In Honor of our Veteran Ancestors.

When I first started researching our family history, I had no idea how many of my relatives had served in the military. I myself served 3 1/2 years with the United States Air Force and four of my siblings followed me in joining the military; two serving in the US Army and two others served in the Air Force also. And our father had served in the United States Navy at the end of World War II. And still I wasn't aware of just how many of my family had served in the military. I just didn't think of us as a "military family."
 

Dad served in the U.S. Navy from 1945-1947.
He was stationed at NAS Jacksonville, Florida.

             
It was a slow accumulation of the awareness of our military service. Besides my immediate family:

• Cousins; Danny Young (USAF), Mike Hedrick and Dennis Kinikin (Army), Dana Marshall (US Marines), Sharon Helmick Nicholson (US Navy) .  Vietnam Era
• Uncles; Jack LaMarr and Charles Mason - US. Navy 1952-1961
• Uncles John Mason (Army) and Ed (Bud) Dowdy - US Army during the Korean War
• Uncle Floyd Young served in the medical corps during WWII and participated in the release of a POW camp that he later learned had held his wife's cousin, George Tanner (US Army).
• Grandfather, John S. Mason - U.S. Navy 1928-1930
• George Tanner, Army WWI.

Uncle John was wounded in action in Korea. While
recuperating in a Tokyo hospital he was visited by
two general's wives. This article appeared in his
hometown newspaper, The Marion Star.

Once I dug deeper into family research, I discovered a number of ancestors who had served during the Civil War:

• William Johnson - 4th WV Infantry
• William P. Williams - 3rd WV Cavalry
• Daniel Kinikin - 76th O.V.I.
• James Tagg - 91st O.V.I.
• Otha Swain - 186th O.V.I.
• James Tanner - US Navy. He served on riverboats in the western theater.

Here George Tanner is in his WWI uniform, sitting
next to his father, James Tanner who is in his Captains
uniform from the Civil War. James told all of his
children and grandchildren he had been a Captain.
However, he never rose above the rank of Seaman
Second Class

Joshua Johnson was taken prisoner at the
Battle of the River Raisin during the War
of 1812. Later released, he had to walk back
to Kentucky. Wounded prisoners had been
left behind and were murdered by the Indian
allies of the British.

War of 1812:

• Joshua Johnson 
• Jesse Burnett
• John Parrish
• Stephen Artis

Stephen Artis was a member of the DC
militia that was tasked with defending
Washington D.C. Overwhelmed by
superior British forces, they
retreated while the city burned.

The Revolutionary War:

• Christian Young

Ruins of Fort Montgomery where Christian Young served during the
Revolutionary War. He would have been among the soldiers who constructed
the fort. He would have also been among the soldiers who deserted the fort
after it was attacked by superior British forces. They took to the rough
heavily forested hills surrounding the fort that sat on the edge of the
Hudson River, thereby avoiding becoming Prisoners of War.
By Doug Kerr from now in Binghamton, NY - 091408 964, CC BY-SA 2.0, 

Each of these individual's service in the military ties them, and me, directly into the history of our country. Researching their service and tying them to specific battles, hardships and privations, enlivens history and brings it into my home and into my heart. 

Once I realized that my family was indeed "a military family", I created a scrapbook of their service. It is the most popular item that I take to family gatherings and reunions. Nothing gets more attention from my non-genealogy family members than bringing out this scrapbook. 

This tradition of military service is continuing to the present generation, as Chris Bloomfield (U.S. Navy, named for his 6X great grandfather, Christian Young), Zach Beach (Army) and Dustin Mason (Army) have also served.

Zach Beach, U.S. Army Military Police

Chris Bloomfield, U.S. Navy SeaBee

So often in genealogy we get caught up in the collection of names, dates and places. Take a minute and think about the sacrifices that these special members of our families endured, so that we could live the lives we lead.

So this Veteran's Day, take a moment, or more, to  honor them...

WAYS to honor military service;
1. If the member is still alive, thank them for their service. Ask them questions about their time in the military.
2. Write about their service. When did they serve? Did the participate any any incidents or battles? Are there maps or books about that point in history? Etc.
3. Share their stories with family, however works for you. It might be a scrapbook, it might be maps and photos. Or maybe you have their military service medals...


Resources for researching military records:
Family Search U.S. Military Records Wiki
U.S. National Archives on Military Records
Cyndi's List on U.S. Military Records
Fold3 Requires a subscription or access through a library that subscribes (Cuyahoga County Public Library)
WWII Military Records : a Family Historian's Guide by Debra Johnson Knox.
U.S. Military Records : a Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present by James C. Neagles
Locating Union & Confederate Records : a Guide to the Most Commonly Used Civil War Records of the National Archives and Family History Library  by Nancy Justus Morebeck.
Military bounty land, 1776-1855 by Christine Rose.


This coming spring at the Library's Genealogy Slam! on April 28th I will be teaching a class on  how to research U.S. Military Records. More information will come in the spring.