Arkansas History Commission
One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
(870) 682-6900

~The history commissiom does not conduct research for patrons.~

To obtain Service Records,Pension Records, request NATF form 80 from the,
National Archives
8th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington , D.C. 20408

NOTE: Your local library may have this form available.

General

  • Returns of Various Military Organizations in Posts and Bases in Arkansas, 1800-1916 (various collections-inquire). No indexes are available.

American Revolution(1775-1783)

  • General Index to Compiled Service Records of Revolutionary War Soldiers (M860) (includeds Continental forces, some militia units, and naval personnel).

War of 1812 (1812-1814)

  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812 (M602).

  • Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files (M313).

  • War of 1812 Military Bounty and Land Warrants, 1815-1858 (M848-roll one:Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois). No indexes are available.

  • Military Bounty Land Grants, Arkansas, War of 1812. (See records of the state land office.)

Indian Wars (1815-1858)

  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During Indian Wars and Disturbances, 1815-1858 (M629).

Mexican War (1846-1848)

  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Mexican War (M616).

  • Selected Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers in Organizations from Arkansas Who Served During the Mexican War.

Civil War-Union (1861-1865)

In addition to the northern states, every other state except South Carolina supplied troops to the Union Army

  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers in Organizations From Arkansas (M399).

Civil War-Confederate (1861-1865)

  • Consolidated Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (M253).

  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations Raised Directly by the Confederate Government and of Confederate General and Staff Officers and Non-regimental Enlisted Men (M818).

  • Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Arkansas (M376).

  • Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served Organizations Raised Directly by the Confederate Government (M258).

  • Compiled Service Records of Confederate General and Staff Officers and Non-regimental Enlisted Men (M331).

  • Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Arkansas (M317).

  • Records Relating to Confederate Naval and Marine Personnel (M260).

  • Registers of Confederate Soldiers Who Died in Federal Prisons and Military Hospitals in the North (M918). (No index available.)

  • Confederate States Army Casualties. List and Narrative Reports, 1861-1865 (M836). (No index available.)

  • Case Files of Applications From Former Confederates for Presidential Pardons ("Amnesty Papers"), 1865-1867 (M1003) (selected papers from citizens from Arkansas).

  • ARKANSAS CONFEDERATE SERVICE RECORDS. This card catalog, begun in 1911, contains data from various official sources. It was discontinued when the National Archives published a similar list. The cards give name, rank, military unit, commanding officer, and enlistment date.

  • CONFEDERATE PENSION FILES. The original pension files, 1891-1939, are available; copies will be made for a fee. There is a card catalog: Confederate Veteran's and Widow's Pensions Paid by the State of Arkansas. The cards provide name, application number, name of widow, military unit and service record, date application was approved, county of residence, and death date of veteran or widow. Two indexes to these records are currently available for purchase.

  • Supplemental indexes are available at the reference desk. These may contain names not found in other indexes.

  • CONFEDERATE PENSIONS. Arranged by county and name. the microfilm roll number is shown.

  • CONFEDERATE DECEASED PENSIONERS. Arranged by county and name. County of residence and indentifying number are provide.

  • MISCELLANEOUS CONFEDERATE PENSION RECORDS. Contains names of pensioners not found elsewhere and pensioners who had not been positively identified when previous lists were prepared.

  • CONFEDERATE HOME. A supplemental index for the Confedrate Home is available at the reference desk. It contains the names of all applicants for admission to the Confederate Home, 1907-57, regardless of whether they actually were admitted. County of residence is shown. Names in this index probably do not appear in pension lists since residents of the home did not qualify for pensions.

  • CENSUS OF PENSIONERS. A file folder available at the reference desk contains the names of 1, 750 pensioners who returned questionnaires in a survey conducted in 1911 and 1912. Thier names represent only a small fraction of the total number of pensioners actually on the rolls at the time. Data found in the questionnaire includes a considerable amount of personal and genealogical data, as well as dates of birth of parents. These have been published in three volumes by Bobbie J. McLane and Capitola Glazner. They are available at this archives.

World War I (1917-1918)

  • ARKANSAS WORLD WAR I NURSES. This card catalog was compiled from a list prepared by the Office of the United State Adjutant General, 11 July 1919. Each card provides name, residence, hospital to which assigned, place and date of birth, military organization, discharged date, overseas duty, engagement in which participated, and wounds.

  • ARKANSAS WORLD WAR I DISCHARGE RECORDS. This card catalog contains the names of each Arkansas soldier or sailor discharged from service. Each card provides name, rank, residence, place and date of enlistment, military units, engagements in which participated, overseas duty, discharged date, and percent of disability, if any.

  • WORLD WAR I DRAFT REGISTRATION CARDS. These cards from selective service boards are available on microfilm for all counties. Most counties had only one board: Jefferson County and Little Rock each had two boards. Seldom used records with great genealogical potential are the Selective Service Records for WWI. Every male resident born between 1873 and 1900 was required to register, whether or not he had to serve in the war. The approximately 24 million registration cards list name, address, age, date of birth, race, citizenship, marital status, occupation, name of employer, place of employment, and next of kin. The back of the card gives a "description of registrant," including any physical disabilities. The original cards are all on microfilm at the Archives Branch, Federal Records Center, 1557 St. Joseph Ave., East Point, Georgia 30044. Information is filed by state and draft board and you must provide a complete name and address. There is a fee for copies and you must request forms from the above address before ordering copies of the draft registrations.

  • COUNTY RECORDS-SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' DISCHARGE RECORDS, WORLD WAR I. Available on microfilm are copies of volumes kept in county courthouses to record military discharges of any Arkansas soldiers or sailors who chose to file their discharges. The discharges were microfilmed and are indexed by county.

Manuscript Collections

Twenty-nine volumes of guides to the manuscript collection contain descriptions of several collections that include various kinds of military information. The following are selected examples.
  • Arkansas Adjutant General's Office Papers, 1867-1803; 1969 (book 4).

  • Arkansas Selective Service Material (book 6).

  • Little Rock Arsenal and Barracks Records (book 8)

  • Counsel of Defense File. Contains names of deserters and those absent without leave; also contains registers of home guards (book 13).

  • 936th and 939th Artillery Battalion Command Reports, 1951-54 (book 19).

  • Raymond W. Watkins Collection of Death and Burials of Arkansas Confederate Soldiers and Veterans. Provides burial information from twenty states (book 20)

  • Records of State Auditors: ex-Confederate Pension Records, 1893-1939 (book 21).

Requests for information about army officers separated after 1916 and army enlisted personnel separated after 1912 should be made on Standard Form 180. Requests for information about navy officers separated since 1902, navy enlisted men separated since 1885, and marine officers and enlisted men separated after 1895 should also be made on Standard Form 180.
Send these requests to:
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100.