Nebraska Military Records

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 Outline provides more information about the federal records. For Nebraska the following sources are also very helpful.

Civil War (1861 to 1865)

Indexes to service and pension records for about 3,000 soldiers are at the Family History Library. The service and pension records have not been filmed and are only at the National Archives. Published rosters usually give the soldier's name, rank, regiment, age, and residence. These include:

Dudley, Edgar S. Roster of Nebraska Volunteers from 1861 to 1869. Hasting, Nebraska: Wigton & Evans, 1888. (FHL film 370881.)

Roster of Nebraska Soldiers. Omaha, Nebraska: Klopp, Bartlett & Company, 1888. (FHL film 164034.)

Burial records of Civil War veterans of the Department of Nebraska, Grand Army of the Republic, are also available in alphabetical order (FHL films 833155-156). The records provide the veteran's military unit, date and place of death, cemetery, and sometimes date and place of birth.

World War I (1917 to 1918)

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 Nebraska, see:

United States. Selective Service System. Nebraska World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On FHL films beginning with 1684016.)

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, DC: National Archives. (FHL film 1498803.)

Veterans Lists

The Nebraska State Historical Society has microfilmed indexes of Spanish-American War service cards and World War I Selective service cards. Several rosters of veterans living in the state have been published. These usually give the veteran's name, rank, military unit, and address. Examples are:
Nebraska. Secretary of State. Roster of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the War of the Rebellion Residing in Nebraska, June 1st, 1891. Lincoln, Nebraska: State Journal Company, 1892. (FHL book 978.2 M2n; film 844966 item 4; fiche 6010064.)

Nebraska. Secretary of State. Roster of Veterans of the Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars Residing in Nebraska, 1915. Lincoln, Nebraska: Secretary of State, [1915]. (Not at Family History Library)

Nebraska. Secretary of State. Roster of Soldiers-Sailors and Marines Who Served in the War of the Rebellion, Spanish-American War and World War Omaha: Waters-Barnhart Printing Company, 1925. (FHL fiche 6075974.)

Additional Military Records

County clerks have records of discharges, militia lists, military censuses, and rosters of ex-servicemen. Militia lists of all males, ages 18 to 45 and subject to military duty, were taken irregularly from 1903 to 1928