The newly released collection of military records on Ancestry.com is exciting. More than 700 new databases; more than 90 million new names. More of your ancestors waiting to be found and honored.

But, the Military Record Collection can be daunting too. Let me walk you through how I found my fifth great-grandfather’s pension files by using the War of 1812 Service Records. Though all the military databases are not the same, this should help you find your own ancestors, no matter which conflict they were a part of.

IT STARTED WITH A QUESTION
The search for my great-grandfather’s War of 1812 military records actually started months ago. While many of the databases in the Military Records Collection are new, some have been online for a while but got incorporated into the new Military Records Collection when it was released. The War of 1812 Service Records was one of these collections.

While discussing family history with my uncle last October, he gave me some information on my fifth great-grandfather, a man by the name of Major Willis, who was born in North Carolina, then moved to Tennessee.

Among the information were notes he exchanged with a distant cousin he’d connected with online. According to the notes, Major Willis had served in the War of 1812, under a Captain John Chisholm.

SEARCHING THE COLLECTION
Wanting to know more, and realizing that military service often leaves a paper trail, I used the Database Card Catalog to see if there were any records relating to the War of 1812 on Ancestry.com. To my delight, I found the War of 1812 Service Records.

This database contains the names of almost 600,000 men who served in the War of 1812 (which actually lasted from 1812 to 1815). Since the name Major Willis is unique, I entered only his name into the search fields; I didn’t bother adding location, years, or other qualifying information.

Searching the records on Ancestry.com isn’t always this easy, but this time I was in luck. A record for Major Willis was the first on the list.

WHAT DID THIS MEAN?
Like many of the databases on Ancestry.com, the War of 1812 Service Records collection does not contain original records; it is only an index. That means it contains a list of names taken from a collection of records stored elsewhere.

Reading the description of the database that is included with every collection on Ancestry.com, I discovered that all of the names in this index were taken from a microfilm publication in the National Archives called the Index to the Compiled Military Service Records for the Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812. All of the original, compiled military service records for these men are also housed in the National Archives.

ORDERING THE RECORDS
Although the record I pulled up on Ancestry.com showed me which company Major served in, and his rank, I wanted to see the original records, which have more information.

I went to the National Archives website and discovered that I could order both military service records and pension claim files online. (It took me a while poking around on the site to figure out how; just use this link to go straight to the online ordering service: http://archives.gov/research/order/orderonline.html)

Although I wasn’t sure whether Major had a pension file (the Ancestry.com index was for military service records only), I went ahead and put in a request for one, using the same information I retrieved from the War of 1812 Service Records index. Since then, I have also gone online to order copies of his military service records.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
So what’s the difference between military service records and a pension file?

Military service records contain a range of information from different sources, such as rosters, medical records, pay vouchers, and more. Pension records contain applications for pensions submitted by disabled soldiers or their dependents (or widows); they can contain information about events that happened during the soldier’s service, marriage and other vital information, property schedules, and more.

Ordering the military service record costs $17.00. Ordering a complete pension file costs $37.00. Ordering a smaller pension packet with the documents that usually contain the most genealogical information costs $14.75. For my first go-around, I went the cheap route on the pension files and ordered the smaller packet.

THE RECORDS ARRIVE
I won’t say the process was easy. It took me a long time to figure out the difference between military service records and pension files, and how to order them. When I finally ordered the pension records I filled in too much information and received a letter weeks later saying that they had located a file for someone whose information looked close but did not match mine exactly. I could tell from what they provided that it was still the same Major Willis, so I had to confirm that I did indeed want the records that they had found and reorder. Then, it took another six weeks for those records to arrive.

However, when they finally came I was excited to see that Major’s wife, Mary Jones, had filled out some widow’s pension claim files after Major’s death. His death was listed as 20 October 1829, in Columbia, Tennessee. Mary received $8.00 a month, from 6 June 1871 to her death on 30 January 1878.

In addition, the records revealed that Major and Mary had married in May of 1807 in Sumner County, Tennessee and that Major had served from June 1814 to the spring of 1815.

TO BE CONTINUED
Since ordering these pension files I consulted an archivist at the National Archives who said I should order the complete pension file; you never know what other information it might contain. I am also eagerly awaiting the arrival of the military service records—another item she emphasized I should order.

In the meantime, I am searching Ancestry.com for other collections that might yield more information about Major—like the collection I just found: Marriages of Sumner County, Tennessee, 1787–1838.

Although your ancestors may not have served in the War of 1812, it is likely you have an ancestor that served in one of the other major American wars. Many of the records available in the new Military Records Collection are indexes to collections housed elsewhere. Search these indexes for your ancestors, locate the repository where the originals are housed (often the National Archives), and order the originals for yourself—the process can be long, but is definitely worth it.  

Jana Lloyd is editor of the Ancestry Monthly newsletter. She can be reached at AMUeditor@ancestry.com but cannot assist with personal research questions.