The applications and value of Kansas military records in family history and genealogical research for ancestors that were veterans are apparent but Kansas military records can also be valuable to researchers whose immediate ancestors just weren’t soldiers in any war. A result of the quantity of genealogical information included in a number of Kansas military pension records they should not be ignored all through the research process.The Kansas State Historical Society holds the records from the Kansas Adjutant General up until the end of World War II. However, indexes are not available for most of those records. The pro-slavery Territorial Militia kept records, but few have survived. The Kansas State Historical Society holds the records for the unofficial group known as the “Free State Forces.” The Kansas Indian War and Civil War militia records have been indexed by the Daughters of the American Revolution, John Haupt Chapter. The Kansas State Archives holds a list of World War I military members who received bonuses. It also holds a Kansas Adjutant General’s Report index for the years of 1861 to 1865. Andreas’ History of Kansas, 180-208 features a list of soldiers from Kansas regiments who were killed in various battles.
Census records for post-Civil War veterans exist, including the index to pensioners, veterans, orphans, and widows from 1883. The 1930 veteran’s census record is also available. The Kansas State Historical Society Library holds the Republic Post Records from the original Grand Army.
The Kansas State Historical Society’s manuscript department holds records on veterans from the Spanish-American War and from World War I. A report called “Index to Kansas Troops in the Volunteer Service of the United States in the Spanish and Philippine Wars” from the Adjutant General is also a good source of research information. Both discharge and enlistment paperwork for Kansas residents who served in World War I are located at the Kansas State Historical Society. Those who received a bonus in World War I are listed on a document available at the Kansas State Archives. The National Archives-Central Plains Region golds records of World War II Selective Service 4th Registration cards for those born from April 28, 1877 onward and those born from February 1897 onward. The National Archives-Central Plains Region also holds Alien Registration cards from World War I.
The Kansas State Archives library holds several World War II records, including honor rolls, but that collection is incomplete. Also on file is a list of Kansas residents who served in the war. It is not indexed, but it is organized according to draft board. The archives collection also includes records from Camp Concordia, and POW camps and hospitals. Many of those records are on microfilm. Also available are records of veteran enrollments from 1883, 1889, and 1930. The Kansas State Archives also holds records of information on the Kansas State Soldiers Home.
- Kansas Military Records (Fold3.com)
- Kansas Military Record Books (amazon.com)
Kansas in the War of 1812
War of 1812 Website Links
- Research in the War of 1812 1812-1815 (uswars.net)
- Kansas War of 1812 Books (amazon.com)
Kansas in the Civil War
Civil War Website Links
- Research in the Civil War 1861-1865
- Civil War links from fold3.com with original data from the National Archives:
- Civil War links from ancestry.com:
- U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 – This database contains an index to compiled service records (CSRs) for soldiers who served with units in the Confederate army. Most of the men whose names appear in this index served with units from 15 different states or territories; others were soldiers raised directly by the Confederate government, generals and staff officers, and other enlisted men not associated with a regiment. Compiled service records are files of cards that abstract original military records relating to an individual soldier. A typical CSR will include an envelope that lists a soldier’s name, rank, unit, and card numbers, followed by cards with details extracted from muster rolls, rosters, hospital rolls, Union prison records, payrolls, and other records, with a new card being created each time a soldier’s name appeared on a new document. The CSRs may also include original documents pertaining to the soldier. The CSRs do not constitute an exhaustive list of all men who served in the Confederate army.
- U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865
- Kansas Civil War Soldiers – This database is a transcription of the Kansas Adjutant General’s Roll of Civil War Soldiers. Listing over 20,000 men, it provides the soldier’s name, rank, residence, enlistment date, and muster date. Additionally, it reveals unit information and other helpful notes. For those seeking information regarding Kansas ancestors who may have served in the Union army this database can be a helpful source.
- Kansas, Civil War Enlistment Papers, 1862, 1863, 1868 – This collection features enlistment papers of men who volunteered in Kansas to serve in the United States Army for up to three years during and just after the Civil War. The two-page forms include the recruit’s name, birthplace, age, occupation, enlistment date, and unit. They also provide a short physical description.
- Official military history of Kansas regiments : during the War for the Suppression of the Great Rebellion.
- Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic Post Reports, 1880-1940
- Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic Bound Post Records, 1866-1931
- Kansas Civil War Books (amazon.com)
Kansas Modern Wars
War Website Links