Guide to Military Records and the Wartime Experience

Multi-War Collections

S32
Florida. Governor.
Territorial and State Governors Letterbooks, 1836-1909
83 volumes

The series contains the official outgoing correspondence of Florida's territorial and state governors that reflect the official, constitutional and political duties of the Office of Governor.

S43
Comptroller’s Office
Territorial and State Military Expenditures, 1839-1869
1.5 cubic feet

This series contains expenditure records for territorial militia companies, frontier guard units of the Seminole Wars, Confederate military organizations and local guard activities. The records include invoices, receipts, provision records, vouchers, payrolls and requisitions for forage.

S1144
Florida. Department of Military Affairs
Militia Photographs, 1900-1987
550 items (.25 cubic foot)

The series contains images of individuals, groups and units of the Florida State Troops and Florida National Guard from the period of the Spanish-American War to 1987. Included are many panoramic views of units and campsites as well as groups of officers and enlisted personnel. While the series contains few photographs of troops in national service, most illustrate the training and state service activities of the National Guard between the world wars. Also included are several photographs of the Florida troops engaged in the activities of the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916.

S1146
Florida. Office of the Adjutant General
Muster Rolls and Supporting Documents, 1870-1918
10 cubic feet (6 microfilm reels)

This series contains muster rolls and supporting documents of the Florida State Militia, the Florida State Troops and the Florida National Guard. During the documented 50-year period, Floridians served in two wars and a federal "expedition" into Mexico and were called into active state duty for countless natural disasters and civil disturbances. The muster rolls in this series are the only known surviving listings of the Floridians who served in the State Militia, the State Troops and the National Guard during this era. Of interest are several rolls for organizations manned and officered by Black soldiers.

S1207
Florida. Naval Militia
Administrative Files, 1897-1941
4 cubic feet

Formed to assist in the protection and defense of Florida's extensive coastline, the Florida Naval Militia existed during three separate periods: from 1897 to 1903, from 1911 to 1917 and from 1934 to 1941. During the Spanish-American War and World War I, the federal government activated the Florida Naval Militia for service. After World War I, the state did not reconstitute the organization until 1934. In 1941, under the threat of U.S. involvement in World War II, the federal government again called the militia into service and the state dissolved the organization. This series contains some information on each period of the Florida Naval Militia's existence. Included are reports, muster and pay rolls, enlistment and discharge records, correspondence, budget information and a variety of other records. Most of the material covers the period from 1934 to 1941. Also included are some correspondence and records of commission in the Florida Volunteer Naval Force.

S1209
Florida. Military Department
Unit and Unit Location Historical Card File, 1968
1 microfilm reel

This series provides information on the evolution of Florida's military forces from 1893 to 1960. The unit information cards cover three periods: pre-World War II (1890s to 1940s), World War II (1941-1947) and post-World War II (1940s to 1960s). The unit cards of each period contain information on the creation of the unit, any organizational changes, names of commanding officers and any active state or federal service performed. A less extensive file provides information on the units of the Florida Air National Guard from the 1940s to 1960s. The location cards document the geographic location within the state where each unit was raised and served.

S1303
National Archives
Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900, 1861-1917
1 microfilm reel

This microfilm publication contains index cards that refer to pension applications of veterans who served in the U.S. Army from Florida between 1861 and 1917. Most of the records pertain to Civil War veterans, but they also include veterans of the Spanish-American War. Florida Union veterans served in the 1st and 2nd Florida Cavalry Regiment; veterans of Spanish-American War served in the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment. Each card gives the soldier's name, rank, unit and terms of service; names of relationships of any dependents; the application number; the certificate number and the state from which the claim was filed.

S1425
Florida. Military Department
Historical Records, 1860-1945
2.5 cubic feet

This series contains materials that document the participation of Florida's Militia, National Guard and private citizens in the wars of the United States. These records include casualty notices, correspondence and statistical reports that the Florida Adjutant General’s Office and the service departments in Washington, D.C. generated. Much of the correspondence deals with the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I. Material that covers later wars is mostly in the form of official casualty notice releases from either the Office of War Information or the U.S. Department of Defense.

S1433
Florida. Military Department
Veterans Death Notices, 1942-1960
1 cubic foot

This series contains cards that list veterans’ deaths from 1942 to 1960. The cards contain the following information: name of veteran; serial number; last address; where death occurred (i.e., at home, at Veterans Administration Hospital, etc.); name, relationship and address of next of kin; date and place of birth; race; date and cause of death; date of burial or other disposal of remains; cemetery; branch of service and rank; dates of service and organization served; dates of discharge and foreign service (if any); and name of the funeral director who submitted the card.

S2153
Office of Secretary of State
Territorial and Early Statehood Records, 1821-1878
3.25 cubic feet
This series contains various government documents that cover many topics of importance to Florida's territorial and early statehood legislatures and governors. It includes correspondence, petitions and legislative records (acts, resolutions and committee reports) that pertain to Florida's boundary, banking, slavery, the status of free Blacks in Florida, Indian affairs, state militia concerns, the war with Mexico, railroads, gambling, agriculture, party politics, secession and the Civil War.

M74-6
Loomis L. Langdon
Papers, 1856-1906
1.25 cubic feet

Loomis Lyman Langdon dedicated himself to the service of his country, achieving the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army after a distinguished military career. This collection contains Langdon’s letters that primarily discuss his activities in Florida during the Third Seminole War and the Civil War.

M84-35
Coleman Family Photographs, 1875-1966
115 photographs

The Coleman family lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, during the 20th century. Several members of the Coleman family served in the U.S. Navy during the Spanish-American War and both world wars. Several of the images in this collection were taken at the Naval Station in Pensacola, Florida. These images include Fort McRae Tunnel before it collapsed and various Navy airplanes in flight and on the ground.

M90-16
Anna Hahn Diaries, 1897-1925
6 volumes

Anna Hahn was the daughter of James W. and Clara Buskirkin Hahn of Chester, Pennsylvania. She and her sister, Clara Hahn Smith, owned several rental properties in Green Cove Springs, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida; and Chester, Pennsylvania. This collection includes copies of Anna’s diaries that provide glimpses into her everyday life and business. The diaries record her travels between Florida and Pennsylvania, as well as reactions to such events as the Spanish-American War, the end of World War I and the first sighting of Halley's Comet.

M97-24
Newspaper Clippings and Letters, 1771-1862
.25 cubic foot

This collection consists of photostatic copies of a variety of letters, newspaper clippings and a resolution. Various settlers and immigrants wrote the letters in Pensacola and Tallahassee, dating from 1771 to 1848. The topics cover many of the issues facing Floridians during this time, including territorial issues of American relations with the Spanish in Pensacola, conflicts with Seminoles in Florida and Georgia, the living conditions in Tallahassee, the cost of enslaved people, and problems with farming and growing cotton in Leon County. Also included are copies of various newspaper clippings from several national newspapers, dating from 1817 to 1862. Topics include General Andrew Jackson’s occupation of Florida, Seminole attacks in Florida and Georgia, and Civil War action at Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola. In addition, there is an 1835 resolution in which the citizens of Shell Point condemn interference by northern abolitionists in the affairs of the South.

N2017-112
Muster Rolls 1862-1864, 1896-1898
1 cubic foot

This collection includes various muster rolls from the Civil War and the Spanish-American War for Florida regiments and battalions.