Kathleen R Brandt
Uncover the deeply buried stories of your ancestors’ early American military service with expert guidance from professional genealogist Kathleen Brandt.Every uniform holds a story, but early American military records can be challenging to locate, interpret, and connect to an ancestor’s life. In Behind the Uniform (Volume 1), Kathleen Brandt offers a practical, example-driven research guide to uncovering, analyzing, and preserving historical records documenting military service from the colonial era through the 1860s.Covering U.S. military conflicts from the French and Indian War through the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Mexican-American War, culminating in the extensive records of the Civil War (Union and Confederate), this guide helps researchers investigate regular soldiers, militia members, and volunteers.Through real-world case studies, actual research examples, and questions and answers that demonstrate step-by-step research methods when applicable, readers learn how to identify relevant record groups, locate overlooked sources, and follow evidence to uncover an ancestor’s military history. The emphasis is on the research process: understanding where records are found, what they reveal, and how one record can lead to another.Designed for genealogists and historical military researchers at every experience level, Behind the Uniform is a valuable resource for family historians, public libraries, historical societies, and genealogy collections. It provides practical research guidance for moving beyond names and dates to uncover the experiences of the men who served and preserve their stories for future generations.Beyond military service records, readers will learn to investigate veterans’ postwar lives through pension files, probate records, community records, military correspondence, naturalization papers, and other often-overlooked sources. 6
