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Military Records at the Archives & Library of the Ohio History Connection

Ohio and the War of 1812

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States in Great Britain from 1812 to 1815. The war had several causes, including British soldiers continuing to occupy United States territory after the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Many of these soldiers were located along the Great Lakes, providing British native allies support against American settlers. Below are a few battles that occurred in the Ohio area during the War of 1812:

  • Battle of Marblehead Peninsula, September 29, 1812 (Tecumseh Confederacy vs. U.S.)

  • Siege of Fort Meigs, April 28 - May 9, 1813 (Britain & Native allies vs. U.S.)

  • Battle of Fort Stephenson, August 2, 1813 (Britain & Tecumseh Confederacy vs. U.S.)

  • Battle of Lake Erie (Put-in-Bay), September 10, 1813 (Britain vs. U.S.)

​Both sides were ready to conclude war by 1814, signing the Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814. The final conflict with the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 cemented American victory and ended British occupation and native support in Ohio.

Collection Information and Access

  • The Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812 [State Archives Series 110] is available for research in the Library. Due to condition of original records, this collection is available only on microfilm rolls GR 9273 through GR 9274 in the Library Microfilm Room.

  • The above mentioned roster is also available in book form [R 973.524471 A2 1989] with separate index [R 973.524471 A2 Index] in the Library.

  • You can also find the Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812 online on Google Books, the Internet Archive, Ancestry.com, and FamilySearch.org.

  • The Index to the Grave Records of Servicemen of the War of 1812, State of Ohio [R 973.52 In 2 1988] and the Index to War of 1812 Pension Files [R 973.52 W586i 1989, Volumes 1-3] are also available for research in the Library. 

  • There is individual biographical and unit information in the county histories for War of 1812 soldiers from their counties and possible burial locations in the Grave Registration Cards [State Archives Series 183] of Veterans Buried in Ohio on microfilm rolls GR 3146 through 3238 in the Library Microfilm Room.

  • The Ohio Militia Records collection [State Archives Series 77] is incomplete, but contains materials pertaining to War of 1812. Not all of the men listed among these records would necessarily have been federalized into United States Army service during the War of 1812.

  • Document Transcriptions of the War of 1812 FLM 363 1-3. This resource can be paged to the Library for research or viewed in the Library Microfilm Room.

  • The Anthony Wayne Parkway Board graphics collection [State Archives Series 1018 AV] contains images depicting people and events associated with the period of early settlement in Ohio (1780-1815), historical marker photos, and materials related to the Indian Wars (1790-1814) and the War of 1812. This collection can be paged in the Library.

  • We hold a variety of books, articles, newspapers and manuscript collections related to Fort Meigs, Fort Stephenson, the Battle of Lake Erie, and Hulls Defeat and other War of 1812 topics in the Archives/Library. You can search these topics and others related to the War of 1812 through the Online Collections Catalog. Items can paged in the Library for research. 

  • For more information on Ohio's participation in the War of 1812 see Ohio's Regulars in the War of 1812 [R 973.524771 J631o 2014].

  • Further War of 1812 information can be accessed by using Ancestry and Fold3 which are available via computers in the Library.  

  • You can browse all War of 1812 era newspapers, library, archives, and museum records using our Online Collections Catalog.

New Discovery Layer - One catalog for Print, State Archives, Manuscripts & AV collections

Discover books, newspapers, periodicals, company catalogs, pamphlets, maps, atlases and more!

Can't Find What You're Looking For?

We do not hold military service or pension records. That information can be obtained by contacting the National Archives and Records Administration. Records prior to World War I are located at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. 

You may also wish to read the military records section of the National Archives Genealogy webpage.

If you have questions, please contact us at reference@ohiohistory.org or 614.297.2510.