Ancestry Magazine

There is something about a photograph of a man or woman in uniform that commands attention. These images tell a compelling story of patriotism and bravery—and if you know how to read the clues in the picture, they may tell even more.

There is something about a photograph of a man or woman in uniform that commands attention. These images tell a compelling story of patriotism and bravery—and if you know how to read the clues in the picture, they may tell even more.

All photographic detective work takes an observant eye, a magnifying glass, and, like many genealogical pursuits, a little patience. This is particularly true when examining a photograph of someone in uniform. Basic photo identification techniques involve determining the style of photograph, looking at the costume clues, determining a photographer’s place of business, and watching for clues in the smallest details. Deciphering those details usually involves additional research as well, such as working with experts and tracking down supplementary evidence. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s fun and it will help bring y our military ancestor’s story to life.

There are a number of ways you can determine the story behind a military photo. Follow these tips and see what you can learn from the photographic evidence of military service.

Acquire the Photos
Search your family photograph collection for pictures of people in uniform and ask your relatives to do the same. Most men either volunteered or were drafted to participate in the significant wars in American history, including the American Revolution (1776—1783), War of 1812 (1812—1815), Mexican War (1846), Civil War (1861—1865), Spanish-American War (1898), World War I (1917—1918) and World War II (1941—1945).

If your military ancestors joined a veterans group like the Grand Army of the Republic after the Civil War or the Veterans of Foreign Wars, you may find clues of service through their photos of later years. For instance, you might find a photo of a group of men and women standing in front of Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. It could be a reunion picture for a Grand Army of the Republic since many Civil War veterans groups visited there.

Learn the History
Establish a time frame for an unidentified photograph. You may need to research the background history of the armed forces and the various uniform changes. You’ll want to visit your public library and maybe even contact one of the regional chapters of the Company of Military Historians. This educational, literary, and scientific organization consists of researchers, historians, and collectors that study all aspects of military history in the United States and the Western Hemisphere. It also publishes a quarterly journal called the Military Collector & Historian that may prove useful to your research.

Determining the type of photo you have will help you determine the approximate date it was taken. Photography began in 1839 so that’s where your sear ch begins. If you own a shiny image with a mirror-like surface, it’s probably a daguerreotype (1839 to c.1860). Several other types of photographs in the nineteenth century include ambrotypes (1854 to c.1870, photograph on glass), tintypes (1854 to c.1900, photographs on metal plates), and any number of different styles of paper prints starting in 1839. Each paper print has a different quality and you’ll need to consult a book like James Reilly’s Care and Identification of Nineteenth-Century Photographs (Kodak, 1986) to be able to tell them apart.

Also, if you’re lucky enough to have a photo with a photographer’s name on it, consult city directories or listings of photographers to establish when he or she was in business. Search online at the George Eastman House telnet database: www.eastman.org/4_educ/gehdata.html. This information will lead you to an approximate time and place the photo was taken.

Compare your family photos to images in the books in the resource section and then add up all the clues you have evaluated thus far—family information, type of image, photographer dates—and make sure they agree.

Gather Clues from Clothing
Clothing clues in a portrait offer particular details that will yield information about your military ancestor. The ability to decipher the subtle changes in uniform style over the years is an acquired skill, but there are some simple things you can do.

First, begin the process of deciphering the costume clues by breaking down the uniform into pieces based on unique characteristics. For instance, look closely for any identifying pendants or insignia. During the Civil War, many Union volunteers wore belt buckles with a state abbreviation signifying their state of enlistment. Confederate soldiers, on the other hand, often wore buckles with CSA for Confederate States of America.

According to David Lambert, of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and a Civil War reenactor, it can be diff icult to tell the difference between uniforms used in the Civil War and those worn post-war because of re-use. The same is true for the post-war period after World War I.

Below are some other costume details to look for:

Headgear . During the Civil War, long-crowned kepi’s or hats dominated the uniform, but by the mid-1880s military costume regulations changed the shape of the hat to small and tilted. Plumed spiked helmets were part of dress occasions from 1872 to 1904. During this period, German military methods and dress were admired, so these spiked helmets became part of American military dress. Two collectors of these helmets, Mark Kasal and Don Moore, wrote A Guide Book to U.S. Army Dress Helmets, 1872—1904 (North Cape Publications, 2000) that is invaluable if you have a portrait of a man wearing a plumed spiked helmet. In World War I soldiers were issued an “overseas cap” once they arrived.

Decoration. Cloth chevrons on the sleeves and shoulders of a uniform and insignia on the collar or headgear signified rank. Starting in 1863, badges or insignia pins worn on the headgear identified the corps the soldier served with. In the Navy, hashmarks or cloth stripes on the sleeves stand for sets of years of service. A portrait of someone in full dress uniform would include medals, braids, ribbons, and even sashes, depending on the time period.

Keep in mind that some clues to your ancestor’s military service may be a little hard to see without a magnifying glass. He might be wearing evidence of his service on his jacket lapel in the form of a small pin.

Weapons and equipment. If the soldier posed with his full gear, look carefully at the type of sword or firearm he carried and don’t forget his everyday equipment, including a canteen. Each one is an important detail. A man carrying a carbine is probably part of the cavalry, and a man with a pistol could be an officer.

Finding New Pictures
Your photograph collection might be lacking images of the men and women who served in your family, but that doesn’t mean you can’t locate images of them. There are many ways to locate family photographs that are “missing” from your collection.

David Lambert suggests contacting reenactment groups for an ancestor’s regiment. Many of these groups collect material of the events they reenact. Or a simple search using an Internet search engine like Google can connect you with others interested in the history of a group or even living veterans of twentieth-century conflicts. Another option is to track down descendants of people who served in the same regiment as your family member especially for World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

Pictures of military service include portraits of individuals in uniform, regimental group portraits, war scenes, and photo albums of wartime activities. These photos may be found in a library or historical society. For instance, the largest collection of military images that date from the Mexican-American War to the present are held at the United States Army Military History Institute in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. You can search the Institute’s digital collection online and order copies of any relevant images.

The index to James C. Neagles, U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources (Ancestry, 1994) contains more than a dozen listings for archives that contain photographs, either at the state or national level. For instance, the records of the Bureau of Naval Aeronautics (RG 72) at the National Archives include pictures of navy planes, and the American Battle Monuments Commission in Washington, D.C., has photographs of cemetery markers for the soldiers buried overseas.

Finding Service Records
An integral part of researching the military service of your ancestors is looking for service records on the l ocal, state, and national level. Even if a photograph isn’t included, a written description of a soldier provides details such as the color of his hair and eyes. You can use the photographic evidence you’ve already accumulated to locate more material or use documents to hunt for pictures.

The combination of military service records, historical records, and photographs helps to bring your military ancestor’s story to life. Now the next step is to use what you’ve accumulated to tell the story of your family’s military service in a format you can share with your family. You will undoubtedly be able to capture the attention of even the most disinterested family member with what you’ve discovered.

Maureen A. Taylor is the author of several genealogical books, including Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs (Betterway, 2000) and a guide to family history for kids, Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors (Houghton Mifflin, 1999).