United States Enlistment and Discharge Records

United States Military Records to Service Records

Those who served in a military unit (company or regiment) were listed on muster rolls (similar to attendance rosters). These records generally give the soldier’s name and the date and place of enlistment and muster. You may also find descriptive rolls that provide the individual’s name, rank, age, physical description, marital status, occupation, place of birth, place of residence, and service information. The National Archives or the state’s adjutant general’s office may have these rolls. When an individual was discharged from military service, he or she was listed on muster‑out rolls. Copies of the federal muster‑out rolls were sent to the office of the state adjutant general. Discharge certificates, however, are not usually part of the service record. If a soldier served between 1865 and 1944, the discharge certificate may be in the family’s possession. Copies of the discharge were not kept in soldiers’ service files, but counties sometimes recorded discharges. The Family History Library has discharge records for some states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina, and Ohio. Check the FamilySearch Catalog for additional state records under:

FamilySearch Related Collections

 * United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914
 * United States Muster Rolls of the Marine Corps, 1798 -1937
 * United States Naval Enlistment Rendezvous, 1855 -1891
 * United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946

National Archives

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