New York in the War of 1812
At the outset, it should be noted that, inasmuch as the Military Museum’s collection did not start until 1863, we do not have many primary source documents prior to that time period. With that in mind, researchers are invited to view the relevant documentation via the following link to the Museum’s website:
https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/unit-history/conflict/war-1812
The link to the Museum’s online catalog is http://catalog.nysmm.org/. This will allow you to search our different databases.
Given the Museum’s limited information as to individual soldiers, it is suggested that you visit the New York State Archives
War of 1812 Abstracts of Payrolls for New York State Militia ("Payroll Cards")
War of 1812 Certificates of Claim and Related Records
Both of these are available on Ancestry.com and please note that New York State residents have free access to parts of Ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com also has some related resources:
U.S., Returns from Military Posts, 1806-1916
U.S., War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815
U.S., War Bounty Land Warrants, 1789-1858
In addition to Ancestry.com, there is a related site, Fold3, which is a genealogy website that specializes in military records. If you have an All Access membership to ancestry you also get membership to Fold3.
Other places that may have information:
The Army Heritage & Education Center
950 Soldiers Drive, Carlisle, PA 17013
(717) 245-3971
US Army Center of Military History
103 Third Avenue
Ft. McNair, DC 20319-5058
Voice: 202.685.2704
Fax: 202.685.4570
National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20408
(1-866-272-6272)
New York State Library
Cultural Education Center
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230
(518) 474-5355
New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
(518) 474-6926
Please note that, if you cannot readily find information as to a particular soldier, the best advice is for you to look for information related to the specific unit the soldier served in. Another possibility is searching for the unit’s commanders, who may have written memoirs or books about the war.
In addition to the above resources, another possible place to search is WorldCat, which is a database of thousands of library catalogs. Please note, however, that this is more of a discovery database since you will not be able to borrow anything directly.
You might also be able to find unit histories at The Internet Archive.
Other possible resources are the local (to the solider/unit) historical societies and public libraries.
Additionally, there are also two great newspaper databases:
NYS Historic Newspapers
Fulton History (This database also covers the whole state)
Finally, be advised that all NYS residents have access to different research databases through the NYS Library.