them and placing them online. The Daughters of the American Revolution are a well known society in the United States, while Ireland has the Military Heritage of Ireland Trust, Veterans Affairs Canada is a useful site if you’re searching Canadian ancestors, while in Great Britain the Society for Army Historical Research may be of assistance.

These are by no means the only organizations that are dedicated to preserving military records and histories. There are also countless magazines that are based on military and historical themes, among them are; World War II, Civil War Times, Naval History, Canadian Journal of History, and BBC History Magazine. Too often we rely solely on online sources, but if you are researching military ancestors, it is worth picking up a copy of one of these publications to see if it may be relevant to your search. They can definitely help to place your ancestors into context with the historical events of their time and may be well worth the small investment required to subscribe.

Whenever you begin to research an ancestor who has served in the military it is a good idea to do some preliminary footwork by investigating the geographical location and the time period in which the event occurred. Doing so will enlighten you as to what records you may hope to find. Once you know what was created, you can begin looking into where they might be kept. When you find your ancestor in military records, it’s a good idea to note the information in an accurate, clear and concise manner. We have some special Free Downloadable Genealogy Forms that may be of assistance. Feel free to download one of your own, and begin charting your family tree today!

The New Model Army was the first regular army in England and Wales and effectively fought against the armies of Charles I. Later in 1707, the Union of England and Scotland saw the Scottish forces added. There are military records dating back to 1660 that genealogists can access, and even some fragmented documentation from earlier periods can be found. The first permanent Navy was established by Henry VIII, and some naval records fro 1617 are available. The bulk of those that have serious genealogical worth though, are from the period following the English and Scottish Union. Keep in mind though that the records from these eras are mainly records of organizations, not the documents of individuals.

Understanding how the individual military units were organized can give you a major advantage when it comes to researching. Knowing for instance that infantry soldiers were organized first into regiments and were subsequently divided into battalions, companies and platoons, you can go right to the appropriate records rather than searching aimlessly in a pot-luck manner through endless mounds of paperwork. Cavalry were divided into squadrons, the same as Air Forces would later be, while artillery units were formed into batteries. It is interesting to note that in the earliest times of the permanent army of Britain, the various subdivisions were named after their commanders. It wasn’t until the 18th century that the numerical system of naming platoons and such was introduced.

You may however encounter a military unit that uses both the commander’s name, and a numerical designation. You might also find multiple commanders names linked to a specific unit, or vice versa. Commands changed over the years as commanding officers were killed in battle or transferred between regiments. It is therefore good practice to focus on both a commander’s name, and a numerical designation when searching for an ancestor’s military records. If your ancestor was an officer there is a greater chance that you may find an individual record of him, as unless you know the unit in which your relative served, it is notoriously difficult to find records for a soldier, as they generally have not been well indexed.

The divisions, designations and the names of individual units have changed over the centuries, so it is important to know as much about both the military and historical background of your ancestor as possible. This is especially true if your relative was a member of a private militia as opposed to serving in the government army.

One of the ways they suggest to show support and gratitude to our War vets is to listen to them talk about their experiences. This may not be possible for everyone, but it juggled my memory about several websites where you could listen to Canadian War Veterans speak of their experiences online. For those who may not be able to get to an event to listen to veterans speak in person, these sites are a great alternative. In fact there is a lot you can do online to meet the requirements of the remembrance challenge, and I will mention them as well in this Blog. First though, let me introduce you to some of the websites where you can hear our veterans speak of their wartime experiences, and then I’ll show you where you can show your appreciation online.

The first place is at Veterans Affairs Canada website itself, where over fifteen hundred hours of conversations with war vets have been recorded. On their Audio Archives page, you can listen to first hand accounts of individual soldier’s experiences in the First World War. Real life experiences of runners (messengers who kept communications with headquarters alive when signal lines were down), officers, medal winners, company clerks, even spies, can be heard and experienced. Listening to these accounts really drives home the sacrifices our veterans made, and the horrors and hardships they had to endure to preserve the freedom we enjoy today. There are also a series of videos available in their Multimedia Center entitled Heroes Remember, where you can listen to and watch veterans such as Mr. Marshall recount stories of loss and hardship, or the sadness veterans feel every Remembrance Day. In his own words:

"I enjoyed my stint in the army. I enjoyed it. It means everything to me. I sit there in that kitchen and I watch it and I think of all my friends who gave their lives and I think of all the other friends of mine who I soldiered with while I was over there, but mostly those. I lost a lot of friends over there. I lost a lot of friends over there. And I sit in the kitchen there by myself and I just, the tears just flow and I just can’t, I just can’t help it. And I’m sure that if they ever stop recognizing Remembrance Day, the populous would very soon forget about those fellows that lay in them cemeteries overseas there especially in France and Germany and Italy, Belgium, Holland, they’re all over there."

It’s very moving stuff, but our veterans deserve our attention, and we all need to be reminded of just what they did for us during the World Wars. There is no doubt in my mind, that after hearing these touching stories, you will want to express your appreciation for their services. You can do so by visiting the Canada Remembers Facebook page and posting your sentiments on their wall. There is much more material on Veterans Affairs Canada website such as diaries and letters written by young soldiers. It is the very least we can do to honor their brave service and courageous sacrifice. We must never forget these honorable men who fought and gave their lives for our country, and for the world. However you choose to remember them, remind others of what this week represents, and help to keep the memories of one of our most treasured resources alive.

His journey took him through World War 1 and back to the Civil war. He found facts about his ancestors that no one in his family ever mentioned.

His story inspired me to share with you some of the best online resources for military records.

National Archives Research Catalog

This is the online catalog of the U.S. National Archives. There are thousands of resources available online, scanned documents, transcribed documents and where to find the originals. These records include birth, death, military, maps and more.

Civil War Soldiers and Sailor System

Find basic facts about United States servicemen who served in either Union or Confederate Armies during the Civil Wars. Search millions of soldiers by name, regiment, cemetery, battle, and even if they were a prisoner.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

This website is an amazing resource for anyone who had ancestors serve Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom in World War I or World War II. You can search records, they call it the Debt of Honour Register, for casualty records and cemetery records. And all the information is free.

DAR National Society

Daughters of the American Revolution Society will do free look-ups for you! If you want to know if your ancestor is recognized by the DAR as a Revolutionary Patriot, complete the form online and their volunteers will look up that information plus, names, spouses, rank, service, state and pension information too.

Online Catalog of the Library of Virginia

This website contains the personal accounts of World War Veterans in Virginia. You can search the database for personal accounts and then contact the library for a copy of the completed questionnaire.

Australia’s World War Two Nominal Roll

You can view transcribed service records for Australia’s men and women who served in World War II. They will even reproduce a certificate for you that you can print, but it’s not the actual document.

Australian War Memorial

Australian War Memorial is an excellent place to locate information about the part Australia played in the world wars. This is the official website of the Australian War Memorial Museum, so you have access to documents and artifacts online. There is a description and a transcription of each document online but if you want to see the actual document up close, you have to pay for a reprint.

Library and Archives Canada

Collections Canada has assembled all Canadian archived databases and records for births, deaths, marriages, census, immigrations, land, military and other records. Enter the data you know into the search boxes and view actual records online.

Have you found any connections to any of the major world wars or American wars in your genealogy search?