Ancestry.com Free Military Searches

by Julie Gentry | More from this Blogger

27 May 2007 06:04 AM

Over 43 million Americans have served in the United States military since the Revolutionary War. Each one has a story. In our own family, we have four who are currently active duty. They're part of a long tradition of service, from my dad who used his brains in the Air Force to my grandfather and his brother who wore the Marine uniform proudly. It goes back further than that, though I'm far from the family historian.

Ancestry.com is going to help me with that! Through D-Day (June 6th), military searches are free. Ever wonder if those stories about your Uncle Guido saving his whole platoon were true? Curious whether the pictures of your great-great-grandfather in uniform were from the Navy or Marines? Find out with a free search. You'll have to register your name and email address for access, but there's no charge. I haven't received any spam from them yet, so they don't appear to be sharing information. You can also look for other relatives, using their global tree section. All you need is their name and their parents' names.

Even if you don't have a relative that you want to search for, the visit to the site is worth it. Bring your children in for a history lesson as you watch old newsreels from World War II.

For me, the most interesting thing I found there was a war record of Hezekiah Davison. Who's that? My boys and I were doing a cemetery cleanup with their Boy Scout troop. We're in the Northwest, far removed from the excitement of the Revolutionary War. We were awed to find a headstone of this man who fought for our country's independence. It's exciting to me to find out who he was - a member of the Eight Months Men out of Connecticut. The Eight Months Men were a company of men who served from the outbreak of the war, drafted minutemen who most often later enlisted in the Continental Army. How he ended up buried across the country is still a mystery. Sounds like a project for their genealogy badges.

If you're a history buff or curious about your family, try out Ancestry's databases searches for free through D-Day.

Learn more about Julie Gentry

Julie is affectionately known as GoGo Mama to her friends since she seems to always be out and about.

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