Leave a reply Guest Article by Lisa Lisson, Genealogist & Family Historian Does the use of a nickname by your ancestor prevent you from finding him or her in the records? An individual can (and often is) found in genealogical records using either a given name or a nickname. Nicknames are not new and have been…
Today we are going to talk about the 1800 census records. Come join the discussion!
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A collection of the best genealogy apps for staying organized while finding your ancestors. Make researching on the go easier with these free apps.
An ahnentafel chart is a list of ancestors for any one individual. It is named after ahnentafel, which is German for ancestor table or pedigree. A standard numbering system is used to easily display how you are related to your ancestors. You can easily see how any one specific ascendant is related to the first
An ahnentafel chart is a list of ancestors for any one individual. It is named after ahnentafel, which is German for ancestor table or pedigree. A standard numbering system is used to easily display how you are related to your ancestors. You can easily see how any one specific ascendant is related to the first
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After nearly 30 years of researching my father-in-law's WWII military service, which began on 7 April 1941 and ended on 18 June 1945, I now know where he was on almost every day of that time. My husband and I have taken many terrific trips visiting those places and learning more about where he served. So it's no surprise I like to write about the war experiences of my ancestors. From skirmishes with Native Americans prior to the Revolutionary War right through the Global War on Terrorism. However, I write most frequently about my Civil War, World War I and World War II veteran ancestors' experiences. Today, I'd like to share with you what I've learned about researching U.S. Army World War II veteran ancestors -- one of the millions of citizen soldiers Tom Brokaw called the "Greatest Generation." A great resource is World War II Research and Writing Center. 1. Order his military service records It's difficult to proceed with your research unless you know in which unit your ancestor served. The first thing I recommend doing is to order his or her military records. You can make your request for those records if you are next of kin of a deceased veteran here. If available, the information you will receive will include his DD 214, or separation papers; personnel records; replacement ribbons or medals; and medical records. The unit listed on this form includes the unit he was with when he was discharged. It may not be all of the units in which he served. Company morning reports housed at the National Personnel Records Center will include the transfers of soldiers to and from different units. Page 1 of my father-in-law's DD 214 form; personal collection Those military records are housed at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. There was a fire at that location in 1973, which destroyed approximately 16 to 18 million records, including: 80 percent loss of Army records for personnel discharged between 1 November 1912 and 1 January 1960 75 percent loss of Air Force records for personnel discharged between 25 September 1947 and 1 January 1964 (names after Hubbard, James E. alphabetically) Even if your veteran ancestor's records were burned, you will likely receive his or her DD 214 form if your are next of kin. This form contains enough information about the specific unit in which your ancestor served, military induction and discharge dates, special qualifications or schools attended, ribbons and medals received, and so on. 2. Learn about the specific unit in which he served Now that you have your veteran ancestors military records, you can begin to research the unit in which he served. Every branch of military service has an organization hierarchy. In the U.S. Army it is: Company >> Battalion >> Regiment >> Division >> Corps >> Army >> Army Group The division is the smallest unit that is capable of fighting completely independently. To understand more about how Army divisions were organized during World War II, I suggest reading a post I wrote on this topic on my Tangled Roots and Trees blog. Another necessary resource is the Order of Battle of the U.S. Army, European Theater, World War II. These resources are invaluable when reading Army histories to better understand if your ancestors were involved. 3. Understand the role he played in his unit Two factors will help you understand the role your ancestor played within his unit -- his rank and his MOS, or Military Operational Specialty. There are two types of soldiers in the Army, officers and enlisted personnel. Each have their own levels of ranks. To learn them and the general responsibilities of each rank, I have found these links extremely helpful: Officers Enlisted personnel Your ancestors military records will include their rank upon discharge and any military operational specialties, or special skills they acquired, on their DD 214 form. This link includes the list of current Army MOSs, but many from World War II still exist though they may have been renamed. I have found it's possible to find a similar MOS and at least get in the neighborhood of what duties my ancestor performed. For example, in Korea my father was a mechanic for wheeled and tracked vehicles. Those MOSs still exist. 4. Record the awards and decorations he earned Your ancestor's DD 214 form will include the awards and decoration he earned during his Army service. If he won an award for meritorious conduct or bravery, you will likely receive a copy of the original citation if you order a replacement medal. Other awards can provide clues to the dates on which he or she served if they are not provided elsewhere. If your ancestors received the American Defense medal, he enlisted or was drafted before Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941, as did my father-in-law. If he or she received the Victory medal, they served in the Army sometime between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946. I will be writing about this topic in detail on Tangled Roots and Trees in June. However, you will likely find these sources helpful: Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards Awards and Decorations of the United States Armed Forces, which includes links to explanations about individuals awards and decorations Badges of the United States Army My father-in-law's ribbon "rack;" built using EZ Rack Builder[1] 5. Learn about the campaigns in which he served Your ancestor's DD 214 form will include any campaigns in which your ancestor participated. Campaigns are a series of large-scale, long-term operations or battles which required significant military planning and form part of a larger conflict. For example, during World War II, the U.S. Army fought in 38 campaigns. Knowing in which campaigns your ancestor participated will allow you to read the appropriate sections of the Army "Green" Books. These military histories are now online. When I began my research I had to order them from the General Printing Office. My Army "Green" Books; personal collection They are the very best, detailed history, often to the company level of the U.S. Army in World War II. If you are not a history buff, at least read the relevant campaigns or skim the index for his army, corp. division, and regiment (sometimes part of a combat team with the same numerical designation as the regiment). 6. Use unit societies' websites and books about units Websites for Division Societies such as the Society of the 5th Infantry Division are plentiful on the Internet. These societies will have a wide variety of information, personal photographs, and first-hand accounts from soldiers who served with the unit. Many include pamphlets and other propaganda published by the unit. Simply Google to find them online. Some will have the names of books that can be purchased about the unit. If the book is out of print, I have had great success finding them on Internet Archive, ABEBooks, Google Play, Amazon, or eBay. If none of those sources have the book available, I can usually find it on World Cat and either go to a nearby library or have it loaned to my local library. 7. Don't forget your women ancestors Many women served in various women-only military organization during the war. Don't forget about them in your research. General Douglas McArthur called the Women's Army Corps (WACs) "his best soldiers" and said they worked harder, complained less, and were better disciplined then men. General Dwight Eisenhower said their contributions were immeasurable. I hoped I've sparked your interest in digging deeper into your World War II ancestor's military service. Many in that generation would not talk about their experiences. This is your chance to find out about them. Good luck! _______________ Women's Army Corps (WACs) in World War Two Understanding the U.S. Army World War II Infantry Division Army Campaign Streamers
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Are you looking for Naturalization records for an ancestor? Those records can provide so many clues and so much information on an ancestor - such as place of birth, name of ship they arrived on, date of birth and more. That's where my NaturalizationRecords.com website can help you! Naturalization Certificate for Robert Taylor I spent all of last week updating and adding links to online Naturalization records, Passport records and Oaths of Allegiance for USA and Canada. I also added a section for United Kingdom Naturalizations and Passports If you do happen to find a bad link that I missed, please take a moment and let me know. All I need is the URL of the page where the bad link is found, and the name of the link. I'll do the rest! A few of the online databases that I have transcribed and published on NaturalizationRecords.com for all genealogists to use freely are: Arkansas Naturalization Index 1809-1906 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern (Savannah) Division of the Southern District of Georgia, 1789 - ? Minnesota Naturalizations 337 individuals naturalized between 1943-1972 New Jersey Supreme Court & Burlington County Court, Clerks Office for Naturalization records 1818-1898 P Surnames Naturalization Petitions Indexes for New York 1834-1850 Index to Books 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Naturalization Petitions Indexes for New York 1834-1850 Index to Books 10, 11, 12 Naturalization Petitions Indexes for New York 1850-1860 Index to Books 13-21 Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Book 2 & 3 (1832-1836) Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Book 4, 5 & 6 (1837-1843) Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Book 7 & 8 (1843-1850) Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Books 9-12 (1850-1856) Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Books 13 -15 (1856 - 1897) Denization (Naturalization) of Palatines German refugees in England waiting to come to New York 1708 Naturalization Declarations Rensselaer County New York Register of Passports from 14 November 1834 to 1843 an Index for all states in USA Index to Special Passports 1829-1887 an Index for all states in USA Index to Special Passports 1887-1894 an Index for all states in USA Register of Passport Applications 1809-1817 Index to Emergency & Special Passport Applications 1830-1831
There are many ways of finding out about an ancestor's parents, but one of the main ways is to use vital records such as birth and marriage certificates because marriage certificates normally include the father's name, and birth certificates both parents names unless the child was illegitimate. The first place to look to find an
