What can one say about the War of 1812? Oops? The reality is, neither the English nor the United State achieved any political or real advantage from the war. However, if there is an advantage to war, if we dare call it such, it the records it creates.“Over 250,000 men served in the War of 1812, some for as little as a month. Their service records are found mostly in the National Archives but also in various other archives and repositories, and therefore in order to use the War of 1812 records effectively the researcher needs a guide to the location of the records and a description of their contents, which is precisely what this At a Glance guide is designed to do.
The vast majority of War of 1812 records consist of (1) pension records, (2) compiled military service records, and (3) bounty land warrant application files. There are other records, of course, but these are the three main entry points in genealogical research. The purpose of this guide is to show you where these records are located, what they contain, and whether they are indexed, microfilmed, digitized, or found online.
These records have great genealogical value and generally the researcher can expect to find some or all of the following information:
- Soldier’s name, rank, unit, and period of service
- Amount of pension or rejection of pension application
- Name of widow and marriage date and place
- Birth year and place
- Places of residence
- Description of disability
- Signatures
- Names of relatives, friends, and neighbors”
Like all the Genealogy At A Glance sheets, this guide is a four-page, full-color laminated brochure, meant to be easily stored and sized to take with you when conducting related research.
Contents for this guide:
Quick Facts
Finding a War of 1812 Soldier
Preserving the Pensions
What is a Pension?
Genealogical Value of Military Pensions
The War of 1812 Preserve the Pension Project
Original NARA Record Sources Not Online
Compiled Military Service Records
Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files
Regular Army Records
Navy Records
Prisoner of War Records
Other Records Sources
Lineage Societies
State Records
National Parks and Battlegrounds
The More You Know
Online Resources
Research Checklist for Militiamen
Genealogy at a Glance: The War of 1812 Research is available from Family Roots Publishing.