Maryland Military Records

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U.S. Military Records

Maryland

Military Records

Ft McHenry Sally Port

Online Resources

U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records provides more links for nationwide military record collections.

• 1775-1783 United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Maryland Military Records, 321 links to online military records
• Maryland Revolutionary War Records ($)
• Maryland Revolutionary records : data obtained from 3,050 pension claims and bounty land applications, including 1,000 marriage ($)
• Maryland Revolutionary Records ($)
• Revolutionary Records of Maryland. FamilySearch Digital Library. Also at Ancestry ($)
• Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, 1775-1783 ($)
• U.S. Revolutionary War Rolls for Maryland, 1775-1783 ($)
• Orderly Book of the Maryland Loyalists Regiment, June 18, 1778, to October 12, 1778 at Google Books. Also at Ancestry ($)
• The British Invasion of Maryland, 1812-1815 at Internet Archive. Also at Google Books, Ancestry ($)
• Maryland Soldiers in the Civil War, Vol. 1 ($)
• Maryland Soldiers in the Civil War, Vol. 2 ($)
• Civil War Burials in Baltimore's Loudon Park Cemetery ($)
• 1861-1865 Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1861-1865 Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865} at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• History and Roster of Maryland Volunteers, War of 1861-1865, Vols. 1-2 ($)
• Names of Interred at Pt. Lookout Cemetery Prisoner of War camp
• Maryland Military Men, 1917-18 ($)
• 1917-1940 United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1940-1945 Maryland, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War for Maryland
• Maryland Residents' Casualties in the Vietnam War, index.
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Maryland
• Vietnam Conflict Casualty Lists - Maryland

United States Military Online Genealogy Records

Many military records are found at the FamilySearch Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The U.S. Military Records Research Page provides more information on the federal records.

Historical, Veterans and Lineage Societies

• Maryland Military Historical Society was formed in 1982 to preserve the history, heritage, and memory of Maryland's organized militia. In addition to their focus on the militia, the Society strives to preserve the memory of the military accomplishments of all Marylanders, regardless of branch of service. The Historical Society was the instrumental in the establishment of the Maryland Museum of Military History.

• Records of veterans’ organizations and lineage societies may be found at their national headquarters or at state archives, historical societies, and Libraries. Some Societies require members to submit applications documenting their ancestry back to a soldier. The applications typically provide birth, marriage, and death information, as well as establish relationship through multiple generations from the applicant to the qualifying ancestors, making these societies an excellent source of information. They may publish membership lists and other records. To contact these societies refer to the Maryland Societies page. For eligibility requirements, contact the individual society.

Forts

Throughout the beautiful land of Maryland historic Forts have dotted the land. Several are still standing and are now National Parks. Some forts no longer exist, but the history they leave behind gives us clues to the life of our ancestors.

Colonial Wars (1632-1775)

Many colonists served in local militias and participated in King William’s War (1689 to 1697), Queen Anne’s War (1702 to 1713), King George’s War (1744 to 1748), and the French and Indian War (1754 to 1763). Because these were local units and not part of the British Army, any surviving records are in historical societies and state libraries and archives. For more information about Colonial Wars see the Colonial Wars page.

• Maryland Muster Rolls, Fort Cumberland, 1757-58. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949.) The original papers are at the Maryland Historical Society. .) The Maryland State Archives has a card index to muster and pay rolls for the colonial wars from 1732 to 1772.
• Clark, Murtie June. Colonial Soldiers of the South, 1732-1774. (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1983) FS Library film 013158 item 1 ISBN: 0806310367 9780806310367. Pages 1-123 include lists of Maryland militia from 1732 to 1763. The source sometimes lists residence. It is indexed.
• "Register of the Maryland Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1891-1915" (Google Books) (Worldcat) - lists women who are members of the society and a description of the ancestors military or political service.
• Henry C. Peden, Jr. Marylanders and Delawareans in the French and Indian War, 1756-1763. Lewes, Delaware : Colonial Roots, c2004 FS Library 975.2 M2pe

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

The original service records and the earliest pension records of the Revolutionary War were destroyed in fires in 1800 and 1814. Substitute records were used to make the compiled service records. These records are in Record Group 93 at the National Archives. For more detailed information see the Revolutionary War in Maryland page.

General information about this war can be found on the Revolutionary War Page.

• See also. Maryland Hall of Records. Archives of Maryland red books, 33 volumes.

The 1813 Pension List:

• 1813 Pension List (New Horizons Genealogy)

The 1818 Pensioners of the United States:

• 1818 Pensioners of the United States (New Horizons Genealogy)

The 1820 Pension List:

• 1820 Pension List (New Horizons Genealogy)

The 1835 Pension Roll

On June 5, 1834, the U.S. Senate required the Secretary of War to submit a statement showing the names of pensioners who were on the pension rolls or had previously been on the pension rolls. For more information on the 1835 Pension Roll see Revolutionary War Pension Records. The 1835 Pension Roll of Maryland, which includes Revolutionary War pensioners and heirs of War of 1812 casualties, is available online:

• Report from the Secretary of War... Vol. II (Google Books)
• Maryland Pension Files 1835 (5 files) (USGenWeb Archives)
• The Pension Roll of 1835, Vol. III (Ancestry) ($)

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

The War of 1812 between Britain and the United States confirmed the separate existence of the United States and the future Canada.

See the Wiki article, Maryland in the War of 1812, for information concerning military records, histories, links to relevant web sites, etc. for Maryland.

There are helpful nationwide records for soldiers of the War of 1812. For more information, see United States in the War of 1812

Mexican War (1846-1848)

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.

• Mexican War Index to Pension Files, 1887–1926. (NARA T317). FS Catalog book 975 M29c Alphabetically arranged and includes the veteran’s name, rank, and unit; names of dependents; date of filing and application; certificate numbers; act filed under; and state from which application was made. Also available at:
  

• FS Library films 0537000–13 (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. (How to use this collection.)
  

• Robarts, William Hugh. Mexican War Veterans : A Complete Roster of the Regular and Volunteer Troops in the War Between the United States and Mexico, from 1846-1848… Washington, D.C. : Brentano’s, 1887.
• 1887-1926 United States, Mexican War Pension Index, 1887-1926 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

A list of Maryland volunteers is found in

• Wells, Charles J. Maryland and District of Columbia Volunteers in the Mexican War. (Westminster, Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1991.) FS Catalog book 973 M2rwhISBN 0940907194, 9780940907195. This book lists the soldier’s rank, unit, city of enlistment, and age.

Click on these links to learn more about the Mexican War and about Mexican War pension records.

Civil War (1861-1865)

Battle of Antietam, Maryland, USA, 17 September 1862

See Maryland in the Civil War for information about Maryland Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Maryland 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 the families of the soldiers.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors 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

Family Search Historical Records Collection

• FS Catalog book 975.2 M2we
• 1861-1865 Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1861-1865 Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

Spanish-American War (1898)

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.

Indexes

• 1861-1934 United States, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

The index covers veterans of the Civil War, Spanish‑American War, Philippine Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion (1900 to 1901), and the regular Army, Navy, and Marine forces. (How to use this collection.)

• 1898 United States, Index to Service Records, War with Spain, 1898 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

• Roster of the Soldiers and Sailors Who Served in Organizations from Maryland during the Spanish-American War. Reprint. (Westminster, Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1990. Original is Baltimore, Maryland: W.J.C. Dulany, 1901.)

• A list of Spanish American War Veterans buried in Maryland

Click on the link to learn more about the Spanish American War.

World War I (1917-1918)

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.

Draft Cards

• United States. Selective Service System. Maryland, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1987-1988. FS Library films 1654024 (first of 57 films). Also available at:
  
• 1917-1918 United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

See WWI Draft Records for more information.

• World War I Draft Registration Records (free). An Access Genealogy directory leads to text-based draft registration card data on RootsWeb. The data contains the registrant's name, birth date, ethnic group, birth location, and location of registration.

• World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 ($) Ancestry has the complete set of records for all states and the digitized indexes.
• 1917-1919 United States, YMCA World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

• The Big Gun. Ordnance Department, U.S.A. Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, 1918. Baltimore, Md.: Raine Printing and Pub. Co., 1919

Published Lists of Servicemen

• Maryland War Records Commission. Maryland in the World War I, 1917-19. Military and Naval Service Records. Two Volumes. (Baltimore, Maryland: Maryland War Records Commission, 1933.) The FamilySearch Library has only volume two, which contains surnames beginning with J to Z.

• Raymond Tompkins. Maryland Fighters in the Great War. Baltimore: Thomas & Evans Printing Co.,1919.

• Haulsee, W.M., F.G. Howe, and A.C. Doyle. Soldiers of the Great War. Three Volumes. (Washington, DC: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920.) FS Library film 1670787 Digital version available through catalog entry. Volume 1 lists the Maryland soldiers who died in World War I and provides photographs. Full Text is at Google Books

• Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900; Fold3 ($) NARA T289. Pension applications for service in the US Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.

Casualties

• 1917-1919 United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

World War II (1941-1945)

Draft Registration

• Maryland, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945

' Fourth Registration

• 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.
• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (Image Browse) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;

• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

Also available at:

• Ancestry ($)
• Fold3 ($).

Service Records

• War Records Division, Maryland Historical Society. Maryland in World War II: Register of Service Personnel. Five Volumes. Baltimore, Maryland: Maryland Historical Society, 1965. (Not at the FamilySearch Library.) {{FSC|285556|item|disp=FS Library fiche 6051244; book 973 M23s} At various libraries (WorldCat)
• 1938-1946 United States, World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

• Ancestry has U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 ($)

Casualties

• Maryland World War II Casualties Army and Air Force

Other Records

• Maryland Veterans of World War II Maryland Historical Society

• A series of books entitled "Young American Patriots", published shortly after the war, documented the service of soldiers from different states including Maryland and Delaware. The series of books included photos and a short biography of some of the soldiers from the state.

World War II United States Military Records provides additional information.

Korean War (1950-1953)

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).

There were 518 causalities from Maryland in the Korean War. U.S. military personnel who died from hostile action (including missing and captured) in the Korean war, 1950-1957 are listed alphabetically by name at AII POW-MIA Casualties. This website also gives information on the date of death or date declared dead. Another list of casualties from Maryland in the Korean War is listed in the Korean War Project.

See the Korean War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Vietnam War (1964–1972)

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).

Maryland had 1046 of it's citizens lose their lives in the Vietnam War. A searchable index can be found at Maryland Distant Cousin.

See the Vietnam War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

National Guard

• Joseph M. Balkoski. The Maryland National Guard : a history of Maryland's military forces, 1634-1991.Baltimore, Maryland : Maryland National Guard, c1991. FS Library 975.2 M2b

Websites

• New Horizons Genealogy
• General Online Resources for Military
• Maryland State Archives
• Pension Records Searchable index to find pensions of Civil War Veterans and also veterans of the Spanish American War, the Philippine Insurrection, Indian Wars, and World War I
• United States Naval Academy
• Maryland Military Records (Maryland Genealogy)

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.

FamilySearch Center (FSC); formerly called, Family History Center (FHC)