Recap: Researching Revolutionary and Civil War Service Records for NJ Residents

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Thank you to those who attended today’s webinar on Researching New Jersey Revolutionary and Civil War Records. Here’s what we discussed:

Revolutionary War Records at the New Jersey State Archives:

Check William Stryker’s Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War for your soldier. This is a basic listing of soldier’s names and where they served. If you don’t find your soldier, it’s still worth checking the records. You can order records remotely from the State Archives. Remember, Stryker’s will largely not identify soldiers by race, and New Jersey had integrated service units during the Revolution.

Indexed alphabetically by soldier’s last name. Two parts:

  1. Compiled Service Card: Contains an overall summary of a soldier’s service (may also include somebiographical information taken from pension abstract. Remember, Archives will not send pension details because the records are owned by the National Archives). If you don’t find your soldier here, still check the Slips.
  2. Rev War Slips: Abstracts of an individual document where a soldier is mentioned. The Slip will cite the document for full access. A soldier can have several of these (especially if an officer) or very few. The Slips are the key to finding documents relevant to your soldier’s service.

Rev War military documents are mostly pay records and muster rolls. For biographical info, see Pensions

Federal Revolutionary War Pension Files:

Owned by the National Archives and available on HeritageQuest (NJ Residents can get access with public library card via Jersey Clicks.)

Contain personal information, which might include: age, birth date and place, spouse name and marriage date, and current place of residence.

Other Revolutionary War Records we did not discuss:

Loyalist Muster Rolls and Records, Confiscated Loyalist Estate records, and Revolutionary War Damage Claims are available from the State Archives. To request items from these collections, please e-mail the New Jersey State Archives at njarchives@sos.nj.gov.

Collections of the David Library of the American Revolution have been transferred to the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. These records are now know as the David Center for the American Revolution.

Civil War Records at the New Jersey State Archives:

Remember that the records referenced below refer to NJ-raised regiments, and these were segregated. Those who served in United States Colored Troops (USCT) are discussed separately. Organized by regiment. William Stryker’s Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Civil War serves as an index, providing Regiment and Company for each soldier.

The Archives’ Civil War database searches a transcribed version of Stryker for your soldier. You may order a soldier’s military records remotely from this database.

Again, very little biographical information, mostly pay and muster rolls.

Muster Rolls by Congressional District (if your soldier enlisted in late 1863 through April 11, 1865), Civil War Treasury Vouchers (if your soldier enlisted before late 1863), Bound Muster Rolls (if nothing is found in the Regimental Records), and Civil War Cartes de Visite will also be searched as part of your Civil War research request.

Federal Civil War Pension Records:

Owned by the National Archives and available on Fold3.com (subscription site).

Detailed personal information and possible supporting documentation, much more specific than Rev War Pensions. Will also include great detail about service and any injuries or illnesses sustained during service.

Civil War soldier much more likely to have a pension than Rev War soldier, so definitely check this collection! Right now, Ancestry and Fold3 are working to digitize the Widow’s Pensions. As of today, the collection is 22% complete. Any pension file not yet digitized can be requested from the National Archives.

United States Colored Troops (USCT):

Records for USCT members from New Jersey can be ordered from the State Archives. Please e-mail staff at

njarchives@sos.nj.gov for more information. Records available include:

Volunteer Certificates, 1864 (check this collection if your soldier served in 43 rd or 45 th Regiments!)

The National Archives has additional records and information on USCT soldiers. Wikipedia and Family Search Wiki both have fantastic articles on USCT. If your soldier was of Asian or Native descent, it’s worth checking USCT for their service records!

About Regina Fitzpatrick

I'm the Genealogy Librarian here at the State Library. I love researching New Jersey Family History, and am always happy to help researchers delve further into their ancestries. Please feel free to stop by and say hello!

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