Jersey Roots Genealogy

A common misconception out there is that most of the military records from the National Archives are online already. This is far from being accurate though.

Carded medical records are an often overlooked record and are similar to the service records for each soldier. These tell if the soldier was sick, injured or hospitalized, and should tell if he died or deserted. They’re a great addition to get the complete picture of your ancestor during the war. Some soldiers have only one card on file, some have ten or more, some have none at all.

These cards were compiled from the medical hospital ledgers. When a soldier was checked in to a hospital, they would record his name, regiment, and his chief complaint. Each entry in those ledgers was later recorded onto a medical card. Those medical cards are now at the National Archives, grouped by regiment number and in roughly alphabetical order.

These medical cards exist at the National Archives in Washington DC for soldiers from 1821 to 1912. They cover the volunteer armies during the wars, as well as the regular armies during peace time.

Most of these aren’t online anywhere. The exception to this would be the cards for the Confederate Army. There was another version of these carded medical records created from the Confederate records, and those ended up in the compiled military service records for each soldier. Since Fold3.com has all of the Confederate service records digitized on their site, that means that the carded medical records for the Confederate soldiers ended up online in those packets too.

For all other soldiers, they’re only going to be available in person at the National Archives in Washington DC. If you’re relying solely on online resources for your military ancestor, you’re missing out on this record group altogether.

Looking for details about your ancestor’s military service? Let us help! We are at the National Archives each week and can get your ancestor’s records quicker and cheaper than if you ordered directly from the National Archives.
www.CivilWarRecords.com

Floating Villages: Lives of Canal Boatmen in 19th-Century NYC Harbors
October 16, 2025, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT | Online via Zoom

Join us for this online webinar, where Pamela J. Vittorio will talk about New York's canal boatmen and how records and photographs help tell their story. Learn more about their homes, business and social interactions, education of their children, the canallers' regional vocabulary, and the clash of rural and urban cultures in 19th-century New York City.

This is a free webinar, but registration is required: https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/events/floating-villages-lives-canal-boatmen-19th-century-nyc-harbors