When it comes to verifying a birthplace for an ancestor, even an exact town in Europe, many genealogists have never considered the Enlistment Books of the U.S. Army. The federal government has compiled the records of all men who enlisted in the United States Army (1798-1914) into one set of registers. These registers include, name, age, birthplace (city, county, state/country), physical description, place of enlistment, death date (if applicable), some service history, etc.
It is important to remember that at times of war during this period (1798-1914) the bulk of the fighting force were state militiamen. Thus, a much smaller percentage of men who served in the military would be included in this enlistment compilation. If you know the unit your ancestor served in, and it has a state designation, he would be in state militia records. Only those ancestors who served in “U.S.” designated units, ie. 4th U.S. Infantry, 2nd U.S. Heavy Artillery, etc. would be in these enlistment books. The Mexican War had the highest percentage of U.S. Army involvement during the 1798-1914 period.
The enlistment ledgers are compiled by groups of years, and within each span of years the soldier’s names are alphabetized by surname, so there is no master index for the 116-year compilation. However, if you can deduce when your ancestor was of enlistment age, it does not take long to cover surnames on the microfilm. In looking at the lists it is amazing how many men are older, ages 30 to 45.
One great strategy is to check these ledgers for your ancestors’ sibling, especially immigrants. Many U.S. Army enlistment officers met men as they disembarked from their ships upon arrival in this country. If a researcher has a fairly uncommon immigrant surname it would be wise to check the appropriate years to see if either the ancestors or one of his male siblings or cousins enlisted. If they did, you might be able to obtain their exact birthplace “across the pond.”
A possible sign that an armed forces veteran served a stint in the army is if he did not marry until his late twenties or thirties. Failure to locate him in the prime years of his life may indicate that he was serving in the army. Or what about your east coast ancestors who inexplicably showed up marrying in Montana, Nebraska or some other western state. They might have been serving in the military and stationed at a western outpost. After their service many men were impressed with the west and decided to stay.
The enlistment books on microfilm may be researched at National Archive Centers and through the Family History Library.