Remembering our Veteran Ancestors

Faded Flags - Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Happy Veteran’s Day! I hope you were able to thank a veteran. It is important for us to honor and remember our veterans and all the sacrifices that they made. Whether they served during war or peace times, they essentially gave up years of their life to keep all of us safe. Those were years that they were away from family, unable to pursue career goals or continue their education. Our ancestors include veterans from different time periods. Their service may have been voluntary or through the draft. They may have been stationed in the United States or abroad. Let’s look at ways to find their records.

​Hopefully, you’ve discovered that many sites offer free access to military records around Veteran’s Day. They all have different dates for access, but it is worth checking out. The following sites include free and paid subscriptions. They are a great place to start.
 
Search Military Records and Much More! - MyHeritage $
 United States Military Records • FamilySearch
Genealogy Research in Military Records | National Archives
Veterans' Service Records | National Archives
Findmypast free access | Free genealogy websites | findmypast.com $ Free access to military record until November 15, 2021.
World War genealogy research guide (americanancestors.org) $ While a paid site, American Ancestors offers great guides and articles that are available without a subscription.
 Researching Through Military Records - Genealogy.com
 Military Records | Service Records | Ancestry $
Fold3 - Historical military records
 
If you made the leap across the pond, there seem to be more military records available online. I have found ancestors that I didn’t think were in the military when I research in France. Usually, they were the lucky ones chosen in a draft for their commune. One appeared to be serving in a unit like the national guard where they were part of the system over a period of years. Here are a few sites to get you started.
Recrutement militaire de la Seine - Archives de Paris
France Military Records • FamilySearch
British Military Records • FamilySearch
Cyndi's List - Sweden / Sverige - Military (cyndislist.com)
 
As we acknowledge our ancestor veterans, I hope you explore the military information that it is available. You will have a better understanding about their time in the service as well as the impact to their families while they were away. Happy Veteran’s Day!