PA Civil War Volunteer Soldiers

How to Locate your Civil War Ancestor

Did your ancestor serve in the Civil War?

• Civil War Pension Index

  Use the Pension Index to order original pension application records from NARA. Civil War pension records have an incredible amount of genealogy info. They typically have birth dates, addresses of next of kin, medical information, proof of marriage, proof of children's births, a summary of military service, and death certificates. Expedite your NARA request for pension files by using the Civil War Pension Index.
  
  
  • Civil War Pension Index - Footnote.com Images of Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900. T289. Taken from 765 microfilm rolls and often includes death date and place.
  • Pension Index - Ancestry.com Images of General Index Cards to the Military Pension Files of 1861-1934. From the NARA General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. T288. 544 microfilm rolls.
  • Pension Help - Article describes how to use Pension Index to get more information about your ancestor.
  • Confederate Pensions - held at state repositories.
  
  
  
  

• Civil War Pensioners of 1883

  • Civil War Pensioners of 1883 - Partially completed transcription of PA veterans and widows receiving pensions
  • List of Pensioners on the Roll, 1883 may be available at some libraries
  
  
  
  

• County History Books

  These books often have biographical sketches of Civil War soldiers. In addition they typically have chapters covering the Civil War in that county which lists the soldiers by regiment.
  
  
  • Transcribed Bios of PA soldiers.
  • Ancestry.com Family Histories (over 20,000 books and growing).





• Federal Census

  Two US Census years may show if your ancestor was a Civil War veteran:
  
  
  
  • Special Veterans' 1890 Census lists the veteran's name or widow's name, rank, year of enlistment, and year of discharge. Available at
    
    
    • Ancestry.com 1890 census
    • US GenWeb Census Project or 2nd US GenWeb Census Project Small portions of census have been transribed.
    • Family History Centers View microfilm offline for a fee.
    • Local libraries - Some libraries have local census on microfilm.
    
    
    
  • 1910 Census lists if a veteran and a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy. Available at:
    
    
    • Ancestry.com 1910 census
    • US GenWeb Census Project or 2nd US GenWeb Census Project Small portions of census have been transribed.
    • Family History Centers View microfilm offline for a fee.
    • Local libraries - Some have local census on microfilm.
  
  
  
  

• Historical Newspapers

  Newpapers of your ancestor's locality during the war typically included articles about the local men and their units. These articles may list battles, draft lists, soldiers returning home, lists of killed, injured, and POWs.
  
  
  • PA Newspaper Transcriptions of the Civil War era.
  • Ancestry.com historical newspaper images.
  • Civil War era newspapers on microfilm may be available at the local library, local historical society or on microfilm at the LDS Mormon library.
  
  
  
  

• Online Civil War Databases

  • PA Civil War Rosters
  • Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
  • Carlisle Military History Institute
  • PA Veteran's Card File
  
  
  
  

• Obituary

  Very often, the veteran's service record is listed in an obituary.
  • Ancestry.com Historic Newspapers Civil War era newspaper images.
  • Write or call the local library where your ancestor died as they may do an obituary look-up if you know approximate death date.





• Tombstone

  Many times a veteran's regiment is written on his tombstone. While not all-inclusve, some tombstone transcriptions may be found at:
  
  • Burials of Pa Civil War soldiers
  • RootsWeb Tombstones
  • Civil War Gravesites Forum
  • PA FindaGrave, PA Interment.net
  • Nationwide Gravesite Locator by the Department of Veteran Affairs

Send away to the National Archives (NARA) for Military and Pension records:

National Archives

• Three Ways to Order Civil War Records

  • Phone Number: (202) 501-5652
  • Order Form .
  Give your name and mailing address, the form number and the number of forms you need (limit five per order).
  • Order online

• Which Civil War Records to Order

  • Service records.

    Most of the information about a soldier are in his Service records. According to the National Archives and Records Administration, such records document enlistment/appointment, duty stations and assignments, training, qualifications, performance, awards and medals, disciplinary actions, insurance, emergency data, administrative remarks, separation, discharge, retirement, and other personnel actions.
    
    The useful genealogical data you might learn from service records could include the individual's full name, rank, age, physical description, marital status, occupation, city of birth, and place of residence at enlistment. Ask NARA for use NATF Form 86
  
  
  

  • Pension records.

    Pension records represent the greatest reward for genealogy research, especially if your military ancestor served prior to the twentieth century. To get a pension, the veteran had to go through a lengthy application process. The federal government kept a pension file on every applicant.
    
    Pension files contain all the paperwork associated with the application, including any supporting documentation. From these files you might learn some or all of the following: the applicant's name, spouse's name, rank, military unit, length of enlistment, and residence at time of application. There may also be children's names, names of deceased wives, physical description, medical records and marriage license.
    
    When a widow applied for a pension in the name of her husband, she was required to submit evidence to prove her marriage; this often included the names of any children living with her at the time.
    
    Pension records were carefully compiled when a veteran applied for benefits on grounds of injury, illness, or disability (later, veterans could also receive benefits based on age) or when the mothers, fathers, widows, and minor children of veterans similarly applied for benefits. Pension records typically include the application forms, proof of marriage, proof of children's births, a summary of military service, and usually death certificates. Ask NARA for NATF Form 85