Michigan Military Records
United States 
U.S. Military Michigan Military Records
Many military records are at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. United States Military Records provides more information on federal military records and search strategies. The following sources for Michigan are also helpful:
Forts
Fort Brady -- Textual records of this fort, 1869-1919, 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 Detroit 1796-
FortGratiot 1814-79
Fort Mackinac 1796-1894
Fort Saginaw 1822-24
Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783) to War of 1812 (1812 to 1814)
Thousands of veterans settled in Michigan. Genealogical and biographical data is in published militia rolls, pension papers, and gravestone records. An example is:
- Miller, Alice Turner, comp. Soldiers of the War of 1812, Who Died in Michigan. Ithaca, Michigan: A.T. Miller, 1962. (Family History Library book 977.4 M23m; film 844961 item 3.) A supplement is also available.
The 1835 Pension Roll
On June 5, 1834, the U.S. Senate required the Secretary of War to submit a statement showing the names of pensioners who were on the pension rolls or had previously been on the pension rolls. For more information on the 1835 Pension Roll see Revolutionary War Pension Records. The 1835 Pension Roll for the Territory of Michigan, which includes Revolutionary War pensioners and heirs of War of 1812 casualties, is available online:
- Report from the Secretary of War... Vol. III (Google Books)
- The Pension Roll of 1835, Vol. IV (Ancestry) ($)
War of 1812 Pensioners in Michigan, 1883
- War of 1812 Pensioners in Michigan, 1883. Abstracted from the U.S. Pension Bureau's List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883, volume IV.
Indian Wars to Mexican War (1832 to 1848)
A few records for the Black Hawk War (1832), Toledo War (1835), and Patriot War (1838–39) are at the Michigan State Archives. The Family History Library has:
United States. Adjutant General's Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served from the State of Michigan for the Patriot War, 1838–1839. Washington, D.C.: The National Archives, 1965. (Family History Library film 882795.)
Michigan. Adjutant General's Office. Michigan Volunteers Descriptive Roll, First Regiment, 1847–1848. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972. (Family History Libraryfilm 915345.) A descriptive muster roll of Mexican War volunteers.
Civil War (1861 to 1865)
See Michigan in the Civil War for information about Michigan Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Michigan 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.
Spanish American War (1898)
Muster out rolls of Michigan volunteers are in:
Michigan. Adjutant General's Office. Michigan Volunteers, Spanish American War, 1898–1899. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973. (On 5 Family History Library films.) Indexed. Lists name, enlistment date, by whom enlisted, and discharge date.
World War I (1917-1918)
World War I Card Index for Michigan. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1976. (Family History Library films 1001930–66.) Often has places of residence and parents' names. Appears to be drafted persons only.
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 Michigan's registration cards, see:
United States. Selective Service System. Michigan, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987–1988. (On 217 Family History Library films.)
To find an individual's registration card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration. The cards are arranged by county, then by draft board within the county, and then alphabetically by surname within each draft board. Most counties had only one board; large cities had more.
World War II (1941-1945)
Additional Records
Many other kinds of military records—including state militia, national guard, and old soldier home records—can be found by looking under MICHIGAN - MILITARY RECORDS in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog.
Web Sites
http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~xander/michigan-records.htm
http://www.familymilitaryrecords.com/state.asp?state=MI
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-18835_18895_20699-50997--,00.html
References
- 1880 Census Index CD Manual
- Michigan Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1998, 2006.
- NOTE: All of the information from the original research outline has been imported into this Wiki site and is being updated as time permits.
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