Military Reference & Archives
Genealogy and family research would not be possible without the written record. Very few institutions are better at maintaining written records than the various branches of the military. Among the many documents that I have looked over in search for my ancestors and family history, those of military origin offer not only the most factual genealogical information, but give among the most insightful and personal accounts of the lives of those who have come before us.
United States Military Archives:
Military archives can be obtained from U.S. Government sources, but a limited number of records can be obtained from other sources.
The National Archives and Records Administration can be accessed at http://www.nara.gov/. Since they have a wide range of information available, a phone call to either the headquarters in Washington D.C. or your nearest regional branch can help guide you toward finding the particular documents you are seeking. Contact and ordering information can be obtained for the National Archives via the Roots Genealogical Cooperative.
"The United States Army Military History Institute, a department of the U.S. Army War College, is the U.S. Army's central repository for historical materials. It has a mission to collect, preserve, and make available to researchers source materials on Military History, especially American military history."
Revolutionary War Related Sites:
Information for obtaining archives and information for the American Revolutionary War can be accessed via the Roots Genealogical Cooperative
The New York State Archives and Records Administration maintains a site pertaining to claims and unpaid service to veterans who served during the Revolutionary War from New York State.
Civil War Related Sites:
The Civil War period is indispensable to genealogists and family researchers as a vital time link between the American Colonial period and Post Civil War era when records and documentation become much more thorough and informative as genealogical tools.
Grace-Marie's Links to Civil War Sites on the Web is an excellent, diverse site covering a wide array of sites of interest to researchers on the Internet. If you have Civil War era research to do, this site is definitely worth a browse.
The American Civil War Homepage "The American Civil War Homepage gathers together in one place hypertext links to the most useful identified electronic files about the American Civil War (1861-1865)." This is an excellent site, with a diverse set of links to sites covering virtually all aspects of the American Civil War. http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/
University Publications of America maintains the The American Civil War site which includes many in-depth historical sketches of the Civil War by region, topic and printed source.
The American Civil War Research Database is a fee-for-service and excellent resource that specifically caters to genealogists and family researchers conducting work in the period of the Civil War.
Civil War Interactive is just what the title implies, a highly graphic and interactive site dedicated to many areas of interest on the Civil War.
The Civil War Center at Louisiana State University has links and information pertaining to the American Civil War.
The American Civil War is an excellent site with many multi-faceted links related to the American Civil War.
