Military records identify individuals who served in the armed forces or who were eligible to serve. Evidence that an ancestor served in the military may be found in family records, biographies, census returns, probate records, civil registration or vital records, obituaries, records of veterans’ organizations, and church or synagogue records.

In some countries military service or military registration was mandatory. Russia and Austria used the military as a way to assimilate Jews. Most people served for only a short period of time while others made it their lifetime career. Officers usually came from the upper classes while soldiers usually came from the general population. Jews were able to serve as military officers in many countries.

All military organizations (army, navy, coast guard, marines, militia, fencibles, yeomanry, and territorial armies) kept records. These records contain details about a person’s military service including conduct, duty assignments, military schooling, pay, pension, and promotions. They also include genealogical information such as age or birth date, birthplace, occupation and residence prior to joining, physical description, and sometimes information about other family members. Military conscription rolls in countries such as Denmark and Germany listed all males from the time of their birth until they reached the age of service (about 18–21) or were too old to be eligible for military service (about 34–40).

To use military records, you must first find out the country, province, or state your ancestor lived in at the time he or she may have served in the military. Then learn what branches of the armed forces were found in these localities. Finally, determine what records were generated by the military, when they begin, and where these records are located.

The U.S. Military Records Research Outline (34118) provides extensive information about federal and other military records and search strategies. If there is a research outline for the country or state where your ancestor lived, see the “Military Records” section of the outline.

The library has extensive military records for countries such as Austria and the United States but little for others. Look in the Locality Search (by country, state, county, and city where your ancestor lived) of the Family History Library Catalog under the topic Military Records.

Information on people who served in the military may also be found on the Internet. For example, there is a searchable database of Jewish veterans of the American Civil War taken from an 1895 Jewish directory. To find this database go to:

http://www.jewishgen.org/