United States, Records of Headstones of Deceased Union Veterans, 1879-1903

What is in This Collection"

This collection consists of 3x4 inch cards, which are headstone (gravestone) contracts provided for deceased Union veterans of the Civil War. The cards are on 22 rolls of microfilm covering over 166,000 records and are arranged alphabetically by surname. There are nine cards per image. Some of the names on the cards may be difficult to read.

Most burials occurred in private cemeteries, though some may have occurred in National Soldier Home cemeteries. Gravestones were provided to Union soldiers who died between 1861 and 1903. Some cards may include War of 1812 veterans. The gravestones were provided between 1879-1903 by the United States government. The gravestones were provided between the years 1879 and 1903, although the soldiers generally died between 1861 and 1903. Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Related National Archives Collections

• Department of Veterans Affairs. National Cemetery Administration. Burial Registers, 1867–2006 NAID 5928352
• Office of the Quartermaster General. Burial Registers of Military Posts and National Cemeteries, ca. 1862–ca. 1960 NAID 4478151
• Reports of Death and General Correspondence, 1864 - 1874 NAID 279421 Chattanooga National Cemetery
• Sexton's Reports of Burials, 1864 - 1864 NAIF 279422 Chattanooga
• Records of Death and Interment at Camp Nelson, KY, 1864 - 1865 NAID 279423
• Records of Death and Internment at Eastern Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky, 1861 - 1864 NAID 279683
• Records of Interments at National Cemeteries, ca. 1862–ca. 1984 NAID 1224994 See also NAID 562453
• Announcements Concerning the Deaths of Civil War Veterans, ca. 1894–ca. 1923 NAID 17400863 Loyal Legion Announcements of Officer Deaths

Related Reading

• Claire Prechtel-Kluskens. Headstone records for US military veterans. Part I: Headstone design. NGS Magazine 39 #1 (January - March 2013): 30-33.
• Claire Prechtel-Kluskens. Headstone records for US military veterans. Part II: Records for headstones requested from 1879 to 1925. NGS Magazine 39 #2 (April-June 2013):32-35.
• Claire Prechtel-Kluskens. Headstone records for US military veterans Part III: Records for headstones requested from 1925 to 1985 NGS Magazine 39 #3 (July-September 2013): 43 -47.
• Claire Prechtel-Kluskens. Records of Burial Flags for Veterans NGS Magazine 42 #4 (October-December 2016): 39-42.
• John P. Deeben. Last rites for the honored dead: Records of military burials in national cemeteries. NGS Magazine 37 #1 (January-March 2011): 15-18.

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

Sample Image

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  1883 Headstone Record