Many military records for North Carolina are at the National Archives. Microfilm copies of many of these are at the Family History Library and at other federal and state archives. A comprehensive description of military history and records of North Carolina is given in Chapter 33 of Helen F. M. Leary’s North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local History listed in the “For Further Reading” section at the end of this outline. See also:

Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994. Ancestry is a trademark of Ancestry, Inc. (FHL book 973 M23nu; computer number 732893.) This book describes federal military records, then discusses each state individually. Pages 308–313 provide details of military records housed in various archives in North Carolina, many of which are not microfilmed.

For each war listed below, additional federal sources are listed in the U.S. Military Records Research Outline (34118). It contains search strategies and information to guide you to the best records for your objective.

The North Carolina State Archives has most of the existing military records, such as: the colonial wars, the state militia, the Continental Line, American Loyalists, soldiers’ homes, and gravestone files.

Colonial Wars (1732–1775)

During the French and Indian War, 1755–1763, some North Carolina soldiers fought against the French and Indians. A list of these soldiers is found in:

Clark, Murtie June. Colonial Soldiers of the South, 1732–1774. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1983. (FHL book 975 M29c; computer number 213743.) This book gives the dates when a soldier served. The North Carolina soldiers are listed on pages 629–879, and the book is well indexed. The date, name of soldier, county of residence, military company, and rank are usually given.

The Colonial Records of North Carolina: Published under the Supervision of the Trustees of the Public Libraries, by Order of the General Assembly is described in the “Public Records” section of this outline. Volume 22 includes records of the Granville County Militia (1771), Oaths of Allegiance (1778), the Spanish Alarm (1747–1748), militia returns (1754–1755, 1758, and 1767), the War of the Regulators (1770–1771), and correspondence of governors and others (1775–1789).

Revolutionary War (1775–1783)

A man who was born in North Carolina between about 1710 and 1765 may be listed in some form of military record. If he supported the Revolution, he may be mentioned in the records as a rebel, patriot, or Whig. Those who opposed the Revolution were referred to as Loyalists or Tories.

For an Internet site on this subject, see:

Fowler, Debbie. “North Carolina in the Revolutionary War.” In NCGenWeb Military Project [database on-line]. N.p., 1999 [cited 5 August 1999]. Available at www.rootsweb.com/~ncrevwar/ncrevwar.htm; INTERNET. This site shows information about military units, enlisted men, books, mailing lists, record repositories, and related web sites.

Patriots. A published list of North Carolina soldiers is:

Daughters of the American Revolution (North Carolina). Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution: With an Appendix Containing a Collection of Miscellaneous Records. N.p.: NCDAR, 1932. (FHL book 975.6 M2d; film 1036677 item 3; fiche 6046553; computer number 27197.) There is a reprint edition: Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1977. (FHL book 975.6 M2d 1977; film 1036687 item 4; computer number 173551.) Contained in this book are many types of records: pension lists for 1818, 1832, and 1835; land grants, vouchers, and claims; and lists of soldiers by regiment and company. The book is well indexed.

Following is a source that indexes North Carolina Revolutionary War records:

United States. War Department. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteers Soldiers Who Served during the Revolutionary War in Organizations from the State of North Carolina. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0257. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1958. (FHL films 821595–96; computer number 279693.)

Many Revolutionary War patriots were granted bounty lands in Tennessee and South Carolina. See the “Land and Property” section of the research outlines for those states for more information. No land in North Carolina was given to veterans.

For detailed information about national Revolutionary War service and pension records, cemetery records, and lineage society records, see the U.S. Military Records Outline (34118.)

Loyalists. For information about North Carolina Loyalists, see:

Clark, Murtie Jane. Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. 3 vols. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1981. (FHL book 975 F2cm; computer number 98701.) Volume 1 includes North Carolina musters, pay abstracts, and other records.

DeMond, Robert O. The Loyalists in North Carolina during the Revolution. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1979. (FHL book 975.6 M2dr; computer number 205478.) This volume outlines the history of the Loyalists in North Carolina and lists many of their names.

Troxler, Carole W. The Loyalist Experience in North Carolina. Zebulon, N.C.: Theo. Davis Sons, 1976. (FHL book 975.6 A1 no.128; computer number 24345.) This book has information about many Loyalists and tells of their exodus to New York, the Bahamas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

Many persons who were Loyalists are not mentioned in the above volumes because they did not survive to apply for British compensation. Their names may be found in the Hillsboro, Morgan, and Salisbury district court records. Reconnaissance bonds were placed on the Loyalists’ heads. The money for the bonds was pledged by friends, and their names are listed in the court records. The Family History Library has the minutes of district court proceedings regarding these bonds. The loose papers are only at the North Carolina State Archives. See also the topic “Loyalist Land Losses” in the “Land and Property” section of this outline.

War of 1812 (1812–1815)

The Family History Library has indexes to the federal service and pension files for the War of 1812. See the U.S. Military Records Research Outline (34118) for details and for sources not mentioned below.

The National Archives has the original service and pension records. They are not filmed, but the following important sources are available:

Muster Rolls of the Soldiers of the War of 1812 Detached from The Militia of North Carolina, in 1812 and 1814. 1851. Reprint, Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Publishing, 1976. (FHL book 975.6 M2n; film 1036618 item 6; computer number 245413.) This indexed volume indicates the county in which each soldier enlisted.

Jackson, Ronald Vern. North Carolina Military Muster Rolls 1812 and 1814. Salt Lake City: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1989. (FHL book 975.6 M2j; computer number 548184.) The book is arranged alphabetically, and the county where the soldier enlisted is mentioned.

United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during the War of 1812 in Organizations from the State of North Carolina. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0250. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1858. (FHL films 880838–42; computer number 278441.)

Indian Wars (1711–1858)

The regular army, often assisted by volunteer units, fought in various campaigns against American Indians. These include the Seminole or Florida Wars (1817–18, 1835–1842, and 1855–58), Black Hawk War (1832), and the Creek War (1836–37).

The following index is available:

United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during Cherokee Disturbances and Removal in Organizations from the State of North Carolina. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0256. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1958. (FHL film 368686; computer number 374269.) This source lists soldiers who served in the period 1836–39. It generally gives their rank, date enrolled, date mustered out, and company.

For detailed information about national service and pension records from the Indian Wars, see the U.S. Military Records Outline (34118).

Mexican War (1846–1848)

About 1,000 North Carolina soldiers were involved in the Mexican War. The following records are available:

United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during the Mexican War. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0616. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1965. (FHL films 1205336–57; computer number 328750.)

Mexican War Index to Pension Files, 1887–1926. National Archives Microfilm Publications, T0317. Washington D.C.: Veteran’s Administration, 1967. (FHL films 537000–7013; computer number 345826.)

Civil War (1861–1865)

North Carolina seceded from the Union in May of 1861. However, soldiers from the state served in both the Union and Confederate armies.

For an Internet site with information about North Carolina in the Civil War and links to related web sites, see:

Weaver, Jeffrey C. “North Carolina Civil War Home Page” [database on-line]. N.p., 22 February 1999 [cited 4 August 1999]. Available at http://member.aol.com/jweaver303 /nc/nccwhp.htm; INTERNET. This site has information about election statistics, lists of confederate units, descendant organizations, and unit histories.

Union. The National Archives has the Civil War service records, pension records, and indexes for the Union Army. The Family History Library has copies of the service record and pension indexes:

United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of North Carolina. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0391. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1962. (FHL films 881590–91; computer number 278987.)

United States. Veterans’ Administration. General Index to Pension Files, 1861–1934. National Archives Microfilm Publications, T0288. Washington, D.C.: Veterans’ Administration, Publications Service, 1953. (FHL films 540757–541300; computer number 245945.)

Confederate. For lists of North Carolina Confederate soldiers, see:

Manarin, Lois H., and Weymouth T. Jordan, comps. North Carolina Troops, 1861–1865: A Roster. 13 vols. Raleigh, N.C.: State Department of Archives and History, 1966–. (FHL book 975.6 M2nc; film 1697997 item 3 has vol. 13; fiche 6088179 has vols. 1–13; computer number 140122.) This series contains extensive biographical information about soldiers in the Confederate army, beginning with the 1st regiment and ending with the 56th. Information may include the soldier’s age, occupation, residence at time of enlistment, county of birth, date of enlistment, service information, transfers, desertions, hospital confinement, and death during the war. Each volume is indexed. A combined index for all volumes is:

Roster (Index) of North Carolina Troops in the War between the States. Raleigh, N.C.: North Carolina Dept. of Archives and History, 1958. (FHL films 194214–28; computer number 398564.)

North Carolina granted pensions to its Confederate veterans or their widows in 1885 and in 1901. The pension records and an index are at the North Carolina State Archives and on film at the Family History Library:

North Carolina. State Auditor. Applications for Confederate Soldier’s and Widow’s Pensions, 1885–ca. 1953. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1958, 1988; Raleigh, N.C.: North Carolina Department of Archives and History. (On 105 FHL films beginning with 175779; computer number 494409. Indexed on FHL film 1547723.) Applications may give age, residence, service information, death information about the soldier, name of the widow, and sometimes children’s and grandchildren’s names. If a widow remarried and her second husband died, she could still apply for a pension because of the service of the first husband.

United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of North Carolina. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0230. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1956. (FHL films 821768–810; computer number 326013.) This source can help you determine if an ancestor served in the Civil War. The records are listed by regiment, then company. These films index the following records:

United States. Record and Pension Office. Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of North Carolina. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0270. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1960. (FHL films 1381001–500 and 1447001–80; computer number 438816.) These microfilms have cards with Civil War service information about individual soldiers. The records are listed by regiment, battalion, or company.

Unit Histories. An important inventory for finding Civil War military histories is:

A Guide to the Microfiche Edition of Civil War Unit Histories: Regimental Histories and Personal Narratives. Part 1, Confederate States of America and Border States. Bethesda, Md.: University Publications of America, 1992. (FHL book 973 M2cwu pt.1; computer number 619021.) North Carolina units are listed on pages 61–66. The library has the large microfiche collection described in this guide. Use the library catalog to find individual items that may include correspondence, diaries, memoirs, and regimental histories published before 1920. The guide shows the unit name, counties where it was raised, author, title, publication information, number of pages, and source repository. This guide also includes an author index and a major engagements index.

Civil War Claims in the South. During the Civil War individuals and families in the South who were loyal to the Union sometimes suffered great losses for their views. On 3 March 1871 Congress authorized a three-man board to review claims for losses. Applications were accepted until March 1880. Over 22,298 claims were filed, and many were filed by persons from North Carolina. The claims were for ruined property, goods contracted for by the federal government, food and supplies taken for military use, destruction of homes and barns, and theft of personal goods by Union troops. The claims often contain a great amount of genealogical information about family, neighbors, and friends. For two indexes to the persons who applied for these claims, see:

Mills, Gary B. Civil War Claims in the South: An Index of Civil War Damage Claims Filed Before the Southern Claims Commission 1871–1880. Laguna Hills, Calif.: Aegean Park Press, 1980. (FHL book 975 H22m; computer number 95119.) This book contains the name of the person, the state and county of residence, and the case or claim number.

United States. House of Representatives. Commissioners of Claims. Records of the Commissioners of Claims (Southern Claims Commission), 1871–1880. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0087. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1945. (FHL films 1463975–6; computer number 423859.) Film 1463975 lists claimants by state, then county, then in alphabetical order and gives the claim number and amount. Film 1463976 is an alphabetical list of all the claimants. It gives the name, state, claim number, amount allowed or disallowed, and the nature of the claim.

You can order copies of the claims application papers of an individual by writing to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. You should mention Record Group 56, the name of the person, the state and county of residence, and his or her claim number.

State Soldiers’ Home. North Carolina had a soldiers’ home in Raleigh. Three alphabetical listings of the veterans in the home from 1890–1936 are among the Auditor General’s records in the state archives.

Guidebook. A useful source for learning more about the Civil War records of North Carolina is:

Guide to Civil War Records in the North Carolina State Archives. Raleigh, N.C. North Carolina Department of Archives and History, 1966. (FHL book 975.6 A3n; film 908225 item 2; computer number 243806.)

Spanish-American War (1898–1899)

North Carolina raised three regiments of volunteers from the state guard and active militia for this conflict. None of the soldiers saw serious action. In 1900 the office of the North Carolina adjutant general published the following unindexed roster:

Roster of the North Carolina Volunteers in the Spanish-American War, 1898–1899. Raleigh, N.C.: Edwards & Broughton, 1900. (FHL film 18079 item 2; computer number 389789.)

World War I (1917–1918)

World War I draft registration cards, for men ages 18 to 45, may list address, birth date, birthplace, race, nationality, occupation, citizenship, and next of kin. Not all registrants served in the war. For North Carolina’s cards, see:

United States. Selective Service System. North Carolina, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987–1988. (On 81 FHL films beginning with 1765557; computer number 756758.)

To find a person’s draft card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration, since the cards are arranged alphabetically by county, within the county by draft board, and then alphabetically by surname. Counties may have had more than one draft board.

For a list of soldiers who died in World War I, see:

Hails, W. M. Soldiers of the Great War. 3 vols. Washington, D.C.: Soldiers Record Pub. Association, 1920. (FHL book 973 M23s; fiche 6051244; computer number 271442.) Volume 2 has information on North Carolina soldiers and includes the names of those who were killed in action or died of disease or accident. The place of residence is given, and there are photographs of about 500 North Carolina soldiers.

World War I and Later Wars

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of military discharge papers from 1918 to the 1970s for many counties. Military discharge papers may show a person’s birthplace, birth date, service information, and disability condition. The original records are kept by the register of deeds in each county.

Military records can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Locality Search of under:

NORTH CAROLINA- MILITARY RECORDSNORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- MILITARY RECORDS