The U.S. Military Records Research Outline (34118) provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.

Many military records you'll want to use are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The United States Research Outline provides more information about the federal records. For South Dakota, the following sources are also very helpful:

Civil War (1861-1865)

The Family History Library has the index to service records of Union volunteers from the Dakota Territory (FHL film 881616) and the federal index to pension applications. The actual service and pension records are available only at the National Archives. The library also has a copy of the special census taken in 1890 of Union veterans of the Civil War. An index to the 1890 returns has been published.

Indian Wars

The library has enlistment registers for soldiers who served in the regular army from 1798 to 1914 (FHL films 350307—). Many of these soldiers served in the western states, including South Dakota, during the Indian Wars. The enlistment registers provide the soldier's rank, unit, commanders, physical description, occupation, and birthplace. The records are arranged by year and alphabetically by surname.

The library has an index of soldiers who applied for pensions between 1892 and 1926, for service in the Indian Wars from 1817 to 1898 (FHL films 821610-21). The pension records are available only at the National Archives.

Spanish-American War (1898)

A roster of the officers and enlisted men of the First Infantry Regiment, South Dakota Volunteers is in Doane Robinson, History of South Dakota, 2 vols. (B.F. Bowen & Co., 1904; FHL book 978.3 H2r v. 1; film 1000583).

World War I (1917-1918)

For a published roster of soldiers who died in the war, see W. M. Haulsee, F.G. Howe, A. C. Doyle, Soldiers of the Great War, 3 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920; FHL book 973 M23s v. 3; fiche 6051244).

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

United States Selective Service System, South Dakota, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On FHL films beginning with 1877785.)

To find an individual's draft card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration. The cards are arranged alphabetically by county, within the county by draft board, and then alphabetically by surname within each draft board.

Most counties had only one board; large cities had several. A map showing the boundaries of individual draft boards is available for most large cities. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you in using the draft board map. There is an alphabetical list of cities that are on the map. For a copy of this map see:

United States Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. (FHL film 1498803.)

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