With Memorial Day weekend honoring those who have served their country in the armed services, people may want to find out more about their family’s military history.

Services and materials are available.

MAHONING COUNTY

Sara Churchill, specialty services supervisor at the Public Library of Youngstown-Mahoning County, said that throughout the year, the library provides how-to programs on genealogy topics, including military records research.

“We also offer help one-on-one with individuals through either scheduled ‘Book a Librarian’ sessions or walk-in anytime for help at any library,” she said.

Churchill said the main library has a large collection of genealogy and local history books and is the library in the system with newspaper microfilm.

Churchill said Ancestry.com Library Edition includes access to a learning center with tip sheets on military records, family trees in the American Revolution, finding Civil War ancestors and World War I.

Churchill said FamilySearch.org provides tips through its blog postings, such as finding United States military service records and World War I and World War II records.

Churchill said she and the staff also help patrons by providing referrals to web resources, such as an online site from USA.gov for “How to get copies of military records.”

She said there is a video created by a Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park official, which explains how to obtain military records.

Churchill said Fold3 is popular and dedicated to military records while Ancestry.com can help people find draft records and pension records.

“There is a lot of great military things in Ancestry.com’s database,” Churchill said.

She said the FamilySearch.org, run by the Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City, is regarded as the biggest place for genealogy followed by the Fort Wayne Library in Indiana.

Churchill said she and other staff can help fill out forms to locate data on some sites.

“For people who died overseas, it is hard to find obituaries and other information,” Churchill said.

She said the library was able to digitize the Vindicator newspapers microfilm from 1869 to 2009, where people can look up a specific name to see when the person served in the military and where they died.

Churchill said MyHistory also can be searched with keyword search to find information and interesting stories. She said obituaries are also a place to find information on a relative’s military history.

Churchill said military records checklists are available to assist people in locating information. A person first identifies which U.S. conflict(s) the service member may have served in, then track the search for his or her service files.

Churchill said there also is an Individual Deceased Personnel File, which is a personnel file created by the military services to document the death of a military member and the related actions associated with the disposition of the remains. It is sometimes called “Mortuary File” or “Casualty File.”

The library can be reached at 330-744-8636, Ext. 50030.

TRUMBULL COUNTY

Elizabeth Glasgow, manager of the Local History and Genealogy Center of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, said digital and print items are available.

“We have several volumes of records from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. For the Revolutionary War, it was land grants, and for the Civil War, pension information,” Glasgow said.

She said the information up through the Afghanistan War can be found on Ancestry Fold3.

Fold3 is an online collection of historical military records, photos and personal documents of the men and women who served from the Revolutionary War through recent conflicts.

Glasgow said access to Fold3 is free for any Warren Trumbull County Public Library cardholders.

Glasgow said there are photographs and personal accounts of the wars.

“A lot of what is available is what has been digitized and what information there may be on a certain person. It helps to find information on someone when we know where they served. In World War II and the Civil War, people may have served in different locations,” Glasgow said.

She said what is unique to the center is an index of military people who served up through World War II who were featured in the Tribune Chronicle.

She said print resources for researching military records include those on Revolutionary War and War of 1812 pensions, rosters of soldiers from Civil War, World War I and II, and casualties of World War II.

Glasgow said she gets numerous requests for information on Civil War families.

She said there is also access to information from what was provided and donated by the public on the Civil War, Revolutionary War and World War I and II. This includes photographs, family information, newspaper articles and military records.

Glasgow said on the Trumbull Memory service there are photographs and information on veterans from World War I and II.

“I like when people come in with their questions because there is always some interesting story. People come in not expecting what they may find,” Glasgow said.

She said it is often like being a detective to find information since people often have sketchy information.

“I tell people we need information on the person and the war,” Glasgow said.

She said there is a research request form on the website with all assistance provided free.

The center can be reached at 330-399-8807, Ext. 120.

OTHER HELP

Meghan Reed, director of the Trumbull County Historical Society, said when she does receive requests on family military histories she will refer them to the Veterans Services Commission for official records.

“We can look up some information on our database,” she said. “We have an online search of our collection. Someone can search a family’s name to see what is connected with what we have in the collection.”

Carol Olson, chairwoman for the Native American Heritage Committee for the Daughters of the American Revolution Mary Chesney Chapter, said DAR works with women to search their family’s military connection to the Revolutionary War.

Olson said a registrar with DAR will help people fill out necessary forms, which are online. She said these steps are needed to check and help someone to become a member of DAR.