Military Resources
Pertaining to Centre County, PA
Although Centre County is nestled in the hills in a rather peaceful setting which has been nicknamed "Happy Valley" in recent years, residents have answered the call in years past to some of the most engaging military struggles. The Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg honors all soldiers but pays special tribute to those serving in World War I. To help you in your search of a military role possibly performed by your ancestors, perhaps the following will help.
MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS
One may wish to consult the Centre County Pensions page for pension resources located in Centre County.
The Pennsylvania State Archives collection of various digitized military records is viewable online.
Pennsylvania Archives, a 138-volume, 10-series set of early government records is viewable online at Footnote.com.
To get information about a military unit's service, the U.S. Army Military History Institute of the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA should prove helpful.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
See information about Centre County's American Revolutionary War Soldiers and Patriots, compiled by Nancy Lee Stover.
For a list of patriots buried in Centre Couny see: Revolutionary War Soldier Graves A-L and M-Z by the Sons of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania Society, Centre County Chapter.
Online Revolutionary War Declarations filed in Centre County between 1820 and 1835 are viewable online through the Centre County Government's Historical Records Imaging Project.
The Pennsylvania State Archives collection of Revolutionary War Military Abstract Card File Indexes is viewable online.
Information about the local DAR chapter can be found at Bellefonte Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
General sites not specific to Centre County:
The Sons of the American Revolution has information about its lineage society as well as excellent links to general information sites about American Revolution.
The Daughters of the American Revolution has information about its lineage society.
Loyalists has information about the lineage societies connected to the "other" side in the American Revolution-- mostly Loyalists who eventually settled in what is now eastern Canada.
WAR OF 1812
General site not specific to Centre County: Pennsylvania Officers in War of 1812
MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR
General site not specific to Centre County: Mexican-American War
CIVIL WAR
The number of Pennsylvania Regiments from which Centre Countians served is staggering. On the Andrew Gregg Curtin Soldiers Memorial that stands in front of the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte are references to Centre County soldiers in the following regiments:
1st,
2nd,
4th,
7th,
10th,
11th,
15th,
18th,
23rd,
26th,
28th,
34th,
36th,
37th,
44th,
45th,
46th,
47th,
48th, 49th,
51st,
52nd,
53rd,
54th,
55th,
56th,
57th
58th,
59th,
60th,
61st,
62nd,
69th,
70th,
76th,
77th,
80th,
81st,
82nd,
83rd,
84th,
88th,
89th,
90th,
92nd,
93rd,
101st,
102nd,
104th,
107th,
108th,
110th,
111th,
113th,
115th,
117th,
125th,
131st,
133rd,
135th,
136th,
137th,
142nd,
143rd,
148th,
149th,
150th,
152nd,
159th,
160th,
161st,
163rd,
172nd,
179th,
180th,
181st,
182nd,
184th,
185th,
187th,
190th,
191st,
192nd,
194th,
200th,
204th,
209th,
210th
211th,
6th U.S. Colored,
and 49th U.S. Colored.
Access to a wealth of information assembled about many of the Civil War regiments in Pennsylvania can be found at Alice Gayley's Pennsylvania in the Civil War.
History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates, viewable online from the University of Michigan Library.
The Pennsylvania State Archives collection of Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866 Indexes is viewable online.
See resources specific to the 148th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, the regiment with the greatest concentration of Centre County residents and known as "The Centre County Regiment."
A good overview of the books written about the many regiments to represent Pennsylvania as well as unit information and links can be found at Pennsylvania Infantry Regiments.
For names of Civil War Soldiers buried in Centre County, see Centre County Civil War Veterans Burials:
No fewer than eight Civil War soldiers, either born in Centre County, Pa., or nurtured there, would later become generals in the U.S. Army. Can you name them?
- Brig. Gen. James A. Beaver (s/o Jacob and Ann Eliza Addams Beaver), b. 21-Oct-1837 at Millerstown, and who studied law under H. N. McAllister of Bellefonte and was admitted to the Centre County Bar in 1859, d. 1914 at Bellefonte.
- Brig. Gen. William H. Blair (s/o John and Rachel Blair), b. 16-Jul-1821, Milesburg.
- Maj. Gen. James Sanks Brisbin (s/o Ezra and Margaret Brisbin), b. 23-May-1827 at Boalsburg, and d. 1892 at Philadelphia.
- Brig. Gen. John I. Curtin (s/o Roland Curtin), b. 17-Jun-1837 at Curtin, d. 1911 at Bellefonte.
- Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Fisher (s/o Rev. Peter S. Fisher), b. 1834 at Boalsburg, d. 1915 at Valley Forge.
- Maj. Gen. David McMurtrie Gregg (s/o Matthew and Ellen Gregg), b. 10-Apr-1833 at Huntingdon, spent boyhood in Bellefonte, d. 1916 at Reading.
- Maj. Gen. John I. Gregg (s/o Andrew Gregg), b. 19-Jul-1826 at Bellefonte.
- Brig. Gen. Reuben C. Hale, who studied law under William Wilson Potter, and was admitted to the Centre County Bar in 1837.
The Grand Army of the Republic (or GAR) was an influential veterans organization, which had several posts in Centre County. We are attempting to track down records on them and would appreciate hearing about their wherabouts. The known GAR posts in Centre County were: Dr. Geo. L. Potter Post No. 261 in Milesburg; Gregg Post No. 95 in Bellefonte; George Harleman Post No. 302 in Eagleville; Groves Brothers Post No. 262 in Howard; Capt. R. M. Foster Post No. 197 in Lemont; John W. Geary Post No. 90 in Philipsburg; Capt. John O. Campbell Post No. 272 in Pine Grove Mills; Lieut. W. W. Bierly Post No. 298 in Rebersburg; Sergt. Wm. I. Furst Post No. 419 in Stormstown; and, Peters Brothers Post No. 263 in Unionville.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War was an influential organization of veterans' sons at the turn into the 20th Century, and we are also attempting to track down records of the various posts that existed in Centre County. They are the Gen. James A. Beaver post in State College (formed in 1905, disbanded in 1914); Maj. R. Henry Foster post in Millheim (formed in 1905, disbanded in 1949); Lt. Col. William P. Wilson post in Philipsburg (formed in 1895, disbanded in 1909); James A. Quigley post in Blanchard (formed in 1913, disbanded in 1914); Maj. James Harris post in Philipsburg (formed in 1912, disbanded in 1913); Henry Nevins post in Philipsburg (formed in 1912, disbanded in 1913); Grove Brothers post in Howard (formed in 1912, disbanded in 1920); Penns Valley post in Spring Mills (formed in 1897, disbanded in 1902) and the Samuel Kelley post in Centre Hall (formed in 1898, disbanded in 1900). Although there are no longer any active chapters in Centre County, the webmaster of the Centre Co., Pa., GenWeb site is a member of the Ezra Griffin SUVCW post in Scranton, as was his great grandfather, William Sherman Baker, who was named after Gen. William Sherman. Anyone interested in possibly joining the SUVCW should contact Bob Baker.
Also consider Pennsylvania's Civil War Conscientious Objectors Database (12 are listed from Centre County)
General sites not specific to Centre County:
Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library
The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865
The American Civil War Home Page
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
General site not specific to Centre County: Spanish American War on the Internet
WORLD WAR I
General site not specific to Centre County: World War I - Trenches on the Web
WORLD WAR II
General site not specific to Centre County: World War II U.S. Veterans Website
KOREAN CONFLICT
General site not specific to Centre County: The Korean War
VIETNAM CONFLICT
General site not specific to Centre County: Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Pennsylvania