Iowa Military Records

The U. S. Military Records Research Outline (34118) by the Family History Library provides information on federal military records. Many federal records also include information about soldiers and sailors from Iowa and should be used with the records listed in this section.

Iowa military records began about 1808, when Fort Madison was established. Military service records, such as enlistments, muster rolls, and discharges, may include a person’s age, birth date, birthplace, physical description, previous residence, and occupation.

The following book contains an extensive list of books and articles on pages 36–38 about the early forts and military expeditions in Iowa:

Petersen, William John. Iowa History Reference Guide. (Cited fully in the "For Further Reading" section of this outline.)

Revolutionary War, 1775–1783

The following book contains information about Revolutionary War soldiers and their families:

Revolutionary War Soldiers and Patriots Buried in Iowa. Marceline, Missouri.: Walsworth, 1978. (FHL book 977.7 D3d) This book was compiled by the Abigail Adams Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Des Moines, Iowa. It contains birth, marriage, and death information about soldiers, their parents, children, and grandchildren. About 42 veterans are listed.

War of 1812, 1812–1815

Iowa was not settled until after the War of 1812, but many men who fought in that war settled in Iowa. See the U. S. Military Records Research Outline (34118) for national indexes and records.

For a listing of 31 veterans of the War of 1812 who lived in Iowa in 1886, see pages 733–734 in the following book:

Iowa. Adjutant General’s Office. List of Ex-Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, Living in Iowa. Des Moines, Iowa: G. E. Roberts, State Printer, 1886. (FHL book 977.7 M22ig; film 982150) This book lists men living in Iowa in 1886 who served in the War of 1812 and later wars. It also gives each man’s name, rank, state from which he served, and sometimes, the company or regiment in which he served.

Early Records Beginning with 1837

For the earliest Iowa military records, beginning about 1837 with muster rolls and military post records, see the Territorial Papers of Iowa, 1838–1852, which is mentioned in the "History" section of this outline.

Mexican War, 1846–1848

The book mentioned above, List of Ex-Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, Living in Iowa, pages 734–751, lists 34 men from Iowa who served in the War with Mexico and who were living in Iowa in 1886. Hundreds of men from other states who served in the war are also listed by the state from which they served. In addition, each man’s name, rank, regiment, company, and post office address are listed.

A roster of Iowa troops in the War with Mexico (including the Mormon Battalion), Indian campaigns, Civil War, Spanish-American War, and the Philippine War are found in:

Iowa, Adjutant General's Office. Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion. (Cited fully in the "Civil War" section of this outline.)

Additional Mormon Battalion sources include:

United States. Record and Pension Office. Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during the Mexican War in Mormon Organizations. National Archives Microfilm Publications; M0351. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1961. (FHL films 471465 and 471517–18) These records are alphabetical by the name of the soldier and contain abstracts from company muster rolls and returns.

Tyler, Daniel. A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War, 1846–1847. Waynesboro, Virginia.: M & R Books, 1964. (FHL book 973 M2td; film 928153 item 5)

Larson, Carl V., comp. and ed. A Database of the Mormon Battalion: An Identification of the Original Members of the Mormon Battalion. Providence, Utah: Keith W. Watkins and Sons, 1987. (FHL book 973 M2Lar; film 1592751 item 5) A second edition was published in 1997 (FHL 973 M2lar 1997) The soldiers are listed alphabetically, and the book provides birth date, birthplace, parents’ names, spouse’s name, marriage date, death date and place, place of burial, service records, pension records, and sometimes, physical description.

United States. Bureau of Pensions. Selected Pension Applications Files for Members of the Morman [sic] Battalion, Mexican War, 1846–48. Washington, DC: National Archives and Record Service, 1934. (FHL films 480129–49) The files are generally in alphabetical order.

Civil War, 1861–65

Iowa provided over 76,000 troops to the Civil War, of which 13,000 died. An index to the compiled military service records is:

United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Iowa. National Archives Microfilm Publications; M0541. Washington, DC: The National Archives, 1964. (FHL films 881808–36) This index lists each soldier’s name, company, unit, rank in, and rank out. There are also references to service in other units. The actual service records have not been filmed and are available only at the National Archives.

For lists of the soldiers by regiment, see volumes 1–5 of the following:

Iowa. Adjutant General’s Office. Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion: Together with Historical Sketches of Volunteer Organizations, 1861–1866. 6 vols. Des Moines, Iowa: E. H. English, 1908–1911. (FHL book 977.7 M2i; films 987646–50) This book provides each soldier’s name, rank, and often the date and place he was mustered out. The soldiers are listed by company but not alphabetically. Volume 6 has names of soldiers from later wars, as well. An index to the six volumes is found in:

Index to Iowa Soldiers. 7 vols. N.p.: Idaho State Historical Society Genealogical Library, 1979. (FHL book 977.7 M2i index; film 1033761 items 3–9; fiche 6051153)

For a list of the Civil War soldiers living in Iowa in 1886, see the book, List of Ex-Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, Living in Iowa, mentioned previously. The Civil War soldiers are listed by the state from which they served, then by their regiment and then alphabetically.

After the Civil War, veterans formed the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). At its peak in the 1890s, the GAR had posts and members throughout Iowa. Post records give the name, birth date, birthplace (town and state), war record (regiment, enlistment date, date mustered out), wife’s name and sometimes, the names and residences of children and parents. For the index and post records, see:

Iowa. Grand Army of the Republic. Grand Army of the Republic Records, ca. 1800–1962. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978, 1987. (On 69 FHL films beginning with 1487370) The index cards generally provide the name of the person, his company and regiment, the state from which he served in the Civil War, and the number and city of the GAR post where he was listed. Often the cards also give the exact birth date, county of birth, exact death date and place, name and location of cemetery, and parents’ names. The forms are on microfilm, are listed by county, and often name the parents, spouse, and children. The original records are at the State Historical Society in Des Moines.

Three guidebooks to Iowa Civil War information are:

Meyer, Steve. Discovering Your Iowa Civil War Ancestry. Garrison, Iowa: Meyer Pub., 1993. (FHL book 977.7 M2ms)

Robertson , James J. Jr. Iowa in the Civil War: A Reference Guide. Iowa City, Iowa: State Historical Society of Iowa, 197-. (FHL book 977.7A1 no. 40; fiche 6049713) This book mentions articles, reports, histories, letters, and diaries that have been published about the different regiments that were in the Civil War.

Stuart, Addison A. Iowa Colonels and Regiments: Being a History of Iowa Regiments in the War of the Rebellion and Containing a Description of the Battles in Which They Fought. Des Moines, Iowa: Mills, 1865. (FHL book 977.7 M2s; film 1036165)

Spanish-American War, 1898, and Philippine Insurrection, 1898–1902

For published rosters of those who served in these conflicts, see pages 275-782 in volume six of:

Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion. (FHL film 390835) (Cited fully under the heading Civil War in this outline.)

World War I, 1917–1918

World War I draft registration cards for men ages 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 Iowa see:

United States. Selective Service System. Iowa, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications; M1509. Washington, DC: The National Archives, 1987–1988. (On 96 FHL films beginning with 1642846) To find an individual’s draft card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration. The cards are arranged by county, by draft board within the county, and alphabetically. Most counties had only one board; large cities had several.

Military Discharge Records, 1860s–1950s

The Family History Library has microfilms of county military discharge records for men and women who served in the Civil War and in later wars (to the 1950s). These records are filed by the county where the soldier took the discharge papers to be recorded. They usually give the soldier’s name, the town and state of birth, age or exact birth date, date and place of enlistment, occupation, extensive military service history and physical description.

Militia Records, 1860s–1900s

The Iowa Adjutant General’s Office kept lists of men between the ages of 18 and about 50 from each county, who were subject to military (militia) service. These lists began in the Civil War and continued into the early 1900s. The lists are available for each county and are often arranged by township. They contain names, ages, and sometimes occupations. The original lists are at the State Historical Society in Des Moines. Microfilm copies are at the Family History Library:

Iowa. Adjutant-General’s Office. Persons Subject to Military Duty, ca. 1862-1910. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978. (On 94 FHL films beginning with 1024847) The records are arranged by county and then by year.

For information on Iowa Veterans buried out of state, see the "Cemeteries" section of this outline.

National Guard Application Forms, 1870–1920

The Iowa Genealogical Society is preparing an index to National Guard application forms from 1872 to 1920. The forms contain the name of the National Guard member, birthplace, birth date or age, residence, and physical description. By the end of 1998 the index to names A–H had been completed. The society hopes to complete the index in 1999 or 2000. The original application forms are at the address below.

Location of Original Records

Records of Iowa soldiers who served in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I or the Iowa National Guard are at:

Iowa National Guard Records Center
7700 N. W. Beaver Drive
Johnston, IA 50131
Telephone: 515-252-4329

Copies of the records are at the State Historical Society in Des Moines.

Military records for Iowa are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

IOWA - MILITARY RECORDS

IOWA, [COUNTY] - MILITARY RECORDS

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