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Oregon Military Records

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Online Resources

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


Many military records are found at the FamilySearch Library, the National Archives and other federal and state archives.

Forts

References

Michno, Gregory, Encyclopedia of Indian Wars : Western Battles and Skirmishes, 1850-1890(Mountain Press Publishing CO., Missoula, Montana C. 2003.) ISBN 0-87842-468-7 At various libraries (WorldCat)

Indian Wars (1780s-1890s)

Published rosters of soldiers and a history of the Indian Wars is found in: Frances Fuller Victor, Early Indian Wars of Oregon : compiled from the Oregon archives and other original sources: with muster rolls (Salem: F. C. Baker, state printer, 1904). At various libraries (WorldCat)

Pension files are housed at the Oregon Historical Society, and an index is available on the internet.

Mexican War (1846 to 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.

  • 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:


  • 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.

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

Civil War (1861 to 1865)

Fort Yamhill (in use 1856-1866), Polk County, Oregon


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

The FamilySearch Catalog list records of the Oregon Grand Army of the Republic.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Oregon, Civil War Service Record of Union Soldiers - FamilySearch Historical Records

The Spencer Leonard manuscript collection at the Genealogical Forum of Oregon contains names and service information for Civil War veterans who lived in Oregon. Most came from other states.

Civil War Soldiers Buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Portland, Oregon, has biographies of twenty soldiers with citations to both online and onsite sources useful for researching Civil War soldiers.

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.

  • A published roster of soldiers that provides name, age, place of birth, occupation, physical description and service is C. U. Gantenbein, The Official Records of the Oregon Volunteers in the Spanish War and Philippine Insurrection, 2nd ed. (Salem, Oregon: J.R. Whitney, 1903) (Google Books); FS Library fiche 6051175
  • There are two databases that contain records extracted from this book on Ancestry.com.

Indexes

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. (How to use this collection.)

Click on the link to learn more about the Spanish American War.

Philippine Insurrection (1898–1902)

  • A published roster of soldiers that provides name, age, place of birth, occupation, physical description and service is C. U. Gantenbein, The Official Records of the Oregon Volunteers in the Spanish War and Philippine Insurrection, 2nd ed. (Salem, Oregon: J.R. Whitney, 1903) FS Library fiche6051175 Google Books
  • There are two databases that contain records extracted from this book on Ancestry.com.

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.

FamilySearch Catalog

FamilySearch Historical Records

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.

Microfilm records of registration cards for Oregon are located at the Genealogical Forum of Oregon. They have created an index, which is available on their website.

WARNING: Be aware that when the original cards were microfilmed, a section for Portland were omitted. Repositories holding the microfilmed copies do not have these records. The original cards are housed at the National Archives Southeast Region (Atlanta), Morrow, Georgia, and photocopied records of the missing section are available at the Genealogical Forum of Oregon, in Portland.

United States World War I Draft Records provides additional information.

Additional Sources

  • William Stevens Prince, Crusade & Pilgrimage: A Soldier's Death, a Mother's Journey, and a Grandson's Quest Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press, 1986.

World War II (1941-1945)

  • Oregon combined military service records index, 1852-1954 - Indexes National Guard personnel index, 1897-1919 -- Statement of service cards, 1917-1919, 1941-1945 -- Citation cards, 1898-1924 -- Died and wounded in service cards, 1917-1919, 1941-1945, 1951-1954 -- Victory Medal application cards, 1918-1919

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.


Also available at:

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.

  • Oregon combined military service records index, 1852-1954 - Indexes National Guard personnel index, 1897-1919 -- Statement of service cards, 1917-1919, 1941-1945 -- Citation cards, 1898-1924 -- Died and wounded in service cards, 1917-1919, 1941-1945, 1951-1954 -- Victory Medal application cards, 1918-1919


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.

Militia -National Guard

Additional Records

The Oregon State Archives has the following:

  • Early service records from the Indian Wars
  • National Guard records through 1920
  • Records of the Roseburg State Soldiers' Home
  • An index to World War I veterans
  • World War I files from the State Historian of the Defense Council (biographical questionnaires)
  • Records of the state bonuses and loan applications of World War I veterans

Websites


v • d• e
State Military Records
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