West Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865
Union service records of soldiers who served in organizations from West Virginia. The records include a jacket-envelope for each soldier, labeled with his name, his rank, and the unit in which he served. The jacket-envelope typically contains card abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, appointment books, hospital registers, prison registers and rolls, parole rolls, inspection reports; and the originals of any papers relating solely to the particular soldier. For each military unit the service records are arranged alphabetically by the soldier's surname. The Military Unit field may also display the surname range (A-G) as found on the microfilm. This collection is a part of RG 94, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780's-1917 and is National Archive Microfilm Publication M508. Index courtesy of Fold3.
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West Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers
What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of Union service records of soldiers who served in organizations from West Virginia for the years 1861 to 1865. The records include abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in the following original records:
- Name, rank, company and regiment in which served
- Muster rolls showing when soldier was mustered-in, discharged
- Returns
- Rosters
- Payrolls
- Appointment books
- Hospital registers
- Union prison registers and rolls
- Parole rolls
- Inspection reports
For each military unit the service records are arranged alphabetically by the soldier's surname. The Military Unit field may also display the surname range (A-G) as found on the microfilm. This collection is a part of RG 94, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s - 1917, and is National Archive Microfilm Publication M508. Index courtesy of Fold3 (previously Footnote.com).
Service records were kept for each soldier. Those records, or their abstracts, were compiled into individual files. Each envelope/jacket contains information and cross references to original records relating to the soldier.
Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The index to these records contains the following:
- Jacket name
- Soldier’s full name
- Year
- Age (often estimated)
- Military unit served in
- Type of records in file
- NARA publication number, title, and roll number
Collection Content
The records are in individual files which usually include the following:
- A jacket-envelope for each soldier, labeled with his name, his rank, and the unit in which he served
- A card (or cards) with abstracts of entries from original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, appointment books, hospital registers, parole rolls, and inspection reports
- The originals of any papers relating only to the particular soldier
Collection Details
Location of Original Records
National Archives and Records Administration
"West Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 19 February 2025. From "Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of West Virginia." Database. Fold3.com. http://www.fold3.com : n.d. Citing NARA microfilm publication M508. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1964.
