Historical Records

This database of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) contains WWI and WWII military burials world-wide. Not all burials in CWGC cemeteries are military. Burials include civilians, diplomats, medical personnel, and volunteer aid workers, including women. Most CWGC cemeteries have burials of the unknown as well as Monuments listing the Missing. Some military burials in civilian cemeteries are in this database. Photos of headstones and lists of missing in several CWGC cemeteries in Italy are included. Advises on best utilization of CWGC search engines with different approaches. Information on identification of unknown burials, research possibilities, and CWGC outreach programs are available on the website.

Following the Civil War, when nearly 200,000 African American men served, the U.S. Army established 4 African American infantry (later modified to 2) and 2 cavalry regiments in 1868. They initially served in the West but fought in the Spanish American War and the two World Wars in segregated units. It was not until 1948 that Executive Order 9981 integrated the military. What was life like for these soldiers? Where do you find service and pension records?

After Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, thousands of Japanese and Japanese Americans were incarcerated in “Internment Camps.” German, Italians, and Latin Americans were also interned. The various sites of confinement and the records created will be examined, covering the period of time immediately preceding World War II through resettlement and redress.

Quand un généalogiste se lance dans des recherches sur un combattant français de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, il est souvent amené à travailler sur un profil de prisonnier de guerre. C’est presque une affaire de statistiques, avec plus de 1,8 million de soldats capturés par les forces allemandes entre mai et juin 1940 ! La recherche prend alors une tournure particulière. Ce moment de la vie du combattant stimule la curiosité de son descendant. Et, ce qui n’est pas le moindre paradoxe, le généalogiste a parfois connu l’ancien prisonnier de guerre. Il a écouté les récits de son père, de son grand-père, il en a collecté les anecdotes. Mais une fois que le principal témoin a disparu, il se rend compte qu’il lui manque des données précises pour documenter cette histoire individuelle transmise dans l’intimité familiale. Heureusement les archives existent. Elles permettent de compléter les précieux souvenirs. Ce webinaire a pour but de recenser les sources, qui sont variées. Et, à partir de cet inventaire, il s’agira d’envisager les méthodes de recherche, et les conditions de consultation, en fonction des configurations.

Much of this webinar focuses on the process of collecting, identifying, and burying the dead, and the resulting records, including their genealogical significance. In World War I (1917–1918) there were 53,402 battle deaths, while in World War II (1941–1945) battle deaths rose to 291,557. There are 124,905 American…

This lecture includes resources from the New Deal programs including the Civilian Conservation Corps, National Youth Administration along with the Americans who served in the ranks of the Canadian and British military.

Part II of our four part series on researching your World War II ancestors covers and focuses on the abundance of records for the United States Army.

Part III of our four part series on researching your World War II ancestors continues as we move from the records of the United States Army to the other military branches. These include the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and the United States Coast Guard.

The final Part IV of our series on researching your World War II ancestors covers various records and resources from the home front.

World War II is the earliest war where we can actually speak to the veterans themselves, the men and women who served, but this precious resource is fading quickly so time is of the essence! This webinar will present a case study, fleshing out a basic story of a pilot…