military records
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The benefits and significance of Louisiana military records in family history research for ancestors who were veterans are evident but Louisiana military records can also be valuable to researchers whose immediate ancestors were not soldiers in any war. Because of the quantity of genealogical information included in several Louisiana military pension files they ought to never be ignored throughout the research process.There are many Louisiana military records available to researchers. For example, Segovia, Spain is home to the General Military Archives, which holds military records from colonial Louisiana. It contains records of Spanish military soldiers dating from 1680 to 1920. Those records include names of soldiers and their parents, ranks of the soldiers, and often descriptions of the soldiers as well.Many of Louisiana’s original military records have been placed on microfilm and stored at the National Archives. Those records include:

  • War of 1812-M229, 3 Rolls
  • Florida War of 1836-M239
  • War of 1836-38-M241
  • Confederate War Index-M378, 31 Rolls
  • Military Service Records-M320, 414 Rolls.

Louisiana began issuing pensions to veterans of the Confederacy and widows of veterans in 1898. Both the original pension applications and microfilmed copies are available at the Louisiana State Archives. An online index is available and copies may be requested by writing to the Louisiana State Archives.

Louisiana in the Colonial War

Colonial War Website Links

Revolutionary War Website Links

  • Research in the Revolutionary War 1775-1783 (uswars.net)
  • Churchill, E. Robert, comp., Soldiers of the American Revolution under Bernardo De Galvez. Five copies of this book were originally printed: one was placed in the Sons of the American Revolution Library housed in the Howard-Tilton Library at Tulane University, Louisiana; one was deposited in the DAR Library in Washington, D.C.; a third copy can be found in the Library of Congress.
  • Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Natchitoches Colonials: Censuses, Military Rolls, and Tax Lists, 1722–1803. Tuscaloosa, Ala.: Mills Historical Press, 1981.
  • Louisiana Revolutionary War Books (amazon.com)

Louisiana in the War of 1812

War of 1812 Website Links

Louisiana in the Civil War

Civil War Website Links

Louisiana Modern Wars

War Website Links