Minnesota Military Records: Difference between revisions

Military records identify millions of individuals who served in the military or who were eligible for service. Evidence that an ancestor actually served may be found in family traditions (or legends), census records, naturalization records, biographies, cemetery records, and records of veterans’ organizations.  

Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, the Minnesota Historical Society, and other federal and state archives. [[United States Military Records|United States Military Records]] provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.  

Forts were authorized by the federal government, built to house and maintain the military who were to assist in maintaining peace by enforcing treaties and providing protection to settlers.  

''Encyclopedia of Indian Wars Western Battles and Skirmishes 1850-1890''. By Gregory F. Michno. Mountain Press Publishing Co., Missoula, Montana C. 2003 [[/en/index.php?title=Special:BookSources&isbn=0887842468|ISBN 0-887842-468]]-7  

The War of 1812 between Britain and the United States confirmed the separate existence of the United States and the future Canada.<br><br>See the Wiki article, [[Minnesota in the War of 1812|Minnesota in the War of 1812]], for information concerning military records, histories, links to relevant web sites, etc. for Minnesota.<br>  

Although Minnesota did not exist as a state during the War of 1812, records exist for War of 1812 veterans that later settled in Minnesota.  

*Pearson, Thomas A., comp. [http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/libsrc/genealogicalrecordswarof1812.htm Genealogical Records of the War of 1812]: an Introduction and Selected Bibliography of Materials in the Collection of St. Louis Public Library. (St. Louis, Missouri: St. Louis Public Library, July 2004).

*Finnell, Arthur Louis. ''[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/show?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fcatalog-search-api%3A8080%2Fwww-catalogapi-webservice%2Fitem%2F655551 Known War of 1812 Veterans Buried in Minnesota].'' Roseville, Minnesota: Park Genealogical Books, 1997 (FHL book 977.6 V3f.) Includes the name, place of birth and death, name of spouse, and where married. Also includes the soldier’s service record with dates and his residence at time of death.

The Mexican War was caused by the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845. Most volunteer regiments were from southern states. Records of Mexican War veterans might exist in a state where the veteran later resided. <br>  

Click on these links to learn more about the [[Mexican War, 1846 to 1848|Mexican War]] and about [[US Mexican War Pension Records|Mexican War pension records]].  

See [[Minnesota in the Civil War|Minnesota in the Civil War]] for information about&nbsp;Minnesota Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Minnesota regiments involved in the Civil War. The regimental pages often include lists of the companies with links to the counties where the companies started. Men in the companies often lived in the counties where the companies were raised. Knowing a county can help when researching more about the soldiers and their families.  

The [http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/ Civil War Soldiers and Sailors&nbsp;System] allows name searching for soldiers. The result set gives the regiments for the soldiers. Then you can check the Wiki regiment pages to determine counties. Often knowing the counties that had men in a regiment will help you determine if a soldier was your ancestor.  

Records of the state operated soldiers' home in Minneapolis are found in the Minnesota State Historical Society Library. They include resident admission and discharge records, history of residents’ military service, and clinical records.  

'''Dakota Conflict (Sioux Uprising, 1862)'''  

*Bakeman, Mary Hawker and Antona M. Richardson. ''Trails of Tears Minnesota's Dakota Indian Exile Begins.''&nbsp; FHL book 977.6 H2bm

The Spanish-American War was largely fought in Cuba and the Philippines. Spanish-American War records might exist in the state from which the soldier served or in a state where the veteran later resided.  

Click on the link to learn more about the [[Spanish-American War, 1898|Spanish American War]].  

Minnesota was one of a few states that provided volunteers during the Philippine Insurrection. Rosters of those who served are included in:  

Names of those who filed for pensions based on service are included in the General Index to Pension Files, 1861–1934, described in [[United States Military Records|United States Military Records]].  

World War I was a global war fought on multiple continents with several nations involved. Over four million men and women served from the United States.  

''United States (with Some from Ontario, Canada) Recruits for the Polish Army in France, 1917–1919: States Represented most Frequently are New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Connecticut, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware, Nebraska &amp; Kansas (for Complete Breakdown See Film Inventory). Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1995. (On 11 FHL ''{{FHL|761933|title-id|disp=films beginning with 1993525.}}'') ''The forms are in Polish, but at the beginning of each film is a blank form printed in English. The records are not organized by locality, and Minnesota recruits are represented on almost every film. There is, however, an alphabetical list of volunteers for each item.  

On April 27, 1942, the Selective Service conducted the fourth of six draft registrations related to WWII. The "World War II Selective Service Draft Cards: Fourth Registration, 1942" is often referred to as the “Old Man’s Registration” or the “Old Man’s Draft" because it included men with a date of birth from April 28, 1877 to February 16, 1897. Since there is overlap in the WWI and WWII Selective Service registration, men born in the years 1877 to 1900 may have registered twice and have both WWII and WWI draft records.  

[[World War II United States Military Records, 1941 to 1945|World War II United States Military Records]] provides additional information.  

The Korean War was a conflict between North Korea (and its communist allies) and South Korea (with support of the United Nations, primarily the United States). See the [[United States Korean War 1950 to 1953|Korean War ]] wiki article for information on records and their availability.  

The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam (and its communist allies) and South Vietnam (with support of its anti-communist allies, including the United States). See the [[United States Vietnam War 1964 to 1972|Vietnam War]] wiki article for information on records and their availability.  

The Minnesota Historical Society Library has a collection on 88 rolls of microfilm of military service record cards for Minnesotans entering federal service from the state militia or National Guard. These cover conflicts from the Civil War through World War I, including the Spanish- American War. These cards are arranged by war and branch of service, then alphabetically by soldier’s family name. They give name, age or date of birth, sometimes birthplace, and dates and places of service. The microfilms can be used through the interlibrary loan service of your public library. For film numbers, contact the Minnesota Historical Society Library.  

MINNESOTA, [COUNTY] – MILITARY RECORDS<br>  

[http://people.mnhs.org/vgri/ Minnesota Veterans Graves] Registration index - a list of Veterans buried in Minnesota - 1857 - 1975.&nbsp; It also includes a birth and death index.&nbsp;