GOVERNMENT/MILITARY

To Request Files from the FBI: http://members.aol.com/rechtman/www/fbi.html

By letter, full name of the person, the file you need, DOB, date of death, place of birth. Send photocopy of proof of death. This can be ANY of the following: newspaper obituary, citation from Who Was Who in America, death certificate, biographical reference, encyclopedia or magazine article on the person, or your simple statement that the person was born over 110 years ago. If the latter is the case, then the FBI doesn't require written proof of death because they assume anyone over 110 is probably deceased. But you'll still need the birth date. Include a statement that says *I agree to pay reasonable fees associated with this request up to $25. Please notify me if it is expected to exceed this amount.* Note: If an individual, request cost = 0, as first 100 pages received at no cost, . Request search of manual card records also if subject lived before 1956. Computer files, only files searched unless told otherwise, date from 1956. They are destroying files!

MAIL LETTER TO:
FBI Freedom of Information Act Unit
Records Resources Division
Federal Bureau of Investigation
9th & Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20535 USA

Social Security Death Index
http://www.ancestry.com/SSDI/Main.htm

To get social security information: To obtain a copy of your relative's SS-5 form, used to get a SSN (before1935), write to:

Freedom of Information Officer,
Social Security Administration, 4-H-8 Annex,
6401 Security Blvd.,
Baltimore, MD 21235

[Ed. Note: new address is Social Security Administration, Office of Central Records Operations, FOIA Workgroup, P.O. Box 17772, 300 North Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21290]

The cost With a SSN is $7.00 & without is $16.00. On it find: parents names; birth places/dates; where living when card was applied for; kind of job.

Option 2: Get SSA-L997 (2-83) from your SS office; fill it out, put down the person is deceased, attach death cert. or SSI index copy showing death, mail.

U.S. Army Military
History Institute, Carlisle Barracks
PA 17013-5008 (for locating a specific

Veteran if you have unit assignment)

Request Military Records-All Services

National Personnel Record Center holds personnel and medical records of discharged, deceased and retired members of all branches of Armed Forces - records date from the beginning of the 20th century. Records require veteran or next of kin authorization. Request Standard Form 180 from the National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63132.

TO OBTAIN INITIAL ISSUE OR REPLACEMENT MEDALS...

Submit a letter requesting the medals. Where to write and sample application below for each branch:

ARMY:

COMMANDER, USARPC

ATTN.: ARPC-VSE-B 9700 PAGE AVENUE,

ST LOUIS. MO 63132-5200

AIR FORCE:

AIR FORCE REFERENCE BRANCH,

NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER

9700 PAGE AVENUE,

ST. LOUIS, MO 63132-5100

MARINE CORPS, NAVY & COAST GUARD:

LIAISON OFFICE, ROOM 5409,

9700 PAGE AVENUE,

ST. LOUIS, MO 63132-5100

SAMPLE LETTER FOR APPLYING FOR MEDALS:

FOR SELF: I request that I be issued all award emblems I am entitled to. I have attached a copy of my separation doc. (DD 214 or equivalent) My Social Security number is:___My service number was__: Date and place of birth: ___ Full name, address and phone number: _____

OR NEXT OF KIN As the legal next-of-kin, I request that I be issued all award emblems that (full name of veteran) was entitled to. A copy of the Separation document (DD 214 or equivalent) is enclosed. Veteran's Social Security Number is: ___ Veteran's service number was: ____Veteran's date of death was: ____Veterans date and place of birth was: ____Full name, address and phone number: ______________

Revolutionary War Pension Papers on microfilm file at Western Reserve Historical Society Library, Cleveland

Military Records at Natl. Archives:
http://www.nara.gov/nara/frc/mpromp.html
or request forms by e-mail inquire@arch2.nara.gov!

Form 80 (Military service and pension records prior to World War I, including the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and Spanish-American War);

Form 81 (Passenger Arrivals)

Form 82 (Copies of Census Records)

Form 83 (Eastern Cherokee Applications)

Form 180 (Military service records, World War I and later).

(note: # of forms needed and mailing address)

"United States Military Records, Pension Index File, 1861-1934." This is a listing of all the FHL film #'s for veterans who have records kept at the U.S. archives. A new Archives II has opened in College Park, Maryland the records that were stored in Suitland MD have now been moved to Archives in Washington, DC. When you request military records be sure to specify that you want the ENTIRE file.

Master Index of Army Records: http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/records.htm
Civil War Sites: http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/cwarhp.html
Regimental CW Histories: http://www.tarleton.edu/activities/pages/facultypages/jones/
US Civil War Center at LSU - John E. Johnston III: http://www.cwc.lsu.edu
American Revolution Lists. Good links to items like the David Library:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/4098/amrev.html
Carlisle Military History Center: http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/
Iowa CW Site: http://members.aol.com/ckenyoncpb/search.htm
Kansas Soldiers 1861-65: http://ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu/heritage/kshs/archives/agorpt.htm
Kansas Skyways Civil War: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/kansas/genweb/civilwar/index.html
Kansas 12th Infantry: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/1949/cok12ks.htm
Medal of Honor: http://160.147.68.21/cmh-pg/mohciv.htm
W.W.I Information: http://www.worldwar1.com/
Vietnam Site - The Wall: http://thewall-usa.com/
Digitized Military History of the World: http://www.olcommerce.com/cadre/about.html
by KU Graduate Students

If the Sites listed do not have what you want you can try World Wide Web Sites by Federal Organization (4,300 sites) This is about a 1.5mb file if you download it (most FED sites).

http://www.gao.gov/cgi/bin/getrpt?GGD-97-86s

Ancestors as Homesteaders - If there's an actual Homestead Certificate. A Certificate contains actual boundary plot information.

Write To:

United States Department of the Interior

Bureau of Land Management,

7450 Boston Boulevard,

Springfield,VA22153

Telephone: (703) 440-1607

Actual application can be obtained from

National Archives Trust Fund,

P. O Box 100793

Atlanta, Ga. 30384-0793

US Govt. Census office: http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/

Naval fighting ship history: http://www.angelfire.com/in/shiphistory/

In preparation for my parents' 50th anniversary in 1995, I wanted to give my dad a photo of his W.W.II ship, the USS Cottle. A friend in Washington, DC gave me this address:

US Dept. of the Navy

W.W.II Ships' Records Division

Washington, DC

I believe the cost was about $10 for an 8x11. But the look on my dad's face was priceless when he opened that gift! And then the stories began to flow...

Jane Dixon Anderson andixj@hotmail.com

Commonwealth War Graves Commission: http://yard.ccta.gov.uk/cwgc/register.nsf

WAR 1812

Two possible resources "Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who served during the War of 1812" National Archives Microfilm Publication M602 (FHL films 882,519-752)," and "Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files. National Archives Microfilm Publication M313". This Pension Index has been microfilmed by the Family History Library. It can also be found in published form "Index to War of 1812 Pension Files Comp by Virgil White Pub National Historical Publishing Co. 1989 (FHL Book Ref 973 M22i)"

Subj: Military Records
Date: 5/17/99 1:09:37 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: sharonspry@yahoo.com (Sharon Spry)
To: GEN-NYS-L@rootsweb.com

All males between the ages of 18 and 34 in 1917 were required to register for the draft. Those draft cards are available and contain date and place of birth, present address, previous service and dependents. I located mine at: Southeast Archives, 1557 St. Joseph Avenue, East Point, GA 30344-2593. They will send a form and the cost is $10.00.