Hello Craig Scott, You seem to be quite versed on Loudoun and the War of 1812 and I am hoping that you will be able to offer me some direction for a further search. My ancestor - Nolan/d Hurdle has been documented as being in the War of 1812 - 1. per Ancestry.com and NARA he served in the 56 Regiment (Taylor's) Virginia Militia as a private. 2. NARA sent one Company Pay Roll and one Company Muster Roll showing him as a private in Captain S.W. Young's Company 56 Reg't Virginia Militia serving in a camp near "Balto" from Aug. 24 to Sept. 22, 1814. As you described - the Library of Virginia does not list his service (thank you for the explanation - I was curious). 3. I found in the book (ordered from Willow Bend books) "Loudoun County, VA Militia Journals 1793-1829" by Don Blincoe, Sr. that the 56th Regiment is associated with Loudoun which certainly helps pin down where he resided at the time - but he is not listed in the book. 4. I was e-mailed an abstract of Loudoun Co. VA Common Pleas dated 14 March 1826 which states: "56th Regiment Virginia Militia: Alfred Wright, Ensign. Albert Heaton, Captain. Noland Hirdle, ensign in place of William Divine. 9 Oct. 1826: on motion of Silas Marmaduke who made oath as administrator together with Samuel Wright and John P. Love Jr., his securities entered into bond...on estate of Noland Hurdle, deceased. Nancy Hurdle, wife of deceased, having relinquished her right of administration. Appraisers: Samuel Clendening, William Divine, Jos. Hough and James Copeland." I'm not quite sure what this is telling me so I am sending to the Loudoun Co. VA Circuit Court Clerk's office for a copy of the original document. I do have the abstracts (from your various Loudoun books) of the guardian records for Nolan/d Hurdle's 2 daughters and his 1826-9 will/accounts. 5. I obtained copies of the pages of interest from the book "Index to War of 1812 Pension Files" by Virgil D. White - but there was no listing for Nolan/d Hurdle or his wife Nancy Hurdle. 6. I have copies of the Tavenner Collection pages (covering Loudoun co. residents) on the Hurdle family but they offered no further information on Nolan/d Hurdle or his life before the War of 1812. My question is - do you have any suggestions for possible records to be found on Nolan/d Hurdle since he appears to be connected to the Loudoun Co., Virginia Militia from at least the War of 1812 to 1826 (if I understand the Common Pleas abstract correctly). He seems to appear "suddenly out of thin air" as a private the War of 1812 - are there any records of the militia prior to their being called into duty in 1812? Thank you for any help that you or any other list member is able to offer, Susan McIntyre Willow Bend Books - Craig R. Scott wrote: >Although one would think that both the National Archives and the Library of >Virginia would have records on each soldier, that is not the case. > >The only compiled records that the National Archives has were taken from >records, such as muster and pay rolls, in the possession of the War >Department. Usually they are for units who left the state to serve and were >paid for by the federal government. So many northern Virginia units, who >were stationed in Baltimore have records in the National Archives, but not >in the Library of Virginia. There is not a single muster roll for Loudoun >county militia in Richmond. They are all in NARA. > >The Library of Virginia has, for the most part, the muster and payrolls of >those militiamen who served in Norfolk and along the Bay, and paid for by >the state. > >Because neither senario is perfect, it is important to look in both places >for the records. > >C. > >Craig R. Scott, CGRS >Heritage Books, Inc. >Willow Bend Books >(a division of Heritage Books, Inc.) >65 East Main Street >Westminster, MD 21157-5026 > >www.WillowBendBooks.com >WillowBend@willowbend.net > > > > > > >