Illinois Military Records
This entry was originally written by Carol L. Maki and Michael John Neill for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
The 'Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers who Served in Organizations from the State of Illinois,' an index to the National Archives records, is located at the Newberry Library (NARA microfilm publication M539) and Allen County Public Library.
A recent addition at the Illinois State Archives is an 898-reel set of microfilmed Revolutionary War Records based on the participation of American military, naval and marine, and enlisted men in the war. Most records date between 1800 and 1900 and come from files in National Archives Record Group 15, 'Selected Records from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files,' M805. This may be used at the Illinois State Archives and may be borrowed through the interlibrary loan service from the Illinois State Library. Arrangement is alphabetical by surname of the veteran.
The Illinois State Archives has indexes to men serving in Illinois units during the Indian Wars, Black Hawk War, Mexican War, Civil War, and Spanish-American War, including the Honor Roll of Veterans Buried in Illinois, a multi-volume set organized by county including veteran's name, cemetery, war service, and grave location within cemeteries. Multiple military record databases of cemeteries' state archives sources are available at the archives' website.
A National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (Veterans Administration Center) was created at Danville, Illinois, in 1898. Records are located in National Archives in Record Groups 15 and 231.
The World War I Selective Service Draft Registration Cards for Illinois are on microfilm, available at the Illinois State Archives. The Records of the Selective Service Board...Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, 1917'1919 (Record Group 163) are at the National Archives'Great Lakes Region; the collection includes an Index to Delinquent and Deserter Forms (incomplete for some states).
The World War II Selective Service Draft Registration cards for Illinois are available in manuscript form at the National Archives'Great Lakes Region (National Archives Record Group 147, Records of the Selective Service System, Illinois State Office Registration Cards, World War II, 4th Draft Registration). These cards are only available for those men who were born between 28 April 1877 and 16 February 1897.
