United States, Burial Registers for Military Posts, Camps, and Stations - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What Is in the Collection?
The collection consists of an index and images of burial registers for military posts, camps, and stations,1768-1921. This collection corresponds with NARA publication M2014, one roll consisting of two volumes of burials, most occurring between 1860 and 1890. The records are from Record Group 92, Records of the Quartermaster General, and are arranged by place of burial then date of death. See the descriptive pamphlet Burial Registers for Military Posts, Camps, and Stations 1768-1921 for a list of the posts, camps and stations.

The registers are arranged by the name of the military post, and thereunder usually in rough chronological order by date of burial. The burial registers primarily include soldiers of the Regular Army and Union Army (volunteers). Many civilians, usually wives or children of military personnel, are also listed, as well as some Confederate Army soldiers.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The records generally contain the following:


 * Name
 * Rank, company, regiment
 * Date of death
 * Location of grave (section and number)
 * Remarks. The remarks column may indicate the cause of death, a civilian's relationship to a soldier or removal to another cemetery. The abbreviation "HS" means "headstone." Notations such as "2903 of 1873" refer to the number and year of correspondence received by the Quartermaster General that provided the information.
 * Type of grave marker, such as headboard, cross, broken stone, or marble slab
 * Name of the contractor who supplied the headstone is sometimes indicated.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search you will need to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate burial or death date.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Volume" which takes you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
Once you have located your ancestor’s burial record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given for new information. Add any new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the name and rank, company or regiment along with the death date to obtain the individual's military records from the federal government.
 * Use the burial locality and the names to find the family in census, church and land records.
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral records which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have been buried in the same cemetery or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * If you are unable to find your ancestor check for variant spellings of the surnames.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation: