United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Massachusetts

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This article is a finding aid to a collection that exists wholly or in part on the
National Archives and Records Administration website. 		United States National Archives


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Introduction[edit | edit source]

This page lists all or parts of three National Archives microfilm publications helpful in identifying an ancestor or relative serving as a volunteer soldier in a military unit raised in Massachusetts. They are part of Record Group 94 Records of the Adjutant General's Office.

The first is a name index to the compiled military service records. For a description of the index see the National Archives catalog NAID 654530. It is arranged in alphabetical order by surname. The soldiers name will be the one he most often went by or found in the original records. The index card will also identify company and military unit and rank of each soldier entering the service and at discharge. The compiled service records are abstracts from original muster rolls and pay rolls and other records from the Civil War. Copies of compiled military service records can be ordered from the National Archives. Additional information about compiled military service records will be located in the National Archives Catalog NAID 300398.

The second collection known as the Ainsworth List contains lists arranged by military unit identifying original records available and that were abstracted to create compiled military service records for individual soldiers. For additional information see Lists of Records of Military Organizations Used to Create Volunteer Compiled Military Service Records, ca. 1890–ca. 1904 "Ainsworth List" in the National Archives catalog NAID 589591.

Third collection will contain card abstracts of the Record of Events from original records of each military unit raised in Massachusetts outlining its activities and troop movements. The information will vary depending on the military unit.

Tip: Copies of compiled military service records are available from the National Archives. To request copies see: Requesting Pre-WWI Service Records

Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers[edit | edit source]

The index is arranged in alphabetical order by the soldier's surname. The soldiers name will be the one he most often went by or found in the original records that were carded. Names could also be listed by initials. The index card will identify company and military unit and rank of each soldier entering the service and at discharge. A soldier could have served in multiple units and a separate compiled military service record would exist for each unit. A cross reference may be found on some cards for multiple spelling or service in additional units. A volunteer may have enlisted under a different name or alias.

These records are part of NARA microfilm collection M-544, Index To Compiled Service Records Of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served In Organizations From The State 0f Massachusetts, 44 rolls. See also the FamilySearch Catalog record, Index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Massachusetts.

For a transcription see Hewett, Janet B. The Roster of Union soldiers, 1861-1865. 33 volumes. Wilmington, North Carolina : Broadfoot Pub. Co., 1997-2000 FS Library book 973 M29h.[v. 2] Vermont; Massachusetts (Aaron, Otis F. to Grutter, Christian) -- [v. 3] Massachusetts (Guared, Thomas to Zydoe, Albert)

Surnames A-Z[edit | edit source]

Film DGS Roll Collection
881870 DGS 8925193 1 A
881871 DGS 8925194 2 Ba
881872 DGS 8925195 3 Be-Bl
881873 DGS 8925196 4 Boa-Broo
881874 DGS 8925197 5 Brop-Bus
881875 DGS 8925198 6 But-Ca
881876 DGS 8925199 7 Ce-Cla
881877 DGS 8925200 8 Cle-Con
881878 DGS 8925201 9 Coo-Cun
881879 DGS 8925202 10 Cur-Def
881880 DGS 8925203 11 Deg-Dowl
881881 DGS 8925204 12 Down-El
881882 DGS 8925205 13 Em-Fis
881883 DGS 8925206 14 Fit-Fuk
881884 DGS 8925207 15 Ful-Gle
881885 DGS 8925208 16 Gil-Gr
881886 DGS 8925209 17 Gu-Hars
881887 DGS 8925210 18 Hart-Her
881888 DGS 8925211 19 Hes-Hos
881889 DGS 8925212 20 Hot-Ja
881890 DGS 8925213 21 Je-Kei
881891 DGS 8925214 22 Kel-Kl
881892 DGS 8925215 23 Kn-Lei
881893 DGS 8925216 24 Lej-Lym
881894 DGS 8925217 25 Lyn-Mat
881895 DGS 8925218 26 Mau-McKa
881896 DGS 8925219 27 McKe-Mis
881897 DGS 8925220 28 Mit-Mun
881898 DGS 8925221 29 Mur-N
881899 DGS 8925222 30 O-Paq
881900 DGS 8925223 31 Par-Ph
881901 DGS 8925614 32 Pi-Q
881902 DGS 8925615 33 R-Ric
881903 DGS 8925616 34 Rid-Rr
881904 DGS 8925617 35 Ru-Sc
881905 DGS 8925618 36 Se-Si
881906 DGS 8925619 37 Sk-Spa
881907 DGS 8925620 38 Spe-Stor
881908 DGS 8925621 39 Stot-Ten
881909 DGS 8925622 40 Teo-Tr
881910 DGS 8925623 41 Ts-Wal
881911 DGS 8925624 42 Wan-Whe
881912 DGS 8925625 43 Whi-Will
881913 DGS 8925626 44 Wilm-Z

"The Ainsworth List"[edit | edit source]

This list identifies the original records available to the War Department which were abstracted to create compiled military service records for individual soldiers. The list is arranged by military unit. The collection takes its name from General Fred Crayton Ainsworth, who was appointed head of the Record and Pension Division (R&P) of the Surgeon General's office in 1886. Ainsworth had clerks copy the name, rank, military organization, and medical history of each soldier from the nineteen thousand Civil War hospital registers onto paper cards. After completing that task information from additional records were added. Additional records may also be found at a state archive or historical that were not available for carding.

This index was published as NARA Microcopy T-817, Lists of the Adjutant General's Office for Carded Records of Military Organizations: Revolutionary War Through Philippine Insurrection, "The Ainsworth List. See FamilySearch Catalog record List of the Adjutant General's Office for carded records of military organizations: Revolutionary War through Philippine Insurrection : the Ainsworth list. See also, Claire Prechtel-Kluskens, "Thank you, General Fred C. Ainsworth!", NGS Magazine, Vol. 37, #4, (October-December 2011), pages 54-57.

Film DGS Roll Collection
1715930 DGS 7828366 57 Massachusetts (Lists 1-68)
1715931 DGS 7828367 58 Massachusetts (Lists 69-139 Michigan (Lists 1-11)

Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units[edit | edit source]

Arranged by military unit then sorted by cavalry, artillery and infantry. The card abstracts are from the Record of Events listed on original records like unit muster rolls of each military unit raised in Massachusetts outlining its activities and troop movements, etc. The information will vary depending on the military unit.

These records were published as NARA M594, Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units in Volunteer Union Organizations, 225 rolls of microfilms. For a description of the collection download the NARA (descriptive PDF). See FamilySearch Catalog record, Compiled records showing service of military units in volunteer Union organizations.

For a transcription of NARA M594 see Janet B. Hewett, et.al. Supplement to the Official records of the Union and Confederate armies. Wilmington, North Carolina : Broadfoot Pub. Co., 1994-2001 FS Library book 973 M29u, Massachusetts troops (Union Cavalry; Artillery, Heavy; Artillery, Light; Infantry 1st-11th) -- v. 28. (serial no. 40) Massachusetts troops (Infantry 10th-30th) -- v. 29. (serial no. 41) Massachusetts troops (Infantry 31st-Misc.)

Additional unit history information may be found in Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, reprint, New York: Sagamore Press, 1959. 3 vols, FS Library book 973 M2df Volume 3, Massachusetts, page 1237.

Film DGS Roll Military Unit
1488527 DGS 8327627 75 MASSACHUSETTS 1st-4th Cavalry 1st Heavy Artillery 1st Battalion, Heavy Artillery 2nd Heavy Artillery
1488528 DGS 8327628 76 3rd Heavy Artillery 4th Heavy Artillery 29th Co., Unattached, Heavy Artillery 30th Co., Unattached, Heavy Artillery 1st Independent Battery-16th Battery, Light Artillery Maj. Cook's Co., Light Artillery 1st Sharp Shooters, Volunteers 2nd Sharp Shooters, Volunteers 1st Infantry 2nd Infantry
1488529 DGS 8327629 77 3rd Infantry 3rd Infantry, 3 months, 1861 3rd Battalion, Riflemen, Militia 4th Infantry 4th Infantry, 3 months, 1861 4th Battalion, Militia, Infantry 5th Infantry 5th Infantry, 3 months, 1861 5th Battalion, Militia, Infantry, 100 days, 1864 6th Infantry 6th Militia, Infantry, 3 months, 1861
1488529 DGS 8327629 77 6th Infantry, 100 days, 1864 7th Infantry 8th Infantry 8th Infantry, 3 months, 1861 8th Militia, Infantry 9th-11th Infantry
1488530 DGS 8327630 78 12th Infantry 13th Infantry 15th-19th Infantry
1488531 DGS 8327631 79 20th-25th Infantry
1488532 DGS 8327632 80 26th-31st Infantry
1488533 DGS 8327633 81 32nd-39th Infantry
1488534 DGS 8327634 82 40th Infantry 42nd Infantry 42nd Infantry, 100 days, 1864 43rd-53rd Militia, Infantry 56th-62nd Infantry 1st-13th Unattached Co., Militia Infantry, 90 days, 1864 15th Unattached Co., 100 days, 1864-27th Unattached Co., Militia Infantry, 1 year, 1864-1865 Boston Cadet Co., Militia, Infantry Salem Cadets, Militia, Infantry
1488534 DGS 8327634 82 Capt. Staten's Co., Volunteers, Infantry, 6 months, 1862

Related National Archives Collections[edit | edit source]

These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

  • Carded Medical Records of Volunteer Soldiers in the Mexican and Civil Wars, 1846–1865 NAID 655646
  • Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War, 1890–1912 (Union) NAID 300398
  • Regimental and Company Books of Civil War Volunteer Union Organizations, 1861–1867 NAID 577134
  • War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. New England Soldiers Relief Association. Casualty Sheets of Wounded NAID 1226194
  • War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. New England Soldiers Relief Association. Correspondence, 1862–1865 NAID 1253342

Related Articles -Archivist's Perspective: Civil War Records

Related FamilySearch Collections[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Catalog[edit | edit source]


Town Clerk - Record of the Names of Soldiers and Sailors

FamilySearch Historical Records[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Digital Library[edit | edit source]

  • A List of the soldiers, sailors and marines of the Civil War : surviving and residents in Massachusetts on April 1, 1915. FamilySearch Digital Library
  • Higginson, Thomas Wentworth. Massachusetts in the army and navy during the war of 1861-65 2 vols. Boston, Massachusetts : Wright & Potter, 1895-1896 FS Library book 974.4 M2ht
  • Nason, George W. History and complete roster of the Massachusetts regiments : minute men of '61 who responded to the first call of President Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1861, to defend the flag and Constitution of the United States together with photographs and biographical sketches of minute men of Massachusetts. Boston, Massachusetts : Smith & McCance, 1910, c1904. FamilySearch Digital Library
  • 1861-1866 War Department. Office of the Chief of Staff. Bibliography of State Participation in the Civil War, 1861-1866 Washington: Government Printing Office, 1913 FamilySearch Digital Library

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