- 1). Ask your relatives for stories, documents or photos concerning your ancestor's military service. What you learn will help you search for additional information.
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Search for military records online at home.laptop image by Du...?an Zidar from Fotolia.com
Search free online military records and indexes for your ancestor. In her book "Who Do You Think You Are?" (Reference 9, Page 106), Megan Smolyenak recommends Online Military Indexes and Records and Cyndi's List.The first covers the American Revolution through Vietnam, while the second links to records and historical background. - 3). Search fee-based military records and indexes, such as Ancestry or HeritageQuest, at the public library. Check Revolutionary War records in HeritageQuest, and search Ancestry across multiple resources, such as enlistment records and service rosters. The library's subscription will allow you to search for and view online records for free.
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Libraries and archives have many records not available online.Antique books image by Alice from Fotolia.com
Ask your public library for help finding which libraries and archives own print military records such as regimental or unit histories, published family histories and Civil War pension records. - 5). Request federal pension records online from the National Archives. Since their purpose was to provide evidence that a veteran deserved a pension, applications often include scores of pages about his family and activities. As of 2010, costs ranged up to $75 for the first 100 pages.
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