Georgianne:  Great information you posted.  I would like to say one thing though in records to the records being reconstructed after the fire.  This is not always the case.  It is done if the person who is alive has their copies of the documents.  If they don't then they cann't reconstruct.  My uncle is losing out on 3 years of his pension as he did not safeguard his DD214 and his records were destroyed inthe fire. He served 27 years and is being paid for 24.  Since his records were destroyed in the fire and he lost his last DD214 he cann't prove the extra 3 years. Another reason to make sure us veterans file our DD214 with the county courthouse and place in safe deposit box! George gebasden@worldnet.att.net <http://www.basden.com/>http://www.basden.com ---------- > From: Georgianne Bowmanby way of Genealogy Records Service <info@genrecords.com> <ggbowman@email.msn.com> > To: GenTips-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Veterans > Date: Saturday, July 04, 1998 2:50 PM > > For anyone searching veterans, am quoting from GENEALOGY TODAY of > June 1998.  Please note the closing paragraphs for pensioners. > "MILITARY RECORDS: > Military records are an excellent source of genealogical and historical > information. The United States have been at least eleven major wars, > numerous > Indian wars and two conflicts since colonial times. There are two major > categories of these records that the family researcher will want to > research. > The first is the service record which usually contains enlistment records, > orders, reports and commendations and muster rolls. The other records is the > pension application files which usually contain affidavits made by the > veteran > and his neighbors, friends, relatives, etc. to prove his claim; the dates of > his service; his date and place of birth; date and place of marriage his > heirs > and their birth dates and places; and possibly information from his family > Bible. > For Colonial War information, the records include rosters, rolls and lists. > Most of these records have been published and can be found in genealogical > and > historical libraries across the United States. > For Revolutionary information, the records include rosters, rolls, > correspondence and field reports, dates of enlistment, state from which he > served, sometimes his physical description and date and place of birth. Some > of the original service records were destroyed by fire, but those remaining > are on file at the National Archives and are indexed. These records are also > available at your local Family History Center. > Service records for the War of 1812, Indian Wars and the Mexican War have > been > indexed and microfilmed and available at the National Archives or your local > Family History Center. > For Civil War information, (Union Army Records), a soldier enlisted near his > home. To get his service record you need to know the state he served or > unit. > Write to the National Archives, Washington, DC to get NATF Form 80, > (Military > service and pension records prior to World War I, including the > Revolutionary > War, War of 1812, Civil War, and Spanish-American War); fill it out and send > it in, they will send you copies of his service record. You can send an > email > to get the NATF form: inquire@arch2.nara.gov. Please put your mailing > address, > not your email address. Since the Confederacy dissolved after the war, no > central governmental agency provided pensions for service or disability to > the > Confederate soldier, but some former Confederate states authorized pensions > to > veterans and their widows. Some of these pension filed have been microfilmed > by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Others are in the possession of various > state archives or government custodians. > For World War I & 2 information, write to National Personnel Records Center, > 9700 Page Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63132 and request Form 180, fill it out and a > copy of the service record/pension application records will be sent to you. > These service records for soldiers who have served within the last seventy- > five years are restricted to immediate family member. In 1973 a fire broke > out > at the above National Personnel Records Center and destroyed millions of > records. The center has since reconstructed the records of living military > personnel who needed the date for pensions and other benefits. > Records pertaining to the service of merchant marines are on file with the > United States Coast Guard, Washington, DC 20590. Records of discharged, > deceased and retired merchant marines are in the custody of the National > Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Boulevard, > St. > Louis, MO 63132. Records of officers and active or reserve personnel prior > to > 1929 are in the custody of the Commandant of the U. S. Coast Guard, > Washington, DC 20590. > Burial records for soldiers who were buried in one of the many national and > other federally administered cemeteries since 1861 are in the custody of the > Cemetery Service, National Cemetery System, Veterans Administration, 810 > Vermont Avenue, Washington, DC 20420. > A list of soldiers that were missing in action is found in the National > Archives under the Records of American Battle Commission, Record Group 117. > Records of Federal Veterans' homes are in the National Archives in Record > Group 15 and Record Group 231." > Hope this info helps someone. > Georgianne > ggbowman@msn.com > > > ==== GenTips Mailing List ==== > Are you having trouble unsubscribing to the list? You can subscribe and unsubscribe to the lists we own from our web page at: > <http://www.genrecords.com/>http://www.genrecords.com > > > > > > > > > > > > >