Ancestry Academy  > Education  >  How to Use Fold3 to Find Your Ancestors' Military Records

 

In this virtual event, Ancestry's Corporate Genealogist Crista Cowan introduces viewers to Fold3, Ancestry's specialized platform for historical military records. Acknowledging that Fold3 requires a slightly different approach than traditional family history sites, Crista clarifies why the platforms remain separate and outlines how different subscription levels provide access. The primary objective of this session is to teach family historians how to navigate Fold3's vast databases, equipping them with the necessary context to uncover their ancestors' military service and the tools to safely save those discoveries directly to their Ancestry family trees. Viewers gain unique insights into the realities of US military research, notably the devastating impact of the 1973 National Archives fire in St. Louis that destroyed a vast majority of modern service files.

 

This virtual event follows a practical, step-by-step format, beginning with a guided tour of the site's layout, which organizes records by specific conflicts such as the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War II. Crista provides a technical breakdown of Fold3's "single search bar" functionality—demonstrating how to use quotation marks to keep names together and why searching for partial names or initials is crucial for outsmarting historical record variations. The presentation also explores how to find contextual information, such as detailed Civil War battle maps and regiment histories, and highlights non-military collections on the site like Native American records and city directories. The session concludes with a demonstration on using the "Honor Wall" feature to create lasting digital memorials for ancestors whose physical records may have been lost, followed by an encouragement for viewers to share their biggest takeaways.

 

Chapters:

 

• [0:00] Introduction to Fold3 & Subscriptions
  
  

• [06:12] Integrating Fold3 and Ancestry
  
  

• [12:54] Understanding US Military Records & The 1973 Fire
  
  

• [22:03] Mastering the Fold3 Search Bar
  
  

• [29:18] Exploring Civil War Battles & Non-Military Records
  
  

• [46:27] The Honor Wall & Memorials
  

 

Explore Fold3 today to search for your ancestors' military records, and create an Honor Wall memorial to digitally preserve your family's history of service.