military records
  • Save

The applications and significance of Mississippi military records in family history and genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are apparent but Mississippi military records can also be valuable to researchers whose primary ancestors were not soldiers in any war. Because of the amount of genealogical details contained in several Mississippi military pension data files they ought to never be overlooked all through the research process.The area that later became Mississippi Territory was actually a British province when the Revolutionary War began. James Willing, a Patriot, led raids against the British along the Mississippi River in 1779. Those raids foreshadowed events to come. Soon, British West Florida fell under Spanish control. The British Provincial Records have information on those raids and battles. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History holds those records.

The Fifth Series records can be particularly helpful. They are records pertaining to the West Indies and America. The Oliver Pollack Papers in National Archives Record Group 360 can also be useful, since they contain papers from the Continental Congress. The British Public Record Office in London supplied those records for the archives.

The Mississippi Society of the DAR published “Family Records: Mississippi Revolutionary Soldiers,” which contains information on Revolutionary War veterans who became pioneers. Although not official, those records can be valuable resources. The publication has an index, but may contain some errors. There are no official Revolutionary War records located at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, since Mississippi didn’t join the Union until after the Revolutionary War. Nevertheless, cemetery records of Revolutionary War soldier burials in Mississippi are available.

Indexes and service records for Mississippi residents who served in the War of 1812 are available at the National Archives. Copies of those records can also be found at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Grave registrations may also provide information on those soldiers.

Grave registrations for Mississippi and copies of the National Archives service records from the Mexican War can be found at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Pension applications, muster rolls, and other records of Mississippi residents who served on the Confederate side in the Civil War can be found on microfilm at the National Archives. Copies of those records are also located at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Those records include veteran and widow names and genealogical information, as well as each soldier’s rank and organization within the military at the time. A Union veteran list is also available with an index. “Selected Records of the War Department Relating to Confederate Prisoners of War, 1861-1865” is located in Confederate Records, Record Group 109 of the War Department Collection. A copy is available at the state archives.

In 1907, some confederate soldiers were enumerated by county courthouses. Any known soldiers who served on the Union side and were buried at the National Military Cemetery can be found at the Vicksburg National Military Park. Family members who were also buried there from 1866 onward may be listed as well. The list can be found in Vicksburg at the Old Courthouse Museum.

The Ceder Hill Cemetery is where Confederate soldiers were buried. Any lots purchased from 1840 onward are listed alphabetically and according to state of origin.

Military records from later wars may be restricted for privacy. However, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History does hold some records that are available to researchers. Those include a typescript index of World War I Mississippi veterans. Draft registration cards from World War I can be found at the National Archives-Southeast Region. Mississippi soldiers who served in Korea are listed in an index at the state archives called “Record Group 33.” Researchers should also consult “Official Records, Mississippians killed in World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam Conflict.” Mississippi also has grave registrations for those who served in each of the conflicts below, though some records may be incomplete: Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Indian Wars, Mexican War, Civil War, Philippine Insurrection, World War I, World War II, Korean Conflict.

Revolutionary War Website Links

Mississippi in the War of 1812

War of 1812 Website Links

Mississippi in the Civil War

Civil War Website Links

Mississippi Modern Wars

War Website Links

  • ?