The military and pension files I have accessed from the National Archives had nothing about the names of parents. The Civil War files had date and place of birth - the wars before the Mexican War did not for those I have researched. My War of 1812 ancestor, Abner Gaddis, died before pensions were available. His widow applied and her application is a treasure trove of data, for she had prove not only his service - but their marriage as well. I have not been able to find a civil record of the marriage, but since the US Government accepted it as proof, it is acceptable for genealogical organizations. If memory serves, Maine was not admitted into the Union until 1820. Before that it was part of Massachusetts. You might try: 'Records of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia During the War of 1812-14', Adjutant General's Office, 1913. Several men were in more than one regiment, especially as many of the enlistments were short. You might see if your ancestor or his widow applied for a pension. My experience is that military files and pension files are separate. The military files for the War of 1812 have little information and sometimes has only what was taken from the roster. I have had good success with regimental information from county histories for the War of 1812, you might look for one published in the 1880's or 1890's where your ancestor enlisted and / or lived. Scott Baker -----Original Message----- From: Kevin King [mailto:kevinking@adelphia.net] Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 11:33 AM To: WARof1812-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [WARof1812] Genealogical information on military records? Hello, I have not researched military records before and was hoping someone on this list may be able to tell me if it is worth pursuing with regard to a particular individual I am looking for. One of my ancestors, an Isaac Watts GRANT, I have no information on his parents. I know when he died, I know his wife and children so I am not sure what additional genealogical information may be available in any pension files? What I do know, is the following entry from the book, "Three Centuries of Freeport, Maine", where it talks about the war of 1812. It lists solders from Freeport who joined the war and states, "Captain E Brewer's Company, Under Lieutenant-Colonel J.E. Foxcroft's Regiment, From September 10 to 24, 1814, Raised at Freeport Service at Portland" And goes on to list my ancestor as a private "Watts Grant" (note: sometimes he listed his name as 'Watts Grant' other times "Isaac Watts Grant' on census and marriage records). Then on Ancestry.com in their war of 1812 service record index: Name: WATTS GRANT Company: FOXCROFT'S REG'T MASSACHUSETTS MILITIA. Rank - Induction: PRIVATE Rank - Discharge: PRIVATE Roll Box: 84 Roll Exct: 602 Which I am going to assume refers to the same person. There is also two entries for a "Watts Grant" under "COL. MCCOBB'S REG'T U.S. VOLUNTEERS.". While 'GRANT' certainly is a common name, I don't believe 'Watts' is common for a first name. Is it possible he also was with McCobb? What my major question is, is I do not know what I may find if I order copies of any records from the National Archives. I only have an estimate of a year of birth for him now (1795), and no parents. He would have been just about 18/19 when he joined and I would assume that when one joined the army there was an entry for "next of kin" or some name to notify in case the solider is killed? And I would assume it would probably be a relative, a parent since he was not married yet? I know getting the record is the only way to find out. But I was wondering if anyone here has experience with finding this sort of information and is there one type of record I should request v. a different type? Any suggestions?? I've done allot of genealogy research, just never tapped into military records yet... thanks, -Kevin King ==== WARof1812 Mailing List ==== WATCH YOUR SUBJECT LINES Some members delete list mail based solely upon a subject you've gave your message. BE SURE TO GIVE THEM REALLY GOOD ONES OK ============================== Find your ancestors in the Birth, Marriage and Death Records. New content added every business day. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13964/rd.ashx