Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Resources

Today's free genealogy resource is Lancaster History. The site endeavors to educate visitors on the history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and promotes the preservation of items related to the area, including President James Buchanan's home, Wheatland.


Clicking on the Collections tab will take you to a page from which you can access the various collections available through the site. The main part of interest to online browsers is the online Lancaster County newspapers. This includes the newspapers The Lancaster Examiner & Herald (1834-1872), The Columbia Spy (1830-1889), The Intelligencer Journal (1848-1871), The New Holland Clarion (1873-1950) and The Lancaster Farmer (1869-1884).

Hidden within the newspapers is another jewel for genealogists, the Lancaster City and County Directories from 1843 to 1900. You can also access Pennsylvania Civil War Newspapers from the same page a little further down.

Clicking on the Guides tab will take you to a page with research and genealogy guides. Select research guides in the right hand column to return a list of guides on immigration and naturalization, birth and baptismal records, land records and more. The other resources link in the right hand column will give you a page of other resources including organizations, online newspapers and more.

Read more »

Free Spanish-American War Records

Colorado Volunteers in the Spanish-American War-This database is organized by first letter of the individual's surname. You get name, company and rank.

Illinois Spanish-American War Veterans-You can search by name only or narrow the results with company, unit or residence if known. Results give name, rank, company, unit and residence.

Indiana Spanish-American War Roster-Use the index to find what page your ancestor is listed on and then find the appropriate page in the Table of Contents. Information varies depending on the individual but may contain name, rank, date of commission, date of muster, service information, residence, date of enrollment, remarks, date of rank, date of discharge, company, regiment, date of death, place of death or date of desertion. There are also pages where you can see how many individuals of each nationality, state of residence and occupations served.

Pennsylvania Spanish-American War Veterans File-Select first letter of surname, then scroll to find the correct page. Information on cards may include name, race, residence, birthplace, age, enlistment date and location, organization, rank, other military service or retirement dates.

Tennessee Spanish-American War Service Extracts-Arranged in groupings by first letter of surname. Information includes name, company, unit, city and state. Before searching, scroll down the page to learn the officers of some of the infantry units.

Texas Spanish-American War Service Records-On the drop down box for organization, select (USV) United States Volunteers, Spanish-American War. Once you have searched, click on the image icon on the right to get name, place of enlistment, entering rank, county and organization served with. Scrolling down will net you a receipt for the veteran's service which includes the amount received, the individual's signature and their address.

Virginia Military Dead Database-This is a large database, encompassing military dead from most wars. Select Spanish-American War as the conflict. Results may include name, gender, race, county or city, branch of service, date of death, residence, rank, cause of death, place of death, source and notes.

National Spanish-American War Gravesite Recording Project-This is an ongoing project, but still worth a search. It is organized by state and country so it helps to know where your ancestor is buried. If your ancestor is in the project, you will be able to get name, rank, regiment, company, birth and death dates, name of cemetery and location of the cemetery. Some also include the exact plot location in the cemetery and links to other material about the regiment, company or individual.

Read more »

Free War of 1812 Records

Illinois War of 1812 Veterans-This database only gives a tiny bit of information, but you can use the information you get here to get the individual's compiled service record from the National Archives.

Pennsylvania War of 1812 Records-This is part of the Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives. Just scroll down to find the War of 1812 heading. It offers the roster for the 39th Pennsylvania Militia and two different records from the General Society of the War of 1812. The first record has information on the organizing of the society including names of the officers and the constitution. If you scroll down a little over halfway, you can find a list of veterans. The veterans list includes name, age, residence, service information and death dates. Some also include other details. The second record lists descendant members of the society. This listing includes the name of the ancestor who served in the War of 1812 and information on that individual's service.

Virginia War of 1812 Pay and Muster Rolls-This is another database that offers little information, but helps you locate appropriate records.

Virginia Military Dead Database-This includes records of Virginians killed in the War of 1812, as well as other wars. Just select War of 1812 as the conflict to search. Results give available information which may include name, gender, race, county or city, branch of service, death date and place, residence, rank, cause of death, source of the information and notes. Not all records will include all of this information.

Read more »

Free Mexican War Records

Illinois Mexican War Veterans-Information provided by this database is sparse, but it is still helpful as a free genealogy resource. You get name, rank, company, regiment, and, in some cases, place of enlistment.

Indiana Mexican War Soldiers-For this database, it helps to know what infantry regiment your ancestor served in. Otherwise, you will have to check each regiment individually for the person. You will find the name, county, date and place mustered in, date and place mustered out, who mustered them in and out and rank. On some entries, there may be added details such as date of death and any other military service.

Pennsylvania Mexican War Soldiers-This is part of the Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives and encompasses free genealogy resources for several wars. Just scroll down until you see the Mexican War heading about halfway down the page. The records are broken down into five groups by alphabet. You will get the name, rank, company, regiment, enrollment date and location and date and location mustered in, date and location of discharge. Some records may have other details.

Virginia Mexican War Records-This database references several sources including muster rolls, veterans lists and more. Unfortunately, it just tells you where it found the name. However, as a free genealogy resource, it is good for pointing you in the right direction for research.

Virginia Military Dead Database-Choose Mexican War in drop down box for conflict. When available, results will give you name, sex, race, county or city, branch of service, date and location of death, residence, cause of death, rank, source and notes. Depending on how much information was available from sources, results may include a little or a lot of information.

Read more »

Where to Find Free Revolutionary War Records

Military records are often a good source of genealogy information. These free genealogy resources are for researching ancestors that served in the Revolutionary War. Please note that not all states are represented here because some are only available through subscription sites such as Ancestry.

Georgia Land Lottery-In 1820, 1827 and 1932, there were land lotteries in Georgia for veterans of the Revolutionary War. While not all veterans were included in these lotteries, many were. The index is free to search. If you do find your ancestor, you will be able to learn their county of residence, the county in which the lottery was drawn, the lottery participated in, the date their land grant was issued, the land lot number, district and section.

Kentucky Revolutionary War Warrants-Many veterans of the Revolutionary War were paid in land, rather than cash. This database will give you the warrant ID, veteran's name, their rank and unit, their assignee (if applicable), the size of the land warrant, and the date. If the land warrant was authorized, details will be given. At the bottom of the page, you will find the actual document. It is important to note that the warrant does not list the actual location of the land.

West of Tennessee River Military Patents-After the Jackson Purchase in 1818, some of the Kentucky war veterans settled in the area covered by these patents. This database will give you the patent ID, the grantee's name, the surveyer's name, the acreage of the grant, dates, the warrant ID, and the general location of the land. Clicking on the color images link will bring you to a page with all the associated documents.

Maryland Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service-While this database does not include every Revolutionary War veteran from Maryland, it does cover a large number of them. If you know the regiment your ancestor served in, it makes the search a little easier. If you don't, there is an index available so you can find them easier.

Official Register of Officers and Men of New Jersey-This link takes you to a page with several searchable databases. The database you want is just above the search box. You can learn the individual's rank, home and in some cases what unit they served with.

Pennsylvania Military Abstract Card File-This is one of the easier to search databases in my opinion. Click the letter of your ancestor's surname, then scroll down to find what page their name is on, click that, and then scroll until you find their card. Depending on whether they were active or inactive duty, you will get their name, rank, county and township, who they were assigned to and dates. Some cards also have remarks.

Valley Forge Muster Roll-This will give the individual's name, rank, rank type, brigade, company, state, regiment and division. Some also include the monthly muster roll status (ie-whether or not they were fit for duty) and other remarks.

Virginia Military Dead Database-This database covers Virginians who have died while serving in the military. Information is compiled from a variety of sources and includes (when available) name, rank, unit, branch of service, conflict, race, gender, date and place of death, cause of death, residence, original source of the data, note, and links to other databases. To search Revolutionary War deaths, just select American Revolution as the conflict from the search screen.

Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research System (GRS)-Those who can trace direct lineage to an ancestor that served in the American Revolution are eligible for membership. The GRS allows you to search for ancestors that may be in the database. If they are, information you can gain may include date and location of birth, date and location of death and service information. Of genealogical interest is the fact that many of the entries also include descendant information. Please note that the guidelines to DAR were not always as strict as they are today. Therefore, some information may be suspect.

Read more »