Military records are a great source of information about the lives of men and women who have served in the armed forces. They can provide details such as dates of birth and death, residence, names and addresses of family members, military rank and affiliation, and more. The types of records you'll find in this category include preliminary records, service records, pension records, land records with rewards, claim records, and military histories. If you have U. S.
descent, you may have one or more ancestors who served in the United States military. When searching military records, it helps to have as much information as possible about your ancestor. This includes their name, year of birth and residence, and the names of the wars in which they may have participated. To find out more about your ancestors' military service records, you can write a letter to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC).
Alternatively, you can visit the NPRC in person or contact the veterans agency in your state or county. You can also read more about the beginning of research in military records in the prologue article, An overview of National Archives records related to military service. When requesting military service records from the NPRC, you will need to fill out two forms and pay a fee of 30 pounds sterling for each separate service record. You should also include any supporting documents (for example, a death certificate) with your request. If collected military service records have not been reproduced on microfilm, researchers can request to see the original records at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.
C.Military records can provide valuable insight into your ancestors' lives. They can tell you stories about their service and provide information about their family, what family members looked like, and more. With this knowledge, you can create a military service schedule for your ancestor and identify them in additional records.