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 of the 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, please 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.
(Updated December 2022)
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
Montana
- Beaverhead County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Beaverhead County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Big Horn County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Big Horn County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Blaine County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Blaine County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Broadwater County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Broadwater County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Carbon County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Carbon County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Cascade County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Cascade County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Custer County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Custer County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Dawson County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Dawson County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Deer Lodge County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Deer Lodge County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Fergus County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Fergus County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Flathead County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Flathead County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Gallatin County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Gallatin County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Gallatin County, World War I veterans
- Gallatin County, World War II roster
- Glacier County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Glacier County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Golden Valley County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Helena, Montana, World War II records
- Hill County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Hill County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Jefferson County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Jefferson County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Judith Basin County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Judith Basin County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Lake County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Lake County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Lewis and Clark County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Lewis and Clark County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Liberty County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Liberty County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Lincoln County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Lincoln County, U. S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Madison County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Madison County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Mineral County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Mineral County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Missoula County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Missoula County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Montana Military Records, 1904-1918
- Montana veterans
- Montana, Military Enlistments 1890-1918
- Montana, Military Enlistments World War I
- Montana, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
- Montana, Custers Last Stand Dead and Wounded, 1876
- Montana, Directory of the organizations and units, Montana national guard
- Montana, List of dead and wounded of First Montana Infantry
- Montana, Military Discharge Records, 1917-1953
- Montana, Military Enlistments World War II
- Montana, Military Records 1939-1945
- Montana, Soldiers of the Great War
- Montana, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Vietnam War
- Montana, Vietnam Memorial
- Montana, World War II Army Casualties
- Montana, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945
- Montana, World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing
- Musselshell County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Musselshell County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Park County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Park County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Pondera County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Pondera County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Powell County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Powell County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Ravalli County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Ravalli County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Richland County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Richland County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Roosevelt County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Roosevelt County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Rosebud County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Rosebud County, Service record book of men and women
- Rosebud County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Sanders County, Records (including veteran burials), 1866-2010
- Sanders County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Sanders County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Sheridan County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Sheridan County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Silverbow County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Silverbow County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Stillwater County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Teton County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Teton County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Toole County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Toole County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Valley County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Valley County, U.S. Military Fatal casualties of the Korean War
- Yellowstone County, Records of Military Personnel who died as a result of hostilities in the Korean War
- Yellowstone County, U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Montana Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Yearbooks
Births
Marriages
Deaths
BMD Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
Church Records
Coroner Records
Criminal Records
Directories
Divorce Records
Immigration Records
Military Records
Mortuary Records
Naturalizations
Obituaries
Photos
Probate and Wills
School Records
Tax Records
Voter Records
For other Free Montana Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Yearbooks
Births
Marriages
Deaths
BMD Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
Church Records
Coroner Records
Criminal Records
Directories
Divorce Records
Immigration Records
Military Records
Mortuary Records
Naturalizations
Obituaries
Photos
Probate and Wills
School Records
Tax Records
Voter Records
