Texas Military Records

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

Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The United States Research Outlineprovides more information about the federal records. For Texas the following sources are also very helpful.

Forts

Civil War Forts: Bankhead, Chambers, Debrey, Esperanza, Green, Hebert, Jackson, Magruder, Mannahasset, Moore, Morrah, Quintana, Sabine, Scurry, Valasco

Fort Arbuckle

Port of Austin -- Textual records of this post, 18666-1875, 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 Belknap 1851 -1867

Fort Bliss 1849 -- Textual records of this fort, 1865-1894, 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 Brown -- Textual records of this fort, 1865-1906, 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 Chadbourne 1852-1867

Fort Clark 1852

Fort Cobb

Fort Colorado 1856

Fort Concho -- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1889, 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 Cooper 1855 -1865

Fort Croghan 1849-53

Fort Davis 1854 -- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1891, 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 Duncan -- Textual records of this fort, 1868-1883, 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 Elliott -- Textual records of this fort, 1870-1890, 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).

Fort Ewell 1852-54

Port of Galveston -- Textual records of this post, 1865-1870, 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 Gates 1849-52

Fort Graham 1849-54

Fort Griffin -- Textual records of this fort, 1868-1881, 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 Hudson 1857 -1868

Fort Inge 1849 -1869

Post of Jefferson -- Textual records of this post, 1868-1871, 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 Lancaster 1855 -1861

Fort Lincoln 1849-1852

Fort Martin Scott 1849-52

Fort Mason 1851-1869

Fort McIntosh 1849-1946

Fort McKavett -- Textual records of this fort, 1868-1883, 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 Merrill 1850-55

Camp Pena Colorado -- Textual records of this fort, 1880-1893, 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 Phantom Hill 1851-54

Fort Polk--1846-1850

Fort Quitman 1858 -1877

Fort Richardson -- Textual records of this fort, 1857-1878, 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 Ringgold -- Textual records of this fort, 1874-1906, 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 Saint Louis

Fort Sam Houston 1879-Present; originally San Antonio Quartermaster Depot

Fort San Luis

Fort Sill -- in Oklahoma

Fort Stockton 1858 -- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1886, 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). These records have been microfilmed on 3 rolls and are part of National Archives Microcopy M1189.

Fort Terrett 1852-54

Fort Teron

Fort Washita

Fort Worth 1849-53

References

Encyclopedia of Indian wars Western Battles and Skirmishes, 1850-1890. By Gregory F. Michno. Mountain press Publishing Co., Missoula, Montana. Co. 2003. ISBN 0-87842-468-7

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

A published roster with added genealogical information for veterans is Mary Smith Fay, War of 1812 Veterans in Texas. New Orleans, Louisiana: Polyanthos, 1979. (Family History Library book 976.4 M2f.)

War of Texas Independence (1835-1836)

Published muster rolls of soldiers who served in the war are in Muster Rolls of the Texas Revolution. Austin, Texas: Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Incorporated, 1986. (Family History Library book 976.4 M2mr.)

Abstracts of pension applications are in John C. Barron, et al., Republic of Texas Pension Application Abstracts. Austin, Texas: Austin Genealogical Society, 1987. (Family History Library book 976.4 M2bj, fiche 6101694 .)

A detailed history of the Alamo seige and a roster of the garrison will be found in Phil Tosenthal and Bill Groneman, Roll Call at the Alamo. Ft. Collins, Colorado: The Old Army Press, 1985. (Family History Library book 976.4351 M2r).

Biographical sketches of soldiers who served in the Battle of San Jacinto are in Sam Houston Dixon and Louis Wiltz Kemp, The Heroes of San Jacinto. Houston, Texas: The Anson Jones Press, 1932. (Family History Library book 976.4141 M2d; film 1000606.)

Mexican War (1846-1848)

Many soldiers from Texas served in this conflict. The National Archives and the Family History Library have the service records for Texas volunteers (FHL films 471519-37) and the indexes to service and pension records. The pension records have not been filmed and are only available at the National Archives.

A published history of the role Texas played in the war is Henry W. Barton, Texas Volunteers in the Mexican War. Wichita Falls, Texas: Texican Press, 1970. (Family History Library book 976.4 M2b.)

Civil War (1861-1865)

Soldiers from Texas served in both the Union and Confederate armies. The National Archives and the Family History Library collection includes:

• Indexes to the service records for soldiers from Texas: Union FHL 881592 Confederate FHL 880014.
• Service records for volunteer Union soldiers from Texas FHL 1292646
• Service records for Confederate soldiers from Texas FHL 1501077
• Union Civil War Pension Index Cards This oniline database for Union pensions is 90% complete as of 15 April 2010
• The Texas State Library and Archives has an online index to Confederate pension records. This online index includes widow's pension applications.
  

Confederate Records

Texas Confederate soldiers service records are available at the National Archives,the Texas State Library, and the Family History Library. Several different indexes exist to help you locate your Confederate ancestor and the unit where he served.  Find the unit and company your soldier served with in one of the following indexes:

• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
• Confederate Index: Confederate Soldiers of the State of Texas. FHL 227483 
• Index to compiled service records of Confederate soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Texas FHL 880014

If you cannot find your soldier in these indexes, use variant surname spellings and first initials for given names. Make a note of which unit and company he served with. Then find the unit (such as 29th Infantry, Company K) in Service Records for Confederate Soldiers from Texas. FHL 1501077   The service records usually include each soldier's name, enlistment date and place, discharge date and place, age, and sometimes residence, and physical description.

A Confederate pension index is maintained by the  Texas State Library and Archives  .  Addditionally there is a published index to Confederate pension papers by John M. Kinney, Index to Applications for Texas Confederate Pensions, Rev. ed. Austin, Texas: Archives Division, Texas State Library, 1977. FHL 976.4 M22k FHL 928040 FHL 6019976  Both approved and rejected pension applications are included in the FHL Texas pension collection FHL 960279  Approved pensions are arranged by application number.  Rejected applications are arranged alphbetically.

A published roster of some Texas regiments is Martin Hardwick Hall, The Confederate Army of New Mexico. Austin, Texas: Presidial Press, 1978. FHL 978.9 M2ha FHL 6087304 This lists soldiers of Texas stationed in New Mexico during the war.

Additonally, the Texas Legislature approved funds to support widows and indigent families and dependents of soldiers serving in State or Confederate forces.  Lists were submitted between 1863-1865 by Chief Justices of the counties. This index can be accessed online at the Texas State Library and Archives.  Not all counties are represented in the index.  These records are transcribed in Confederate Indigent Families Lists of Texas 1863-1865 by LInda Mearse.  FHL 976.4 M2mL

Union Records

In comparison to numbers of Confederate soldiers from Texas, there were relatively few Union units from Texas.  An index to Union soldier service records is found in:

• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
• Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union soldiers who Served in Organizations from the State of Texas (NARA M393) FHL 881592

If you cannot find your soldier on the index, use variant surname spellings and initials only for given names. When you find the name of the unit where your soldier served, make a note of it (such as Texas First Calvary). Service records are arranged by unit and then alphabetically within the unit. Find the correct film for Union soldiers who Served in Organizations from the State of Texas FHL 1292646 (NARA M0402)

A free Internet index to pension applications of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on Civil War Pension Index Cards. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. Other wars of that time period may be included in this index.

Union pension files are not on microfilm and are available only at the National Archives.

Southern Claims Commission

If a Union sympathizer in Texas claimed a loss during the Civil War due to Union military confiscation, he could apply to the Southern Claims Commission for reimbursement. Only a few applied per county, but their neighbors were called as witnesses and asked dozens of questions. Hundreds of the residents of all kinds in a county may be mentioned in answers to Commission questions, and their wartime activities described. To learn how to find records mentioning these neighbors in Texas counties during the Civil War see the Southern Claims Commission.

Spanish-American War (1898)

The Texas Volunteer Guard was mustered into federal service in 1898. Records of these volunteers are at the National Archives. The Texas State Library has some records and muster-out rolls (records of soldiers discharged from military service) for 1899.

World War I (1917-1918) to the present

Records of Texans who have participated in any war since World War I are filed in the National Archives and the National Archives—Fort Worth Branch. See the United States Research Outline for more information.

Records of the National Guard units drafted into federal forces are at the Adjutant General's Office, Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas.

Additional Military Records

The Texas State Library has pre-statehood records for groups such as the Rangers and Minute companies. The following volumes summarize many of these early records:

Ingmire, Frances Terry. Texas Rangers: Frontier Battalion, Minute Men, Commanding Officers, 1847-1900. Six Volumes. St. Louis, Missouri: Ingmire Publications, 1982. (Family History Library book 976.4 M2ift.)

Ingmire, Frances Terry. Texas Frontiersmen, 1839-1860: Minute Men, Militia, Home Guard, Indian Fighters. St. Louis, Missouri: F.T. Ingmire, 1982. (Family History Library book 976.4 M2i.)

Stephens, Robert W. Texas Ranger Indian War Pensions. Quanah, Texas: Nortex Press, 1975. (Family History Library book 976.4 M24u.)

World War I draft registration cards for men age 18 to 45 may list address, birth date, birthplace, race, nationality, citizenship, and next of kin. Not all registrants served in the war. For registration cards for Texas see:

United States. Selective Service System. Texas, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On Family History Library films beginning with 1927189.)

To find an individual's draft card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration. The cards are arranged alphabetically by county, within the county by draft board, and then alphabetically by surname within each draft board.

Most counties had only one board; large cities had several. A map showing the boundaries of individual draft boards is available for most large cities. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you in using the draft board map. There is an alphabetical list of cities that are on the map. For a copy of this map see:

United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. (Family History Library film 1498803 .)

Web Sites

http://www.archives.gov/

http://www.archives.gov/southwest/

References

Texas Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1998, 2001.

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)

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