Special Touch Family and Military Archival Records Research Service

Have you ever wanted to do research on your family but not had the time? It could be for general interest to obtain birth or marriage history.  Perhaps you have a loved one with special military honors but they are no longer around to ask.  Or you have someone dear that would qualify for POW, special claims, or death benefit claims but you do not know how to begin to do the research.

Special Touch Research is your single source opportunity for a variety of family and military genealogy research. With extensive local history experience and a dedication toward in-depth research, you will be pleased you found Special Touch Research.

Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship among its members. The results can be displayed in charts or written as narratives.

Some traditionalists may differentiate between genealogy and family history, using the former to describe skeletal accounts of kinship (aka family trees) and the latter as a "fleshing out" of lives and personal histories.

Professional genealogists conduct research for others. At Special Touch Research, we try to understand not just where and when people lived, but also their lifestyles, biographies, and motivations. This often requires - or leads to - knowledge of antiquated laws, old political boundaries, migration trends, and historical social conditions.

Historical, social, and family context is essential to achieving correct identification of individuals and relationships.

Genealogists begin their research by collecting family documents and stories. This creates a foundation for documentary research, which involves examining and evaluating historical records for evidence about ancestors and other relatives, their kinship ties, and the events that occurred in their lives.

As a rule, genealogists begin with the present and work backward in time.  To keep track of collected material, family group sheets and pedigree charts are used.

Records in Genealogical Research
 
Special Touch Research uses a wide variety of records in their research. To effectively conduct genealogical research, it is important to understand how the records were created, what information is included in them, and how and where to access them.

Records that are used in genealogy research include:

• Adoption records
  
• Baptism or christening
  
• Bar or bat mitzvah
  
• Biographies and biographical profiles (e.g. Who's Who)
  
• Birth records
  
• Census records
  
• Church records
  
• City directories and telephone directories
  
• Civil records
  
• Confirmation
  
• Coroner's reports
  
• Court records
  
• Criminal records
  
• Death records
  
• Diaries, personal letters and family Bibles
  
• Emigration, immigration and naturalization records
  
• Funeral or death
  
• Hereditary & lineage organization records,
      e.g. Daughters of the American Revolution records
  
• Land and property records, deeds
  
• Marriage
  
• Marriage and divorce records
  
• Medical records
  
• Membership
  
• Military and conscription records
  
• Newspaper articles
  
• Obituaries
  
• Occupational records
  
• Oral histories
  
• Passports
  
• Photographs
  
• Poorhouse, workhouse, almshouse, and asylum records
  
• School and alumni association records
  
• Ship passenger lists
  
• Social Security (within the USA) and pension records
  
• Tax records
  
• Tombstones, cemetery records, and funeral home records
  
• Vital records
  
• Voter registration records
  
• Wills and probate records
  
• Family Names, Given Names, Place Names, Dates, Occupation

Military Records & Genealogy

Searching for your military ancestors in military records and resources requires information on any military conflict, histories of battles and battlefields, veteran's memorials, soldiers names, military units, and military branch such as:

• Air Force
  
• Army
  
• Coast Guard
  
• Marine Corp
  
• Merchant Marines
  
• Navy

From the early colonists, to the men and women currently serving in America's armed forces, most of us can claim at least one relative or ancestor who has served our country in the military. But do you know how to research benefits that may be due for things like POW Claims, Disability Benefit claims (partial or full), Injury Benefits, Death Benefits, medical claims, or special claims?  This can be a daunting task.  Special Touch Research has the experience to delve into records revealing potential benefits available.

Because the military has kept detailed records, these records are an invaluable source of information about servicemen and women and the families they may have left behind. Aside from the additional information to family stories, consider what these records represent in the history of the world. The National Archives holds Federal military service records from the Revolutionary War to 1912 in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.  Living in the Washington region, staff at Special Touch Research has assess to these valuable records. 

How can Military Records help in my genealogy research?
Military records can often provide valuable information on the veteran, as well as on all members of the family. For example:

Compiled Service Records:
Compiled service records consist of an envelope containing card abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, and other records. They will provide information on your ancestor's rank, unit, date mustered in and mustered out, basic biographical information, medical information, and military information.

Pension Applications and Pension Payment Records:
The National Archives also has pension applications and records of pension payments for veterans, their widows, and other heirs. Pension application files usually provide the most genealogical information. These files often contain supporting documents such as: narratives of events during service, marriage certificates, birth records, death certificates, pages from family Bibles, family letters, depositions of witnesses, affidavits, discharge papers
and other supporting papers.

Bounty Land:
Bounty land warrant application files relate to claims based on wartime service between 1775 and March 3, 1855. If your ancestor served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, early Indian Wars, or the Mexican War, a search of these records may be worthwhile. Bounty land records often contain documents similar to those in pension files, with lots of genealogical information. Many of the bounty land application files relating to Revolutionary War and War of 1812 service have been combined with the pension files.

How to begin?

There is no simple explanation for how to begin research in military records. Our research path will depend on aspects such as: what branch of service your ancestor was in, which conflict, what dates, whether Regular Army or a volunteer unit, whether your ancestor was an officer or enlisted personnel, and whether there was a pension application. 

Our approach to researching records of enlisted men, officers, and for the different branches of the military is unique to each situation. Our in-depth interview with you will guide us in the direction to take.

Specializing in Maryland History specifically in the counties of Montgomery, Frederick, Prince Georges, and Calvert County, Special Touch Research is capable of locating records that would otherwise elude the average researcher.

Genealogy always seems to have a way of pointing out just how small our world really is. If you have ancestors who died or disappeared from your family tree between 1918 and 1919, then they may have been victims of the deadly flu pandemic.

Family Research

Be aware that genealogical research is never simple or easy. If you expect to make a quick visit to a library or archive and find a helpful member of staff who will give you all the answers, you will be disappointed.

It is always better to work backwards from the known to the unknown. Start your family history search by talking to your oldest relatives and look at family records such as bibles, wills and certificates. Beware of family traditions, however, unless or until you have documentation to back them up.

Once we have worked out the facts of a basic family tree with as many names, dates and places as possible, we can start to look at original records. These will allow us to check information, flesh out the bare facts and lead back to earlier generations.

• Ancestry Cemetery Plots
  
• Birth Records
  
• Census Documents
  
• Church Records
  
• Enlistment Records
  
• Family Bible
  
• Immigration Records
  
• Naturalization Records
  
• Patents

World War II Bomb Group

The Bomb Group tamed America's biggest and deadliest bombers of World War II -- the Boeing B-29 Superfortresses -- to help subdue the Japanese.  Special Touch Research has a unique historical view on the World War II Bomb Groups.  If information on Bomb Groups is of interest to you, then be sure to contact us!

Complete our on-line email form to begin the process.

Testimonials

"Many thanks for the papers that you sent for the D-Day mission. I think that you have found enough of the data that I need to finish the re-write of my many years old article."
--Will Lundy, 44th Bomb Group Historian

"Your very interesting packet arrived today and indeed does offer me a far clearer picture, not only than I had had, but I think than my father himself ever had of the Turnbull demise on October 18th.  The accounts in the 44thBG’s poll of Honor are also very much appreciated." 
--Brian Mahoney, President of 2nd Air Division Heritage League

"...90% of what you sent me was new. The most important piece of information was that my father was buried in Belgium. I was under the impression he was buried in Holland. I immediately phoned my mother." 
--Pat Byrnes, Gold Star Child WWII

If you or your client is searching for answers, please contact us.