The National Records Personnel Center in St. Louis has many records pertinent to your soldier’s service. OMPFs, Official Military Personnel Files, monthly regimental rolls, hospital records, military court-martials and graves registration service files all offer clues into your veteran’s military experience. NPRC also houses civilian and government employment files as well. Was your grandfather in the Civilian Conservation Corps? Was your mother Postmaster? These records are available as well! Tina will describe the types of information to be found in these records and how you can access them in person.
Discount code: spirit25 (valid at Familytreewebinars.com)
Valid through: November 25, 2025
The webinar delivers an engaging and detailed tour of the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis—one of the most valuable yet least understood repositories for 20th-century U.S. military and civilian records. Presenter Tina Beaird explains the structure of the national archives system, clarifies which records are held where, and offers practical, field-tested strategies for requesting, accessing, and interpreting military and civilian personnel files. Through real examples, she demonstrates how these collections can illuminate an ancestor’s service history, movements, medical events, and family interactions, making the NPRC an indispensable resource for genealogical research.
Key Takeaways
• Know the Three-Archive System: The NPRC houses personnel files for veterans who served from 1914 onward, while unit, base, and overseas records may instead be located at Archives I in Washington, D.C., or Archives II in College Park, Maryland. Understanding which archive holds which materials prevents wasted time and broadens what researchers can uncover.
• Work Around Fire-Damaged or Reconstructed Files: The 1973 fire destroyed or damaged millions of Army and Army Air Corps records, resulting in partial “burn files” or reconstructed files. Tina outlines how to interpret what survives, how next-of-kin status affects access, and which alternate record groups—such as morning reports, muster rolls, and daily sick lists—can help fill gaps or confirm family stories.
• Explore Civilian, Burial, and Special Record Groups: Beyond personnel records, the NPRC holds selected civilian employment files (such as CCC, WPA, and federal agency employment), as well as burial case files, WWII/Korean War Individual Deceased Personnel Files, court-martial records, and certain pension files. These collections can reveal correspondence, unit activity, medical details, and personal circumstances that enrich an ancestor’s narrative far beyond basic service dates.
This webinar offers researchers a practical roadmap for navigating the NPRC and related archives, making it easier to locate meaningful records and interpret them with confidence. Watching the full session provides deeper demonstrations, additional examples, and actionable guidance that can significantly enhance military research.
To continue strengthening your research, consider viewing the complete webinar and exploring the additional resources included in the syllabus—an excellent way to build on the insights introduced here and uncover even more of your ancestors’ stories.
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Syllabus
Absolutely REQUIRED for anyone interested in the records in St. Louis. Tina is so easy to understand and just overflowing with information. A 50 out of 10!!!!
Good speaker, worthwhile topic. Needed a longer time slot. Having sample forms in the syllabus would have been helpful.
Wow! I need to get busy searching these Civilian and Military Records. Loved the presentation! Tina Beaird, keep up the outstanding work!
Mind boggling!!! I had no idea. It was amazing how she had the syllabus organized to cover this huge amount of material. I am so glad I chose to watch this webinar before tackling any research into the work my maternal grandfather did on the island of Hawaii before and after Pearl Harbor as a Construction Engineer working on the airfield runways. Thank you for this wonderful presentation.
Wow. This was an awesome amount of information. Tina really checked off so many boxes in telling us how to get access to military records. Please have her come back again. She did a fantastic job. This could have been an all-day class.
As the son of both parents who served in the military in WWII; father in the Navy, mother in the Marines, this webinar was especially interesting to me since I am a “war baby” who only recently learned my father’s identity. Now I can access the records of both parents. My father-in-law served in the Merchant Marine during WWII as well so finding records of his service will round out what my wife and I will know of our parent’s service in WWII.
Wonderful!! So much information!
Very thorough presentation. I appreciated information on all of the different records available.