Michigan Military Records

Michigan Wiki Topics

Beginning Research

Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder

Record Types

Adoption Bible Records Biography Cemeteries Census Church Records Colonial Records Correctional Institutions Court Records Crime & Punishment Directories Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Land & Property Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Online Collections Periodicals Probate Records Taxation Vital Records Voter Records

Michigan Background

Biography Church History Further Reading Gazetteers History Law & Legislation Maps Migration

Cultural Groups

African Americans Indigenous Peoples Cultural Groups Swedish American

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Find a FamilySearch center

Moderator

The FamilySearch moderator for Michigan is Sallyrose1.

United States

U.S. Military Records

Michigan

Military Records

Fort Mackinac is a former American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century near Michilimackinac, Michigan, on Mackinac Island.

United States Military Online Genealogy Records

Many military records are at the FamilySearch Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. United States Military Records provides more information on federal military records and search strategies. The following sources for Michigan are also helpful:

Online Resources

• 1775-1836 - Indexes to Michigan Society, Sons of the American Revolution Collection
• 1775-1836 - Michigan Military Records, 1775-1836 Index only ($)
• 1798-1914 U.S., Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1812- - Michigan Militia Members Serving in the War of 1812 – Part 1, index, Part 2, index
• ca.1847 - ca.1965 Michigan, Military Discharge Records, ca.1847 - ca.1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
• Civil War Records at Michiganology

• Department of Michigan Civil War Grand Army of the Republic Membership Rosters.
• Record of service of Michigan volunteers in the Civil War, 1861-1865($)
• Negroes in Michigan during the Civil War($)
• Michigan in the Civil War , index, images
• 1876-1945 Michigan, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1876-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1898 U.S. Index to Service Records, War with Spain, 1898 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• Michigan men in the Spanish American War ($)
• 1917-1940 United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• Michigan military records, the D.A.R. of Michigan historical collections : records of the revolutionary soldiers buried in Michigan
• Michigan in the war, index, images
• World War II Casualties (Army and Air Force) (incomplete)
• National Archives World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel from: Michigan.
• Michigan casualties, World War($), index/images
• U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War for Michigan, index
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Michigan

General Information

• Michigan’s Early Military Forces: A Roster And History Of Troops Activated Prior To The American Civil War, by Leroy Barnett, 2003.
• Military Genealogical Sources, by John W. Heisey.
• Searching American Military Records, by Fran Carter.
• Some of the Military Records of America, Before 1900; Their Use & Value in Genealogical & Historical Research, by E. Kay Kirkham.
• Michigan in war
• Military History

Forts

• Fort Brady -- Textual records of this fort, 1869-1919, 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 Detroit 1796-
• FortGratiot 1814-79
• Fort Le Boeuf 1752
• Fort Machault 1753-1759
• Fort Mackinac 1796-1894
• Fort Malden
• Fort Michilimackinac
• Fort Pitt
• Fort St. Joseph
• Military Museums & Forts
• Fort Custer Training Center
• Military Institutions

Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783)

General information:

• Locating Your Revolutionary War Ancestor: A Guide To The Military Records, by James C. Neogles, 1983.
• Revolutionary War Genealogy, by George K. Schweitzer.
• Genealogical Abstracts Of Revolutionary War Pension Files, 3 Vls., by Virgil D. White, 1992.
  
  

Thousands of veterans settled in Michigan. Genealogical and biographical data is in published militia rolls, pension papers, and gravestone records. An example is:

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 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 for the Territory of Michigan, which includes Revolutionary War pensioners and heirs of War of 1812 casualties, is available online:

• Report from the Secretary of War... Vol. III (Google Books)
• The Pension Roll of 1835, Vol. IV (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, Michigan in the War of 1812, for information concerning military records, histories, links to relevant web sites, etc. for Michigan Territory.

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

General information

• Brief Bibliography for the War of 1812 in Michigan and Southwest Ontario
  

See also:

War Of 1812 Genealogy By George K. Schweitzer.

• Michigan Militia Members Serving in the War of 1812 – Part 1
  
• Michigan Militia Members Serving in the War of 1812 – Part 2
  
• The Capture Of Mackinac In 1812, L. P. Kellogg, 1913, Madison.
• Detroit In The War Of 1812. A.B. Vorderstrasse.
• Hull And The Surrender Of Detroit, J.F. Clarke, 1913, Boston.
• Michigan In The War Of 1812 By Fred C. Hamil.
• Battle of Frenchtown
• Invaded on all Sides, by Ralph Naveaux, 2008, Marceline, MO
• Michigan's brigade, by Lieut. Fred'k J. Brown, Muskegon Pub. Co., 1893.

Indian Wars (1780s-1890s)

French and Indian War (7 Years War)

• French Indian War

A few records for the Black Hawk War (1832), Toledo War (1835), and Patriot War (1838–39) are at the Michigan State Archives.

Winnebago War (1827)

• Compiled Military Service Records of Michigan and Illinois Volunteers who Served During the Winnebago Indian Disturbances of 1827 NARA M1505; Worldcat and FS Library film 1638617–19

Black Hawk War (1832)

• Wisconsin soldiers who served in the Black Hawk War (Wisconsin Historical Society) - Transcription of Wisconsin Muster Rolls from the Black Hawk War. Lists soldiers in the 18 companies of "Iowa" militia (i.e., Iowa Co, Michigan Territory), plus Menominee and Potawatomie warriors and one militia company raised at Green Bay.

Toledo War (1835) and Patriot War (1838-1839)

A few records for the Black Hawk War (1832), Toledo War (1835), and Patriot War (1838–39) are at the Michigan State Archives.

United States. Adjutant General's Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served from the State of Michigan for the Patriot War, 1838–1839 (Washington, D.C.: The National Archives, 1965.) FS Library film 882795

The Patriot War Along the Michigan-Canadian Border: Raiders and Rebels, by Shaun J. McLaughlin.

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.

• compiled by Richard W. Welch. Michigan in the Mexican War. S.l. n.l., 1967

• 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.
  
• Michigan. Adjutant General's Office. Michigan Volunteers Descriptive Roll, First Regiment, 1847–1848 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972.) FS Library film 915345 A descriptive muster roll of Mexican War volunteers.

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

Civil War (1861 to 1865)

Civil War Monument in Detroit, Michigan, 1888

See Michigan in the Civil War for information about Michigan Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Michigan 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 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.

• Michigan AGO. Volunteers descriptive rolls, 1861-1866; index to Michigan volunteers, 1861-1865
• Alphabetical general index to public library sets of 85,271 names of Michigan soldiers and sailors individual records. Lansing, Mich. : Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., State Printers, 1915. reprint. Okemos, Michigan : Michael A. Hogle, Military Bookseller, 1984
• Michigan AGO. Record of service of Michigan volunteers in the Civil War, 1861-1865. 46 volumes.

General information

• Civil War Genealogy, by George K. Schweitzer.
• Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor, by Bertram H. Groene.
• Report
  
  

Michigan material

• Records of Service of Michigan Volunteers (1861 1865), 45 Vols. by Adjutant General.

Of which there is the

• Index to Michigan Soldiers & Sailors in the Civil War, by Michigan Department of State.
  
• Michigan Soldiers in the Civil War, by Frederick D. Williams.
• Bibliography of Printed Material on Michigan and the Civil War, by Michigan Civil War Commission.
• Michigan in the Civil War: A Guide to Material in Detroit Newspapers, 1861-1866, by Helen H. Ellis.
  
• Michigan Civil War Books
  
• Letters
• GAR
• Facebook
• 1894 census
• Wikipedia
• Michigan, Civil War Centennial Observance Commission, Committee on Civil War Grave Registration, Burial Records at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

For Michigan Native Americans in the Civil War see:

• Facebook Website
  

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.

• Muster out rolls of Michigan volunteers are in: Michigan. Adjutant General's Office. Michigan Volunteers, Spanish American War, 1898–1899 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973.) (On 5 FS Library films.) Indexed. Lists name, enlistment date, by whom enlisted, and discharge date.

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

• United Spanish War Veterans Camp Index, ca. 1890–1984 FS Library film 1765853–54, 1766000–6003

• United Spanish War Veterans Master Index, ca. 1890–1984 FS Library film 1765850–52

• Michigan men in the Spanish American War (Ancestry) ($)

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.

• United States. Selective Service System. Michigan, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987–1988. FS Library film 1675112 (first of 217 film) 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

• 1917-1919 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

• 1917-1919 Michigan, Census of World War I Veterans with Card Index, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

See WWI Draft Records for more information.

• Camp Custer,Michigan, 7.18.1917-8.17.1940 Training Camp

• World War I Card Index for Michigan. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1976. (FamilySearch Library films 1001930–66.) Often has places of residence and parents' names. Appears to be drafted persons only.

Archives of Michigan

• Census of World War I Veterans, 1918-1921, 375 vols, RG 78-92
• Victory Medal Applications, 1920 - 1924, 17 boxes, RG 85-78
• World War I Bonus Files, 1921-1932,173 boxes, RG 84-107

Photos

Soldiers Great War

World War II (1941-1945)

• gathered by Marlene Ailes, Real World War II stories, by local veterans and families who live in southwest Michigan Portage, Michigan : M. Ailes, 2001 FS Library 977.4 M2ai

Draft 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.

• 1940-1947 Michigan, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 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 ($)
• Fold3 ($).

Enlistment Records

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

Prisoners of War

• World War II Prisoners of the Japanese, 1941-1945 at Ancestry ($)
• World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946 at Ancestry ($)

Casualties

• World War II Michigan dead MIA
• Michigan casualties, World War II at Ancestry ($)
• World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas at Ancestry ($)

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 Records

Many more useful sources are listed in the FamilySearch Library Catalog under:

MICHIGAN - MILITARY RECORDS

MICHIGAN - MILITARY RECORDS - [WAR]

MICHIGAN - MILITARY HISTORY

MICHIGAN - MILITARY HISTORY - [WAR]

Michigan Militia-National Guard

• General roster of the militia of the state of Michigan, 1838-1861
• Michigan state troops, and national guard, 1858-1905
• Michigan. National Guard. Descriptive rolls, 1838-1901
• Michigan AGO. Commissioned officers, 1905-1920
• The National Guard
• Wikipedia
• Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
  
• Facebook

Websites

Online Military information from Michigan is located at:

• Revolutionary War Documents from Footnote
• Civil War Documents from Footnote
• Civil War Genealogy
• Civil War Records
• How to Trace Your US Military Ancestors
• Military Abbreviations Found on U.S. Grave Markers
• Military Records
• Military Tombstones
• National Archives
• Online Searchable Military Records & Databases for the USA.
• Michigan Military Records
• FamilyMilitaryRecords.com
• Michigan.gov The French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan

see also: The French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan

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

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

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