Oklahoma Military Records

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Military Records

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Online Resources

The U.S. Military Records Wiki article provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.

• 1879-1920 Oklahoma, Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1898-1993 Oklahoma, Military Discharge Records, 1898-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1915-1955 Web: Oklahoma, Confederate Pension Index, 1915-1955 ($)
• Oklahoma's Soldiers of World War I
• 1917-1940 United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1940-1945 Oklahoma, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
• Oklahoma World War II Casualties Army and Air Force
• U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War for Oklahoma
• OHS Oklahoma Military Deaths for WW I and II, Korea and Vietnam Index only.
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Oklahoma
• U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Vietnam War for Oklahoma

The U.S. Military Records Wiki article provides more information on federal military records and search strategies. Many military records are found at the FamilySearch Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The United States Wiki article provides more information about the federal records. For Oklahoma, the following sources are also very helpful.

Forts

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.

• Fort Arbuckle 1850-1858
• Fort Barron
• Fort Belknap
• Fort Cobb 1859
• Fort Davis--Civil War Fort
• Fort Gibson 1824 -- Textual records of this fort, 1825-1890, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7). The 1830-1857 portion of these records have been microfilmed as National Archives Microcopy M1466. These records (M1466) are also available through the FamilySearch Library FS Library Film: 1549507 (first film of 6)
• Fort McCulloch--Civil War Fort
• Cantonement on North Fork, Canadian River -- Textual records of this fort, 1879-1882, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).
• Camp Radziminski 1858-59
• Fort Reno 1874-1908
• Fort Sill -- Textual records of this fort, 1875-1910, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Supply -- Textual records of this fort, 1868-1895, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Towson 1824
• Fort Washita 1842 -1865
• Fort Wayne--1838-1842

Reference

Encyclopedia of Indian Wars Western Battles and Skirmishes 1850-1890. By Gregory F. Michno. Mountain Press publishing Co., Missoula, Montana C. 2003. ISBN 0-87842-468-7

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 Library films 0537000–13 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:
  

• 1887-1926 United States, Mexican War Pension Index, 1887-1926 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

• 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. FS Catalog book 973 M2rwh Digital version available at Internet Archive.
  

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

Civil War (1861-1865)

Two useful books concerning Union soldiers buried in Oklahoma are:

• Talkington, N. Dale. The Long Blue Line: Civil War Union Soldiers and Sailors Buried in Oklahoma. Houston, Texas: N. D. Talkington, 1999. (FS Library book 976.6 V3tn; fiche 6003026.)
• Talkington, N. Dale and Deone K. Pearcy. Tributes of Blue: Obituaries of Civil War Union Soldiers and Sailors Buried in Oklahoma. Tehachapi, California: T. P. Productions, 1996. (FS Library book 976.6 V4t; film 2055188, item 1.)

Pension records for Confederate veterans living in Oklahoma are at the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Archive website. The FamilySearch Library has a copy of these records, arranged by application numbers (FS Library films 1001530-48; index on film 1001529). A published index is:

Index to Applications for Pensions From the State of Oklahoma Submitted by Confederate Soldiers, Sailors and their Widows. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma Genealogical Society, 1969. (FS Library book 976.6 M24o; fiche 6046932.)

Civil War Pension Index Cards:

• 1861-1917 Index to Pension Applications at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. The majority of the records are of Civil War veterans, but the collection also includes records for veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, the Indian Wars, and World War I.
• For more information see Union Pension Records.

Confederate Army casualty lists for battles in Indian Territory are on the last portion of FS Library film 1025138.

A special census was taken in 1890 of Union veterans of the Civil War (FS Library film 338235). Several indexes to the returns have been published and are at the FamilySearch Library.

For information on Indians who served on the side of the Confederacy, see:

Foreman, Grant. History of the Service and List of Individuals of the Five Civilized Tribes in the Confederate Army. 2 vols. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma Historical Society, 1948. (not at FamilySearch Library.)

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 (NARA T288) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. 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.

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

A history of Oklahoma's participation in the war is John Alley, “Oklahoma in the Spanish-American War,” in Chronicles of Oklahoma 20 (Mar 1942): 43-50 (see Oklahoma Periodicals). This includes brief sketches of some soldiers and a casualty list for battles in Cuba.

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.

• National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On FS Library films beginning with film number 1851604) Also available at:

• 1917-1918 United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

• 1917-1918 United States, YMCA World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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

See WWI Draft Records for more information.

• A published roster of soldiers who died in World War I is in W.M. Haulsee, et al, Soldiers of the Great War, 3 vols. Washington, D.C.: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920. (FS Library book 973 M23s; fiche 6051244.)

• General Roy Hoffman. Oklahoma honor roll, World War I, 1917-1918. Oklahoma : R. Hoffman, 19-- FS Library 976.6 M2hr
• Oklahoma, World War I American Expeditionary Forces, deaths, 1917-1919 National Archives

World War II (1941-1945)

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.

• 1940-1945 Oklahoma, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (Image Browse) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images with partial index

Also available at:

• Ancestry ($)
• Fold3 ($).

The Oklahoma section of the book World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces is available at the National Archives website.

The State Summary of War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel from: Oklahoma is also available at www.archives.gov. Note: "Casualties" include the wounded, not just those killed.

Biographical sketches of soldiers who died during World War II have been published in Chronicles of Oklahoma, volumes 21-27 (see Oklahoma Periodicals).

Additional biographical sketches of soldiers from Oklahoma are in volume 2 of A History of the Second World War: A Remembrance, An Appreciation, A Memorial. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Victory Publishing Co., 1946. (FS Library book 973 H2sw; vol. 1 on film 1035575 item 7; vol. 2 on film 1035603 item 5.)

• Index to The Fighting Men of Oklahoma. Stillwater, Oklahoma: Stillwater Airport Memorial Museum, 1999. FS Library 973 H2sw index

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

Additional Military Sources

For further background information on Oklahoma's military history see:

Daugherty, Fred A. and Pendleton Woods. “Oklahoma's Military Tradition.” Chronicles of Oklahoma 57 (Winter, 1979-80): 427-45. (FS Library book 976.6 B2c.)

Faulk, Odie B., Kenny A. Franks, and Paul F. Lambert, eds. Early Military Forts and Posts in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma Historical Society, 1978. (FS Library book 976.6 M2e; fiche 6088102.)

• Oklahoma Genealogical Society. Veteran burials in the state of Oklahoma. 2 v. in 1 v. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma : Oklahoma Genealogical Society, c1998 FS Library 976.6 V3v
• Oklahoma Historical Society. Indian Archives Division;, List of names of persons supposely in the Indian Territory, Indian Home Guard, 1901

Websites

• http://okgenweb.net/resource/military.htm
• http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~xander/military/oklahoma-records.htm

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

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