North Dakota Military Records

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U.S. Military Records

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Military Records

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United States Military Online Genealogy Records

Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. At the state level the following sources are available.

Online Resources

United States Military Online Genealogy Records provides more links for nationwide military record collections.

• U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 ($)
• North Dakota Military Men, 1917-1918 Abstracts ($)
• 1917-1940 United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index
• Korean Conflict Casualty Lists - North Dakota
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - North Dakota, index
• Vietnam Conflict Casualty Lists - North Dakota, index
• World War II Casualties (Army and Air Force)

Forts

• Fort Abercrombie -- 1857-1878 in Kansas
• Fort Abraham Lincoln -- Textual records of this fort, 1872-1891, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Atkinson --  1858-1859 originally a trading post - aka Fort Berthold
• Fort Berthold 1862-1867 (also known as Fort James)
• Fort Buford -- Textual records of this fort, 1857-1895, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Clark 1830- 1860  Built by American Fur Company (Burned in 1860)
• Fort Dilts 1864-
• Fort Floyd 1826-1827 built by the Columbia Fur Company
• Fort Lincoln -- See Fort Abraham Lincoln
• Fort Mandan
• Fort Pembina -- Textual records of this post, 1876-1895, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Rice 1864-1878
• Fort Totten -- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1890, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Union--1828-1865 Built by the American Fur Company
• Fort Stevenson -- 1867-1883 in Montana
• Fort Yates -- Textual records of this fort, 1870-1903, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

References

Encyclopedia of Indian Wars Western Battles and Skirmishes 1850-1890. By Gregory F. Michno. Mountain Press Publishing Co., Missoula, Montana C. 2003 ISBN 0-87842-468-7

Mexican War (1846-1848)

The Mexican War was caused by the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845. Most volunteer regiments were from southern states. Records of Mexican War veterans might exist in a state where the veteran later resided.

• Mexican War Index to Pension Files, 1887–1926. (NARA T317). FHL films 0537000–13 Alphabetically arranged and includes the veteran’s name, rank, and unit; names of dependents; date of filing and application; certificate numbers; act filed under; and state from which application was made. Also available at:
  

• 1887-1926 United States, Mexican War Pension Index, 1887-1926 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
  

• Robarts, William Hugh. Mexican War Veterans: A Complete Roster of the Regular and Volunteer Troops in the War Between the United States and Mexico, from 1846-1848… Washington, D.C.: Brentano’s, 1887. FHL book 973 M2rwh Digital version available at Internet Archive.
  

Click on these links to learn more about the Mexican War and about Mexican War pension records.

Civil War (1861 to 1865)

• 

  Dakota Territory 1861 to 1889
  See Dakota Territory in the Civil War for information about South Dakota Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Dakota Territory regiments involved in the Civil War.

• The regimental pages often include lists of the companies with links to the counties where the companies started. Men in the companies often lived in the counties where the companies were raised. Knowing a county can help when researching more about the soldiers and their families.

• The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System allows name searching for soldiers. The result set gives the regiments for the soldiers. Then you can check the Wiki regiment pages to determine counties. Often knowing the counties that had men in a regiment will help you determine if a soldier was your ancestor.

• 1861-1865 Dakota Territory Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)

Grand Army of the Republic founded in 1866 - 1956, was the largest veteran’s organization in the country after the Civil War. It was a fraternal organization members were veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, Marines and Revenue Cutler Service who served in the American Civil War. The group supported voting rights for black veterans, and lobbied the U.S. Congress to establish veterans' pensions. In 1890 the membership was 490,000. In 1888 there were 111 posts and 2,908 members in the state of North Dakota

GAR Posts in the State of North Dakota

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

With the death of the last member of the Grand Army of the Republic the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War was formed.

Indian Wars (1780s-1890s)

The Family History Library has enlistment registers for soldiers who served in the regular army, 1798 to 1914. Many of them served in the western states 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 by the first letter of the surname FHL film 350307 (first of 81 films).

The library also 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 only at the National Archives.

Also see Civil War Pension Index Cards above.

Spanish-American War (1898)

The Spanish-American War was largely fought in Cuba and the Philippines. Spanish-American War records might exist in the state from which the soldier served or in a state where the veteran later resided.

Indexes

• 1861-1934 United States, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 (NARA T288) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. The index covers veterans of the Civil War, Spanish‑American War, Philippine Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion (1900 to 1901), and the regular Army, Navy, and Marine forces.

• 1898 United States, Index to Service Records, War with Spain, 1898 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

A published roster of the First North Dakota Infantry in the Philippine Islands is in Clement A. Lounsberry, Early History of North Dakota. Washington, DC: Liberty Press, 1919. FHL book 978.4 H2L pp. 577-602 and FHL film 1036397.

Click on the link to learn more about the Spanish American War.

World War I (1917-1918)

World War I was a global war fought on multiple continents with several nations involved. Over four million men and women served from the United States.

• United States. Selective Service System.North Dakota, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1987-1988. FHL film 1819402 Also available at:

• 1917-1918 United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

• 1917-1918 United States, YMCA World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

• 1917-1919 United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

See WWI Draft Records for more information.

• A published roster in alphabetical order of soldiers is Brigadier General G. Angus Fraser, Roster of the Men and Women Who Served in the Army or Naval Service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its Allies from the State of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Four Volumes. Bismarck, ND: Bismarck Tribune Co., 1931. FHL book 978.4 M23a and FHL films 982257-8. In addition to the military information, the soldier's date and place of birth, and parents' nationality are also given.

World War II (1941-1945)

On April 27, 1942, the Selective Service conducted the fourth of six draft registrations related to WWII. The "World War II Selective Service Draft Cards: Fourth Registration, 1942" is often referred to as the “Old Man’s Registration” or the “Old Man’s Draft" because it included men with a date of birth from April 28, 1877 to February 16, 1897. Since there is overlap in the WWI and WWII Selective Service registration, men born in the years 1877 to 1900 may have registered twice and have both WWII and WWI draft records.

• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (Image Browse) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images with partial index

Also available at:

• Ancestry ($)
• Fold3 ($).

World War II United States Military Records provides additional information.

Korean War (1950–1953)

The Korean War was a conflict between North Korea (and its communist allies) and South Korea (with support of the United Nations, primarily the United States). See the Korean War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Vietnam War (1964–1972)

The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam (and its communist allies) and South Vietnam (with support of its anti-communist allies, including the United States). See the Vietnam War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Websites:

• American Wars
• New Horizons Genealogy

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.