Military Records and Resources
Military records of Missourians who served in domestic and foreign wars
High Relevance
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Civil War Collection (Guide) Contributed by: Missouri State Archives Guide to Civil War records and resources at the Missouri State Archives. |
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Civil War Letters of Lewis Riley Contributed by: Western Historical Manuscript Collection, University of Missouri - Columbia The Riley Papers consist of letters from a 6th Missouri, Union cavalryman (Wood's Battalion) to his wife describing battles and scrimmages in the South, particularly at Vicksburg, Mississippi; near Memphis, Tennessee; and Little Rock, Arkansas. The letters describe the morale in his unit, cavalry raids into Mississippi from Helena, Arkansas, and fighting around Vicksburg and the siege and surrender of that city. There are also letters from Riley’s friends to their relatives, a deed for land in Miller County, receipts, and a pension certificate issued to Riley’s survivors. |
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Civil War's First Blood: Missouri 1854-1861 Contributed by: Missouri State Archives During the 1850s, as arguments over states’ rights and slavery escalated, Missouri became one of the most highly volatile regions in the nation. Friends, families and neighbors often found themselves on opposite sides because of the strong ties Missouri had with both the North and the South. The Civil War's First Blood explains the political atmosphere in Missouri prior to the Civil War and the divided loyalties of its citizens. Authors John Bradbury and James Denny discuss the complicated role Missouri played during the first year of the Civil War, key political and military figures involved, military operations carried on throughout the state and the effects of the war on Missourians during the early part of the conflict. Bradbury and Denny tell the story of the tragic and violent part Missouri played in the beginning of the struggle that tore the nation apart. |
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Claiborne Fox Jackson, 1861 Contributed by: Missouri State Archives The Records of Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson consist of four items of correspondence. Jackson was sworn in as Missouri’s 15th governor on January 3, 1861. A state convention was called in 1861 to decide whether Missouri would secede from the Union. Jackson aligned himself with the pro-Southern majority believing that the state convention would vote for secession. Instead, he was replaced by Hamilton Rowan Gamble as the provisional governor. Ignoring the convention order, Jackson declared Missouri a free republic and dissolved all ties with the Union on August 5, 1861. In November 1861, the Confederate States of America admitted Missouri. Jackson died of cancer on December 6, 1862 in a rooming house near Little Rock. |
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Cold War Confrontation: Truman, Stalin, and the Berlin Airlift, June 1948 - May 1949 Contributed by: Harry S. Truman Library & Museum A collection focuses on the Berlin Airlift. It includes 126 documents totaling 444 pages and some photographs covering the years 1948 through 1952. |
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Community and Conflict: the Impact of the Civil War in the Ozarks Contributed by: Springfield-Greene County Library District An online digital collection of documents and artifacts that depict life in the Ozarks between 1850 and 1875. "Community and Conflict: the Impact of the Civil War in the Ozarks" portrays the effects of the War on the people as they lived through one of the most contested regions of the country. The collection has first hand perspectives of this conflict through the eyes of soldiers, civilians, merchants and farmers. These letters, maps, diaries, court records and photographs document the tempestuous period of Ozarks history by investigating urban development, slavery, agriculture, military life, civilian refugees, women and many other issues. |
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Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Contributed by: Harry S. Truman Library & Museum A collection focuses on The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb. It includes documents totaling almost 600 pages, covering the years 1945-1964. Supporting materials include an online version of "Truman and the Bomb: A Documentary History," edited by Robert H. Ferrell. |
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Establishing the Marshall Plan Contributed by: Harry S. Truman Library & Museum A collection about Marshall Plan, or European Recovery Program, as it was officially known, which was to provided aid to war-torn Europe. This collection includes 69 documents totaling 539 pages, nine photographs, an exhibit titled George C. Marshall: Soldier of Peace, and a teaching activity based on the exhibit. |
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Hezzie Goes to War: World War I through the Eyes of a Mid-Missourian Contributed by: University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology; Western Historical Manuscript Collection, University of Missouri-Columbia World War I through the Eyes of a Mid-Missourian John Hezekiah ("Hezzie") Pattrick through his letters home to Mother and Dad, his photographs and postcards, and items worn, used and collected by him. |
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I Goes to Fight mit Siegel: Missouri's Germans and the Civil War Contributed by: Missouri State Archives German immigrants transformed Missouri's economics, politics, religion, and culture. Dr. Ken Luebbering explores the important role Missouri's German immigrants played in the years prior to and including the Civil War. Although Missouri's Germans were a group diverse in religion, dialect, and political ideals, most wanted to prove themselves loyal to their new nation. Consequently, when secession from the Union threatened the state, many rallied to the Union cause. Luebbering's published work has focused primarily on Missouri's immigrant history. He is co-author with Robyn Burnett of: "German Settlement in Missouri: New Land, Old Ways"; "Immigrant Women in the Settlement of Missouri"; and "Gospels in Glass: Stained Glass Windows in Missouri Churches". |
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Korean War: The US Response to North Korea's Invasion of South Korea Contributed by: Harry S. Truman Library & Museum An online exhibit of documents, photographs, sound clips of individual participants in policy development, battlefield combatants, and observers affected by the human tragedy of the Korean War. |
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Missouri Mormon War Contributed by: Missouri State Archives Gateway to state records concerning the Missouri-Mormon conflict, 1838-1841. Includes finding aids and some digitized records. |
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Missouri Soldier's Database: War of 1812 - WWI Contributed by: Missouri State Archives Database abstracted from the service cards of over 576,000 Missourians who served in twelve wars and military engagements. Includes those in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish-American War, and World War I, as well as the Heatherly War (1836), the Mormon War (1838), and the Iowa (Honey) War (1839). Over 380,000 of the records are for Civil War soldiers. |
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Missouri Union Provost Marshal Papers 1861-1866 Contributed by: Missouri State Archives Index to Provost Marshal records relating to Missouri, available on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives. |
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Mobilizing the Masses: World War II Home Front Posters Contributed by: Missouri State Archives Jay Antle, assistant professor in the Department of History at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, speaks about the use of posters to rally public support during World War II. In the name of patriotism, colorful posters were produced by the U.S. government encouraging all Americans to do their part in winning the war. Promoting ideas of conservation, women workers, and war bonds, these posters were commonplace on the home front. Each one was carefully designed to convey social, economic, and political ideas through imagery. By featuring the middle class home, traditional families, and free enterprise, these posters attempted to convey a sense of urgency aimed at maintaining the idealized American way of life, brought the war to the home front and made the war personal, serving as a visual call to arms for all Americans. |
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O'Reilly General Hospital of Springfield, Missouri Contributed by: Evangel University; Springfield Greene County Library Collection of 194 photographs, a map, and history of this wartime facility at Springfield, Missouri. |
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Propaganda War: World War II Posters Contributed by: Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in the United States This exhibit of World War II posters shows how the media was used to send official messages. Posters also indirectly reflected the values, behavior, and attitudes of the American public. Materials in this exhibit are from Churchill Memorial's collection of 300 posters donated by Richard M. White. |
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St. Charles County Historical Society Archives and Photo Gallery Contributed by: St. Charles County Historical Society The St. Charles County Historical Society's project to digitize their 15,000 photographs for online presentation. The photographs document people, wars, African-American culture, agriculture, and many other subjects. |
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St. Charles County in the World War Contributed by: St. Charles City-County Library District, Kathryn Linnemann Branch Materials documenting men in military and naval service, war activities at home, and a brief chronology of the Great War. |
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Truman Administration's Civil Rights Program: The Desegregation of the Armed Forces Contributed by: Harry S. Truman Library & Museum Collection documents President Truman's decision to desegregate the U.S. Armed Forces. It covers the years 1938-1953. |
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Truman Doctrine and the Beginning of the Cold War Contributed by: Harry S. Truman Library & Museum Collection of documents, photographs and interview transcripts about Truman doctrine. |
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United States Colored Troops in Missouri Contributed by: Missouri State Archives Curriculum developed by Archives staff for grades 5-8 includes a lesson plan, discussion questions, and digitized documents related to the Civil War service of African American troops. |
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Voices of World War II: Experiences from the Front and the Home Front Contributed by: Miller Nichols Library, University of Missouri - Kansas City A website created to focus on World War II and how it was experienced in Kansas City through the popular media - KMBC radio. |
Moderate Relevance
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African American History Collection (Guide) Contributed by: Missouri State Archives Guide to African American history resources at the Missouri State Archives |
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Arrow Rock: Crossroads of the Missouri Frontier Contributed by: Missouri State Archives This video presentation by Michael Dickey (Historic Site Administrator) addresses the history of Arrow Rock, the state’s oldest historic site. Established in 1829 at the intersection of the Missouri River and the Santa Fe Trail as a center of trade between St. Louis and Kansas City, Arrow Rock became a "crossroads of the Missouri frontier." |
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Assorted Images of Kansas City Contributed by: Kansas City Public Library This collection, drawn from many smaller collections, consists of images of people and Kansas City places including schools, houses, churches, hospitals, street scenes, historical monuments, etc. |
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Boone County Historical Society Civil War Collection Contributed by: Boone County Historical Society This Civil War collection of personal letters, diaries and photographs is held by the Boone County Historical Society. |
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Civil War in Missouri - Monographs Contributed by: University of Missouri - Columbia The Civil War in the United States is a fascinating era in our history. This collection focuses on the Civil War in Missouri. |
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Grayson Archery Collection Contributed by: University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology One of the largest and most comprehensive collections of archery-related artwork collected by Charles E. Grayson. It includes an assemblage of long bows dating from 1850 to the present and the world's only complete collection of flight bows |
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Hamilton Rowan Gamble, 1861-1863 Contributed by: Missouri State Archives The Records (1861-1863) of Governor Hamilton Rowan Gamble include appointments, resignations, letters of recommendation, correspondence, memoranda, petitions, an oath of loyalty, and a proclamation. In 1861, a state convention was called to decide whether Missouri would secede from the United States or remain in the Union. Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson called for secession and was removed from office in July. Gamble was named as the provisional governor. His chief concern was keeping Missouri in the Union while at the same time resisting federal control. He died on January 31, 1864. |
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Missouri: Its History, Geology, Culture Contributed by: University of Missouri Libraries Digital book collection of Missouri's history, geology, literature and agriculture at University of Missouri Libraries. |
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Ozarks Digital Library - Black Families of the Ozarks, Volumes 1 and 2 Contributed by: Springfield-Greene County Library District Digital copy of Greene County Archives Bulletin Number 45: Black Families of the Ozarkswith information missing for some pages. |
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Ozarks Digital Library - Greene County Missouri, History Contributed by: Springfield-Greene County Library District Collection of full text resources about histories of Greene County, Missouri. |
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State Historical Society - The Civil War in Missouri Contributed by: State Historical Society of Missouri This collection contains various documents related to the Civil War in Missouri. |
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Thomas Clement Fletcher, 1865-1869 Contributed by: Missouri State Archives The Records of Governor Thomas Clement Fletcher contain material dating from 1863 to 1876. Fletcher was the first native Missourian to serve as governor. On January 2, 1865, he was sworn in as Missouri's 18th governor. He dealt with amnesty for Confederate soldiers and sympathizers, emancipation of Missouri slaves, railroad bond defaults, and the reorganization of the public education system. The collection include affidavits, testimonies, and other court materials; appointment requests; certifications of vacancies and gubernatorial orders of elections; commissions; correspondence; minutes; oaths of loyalty; petitions; and proclamations. |
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Western Historical Manuscript Collection - Civil War Manuscripts Contributed by: Western Historical Manuscript Collection A selection of Civil War era documents from various collections at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia. Several of the documents are from the Gooch Family Papers (C0108), which contains Civil War letters from James, William and Thomas Gooch to their family in Missouri. There are also documents from other collections detailing the impact an encamped army has on surrounding towns, the plight of families with relatives imprisoned for Confederate sympathies, guerrilla warfare in Missouri, and the organization and discharge of troops. |
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Willard Preble Hall, 1864 - 1865 Contributed by: Missouri State Archives This collection consists of the records of Governor Willard Preble Hall, including commissions, correspondence, and petitions. When the state convention of July 1861 vacated statewide offices, Hall was chosen to serve as lieutenant governor. Governor Gamble died in office on January 31, 1864, and Lieutenant Governor Hall became the seventeenth governor of Missouri. He served until Thomas Clement Fletcher was sworn in on January 2, 1865. |