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Once you know the ship name[s] or the regiment name or number, the following records may help you trace your ancestor’s career, age, and birthplace: | Once you know the ship name[s] or the regiment name or number, the following records may help you trace your ancestor’s career, age, and birthplace: | ||
==== '''Muster Rolls''' ==== | ==== '''Muster Rolls: "British Commissary General Muster Books and Pay Lists"''' ==== | ||
"Muster Rolls and Pay Rates" were monthly accounts that were kept of military enlistment and pay schedules. They were kept for privates up through officers and may contain valuable information such as "good conduct" awards, punishments, special assignments, and the like. A commanding officer made every effort to list everyone on his muster rolls since the number of men determined his funding. The records usually list each person assigned to a ship or regiment at the muster date, his age on joining, the date he joined, the place where he joined, and sometimes information such as a dependent list (in later army musters) and birthplace (on sea musters from 1770). Muster records for the Royal Artillery are the earliest, beginning in 1708. Other army musters exist for 1760 to 1878. After 1790, they were kept in bound volumes.<u><ref>Hamilton-Edwards, Gerald (1977). In Search of Army Ancestry. Phillimore, p. 73.</ref></u> Navy musters cover 1667 to 1878. Naval musters contain "alphabets" (indexes organized by the first letter of the surname) from 1765. | [[Image:Wo12book.png|thumb|left|.3x.5px]]"Muster Rolls and Pay Rates" were monthly accounts that were kept of military enlistment and pay schedules. They were kept for privates up through officers and may contain valuable information such as "good conduct" awards, punishments, special assignments, and the like. A commanding officer made every effort to list everyone on his muster rolls since the number of men determined his funding. The records usually list each person assigned to a ship or regiment at the muster date, his age on joining, the date he joined, the place where he joined, and sometimes information such as a dependent list (in later army musters) and birthplace (on sea musters from 1770). Muster records for the Royal Artillery are the earliest, beginning in 1708. Other army musters exist for 1760 to 1878. After 1790, they were kept in bound volumes.<u><ref>Hamilton-Edwards, Gerald (1977). In Search of Army Ancestry. Phillimore, p. 73.</ref></u> Navy musters cover 1667 to 1878. Naval musters contain "alphabets" (indexes organized by the first letter of the surname) from 1765.These records can also be used to track the movements of a specific individual. | ||
===== WO 12 Series ===== | |||
This series begins in 1732 and ends in 1878. It covers guards, infantry, cavalry, and household troops. Additionally, according to the National Archives, these records also include special groups such as colonial troops, various foreign legions, special regiments and other depots. | |||
Recording all this information must have been a daunting task, as the books are very large and heavy as the photo shows above. There are 13,307 volumes of these records located at the National Archives. To view them, you have to use the special document room. Because photocopying these very large volumes would be extremely difficult, you can use a camera (without flash). In the records, the areas listed under “First Muster,” “Second Muster,” etc., are the physical locations of the individuals listed. This information aids researchers in following the physical movements of their ancestors. | |||
The records show enlistment dates, their movements and discharge dates. Additionally, if the information you seek is after 1868, there is a “marriage roll” listing wives and children when married quarters were included. | |||
If you are unable to visit the National Archives, they provide a document service that allows you to order copies for £0.40 per page. These records can provide enough information to locate your ancestral family, the place they were married, and the birth place of any children. It’s worth looking into if you know your ancestor was part of a regiment during this time period. | |||
For more information on these records, see the National Archives web page on the WO series at: http://tinyurl.com/3tpqytp. | |||
==== '''Description Books''' ==== | ==== '''Description Books''' ==== | ||