this is such a wonderful posting on GA research...by Todd, who is V-P of the Society for War of 1812 War of 1812 Unit Information for GA Posted by: Todd Frary (ID *****6019) Date: April 18, 2002 at 13:34:21 of 2914 I was asked to post information about Georgia in the War of 1812 (also known as the Creek War) here at the Georgia site. I'll also post this information at the GA site). The best source on Georgia units in the War of 1812 is a recently published book "History of the Georgia Militia, 1783 - 186l," by Gordon Burns Smith of Savannah. The book consists of four volumes and at present the Georgia Archives does not have a copy. The book lists which units were drawn from which counties and the actions they were engaged in during the War of 1812. I do want to make clear I do not own this book nor do I have access to it. I have only seen copies from it. I am the current Vice-President of the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Georgia. The General Society can be accessed at the following internet address: http://www.societyofthewarof1812.org/ The web site contains contact information for the Georgia Society, links to War of 1812 related sites and membership information. Ancestry.com and other web sites do have searchable databases of soldiers and sailors who served in the War of 1812 but our own site does not. There are two other lineage societies related to the War of 1812: The United Society Daughters of the War of 1812 (USD 1812) and the Military Society of the War of 1812. The Daughters do not presently have a national web site although many state societies do (Georgia does not). The Military Society of the War of 1812 is affiliated with the Veteran Corps of Artillery and is accessed via their web site (http://www.vca1790.org). The best tip I can offer to locate an 1812 ancestor is to follow basic principals of research. The Georgia Archives has a number of titles related to the War of 1812 including records of the General Society of the War of 1812, USD of 1812, burial information, war dead, pension and indexes of service records. The USD 1812 has been actively engaged in marking graves of veterans of the War of 1812 for many years and their records would be the best obvious starting point. A check of the Registers for both societies would be recommended as well. The customs of the 19th Century customs were not to mark graves as to wartime service unless the individual was a well-known hero of the war. Obituaries, if they can be located, sometimes make mention as to wartime service. Pensions are generally rare for War of 1812 service but do contain a wealth of information. Compiled service records can be obtained from the Washington DC NARA location and can help identify some limited information on the soldier or sailor in question. Early county histories sometimes also include information on units that served during the War of 1812; often including names of individuals. There is a common misconception that few individuals served during the War of 1812, but this is inaccurate. The level of mobilization varied greatly from state to state depending on the threat from England or the Creek Indians. The threat from England was highest in the Mid-Atlantic and New England states; virtually non-existent from North Carolina south. In the south the primary threat was the Creek Indians who were being supplied arms by the Spanish and were allied with England. If your ancestors were in the Carolinas they likely didn't serve during the War of 1812. ******* If they were from GA, AL, MS or TN then they would have fought in the Creek Campaign. Any further north would have fought against England. Generally speaking men who served during the War of 1812 were younger men, generally 18 to 30, single or married without children. War of 1812 veterans would be about seven generations back for most people, which would give you 64 g-g-g-g-grandparents of which 32 would be males. Your odds of finding a War of 1812 ancestor are pretty good and I myself have found three myself without even trying hard. Persistence is how you meet with success and good luck to all with their researching! Virginia Crilley