A Quick Start to Researching Your New York State Civil War Ancestors

• Search  New York Soldiers in the Civil War—*E523.3 .W55 1999 to find your ancestor’s regiment.
• Find the volume of the following set which corresponds to your ancestor’s: regiment:
  • Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York 1894—E523.2 N6 no.2— Will give basic details of your ancestor’s service such as date and place enlisted and discharged, promotions, injuries, death.
• Search the following record sets in Ancestry Library Edition:
  • Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934—Will provide the application number, which will help if you would like to order a copy of your ancestor’s pension file from the National Archives.
  • New York, Town Clerks’ Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca. 1861-1865—May provide residence, date and place of birth, parents’ names, rank, regiment, place of enlistment, discharge date, occupation, cause of death, place of burial.
  • U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865—May list town of residence, occupation, age, former military service.
• Search New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865  – *F118.P4 v.1; to find the history of your ancestor’s regiment.
• Check the Grosvenor Room’s Civil War subject guides to see if we carry a history of your ancestor’s regiment.  These are available at the Reference Desk or online at: www.buffalolib.org/libraries/collections/genealogy/subjectguides.asp.