Searching for Veterans in National Cemeteries
Genealogy Tips for Locating U.S. Veterans and their Families
Nov 11, 2009
Genealogists and family historians seeking burial information on their ancestors may not always think to look in a veterans cemetery, but thousands of servicemen and women can be found in one. It pays to explore this possibility, especially if the researcher knows that the deceased was a veteran.
The Nationwide Gravesite Locator
The first place to look is online, using the Nationwide Gravesite Locator, a database covering VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, and other military and Department of Interior cemeteries. The database includes veterans buried in private cemeteries before 1997 if the grave is marked with a government grave marker. The burial records come from many sources, so the information available for each burial varies. Since most veterans cemeteries allow burial of immediate family members of the veteran, one should also check for the names of spouses and minor children.
Who is Eligible for Burial in a VA National Cemetery?
Veterans and family members may be buried in Veterans Administration national cemeteries depending on their eligibility. Those eligible include members of the Armed Forces of the United States (including those who served in Reserve and National Guard units) who died on active duty, and veterans (not dishonorably discharged) who completed a specified term of duty. World War II Merchant Mariners, and citizens of the United States who served in the Armed Forces of the Philippines or any U.S. allies during wartime, may also be eligible. Commissioned Officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Public Health Service are also eligible under certain conditions. Spouses and minor children of eligible veterans, whether or not the veteran was buried in a national cemetery, may also be buried there.
Types of Cemeteries for Servicemen and Women
National – The Veterans Administration's National Cemetery Administration maintains 130 national cemeteries in 39 states (and Puerto Rico) as well as 33 soldier's lots and monument sites.
States – Many states have established state veterans cemeteries. For a list of state veterans cemeteries, go to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. Links from this list provide access to individual cemeteries, with maps and other information about each one.
U.S. Army – The Department of the Army maintains two national cemeteries: Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, and the U.S. Soldiers' & Airmen's Home National Cemetery in Washington, DC.
U.S. Department of the Interior –The National Park Service maintains 14 national cemeteries, many of which are Civil War battlefield sites. The 14 cemeteries are:
- Andersonville National Historic Site, Andersonville, GA
- Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Greenville, TN
- Antietam National Cemetery, Sharpsburg, MD
- Battleground National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
- Colonial National Historical Park, Yorktown, VA
- Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Dover, TN
- Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefield Memorial National Military Park, Fredericksburg, VA
- Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA
- Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, New Orleans, LA
- Little Bighorn Battle National Monument, Crow Agency, MT
- Poplar Grove National Cemetery, Petersburg, VA
- Shiloh National Military Park, Shiloh, TN
- Stones River National Battlefield, Murfreesboro, TN
- Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, MS
American Battle Monuments Commission
This agency maintains 24 overseas military cemeteries for nearly 125,000 American war dead, which includes 921 from World War I, 93,238 from World War II and 750 from the Mexican War. In addition, 6,177 American veterans and others are interred in the Mexico City and Corozal American Cemeteries. Their website offers searchable databases of the following:
- Those interred at the American WWI and WWII cemeteries overseas
- The Missing in Action from WWI and WWII who are listed on Tablets of the Missing in the cemeteries or on memorials in the U.S.
- Those killed worldwide during the Korean War
- War dead and veterans of the Mexican War, Civil War and Spanish-American War who are buried at the ABMC cemeteries in Corozal, Panama and Mexico City
- The Missing in Action of the Vietnam War memorialized at the Honolulu Memorial
- All interments at Corozal, including civilians who built and operated the Panama Canal
Finding Veterans in State and National Cemeteries
State and National cemeteries and monuments can provide much information to genealogists who are researching their soldier and sailor ancestors. Even if the veteran was buried in a private cemetery, his or her records may be in one of the databases maintained by the Veterans Administration, so a check via the Gravesite Locator should never be overlooked. Websites for the various Department of the Interior cemeteries, as well as the American Battle Monuments Commission are also great sources for rounding out the life story of a veteran ancestor.
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