The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is September 2024)
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Military records are yet another very useful set of records that will help you in finding more about your ancestors. There are a ton of records that are available for free online, and there are some very robust collections (such as Fold3 and Ancestry) that have sizable online military collections as well.
Typically, military records online fall into 5 different categories:
- Military Service Records:
Includes enlistment information, such as location and date enlisted. Also includes demographic information, such as full name, birth date and location, residence, and occupation, plus contact information of next of kin, medical and military information, and unit assignations while in the military. - Selective Service Records:
Includes full name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, contact information, physical description, and other information. - Bounty Land Warrant Applications:
Includes similar information as in service records as well as other information. Only used between 1775 and 1855. - Pension Records:
Will include birth, marriage, and death records, demographic information, plus information about the spouse, and possibly children. - Special Records:
May include information if the person was a prisoner of war, was wounded or killed in action. 1910-1940 Census Records include questions about military service. Includes those buried in Veteran’s cemeteries.
A good primer on Military Records is found on FamilySearch’s Military Records page, available on their wiki.
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Below, listed by state are links to military records that are available for free online. Included in each state’s page are links to free nationwide collections since there are a sizable number of collections that are available for the entire country.
Florida Military Records
National
- American Battle Monuments Commission – Korean War Honor Roll
- American Battle Monuments Commission Burials Database
- American Prisoners of War During the Korean War, 1950-1953
- Burial Registers for Military Posts, Camps, and Stations,1768-1921
- Card Register of Burials of Deceased American Soldiers, 1917 – 1922
- Casualties of Army Personnel, Dependents and Civilian Employees, 1961-1981
- Casualties of the Vietnam War, 1956-1998
- Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War, 1890
- Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917
- Civil War Confederate Applications for Pardons, 1865-1867
- Civil War Confederate Papers of Citizens or Businesses, 1861-1865
- Civil War Records of Confederate Nonregiment Soldiers, 1861-1865
- Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865
- Civil War Service Records of Union Colored Troops, 1863-1865
- Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1864-1866
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database
- Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865
- Civil War Unfiled Papers of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865
- Civil War Widows and Other Dependents Pension Files, 1861-1934
- Compiled Military Service Records Of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served With The Colored Troops, 1861-1866
- Confederate Navy and Marine Service Records, 1861-1865 Images only.
- Confederate Officers Card Index, 1861-1865
- Doughboy MIA Database 1917-1918
- Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939
- General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 Index Only.
- Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1949
- Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904 Index only.
- Index to Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892-1926
- Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers, 1918
- Index to Service Records, War with Spain, 1898
- Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II, 1942-1946
- Japanese Registers of POWs WWII, Index.
- Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
- Korean War Dead and Army Wounded, 1950-1953
- Korean War POW/MIA List
- Korean War Repatriated Prisoners of War, 1950-1954
- Lists of Fatal Casualties of the Korean War (6/28/1950 – 3/10/1954) and the Vietnam War (6/8/1956 – 5/28/2006)
- Mexican War Index and Service Records, 1846-1848
- Mexican War Pension Index, 1887-1926
- Mexican War Soldiers & Sailors Database
- Military Personnel Who Died During the Vietnam War, 1956-2003
- Mormon Battalion Pension Applications, 1846-1923, Index
- Muster Rolls of the Marine Corps, 1798-1937, Index and Images
- National Archives, Archival Databases, Civil War
- National Archives, Archival Databases, Korean War
- National Archives, Archival Databases, Vietnam War
- National Archives, Archival Databases, World War II
- National Cemetery Administration – Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- National Graves Registration Database
- National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938 Partial Index and Images.
- National Park Service – US Mexican War Soldiers and Sailors Database
- National Society Daughters of 1812 – Ancestor Database
- Naval Enlistment Rendezvous, 1855-1891, Index and Images
- Navy Widows’ Certificates, 1861-1910, Index
- Never Forgotten, Taiwan POW List
- Old War Pension Index, 1815-1926
- Original Mormon Battalion Roster – Mormon Battalion Association
- Pearl Harbor Casualty List
- Prisoners of the First World War
- Records of Confederate Prisoners of War, 1861-1865
- Records of Headstones of Deceased Union Veterans, 1879-1903
- Register of Confederates and Civilians Who Died in the North,1861-1865
- Registers of Enlistments in the Army, 1798-1914
- Remarried Widows Index to Pension Applications, 1887-1942
- Revolutionary War Compiled Service Records, 1775-1783
- Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Applications, 1800-1900
- Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872
- Revolutionary War Records – Daughters of the American Revolution
- Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783
- Revolutionary War, Virginia Pension Application Files, 1830-1875
- Roster of All Regimental Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons in the Late War, with the Service, and last-known Post-office Address (1882)” Compiled by N. A. Strait. The Text is Searchable.
- Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783
- Service Personnel Not Recovered Following WWII
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Military Servicemen in World War I Records
- United States French Combatants in the Revolutionary War, 1778-1783
- Veteran’s Administration Master Index, 1917-1940
- Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- Vietnam War POW/MIA List
- War of 1812 Index to Pension Application Files, 1812-1910
- War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815
- War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
- War Relocation Authority Centers, Final Accountability Rosters, 1942-1946
- World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919
- World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
- World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
- World War II Casualties for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard
- World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
- World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
- World War II Prisoners of War of the Japanese, 1941-1945
- World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1945
- WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualties
- YMCA World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919
Florida
- 1835 Pension Roll
- 1840 Census of Pensioners
- 1883 List of Pensioners on the Roll
- Alachua County Military Records
- Alachua County Military Records
- Alachua County Military Records
- Annual Militia Returns, 1875-1912
- Baker County Military Records
- Baker County Military Records
- Baker County Military Records
- Bay County Military Records
- Bay County Military Records
- Bay County Military Records
- Bay County, Soldiers and Sailors Discharge Records, 1919
- Bradford County Military Records
- Bradford County Military Records
- Bradford County Military Records
- Bradford County, Soldiers and Sailors Discharge Record, 1918
- Brevard County Military Records
- Brevard County Military Records
- Brevard County Military Records
- Brevard County, Register of Deceased Veterans
- Broward County Guards Records
- Broward County Military Records
- Broward County Military Records
- Calhoun County Military Records
- Calhoun County Military Records
- Calhoun County Military Records
- Calhoun County, War Record of Soldiers and Sailors, 1917-1919
- Charlotte County Military Records
- Charlotte County Military Records
- Citrus County Military Records
- Citrus County Military Records
- Citrus County Military Records
- Civil War Vouchers, 1862-1863
- Clay County Military Records
- Clay County Military Records
- Collier County Military Records
- Collier County Military Records
- Collier County Military Records
- Columbia County Military Records
- Columbia County Military Records
- Commissions and Oaths of State Militia Officers
- Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served from the State of Florida
- Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served from the State of Florida, 1861-1865
- Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served from the State of Florida during the Florida Indian Wars, 1835-1858
- Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served in the Florida Infantry during the War with Spain
- Confederate Pension Applications
- Confederate Soldiers Service Records
- County Guard Commissions, 1917-1919
- Dade County Military Records
- Dade County, Discharge Records, 1917-1920
- DeSoto County Military Records
- DeSoto County Military Records
- Dixie County Military Records
- Dixie County Military Records
- Dixie County Military Records
- Duval County Military Records
- Duval County Military Records
- Duval County, Military Petitions for Naturalization, 1918
- Escambia County Military Records
- Escambia County, U.S. Army and Navy Discharges, 1919-1944
- Flagler County Military Records
- Flagler County Military Records
- Flagler County Military Records
- Florida Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865
- Florida Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865
- Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1955
- Florida Military Records
- Florida Militia Muster Rolls, 1826-1900
- Florida Pensioners on the Roll: 1883
- Florida State Militia, State Troops and National Guard, 1870-1918
- Florida, Military Discharge Records, ca.1837 – ca.1970
- Florida, Miscellaneous Military Databases
- Florida, Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home Records, 1888-1938
- Florida, Register of Deceased Veterans
- Florida, U.S. Military Personnel Who Died in the Korean War, 1950-1957
- Florida, World War I American Expeditionary Forces, Deaths, 1917-1919
- Florida, World War I Navy Card Roster, 1917-1920
- Florida, World War I Navy Card Roster, 1917-1920
- Florida, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
- Florida, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919
- Florida, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945
- Franklin County Military Records
- Franklin County Military Records
- Franklin County, Soldiers and Sailors Discharge, V. 1, 1918-1919
- Gadsden County Military Records
- Gadsden County Military Records
- Gilchrist County Military Records
- Gilchrist County Military Records
- Gilchrist County Military Records
- Gilchrist County, Soldier & Sailor Discharge Record, [1917-1920]
- Glades County Military Records
- Glades County Military Records
- Gulf County Military Records
- Gulf County Military Records
- Gulf County Military Records
- Hamilton County Military Records
- Hamilton County Military Records
- Hamilton County Military Records
- Hardee County Military Records
- Hardee County Military Records
- Hardee County Military Records
- Hendry County Military Records
- Hendry County Military Records
- Hernando County Military Records
- Hernando County Military Records
- Hernando County Military Records
- Highlands County Military Records
- Highlands County Military Records
- Highlands County Military Records
- Hillsborough County Military Records
- Hillsborough County Military Records
- Hillsborough County Military Records
- Hillsborough County, Soldiers and Sailors Record of Military Discharges, 1919-1921; Index 1917-1957
- Holmes County Military Records
- Holmes County Military Records
- Holmes County Military Records
- Holmes County, Soldiers and Sailors Honorable Discharges, 1919-1946
- Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served from the State of Florida
- Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served from the State of Florida
- Indian River County Military Records
- Indian River County Military Records
- Indian War Claims Commission, Claims, Reports, Minutes and Publications, 1878-1926
- Jackson County Military Records
- Jackson County Military Records
- Jackson County, Soldiers and Sailors Discharge Records, 1916-1919
- Jefferson County Military Records
- Jefferson County Military Records
- Lafayette County Military Records
- Lafayette County Military Records
- Lafayette County Military Records
- Lake County Military Records
- Lake County Military Records
- Lake County Military Records
- Lee County Military Records
- Lee County Military Records
- Leon County Military Records
- Leon County Military Records
- Leon County Military Records
- Leon County, Soldier and Sailors Discharge Record, 1918-1929
- Levy County Military Records
- Levy County Military Records
- Liberty County Military Records
- Liberty County Military Records
- Madison County Military Records
- Madison County Military Records
- Madison County, Soldier and Sailor Discharges, 1918-1944
- Manatee County Military Records
- Manatee County Military Records
- Manatee County Military Records
- Manatee County, Military Discharge Records, 1917-1920
- Marion County Military Records
- Marion County Military Records
- Marion County Military Records
- Martin County Military Records
- Martin County Military Records
- Miami-Dade County Military Records
- Monroe County Military Records
- Monroe County Military Records
- Monroe County Military Records
- Nassau County Military Records
- Nassau County Military Records
- Okaloosa County Military Records
- Okaloosa County Military Records
- Okeechobee County Military Records
- Okeechobee County Military Records
- Okeechobee County Military Records
- Okeechobee County, Soldiers and Sailors Discharges, 1919-1945
- Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home Applications
- Orange County Military Records
- Orange County Military Records
- Orange County Military Records
- Orange County, Military Discharges, 1919-1934
- Osceola County Military Records
- Osceola County Military Records
- Osceola County Military Records
- Palm Beach County Military Records
- Palm Beach County Military Records
- Pasco County Military Records
- Pasco County Military Records
- Pasco County Military Records
- Pasco County, Military Discharge Records, 1919-1929
- Pension Claims of Confederate Veterans and their Widows Beginning 1885-1955
- Pinellas County Military Records
- Pinellas County Military Records
- Pinellas County, Military Discharge Records, 1919-1942
- Polk County Military Records
- Polk County Military Records
- Polk County Military Records
- Putnam County Military Records
- Putnam County Military Records
- Putnam County Military Records
- Saint Johns County Military Records
- Saint Lucie County Military Records
- Santa Rosa County Military Records
- Santa Rosa County Military Records
- Santa Rosa County Military Records
- Santa Rosa County, Soldiers and Sailors Discharge Records, 1919-1938
- Sarasota County Military Records
- Sarasota County Military Records
- Sarasota County Military Records
- Seminole County Military Records
- Seminole County Military Records
- Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian, Civil and Spanish-American Wars
- Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian, Civil and Spanish-American Wars
- St. Johns County Military Records
- St. Johns County Military Records
- St. John’s County, Soldiers and Sailors Record, 1917-1944
- St. Lucie County Military Records
- St. Lucie County Military Records
- Sumter County Military Records
- Sumter County Military Records
- Sumter County Military Records
- Suwannee County Military Records
- Suwannee County Military Records
- Suwannee County, Army Discharge Record, 1917-1918
- Taylor County Military Records
- Taylor County Military Records
- Taylor County Military Records
- Taylor County, Index to All Records, 1856-1957
- Union County Military Records
- Union County Military Records
- Union County Military Records
- Volusia County Military Records
- Volusia County Military Records
- Volusia County Military Records
- Volusia County, Register of Deceased Veterans
- Wakulla County Military Records
- Wakulla County Military Records
- Walton County Military Records
- Walton County Military Records
- Walton County Military Records
- War Department Collection of Confederate Records: Compiled Military Service Records of General and Staff Officers from the State of Florida
- Washington County Military Records
- Washington County Military Records
- World War I Service Cards
- World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!