For Those Who Served: Military Research From Colonial Conflicts to World War II
Presented by David Allen Lambert, Melanie McComb, and Elizabeth Peay
This on-demand course includes five 90-minute classes and exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation
Available through November 6, 2026
Fee: $125 for 5-class course
Class 1: Soldiers of Colonial Conflicts – Presented by David Allen Lambert
This first class discusses how to research ancestors who served in the Pequot War, King Philip’s War, King William’s War, Queen Anne’s War, King George’s War, and French and Indian War.
Class 2: Revolutionary War Patriots – Presented by Elizabeth Peay
Learn how to trace your patriot ancestors using muster rolls, quartermaster rolls, pension files, the 1840 census, journals and diaries, and more.
Class 3: War of 1812 Veterans – Presented by David Allen Lambert
The National Archives holds important records for War of 1812 veterans including compiled service and pension records. Learn how to access and use these important resources, plus muster rolls, correspondence from officers, town histories, and more.
Class 4: Soldiers of the Civil War – Presented by David Allen Lambert
There are a number of sources that can help you trace your Civil War soldier ancestors. From special questions and schedules in select US censuses to GAR member lists to detailed pension files to published regiment histories, you can find the story of your ancestor’s service. Learn how to determine what regiment your ancestor served in, what battles they fought in, and what happened to them and their families after the war. We focus our discussion on Union records, but also discuss resources for Confederate soldiers.
Class 5: World War I & World War II Veterans – Presented by Melanie McComb
Researching World War I and World War II veterans present unique challenges. In 1973 a fire destroyed 16 to 18 million personnel records for the U.S. Army between (service years 1912 to 1960) and the U.S. Air Force (service years 1947 to 1964). Learn how you can start to reconstruct your ancestor’s service using draft registration cards and enlistments, the US census, discharge papers, unit histories, and more.
About American Ancestors
American Ancestors® is a national nonprofit center for family history, heritage & culture based in Boston, Massachusetts, that has been setting the gold standard for genealogical research since its founding in 1845. Today, American Ancestors serves 400K+ members and subscribers through AmericanAncestors.org, one of the world’s largest online collections of family history resources. In 2025, American Ancestors launched the Family Heritage Experience, an interactive, state-of-the-art exhibition that introduces visitors to the joy of family history research, located at 97 Newbury Street at our headquarters in Boston. American Ancestors is also home to the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center, which preserves New England’s Jewish history, and 10 Million Names, a project dedicated to finding the names of the enslaved men, women, and children in pre- and post-colonial America before emancipation. For more information, visit americanancestors.org.