Military Monday - Determining Civil War pensions

Last week I wrote about receiving the Civil War pension document for my GGG Grandfather, Joseph Creed. Nancy, of My Ancestors and Me, brought up a good discussion point: Could the date of filing for the pension, 1915, really be right? That led me to wonder what the process was for determining pension benefits for Civil War Soldiers.

According to a history of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, following the Civil War pensions were only authorized to Soldiers that were discharged due to an illness or injury. Then in 1890, The Dependent Pension Act of 1890 broadened the requirements for pension to include a veteran that had served more than 3 months and was unable to conduct manual labor due to their service-related injuries or illnesses. It stated the following:

"That all persons who served ninety days or more in the military or naval service of the United States during the late war of the rebellion and who have been honorably discharged therefrom, and who are now or who may hereafter be suffering from a mental or physical disability of a permanent character, not the result of their own vicious habits, which incapacitates them from the performance of manual labor in such a degree as to render them unable to earn a support, shall, upon making due proof of the fact according to such rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Interior may provide, be placed upon the list of invalid pensioners of the United States, and be entitled to receive a pension not exceeding twelve dollars per month, and not less than six dollars per month, proportioned to the degree of inability to earn a support; and such pension shall commence from the date of the filing of the application in the Pension Office after the passage of this act, upon proof that the disability then existed, and shall continue during the existence of the same."

Spouses, dependent children and dependent parents were also allowed to file for the pension. In three years the number of Civil War pensioners rose by 500,000 and the total pay-out amount doubled. The Sherwood Act of 1912 broadened the scope for pensions once again, allowing all Union Soldiers a pension at age 62 regardless of any notable disability. Note that Confederate Soldiers were not authorized a federal pension, but would have instead filed for a pension within the state they lived in. These pensions were often only for indigent or disabled Soldiers.

Sources:
Glasson, William Henry. History of military pension legislation in the United States, Columbia University, 1900, pg. 114
Confederate Pension Records, The National Archives, December 12, 2007

Civil War Pension File...Is it worth it? - Military Monday

Last week I received the full military pension file (NATF 85D) for Joseph M. Creed that I first mentioned here. The file came in less then a month. I received two CDs with PDF files and amazingly, there were still additional documents so I had to send another $16 to the NARA for the last of the copies. All told the file cost me $91. Was it worth it?

The long and the short is no, with a caveat. I must first point out that I have completed quite a bit of research on this particular ancestor over the years. I have been to the county where he lived the last half of his life, I have visited his grave. I have spoken to the local historian there, I have ordered land documents, I have every file available on Fold3 for Joseph Creed. I have even located photos through a distant cousin. So what was I hoping to learn from a pension file? I suppose I was hoping to learn a little more about his service. I know the units he was assigned to, but I was hoping that I would glean just a little more about his actual experience.

Alas, that was not to be. In fact, I must admit that I learned very little that I didn't already know. I now know that he had the measles during the war which he claimed caused the health problems he faced at the end of his life. I now know his brother-in-law's wife's maiden name. Obscure, but nice to know anyway.

So, is a full pension file the right option for you? It depends. Don't get me wrong, I'm always glad to add another piece of evidence to my pile so I'm happy I ordered the pension file. But I don't know that I would do it again, at least not for an ancestor I had few brick walls on. In my case, the pension file served to round out my information on this individual and add another source to my list. However, if you have a civil war ancestor that you know very little about the pension file is worth your money. The NARA does offer a Pension Documents Packet for $25 which provides the most genealogical rich documents of a Pension Application file. This is a more cost-efficient option, but would leave out quite a bit of the "meat" that may be found interesting. Here are just some of the genealogical items contained in the file (Note: File contents will vary).

• Soldier's birth date and location
• Soldier's physical description
• Wife's maiden name
• Affidavits indicating marriage date, place and names of individuals present
• Affidavits of service-related injuries (in my case this included statements from the neighbors that noticed his frostbite!)
• A full list of children with names and birth dates
• Physical description
• Military unit and time served
• Places lived since military service

A list of Joseph M. Creed's children and their birth dates.

Overall the full pension file is full of fascinating information and is a must have for someone very interested in their ancestor's military history. If you are just looking for names and dates I recommend the Pensions Document Packet (NATF 85B).

Military Monday - A military connection comes full circle

My family has deep military roots and many connections to the state of Virginia. In fact, I have found a connection that came full circle at the marriage of my great grandparents.

My great-grandparents, Hazel McGuire and Clifton White were married January 16, 1932. Both of their families came to western Missouri from Virginia. Hazel's line came through Kentucky and Clifton's came straight from Virginia. Both lines were from the western portion of Virginia, mainly Roanoke, Augusta and Botetourt counties.

Alexander and William McClanahan were brothers. William was born in Augusta County, Virginia. I do not know much about his older brother Alexander other than his military service. He fought in the Indian Wars, the Battle of Point Pleasant and was awarded his own regiment during the Revolutionary War: 7th Regiment, Virginia Volunteers. He reached the rank of Colonel.

James McGuire was a private in Col. Alexander McClanahan's regiment. Assigned to Co. D, 7th Regiment, Virginia Volunteers upon his enlistment on March 6, 1776.

Pvt. McGuire and Col. McClanahan shared the same military experiences then 156 years later their descendants would marry. It truly is a small world.

Military Monday - Ordering Civil War Pension files through NARA eServices

I finally broke down and spent $75. On a pension file. Am I crazy?

I recently read on several other genealogy blogs that fellow researchers had ordered the Civil War pension files for their ancestors. I have many ancestors that fought in the Civil War but once I saw the steep price tag for complete pension files ($75 for the search at the NARA and up to 100 copies) I was leery. Was it really worth my money? What would I learn that I didn't already know? And most importantly, if I couldn't justify ordering a pension file for every ancestor, how would I narrow it down?

I have read that pension files are very rich with family information. It makes sense, because they were used to prove service and family relationships in order to delve out money. And we know the government is thorough when investigating how it will spend its money. The government paid pensions for the following reasons:

1. The former soldier became disabled and was unable to support himself, or he became an invalid because of wounds or illness which occurred while he was in the Service.
2. The soldier was a volunteer whose State unit saw Federal Service.
3. A widow’s pension was awarded to a woman and children whose husband and father served in the war.

There are two types of pension file reproductions that you can order. The first, the Pension Documents Packet (NATF 85B), costs $25 and includes eight documents with the most genealogical rich information. The second option is the Federal Military Pension Application - Civil War and Later Complete File (NATF 85D), which includes all documentation in the pension file. The pension file could include marriage certificates, death certificates and discharge information, among other things.

Some of my ancestors inadvertently helped me to narrow down which pension files I would have to order by being Confederate soldiers. Those pension application files are kept at a state level which would require a request to each of the different state archives, a project for down the road. Other ancestors were Union soldiers, but did not see federal service. I am now narrowed down to the following ancestors:

Joseph M. Creed
Philip Kuhn

Both were Union Soldiers in my direct line and I have located pension index files for them. If I have to choose which to order I choose to not choose. That is a choice, right? But I will save ordering Philip Kuhn's file for later. I have already discovered Civil War letters written by Philip and I am very familiar with his service record. Joseph Creed is more of a mystery. He was a member of the Cass County Home Guards (Missouri) and the 9th Regiment, Kansas Calvary. I have no idea why his service crossed the state line and what happened that led him to see federal service. So the winner is Joseph M. Creed for $75. I hope it is well worth it!

So off I went to the NARA to place my order. I have found the easiest way to order reprodcutions from the National Archives is through their eServices site.

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Set up a user ID and password on the right-hand side of the screen. Once you have logged in click on the Order Reproductions button in the center of the screen or the tab at the top of the page. 

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Note the red circle. These are quick links to Military Service and Pension Records. Following this link brings you to a screen listing all of the military service and pension records available for order. I have circled the two Civil War files mentioned above:

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After choosing the type of file you would like to order, the site asks for all the pertinent information to conduct the search to include the veteran's name, unit, pension file application number (if known) and other information. The rest of the steps to order the file are similiar to ordering anything online. I have ordered many items through this site and my favorite part is the order history found in the My Account section. You are able to track all of your past orders and see where current orders are in the process. Note my most recent purchase is already being serviced!

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Note that there is no charge if the NARA is unable to locate your requested records, but their search can only be as good as the information you provide. I hope this tutorial drives others to order their ancestor's pension files. I hope that it is worth it for all of us!

For more information on Civil War Pension files at the NARA see here.

Tuesday's Tip - Sons of the American Revolution Membership applications

If you are a member of Ancestry.com, or a frequent visitor, you have no doubt noticed that over the July 4th weekend, Ancestry.com offered free searches of a new database: Sons of the American Revolution Membership applications. The database contains applications for individuals interested in joining the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, a lineage society for men with Revolutionary War ancestors.

My family lines have been in the United States for quite a while so there are several Revolutionary War ancestors in my past. But I have spent more time researching nearer ancestors, so have not done very much research of the 1700s or the Revolutionary War. A free database search was just the thing to jump start my 18th century research. I did a search for known Revolutionary War ancestors and found several applications for them. The applications vary in depth of information and sources. One application, for Nathanial Fifield, listed a local history book as it's source. Hardly the standards of proof that the SAR requires today, but still a lead I was not aware of. It's redeeming quality was another source for the New Hampshire State papers, with volume and page number. Having never conducted research for New Hampshire, this was a new source to me. (Now available online at the New Hampshire State Archives website.)

SAR application sources for Revolutionary War veteran Nathaniel Fifield.

With such success I decided to search for surnames of individuals that were of the appropriate age to have fought in the war; ancestors whose war service I had yet to discover. Low and behold, several of them were listed in an application. Granted, I will have to do follow up research, but the applications have given me research leads I did not have before.

The icing on the cake? I found an application for a distant uncle...looks like I am not the only one excited by SAR records! Now is a great time to try this database and see what research leads, or unknown veterans, you may have in your family.

Registering for the WWI draft - Military Monday

Over the weekend I received an email from a cousin asking if I had done any research on Elmer Dudgeon, a distant uncle. I checked my family tree, but I as my research has to date been mostly centered on direct-line ancestors I did not have any information on Elmer. So I began to dig. I found him on the 1900, 1910 and 1920 censuses. I found him on the Social Security Death Index. I even found him on findagrave.com (thanks to my cousin). But that is where the joy ended.

I looked for Elmer in the WWI draft registration database on Ancestry.com, but he wasn't there. I knew Elmer to have been born around 1900 which would require him to register. This led me to do some research to better understand who was required to register for the draft in 1917.

The United States declared war on Germany April 6, 1917, officially entering World War I. Weeks later on May 18, 1917 Congress passed the Selective Service Act which mandated that all men of a certain age group register for the draft, the first conscription since the Civil War. There were three registration dates over a 15-month period resulting in the registration of 24, 234, 021 men, 12% of which were actually inducted in to military service. The first registration on June 5, 1917 covered men ages 21-31. One year later the second registration included men that had turned 21 in the past year, with a similar supplemental registration added on August 24, 1918 (this was considered part of the second registration). The third and final registration was held September 12, 1918 and extended the age limit to men ages 18-45.

Draft boards were set up across the country and on the given day of the registration, every eligible male, in theory, stood in line at their local draft board to register. Each of the three registrations utilized different forms with the questions varying in number from 10 to 20. 

Card from the first registration held June 5, 1917

 

Card from the third registration held September 12, 1918

When looking for your eligible male ancestor in the draft registration cards, it is important to note that there were county draft registration boards, but also boards for large cities. For instance, Pulaski County, Arkansas had two draft boards. One for the county at large and one in the city of Little Rock. The cards for these boards were alphabetized under "P" and "L", respectively. Also, some men traveled to the board closest to them, which was not always the board in the county they lived in, and requested the results to be forwarded to their county board. This can sometimes mean they even registered in another state.

What about Elmer? His listing in the SSDI and his headstone list his date of birth as 1900. On the 1900 census he is listed as 5-months-old, having been born December 1899. Technically, Elmer Dudgeon's birth date fell within the requirements for him to participate in the third and final registration. Is it possible that he fudged his birth date by one year in order to miss the draft? If so, he carried that change of date throughout his life. I will never know why Elmer did not register for the draft, but at least his exception led me to the rules.

Sources:

St. Louis County Library WWI Draft registration cards "Quick Tips."

National Archives, World War I Draft Registration

Bounty Land Records - Military Monday

David and Mary Reed were my fourth great grandparents. I have written here and here about my search for more information on David's service in the War of 1812. I have received David's pension file, or rather, his wife's widow pension and from those documents I learned that David and Mary had received land from the government due to his service in the military, known as bounty-land warrants. Bounty-land warrants were tracts of land issued by the government to entice volunteers to enlist in the military as well as to reward those that did serve. Mary filed for her widow's land in April 1858 under bounty land warrant act March 3, 1855.

Recently I received a copy of Mary's bounty-land file, which I requested through the National Archives (using Form 85C). Similar to the widow's pension file, this packet of documents is a wealth of information. It included the following documents:

- "Form of Declaration: To be made by the widow of a deceased person who has had a land warrant, and desires another." Long name for a great form. It includes the couple's marriage date and location, her MAIDEN name (score!), death date for David and her signature.

- A declaration from Mary's mother, Elizabeth Bryan, and her sister, Esther Morris, attesting to her marriage to David Bryan.

- A copy of a sworn statement by David Reed that outlines his military service to include when and where he enlisted and what companies he served in.

I was not originally going to order these documents, I mean, how much money do I need to give the National Archives anyway...seems like I am constantly ordering things from them. But Mary's widow pension file referenced her bounty-land warrant many times as providing proof of her marriage so I had to order it. The bounty-land warrant documents have now provided me proof of her marriage to David in December 1820, her maiden name and her mother and sister's names. I had found family trees online that listed Mary's maiden name as Bryan and now I have documentation for that. The cost of the copies was $25. Money well spent.

Value of military records - Military Monday

A few days ago I was browsing through some genealogy blogs and came across a comment that I found interesting. I can't remember now where I read it, as I follow quite a few blogs, but the comment really stuck in my mind. A researcher had noted that they did not research military files; they were not a big fan of today's military. I can't say whether they were just inexperienced in researching military records or chose not to utilize them based on their feelings toward today's military. I am a big fan of today's military, it's service members and all the veterans that have come before us, but that is not really what made the comment stick in my mind. I kept returning to my disbelief that this researcher was missing the wealth of information that comes with military records.

Being in the military myself, I can perfectly understand the long standing military tradition of paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. If it is not in writing it cannot possibly be true. I have written a plethora of genealogy narratives just by filling out standard military forms. And this is not a new process. The military has always been adept at tracking genealogical details. Most often it is so there is a record of next of kin. As gruesome as that thought is, it leaves a veritable gold mine for descendants.

Case in point #1: Last week I received a copy of the bounty land warrant for the widow of David Reed, Mary Reed. I had found many websites that had given her maiden name as Bryan, but I had no source documentation for that information. I was able to determine that she had applied for a widow's land warrant as her husband was a veteran of the War of 1812. As I flipped through the packet I came across sworn affidavits attesting to Mary's marriage to David written by her mother, Elizabeth Bryan, and sister, Esther Morris. On one page I learned her maiden name, the county and date of her marriage, her mother's name and a sibling with married name. In one fell swoop I had obtained the source documentation I needed and I knew it to be fact as it was legally attested to (of course someone could have fibbed, but in this case I doubt it). There are not many records that provide this kind of information on women and I was very pleased with my find.

Case in point #2: I wrote here about finding the casualty file for a distant cousin, James S. Trabue. I had been able to find some information on his family through census records, but after his death I was not aware of what happened to his family. A document in his casualty file lists his wife and son, parents and siblings and each of their addresses at the time. The purpose of the document was to provide contact information for the disposition of his remains. A list of six to eight family members with their addresses? Seriously, that is genealogical money.

It is not for me to discuss political or military stances or views. A major purpose of our military is to help provide opportunities for individuals to carry and express their own views. But to overlook a type of document because of a political stance seems to be a missed opportunity. I appreciate values, but I would highly suggest doing research on the ultimate value of military records before dismissing them.

Tuesday's Tip - Ancestor Military service chart

I have many military veterans in my family. In order to keep them straight, and to have a "quick view" of which ancestor participated in what conflict and battles, I created a chart to track their military service.

The columns include Soldier name, relation, conflict, branch of service, unit, rank, enlistment date, separation date, known battles, references and a column for notes. I currently have the individuals arranged by family group, but they could just as easily be arranged by conflict. I have referenced this document often when I come across a new source or database that may contain information for more than one ancestor. It is so much easier to glance at this spreadsheet than to flip through my computer or binders...or worse yet my memory.

World War I Burial Case Files - Military Monday

I wrote here about a very distant cousin named James S. Trabue and my discovery that he had been killed in action on the last day of World War I. The only information I had about SGT Trabue was that he was from Pleasant Hill, Missouri, married Estella George in 1911 and was killed in action in 1918. After my request of his military service file came up empty handed I had to get creative.

I first contacted the Pleasant Hill Missouri Historical Society to see if they had a Trabue family file or any information on the WWI casualties from their town. I received a quick email response to my query and soon thereafter a packet of copies from their files.

The file included the above photo and several newspaper stories regarding SGT Trabue. From the newspaper articles, it appeared that he did indeed die on the last day of the war. It is also obvious that the family was not aware of the specifics of his death. James Trabue was killed on November 11 and his wife received notification of his death on December 3. The Pleasant Hill Times reported that "his fine, soldierly appearance was the subject of frequent admiring comment," and "the fact that he made the great sacrifice at practically the last moment of the war, escaping all the manifold dangers of previous rigorous campaigns up to that time, adds a touch of deeper regret to the tragic story of Sergt. Trabue."

The newspaper articles also hinted that SGT Trabue died from a shell blast, but there was nothing to substantiate it. I am not a morbid person, but it was not enough for me to know only that he died on the last day of the war. I wanted to know what caused his death at the very last moment of the war.

In my quest to find more information I came across a largely unknown set of records held by the National Archives: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General (Record Group 92). In the Army, the Quartermaster branch is responsible for mortuary affairs. This little known record group of Quartermaster files includes burial case files from 1915-1939, from both Soldiers killed overseas to domestic deaths. And most World War I casualties are included. The files record the disposition of remains of Soldiers. To request a copy of the file I sent a letter to:

Archives II Reference Section (Military)
Textual Archives Services Division ( NWCT2R[M])
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

I included everything I knew about James Trabue to include death date, service number, unit and his next of kin. I received a quick response from the National Archives stating that they did indeed have his file. I ordered a copy of the file on CD for $25. The cost of the order varies based on the number of pages in the file.

I received the file yesterday. It included 33 pages discussing the death and movement of the remains of SGT Trabue. His wife, Estella Trabue, chose to have his body returned to the United States for burial in Missouri, so the bulk of the documents in the file pertain to the details of that logistical move. And I do mean details. Every memo, telegram and form for SGT Trabue's movement from France to Missouri is noted. His body was originally buried in Letanne, Ardennes, France and traveled back to the United States through the port of Calais, arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey and then traveling by train to Louisville, Kentucky and finally to Pleasant Hill, Missouri. He was finally buried for the last time in April 1921. One document of particular genealogical interest is a form Estella Trabue had to complete that included the Soldier's next of kin and whether they were living or deceased and their addresses. The burial case file would also include information on whether the Soldier's mother or widow participated in the Gold Star Mothers pilgrimage program. This program offered mothers and widows of Soldiers killed during WWI a paid trip to Europe to visit the graves of their sons or husbands.

And how did James S. Trabue die? The last page of the packet includes the only information about his death. SGT Trabue died alone from shrapnel wounds in a shell blast hole.

Military Monday - Genealogy meat in War of 1812 Pension file

Peace by John Rubens Smith.
John Rubens Smith Collection,
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

As I mentioned in this post, I recently requested a search of War of 1812 pension records in the National Archives for my ancestor, David Reed. Only twelve days after I placed my request through the National Archives eServices, I received copies of the file. This particular file is filled with information about David's widow, Mary Bryan Reed, and very little information about the Soldier himself. There were two governmental acts that directly affected veterans of the war of 1812 and their pensions: the acts of 1871 and 1878. The 1871 Act authorized pensions to Soldiers that served in the war for at least 60 days, or to their spouses if they were married prior to the ending of the war in 1815. The Act of March 9, 1878, revised the pension laws to allow Soldiers that served for 14 days of the war and widows of said Soldiers to be authorized a pension. This explains why my ancestor, Mary Reed, applied for widow's pension in August 1878. She would not have been eligible prior to the 1878 act as David and she were married in 1820, after the ending of the war. The following is a list of what was included in the packet:

- War of 1812 Claim of Widow for Service Pension document. This document is the initial paperwork that Mary Reed filled out to claim her widow's pension. It includes a wealth of genealogical information to include David Reed's unit, where he enlisted, a physical description of David, where they had lived since his discharge from the military, their marriage date and Mary's maiden name.

- Several memorandums to establish that Mary was indeed legally married to David Reed. In the case of the Reeds, they were married in Montgomery County, Missouri in 1820. Unfortunately, the courthouse and all records were lost in a fire in 1864. To establish their marriage the examiner referenced their earlier bounty land warrant application.

- Sworn affidavits from Mary and other witnesses proving her marriage and David Reed's death. The affidavit describing David's death is a sworn statement by Elijah Happy, Mary's son-in-law. It states that he was present at the death of David Reed and that David died of pneumonia.

- The Service Pension, War of 1812 Widow's Brief. This document is a summary of the pension eligibility investigation and is also a wealth of genealogical information. It provides the details of the investigation to include evidence of the Soldier's service, length of service and proof of identity. The Summary of Proof portion of the document includes marriage information and specifics about the death of the Soldier. It is also the official proof that Mary was eligible and awarded the Widow's Pension.

- A memo stating that Mary Reed was dropped from the pension rolls due to her death. It does not actually give the death date, but states the last day she received her pension payment.

Mary was paid $8 a month until her death some time after May 1882. I would describe information from this particular pension file as quality rather than quantity. The important thing is that I now have proof of several facts on this line that I did not previously have. I know very little about David Reed and Mary Bryan Reed other than what I now have from the pension file. I have found some research that indicates Mary was related to the Bryan family that pioneered Kentucky and were intermarried with the Boone family, of Daniel Boone fame. While I have no proof of Mary's connection with this family, I did learn from the pension file that she was from Clark County, Kentucky. Another line of research to follow.

As mentioned above, the marriage between Mary and David could not be proved by marriage certificate as the record was lost in a courthouse fire. The examiner of Mary's pension file instead referenced the widow's bounty land warrant received in the 1850s. It states that her mother and sister provided testimony proving Mary's marriage. If this is so, the bounty land warrant application could prove Mary's parentage and provide further information for me to research. The file also states that David Reed himself applied for and received 40 acres of land from a Bounty Land Warrant on May 10, 1851. The settlement number was provided for both land warrants so ordering copies from the National Archives is easy, using their eServices ordering service and NATF Form 85, Military Pension/Bounty Land Warrant Applications.

For more information on genealogical records of the War of 1812, check out:
Genealogical Records of the War of 1812, by Stuart L. Butler. Prologue, Winter 1991, Vol. 23, No. 4.

National Archives Military Resources for the War of 1812, a list of some helpful War of 1812 resources by the National Archives.

Military Monday - War of 1812 records

One thing I love about blogging is that it helps me to find loose ends in my family tree. In my efforts to find topics to blog about, I have found all kinds of loose ends that I am now tracking down. Last week I was looking at my family tree and noticed David Reed. David is my fourth great-grandfather on my mother's paternal side. I don't know much about David except that he was born in Virginia around 1793, that he married Mary Bryan and that in 1850 he was living in Carroll County, Missouri. David must have died somewhere between 1850 and 1860 as he is no longer listed on the census with his wife in 1860.

By 1860, Mary Bryan Reed was living in Ray County, Missouri, so my first step in researching David was to check out the great USGenWeb site for Ray County. I have found boundless information on this site. Under their database of surnames link I found three listings for David Reed. He was mentioned in two of the historical histories of the county: twice in the History of Ray County, MO, 1881, and once in Portrait and Biographical Record of Clay, Ray, Carroll, Chariton, and Linn counties, Missouri. In the History of Ray County, 1881, there is a paragraph under the heading of widows of Soldiers of the War of 1812 that mentions Mary Bryan Reed. It states that David Reed was a Soldier during the War of 1812 and that he enlisted in Berkeley County, Virginia in 1814 and discharged in 1815.

David Reed is the first ancestor I have found from the War of 1812. After finding this information I did a search for records of the War of 1812. Ancestry.com had a database of information, but because he has such a common name, I was not able to narrow any of the finds down to be my ancestor. I was led once again to the National Archives. They have several resources about the war at their Military Resources: War of 1812 link. I headed to their eServices site, which has become my favorite resource. I placed an order for David Reed's Federal Military Pension Application - Pre-Civil War Complete File (NATF 85A). The fee for the search and documents is $50, which is a bit steep, but it will not be charged if they can not find any documents on David Reed.


A view of the bombardment of Fort McHenry, near Baltimore, by the British fleet,
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

 The War of 1812 has been called the second war of American Independence. France and Great Britain were at war off and on again from 1793 on and in 1812 America was finding itself in the middle of the feud. James Madison signed the declaration of war against Great Britain on June 18, 1812. The war was fought both on land and sea. The British attacked Washington D.C. on August 24, 1814 and burned both the Capitol building, which then held the Library of Congress, and the White House, forcing President James Madison to flee the city. A peace treaty was signed December 24, 1814. Francis Scott Key penned the poem that later became the Star Spangled Banner while watching the bombing of Fort McHenry by British troops in September 1814.

Military Monday: Killed in Action November 11, 1918

As I have mentioned, I am fascinated by my military ancestors. I enjoy tracking their service and have found ancestors that have participated in every major U.S. conflict. Except for World War I, that is. I have always been fascinated by that conflict, one that I felt was glossed over in the classroom. I never knew much about World War I, outside of my basic school-room knowledge, until I was able to visit the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. The museum was designated by Congress as the nation's official World War I museum and re-opened in 2006 after having been totally redesigned. That visit inspired me to learn more about the war and I have since read books, novels, websites and more to understand the conflict better.

As a part of that desire, I hoped to find a relative that participated in World War I. No ancestors from my direct line participated in the War. I did find an ancestor on my husband's side that was enlisted during that time: Frank Herman Roelker. Frank did go overseas, but did not get to the conflict until after November 1918.

So the next option was to look into distant relatives. I finally found one on my father's side: James Smith Trabue. James was a very distant cousin by marriage and I stumbled across his WWI service quite by accident. I had received information on my Burnett family line written by Estella George Trabue. Estella had long since passed, but I was interested in knowing more about this family historian, a kindred spirit. Estella married James Smith Trabue in 1911. As I do with all ancestors, I went to Findagrave.com to see if I could locate their death information. I found SGT James Smith Trabue's headstone, which indicated that he had served in Company H, 356th Regiment, 89th Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Forces. The dates on James' headstone were 1890 to 1918. Did James die in combat?

James was buried in Missouri, so I decided to visit the Missouri State Archive's Digital History website and search their military records. What I found was astounding to me: James enlisted in September 1917 and served overseas from 4 June 1918 until 11 November 1918...the day he was killed in action. My relative, however distant, was killed on the final day of the conflict. I was now on a conquest to find out more about James Trabue. My next step was to visit the National Archives website and place a request for his service record. Because I was not a direct descendant from James I had to fill out Standard Form 180 to request his file. I made a copy of the document and then mailed it on 10 March 2010.

I had to wait a very long time for a response, and when it finally came on 18 October 2010 it was not good news. "Dear Sir or Madam: The record needed to answer your inquiry is not in our files. If the record were here on July 12, 1973, it would have been in the area that suffered the most damage in the fire on that date and may have been destroyed." The letter goes on to suggest that there may be a "casualty file" maintained by the Department of the Army and they gave contact information for the U.S. Army Human Resources Command. I sent the specific department mentioned an email, but never received a response.

But I have not given up. I will continue to look for information on James Trabue. I can't possibly quit looking for the story of James because not only am I kindred spirit of his genealogist wife, but I am also a military sister: I served with the 89th Infantry Division's descendant, the 89th Regional Readiness Command, as my first unit in my military career.

Military Monday: Exploits in Military Records, part II

My Kuhn line is filled with men who served their country. Our military legacy stretches back to the Revolutionary War, which means a large portion of my research time is devoted to military history and research. One ancestor that I have always been curious about is Warren Edward Kuhn. I knew from a very young age that Warren died in WWII and that my father was named after him. We didn't know very much about his service, other than that he served in the European theater and was buried in Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium. My father has often told me the story about his visit to that cemetery during his military tour in Germany in the 1960s; it gave him a very strange feeling to see his own name on a headstone.

Years later I was able to make my own visit to Henri-Chapelle to pay my respects on Veteran's Day. The cemetery is located in Belgium, just north of the village of Henri-Chapelle and only seven miles from the German border. In order to find the location of the headstone we stopped to visit with the cemetery administrator. He was very kind and when he found out we were looking for a relative's grave he took us to his office and prepared a packet of documents for us which included a printout of information from the American Battle Monuments Commission website and an official Presidential certificate honoring my uncle's service. He also escorted my husband and I to the grave and gave us a flag to honor him. I was floored and had not expected such a welcome or the level of respect for my fallen ancestor.

I walked away from the experience realizing that I did not know anything about my uncle. I resolved to dig deeper and learn more about both him and his service. In a quick search on Ancestry.com I located the WWI, WWII, and Korean War Casualty Listings archive and found a listing on my uncle, which included his service number. As I did with my grandfather, I wrote to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) and requested a copy of his official military record file or OMPF. I could not use the eVetRecs service of the National Archives because I am not a direct descendant, but instead filled out the Standard Form 180. I sent my request on  4 September 2009. On 11 January 2010 I received a response. In the cover letter the archivist mentioned that the record I requested was in the portion of the NPRC that received the most damage during the fire there in 1973, but that they did have a few documents that were saved and for $60 I could get copies of them. That was a pretty steep price to pay, but I just couldn't say no.

In March 2010 I received the documents in a packet 1/2" thick. It included all the paperwork from Warren's induction into the military. It also contained documents from March 1945 when he was killed in action. It included the place in Germany where he was injured and the injuries he sustained. I am not a morbid person, but for some reason it was very important to me to understand what he had gone through and where he had died. I received the information after I moved from Germany, but when I return I plan to visit the city where he was killed.

My results for the request of his OMPF are not typical. Very few World War II Army personnel records we saved from the 1973 fire. That being said, there are still other options when researching Army veterans killed in action during WWII. Ancestry.com has many resources for military casualty listings which include not only service numbers but assigned units. Although it is a fee-based website many libraries offer the site for free. If you have the assigned unit you can trace the unit's movement, as well as that of their higher headquarters, and find a better idea of where your ancestor was when they were killed. I knew that Warren was assigned to the 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion and in a quick Google search of that unit I found many links that gave me an idea of what the unit did during the war. By narrowing the search to Google Books I found books that discussed the history of the unit that I could view and download in some instances. I also visited WorldCat.org, a website that compiles the holdings of libraries from across the country, and found many other books that I could request through interlibrary loan. Many Army divisions also have associations where past members gather and maintain the history of the division. You are especially lucky if your ancestor's unit still exists, as you can find information on their heritage by contacting the Army historian for the unit or its higher headquarters.

For a better understanding of what your military ancestor experienced you can visit The National World War II Museum in New Orleans or visit the website for the U.S. Army Center of Military History which has a myriad of publications and links.

I am especially proud of my uncle and his sacrifice. The search for his service history has been fascinating and only makes me the more proud.

Military Monday: Exploits in Military Records, Part I

Leroy C. Kuhn

My family has a long history of serving in the military. Being a military member myself and a military spouse I feel a close connection with my military ancestors. That connection has led me to some fascinating forays into the quest for military genealogy records. Over the past two years I have focused on locating military records for many of my ancestors. Footnote.com has a terrific collection of Revolutionary war and civil war records, which I have found several pertinent records in. For more recent wars I have contacted the National Archives.

My first exploit in military records was attempting to find the records of my grandfather, Leroy C. Kuhn. I never had the opportunity to meet him, but I knew he had served in the military because he was buried in Leavenworth National Cemetery and was an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In a search on Ancestry.com I found his enlistment record in the U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 collection. It stated that he enlisted as a private in the Army's medical department on 25 July 1940 in Leavenworth, Kansas and would serve in the Philippine department.

In order to get a copy of my grandfather's service record, I utilized the eVetRecs System of The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The NARA is essentially the United States' record keeper. The organization maintains historical records in an effort to chronicle our country's heritage through documents. You can order copies of military records they maintain through several methods, but the two easiest options are the eVetRecs System and the postal service. The eVetRecs System is an online military records request system. You may use this option if you are requesting your own records or if you are the next of kin for a deceased military veteran. If you are not a veteran or direct descendant you must fill out Standard Form 180 and mail it to the appropriate address listed on the form (there are several military records custodians based on branch of service). The NARA's updated website has a link directly from the home page to Veterans' records. The homepage for Veterans' Service Records makes it easy to to find the particular page you need:

For my grandfather's records I had my father put in the request. The eVetsRecs System is very easy to use, simply launch the program and it walks you through the steps to order the specific records you need. It is helpful to have the following information on your veteran: Full name, branch of service (Army, Navy, Marines, etc.), Service Unit (whether the veteran was active component or reserve), Social Security number, Date of Birth, Place of birth, Service Number, whether the veteran was an officer or enlisted and the approximate date that the veteran left the Service. Much of this can be found on an enlistment record, but don't worry if you don't have all the information, the NARA will conduct the search on what you have.

The eVetsRecs System provides a signature verification form which the next of kin must sign and then mail to the address listed on the form. Keep of copy of this document so you will have a record of your request. We actually made two requests: one for my grandfather's active-duty Army service and one for his Naval Reserve service. Both requests were made on 23 June 2009. We received a response for our Reserve component request on 14 July 2009. The packet included a copy of his navel reserve enlistment contract and his naval reserve service record.
I received the copy of my grandfather's active-duty Army records 1 November 2009, about four months after I made the request. The packet included his report of separation, a copy of his discharge papers and a statement of his service. His service file was not very robust, but did have important information in it that I did not already have such as the names of the units he was assigned to. This information will help me to track down the type of war action my grandfather saw, if any.

The most difficult part in requesting military records is the wait, but that is something genealogists must, by necessity, be good at. Take the opportunity to make the request and you may find a wealth of information on your military ancestor.