After I published “National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers: A Surprisingly Rich Resource,” a reader contacted me and said she couldn’t find her ancestor in the registers. Family lore said that he was in “the soldiers home,” but his name wasn’t in the collections on Ancestry or FamilySearch. Though the National Homes are great resources, they aren’t the only places where disabled veterans lived after the war. There were also state soldiers homes.

State Soldiers Homes vs. National Homes

Michigan Soldiers Homes, Grand Rapids

Various states opened their own homes for their disabled and indigent veterans. Many of these opened after the Civil War, like the National Homes did. They functioned in the same way as the National Homes — providing housing and medical care for veterans who didn’t have the means to take care of themselves.

The political reasons for these were numerous. Some states didn’t have a National Home; their veterans would have had to go far from family and friends to get care. Others wanted more direct control over the services provided to their veterans. Southern states had an additional reason for opening their own homes: Confederate veterans couldn’t be admitted to National Homes.

The criteria for entering a state soldiers home varied from state to state. Most had a residency requirement of some sort. Some would allow the admission of veterans’ wives and widows. (They would be housed in different buildings.)

Records for State Soldiers Homes

Three types of records that are especially useful to genealogists are the admission registers, admission applications, and annual reports.

Admission registers were usually kept in ledger books and give a recap of the veteran’s stay(s) in that facility.

Admission applications are just that: applications for admission to the home. They usually involve a form of some sort, but can also include affidavits and supporting documentation of why he or she meets the criteria for admission.

Annual reports can be quite detailed. It isn’t unusual to find:

• List of residents (or “inmates”) living there during the previous year
• List of deaths during the previous year
• Conditions at the home

The 1902 Annual Report of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home lists everyone who was living in the home:

It also lists those who died the previous year:

Curious about what they had to eat? They have sample menus:

Frankly, I’m not sure I want to know what “pickle pork” is.

Finding State Soldiers Home Records

There are several places to look for the records of state soldiers homes:

• State archives, state historical societies, state libraries
• Google Books
• Internet Archive

Google Books and Internet Archive are especially good for finding annual reports. You’ll have to play with the search terms, but doing a general search of <state soldiers home> such as indiana soldiers home is a good place to start.

Some states, such as Virginia, have put their soldier home records online. (You can search or browse the Robert E. Lee Camp Confederate Soldiers’ Home Applications for Admission here.)

Also look in the Family History Library catalog to see what might be available on microfilm.

Do you have any ancestors who lived in a state veterans home?

From New York State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, Bath: Photo-Gravures (1901).

In his episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, Bryan Cranston used a resource that I love: the register from a U.S. National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. These records are often overlooked in Civil War research, overshadowed by pension and service records. However, there are clues in these registers that we need to look at.

A History of the National Homes

The Civil War left countless men with injuries — physical, mental, emotional — that rendered them unable to live the life they had before the war. To care for these men (specifically, those who fought for the Union), Congress authorized the National Homes of Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in 1865. (They were originally called the National Asylums; “Asylum” was changed to “Home” in 1873.) Union veterans who could prove their disability were related to their service were eligible for admission. The requirements were loosened over time to allow veterans from other wars and those whose disabilities were not service-related.

Admission to the Homes were voluntary and veterans could choose which Home they wanted. Some opted for one in warmer areas, such as the Pacific Branch near Los Angeles. Some chose a home near he had children living. (Always research all of the children!)

The National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers included:

• Eastern Branch, Togus Springs, Maine
• Central Branch, Dayton, Ohio
• Northwestern Branch, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Southern Branch, Hampton, Virginia
• Western Branch, Leavenworth, Kansas
• Pacific Branch, Sawtelle, California
• Marion Branch, Marion, Indiana
• Danville Branch, Danville, Illinois
• Mountain Branch, Johnson City, Tennessee
• Battle Mountain Sanitarium, Hot Springs, South Dakota
• Bath Branch, Bath, New York
• Roseburg Branch, Roseburg, Oregon
• St. Petersburg Home, St. Petersburg, Florida
• Biloxi Home, Biloxi, Mississippi
• Tuskegee Home, Tuskegee, Alabama

The Records

The records that family historians will get the most out of are the registers. Here’s the entry for Joseph H. Cranston, Bryan Cranston’s great-great-grandfather:

Joseph H. Cranston, “United States National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-21047-1681-71?cc=1916230 : accessed 25 August 2015), Dayton, Ohio > Register no. 10500-11999 > image 612 of 777; citing NARA microfilm publication T1749 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). Click to enlarge.

The Military History section at the top contains a recap of Joseph’s military service, including three different regiments that he served in during the Civil War. It also lists “varicose veins” as the kind of disability he had.

The Domestic History section is where we can find some good biographical details, which is certainly the case with Joseph Cranston. Here’s the first part of that section:

We learn his birthplace as County Armagh, Ireland. He was age 57 when he was admitted. After he left the service, he lived in Fostoria, Ohio and was a carpenter. The right-hand part of this section gives even more clues:

He claimed to be single. He lists his friend Nathan Hatfield of Fostoria as his nearest relative. (Joseph’s son would probably disagree with that distinction.)

The Home History section is where the National Home would list when and where the veteran was admitted. It isn’t unusual to find a veteran staying for short periods of time over several years or moving to a different home. Joseph, however, was admitted to the Central Branch Home in Dayton on 1 September 1883 and there he stayed.

The right-hand portion tells about Joseph’s death:

He died 4 March 1889 from inhaling gas. He’s buried in section H3, grave 2.

The General Remarks section can contain all sorts of comments about the veteran. Here’s what Joseph Cranston’s record has:

“Mar. 8th 1889. Appraised Personal Effects $0.25”

Something not in Joseph Cranston’s record is his physical description. This section was added to later registers.

Finding These Records

The registers of most of the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers are available on FamilySearch and on Ancestry. Some of the homes in these collections also have burial and/or death records. Note: neither site has the registers of the St. Petersburg, Biloxi, or Tuskegee homes. You will need to contact the National Archives for those records.

In addition to the National Homes, many states had their own soldiers/veterans homes. You can find out more about those in my post “State Soldiers Homes: A Different Place to Look.”