LOCATING MILITARY RECORDS

If you are seeking a veteran, the following resources may be of assistance:

The National Archives in Washington, DC, is the largest repository of military records in the United States. An entire microfilm catalog is devoted solely to military records. That catalog is available online. Though digitization has started, most of the primary records for military service are still on microfilm.  Familysearch.org also has listings of microfilms held by the Family History Library.

Military Service Records: Request the individual's military service record from the National Personnel Records Center, Military Records Branch. Eligible requestors can request records online, others must submit a written request using a Standard Form 180. To request records or obtain the form go to:
                                    http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/index.html

The Illinois State Archives has a number of records for Illinois veterans

 An excellent short article on searching for both civil war and post civil war records can be found by clicking here.

Note:

Military service records from World War I to the present are restricted for privacy concerns. However, some information regarding an individual's service can be released.

Locating Union & Confederate Records :

footnote.com  has both Confederate and Union Army Soldier records

Veterans Associations: Contact existing veterans associations. Many veterans associations maintain websites.

Books:

"Locating Union and Confederate Records: A Guide to the Most Commonly Used Civil War Records of the National Archives and Family History Library" by Nancy Justus Morebeck is out of print but copies are listed at the Newberry, Glenview, Oak Lawn, Mount Prospect and Lombard as well as  Northern Illinois and U of I Champaign-Urbana libraries. (Call to confirm availablility)  A few copies are available for sale via amazon.com booksellers (ranging from $109 - $129)  For a brief discussion of the book see Ancestry.com article

 Richard S. Johnson and Debra Johnson Knox. How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military: Armed Forces Locator Guide (Spartanburg, SC: MIE Publishing, 1999). Phone 1-800-937-2133. Website:  http://www.militaryusa.com. This book provides chapters on locating active duty servicemen and women; reserve personnel; members of the National Guard; retired military personnel; veterans; military records; women veterans; verifying military service; locating veterans for a reunion; determining whether a veteran is deceased; birthparents who served in the military; family histories for veterans; computer and internet sources; and other methods.