When I first began conducting genealogical research forty years ago, I had to send a record request form to the National Archives in Washington, DC along with a $10.00 fee to receive copies of military service records. Often times, the records were incomplete and or unreadable. Now the process is so much easier. There is a new website that has printable copies of most military records from the Revolutionary War through World War II on-line. For confidentiality purposes, records must be at least 50 years old to be accessed.
The website address is: www.fold3.com
I checked the website this morning and verified much of the 40-year-old information I have for all four of my great grandfathers who served in the Great War of the Rebellion, commonly known as the Civil War. Three were in the Union Army and one was in the Confederate Army. Inputting the information as requested, I was easily able to pull up the service records of all four great grandfathers.
This website is a great tool for genealogists because the widow's pensions records are also available. These records provide a great deal of information about soldiers, their widows and families from birth to death.
Happy trails!
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