Military Service Records of World War II

A few years ago I wrote about searching for information on someone who served in World War II, George DeForest Russell (1913-1997).

Military records in the United States are collected, housed, and maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration ("NARA"). NARA holds other records and performs other functions as well.

Draft cards can be viewed on Ancestry. A draft card does not mean that someone actually served in the military; however, in George's situation, the notations on his draft card indicated that he served in the Army.

Draft card of George DeForest Russell
World War II
Collection at Ancestry

Side Two of draft card.
Don't forget to look for another side on any record!

After 62 years, you can request an individual's military service records. Unfortunately, there was a fire in 1973 where the records for World War II were stored in Missouri. Although not everything was destroyed, the standard response from NARA is that only the Final Pay Voucher is available (for purchase). 

Letter from NARA to writer that only the Final Pay Voucher
is available for George D Russell

Below is the Final Pay Voucher received via postal mail from NARA.

Final Pay Voucher for service in World War II
George D Russell

Some companies advertise that they can search for remnants of a veteran's file within the repositories. I contracted with one such company who claimed that nothing was found.

I tried another researcher, Alex Beckstrand, of Legacies of Service. (Substack link here.) He was able to find documents of two types: Specific to the veteran and specific to the units he was assigned to.

Below are some of the copies found by Alex Beckstrand for the service of George D Russell. I don't know why NARA did not offer copies of these records years ago.

Some of the paperwork for the honorable discharge of
George DeForest Russell from the Army 1946

George earned:

-Asiatic Pacific Service Medal

-European African Middle Eastern Service Medal

-Good Conduct Medal

-Philippines Liberation Ribbon

-World War II Victory Medal

Part of George D Russell's discharge paperwork.
The section of "Civilian Occupations" placed him
in Kearny, Hudson County, New Jersey in 1942 and 1943.
This was a missing piece of this puzzle.

Apparently, promotions and movements within units was documented and these records survive. From these, a veteran's activities can be gleaned.

Company Morning Report
[George D] Russell promoted on October 1, 1943.
He was stationed at Fort Screven, Georgia.

George D Russell moved to another unit
on December 10, 1943

Where a unit was and what that unit was doing at any given point during the War is also preserved. A veteran's whereabouts and activities can be inferred from these documents.

October 1945 activities of George and the 1053rd Engineers

Thank you, Alex, for learning how to research these repositories and helping others who seek answers about lost stories of World War II.

If you would like information on a veteran's life during World War II, please reach out to Alex Beckstrand at Legacies of Service and inquire if he might be able to help your research goals.

Haines of Burlington County, New Jersey

Ezra Adams (1768-1824) and Hannah Haines (1771-1824) were my fifth great grandparents. Ezra purchased several parcels of land in what is now Hamilton, Mercer County, New Jersey, but was called Nottingham, Burlington County during Ezra's life. Ezra purchased tracts from some of his siblings that were inherited from their father, Alexander Adams. When Ezra died, his seven children inherited partitions of his land. Hannah, widow of Ezra, died four months after him; however, she was not mentioned in his estate papers.

I've been trying to connect Hannah to her parents. Ancestry suggests Jacob Haines and Sarah Austin.

Hannah Haines in my family tree.
Ancestry proposed parents: Jacob Haines and Sarah Austin.

Jacob Haines and Sarah Austin were Quakers. They were disowned, thereby falling off the extensive record-keeping.

Quaker Meeting Records of Shrewbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Children of Jonathan Haines and Hannah Sharp.
Jacob Haines, born August 24, 1745; married Sarah Austin.
DISOWNED.

People researched and wrote about the Haines of Burlington County. Jacob Haines and Sarah Austin had a daughter named Hannah Haines, but her birthdate was around 1787, which is later than my ancestor Hannah. Plus, this Hannah married Jonathan Austin, not Ezra Adams.

Excerpt of family history book by John Wesley Haines

I'm not writing that these books about Haines are correct about Hannah, but these are the records that Ancestry is citing for support that Hannah Haines, daughter of Jacob Haines and Sarah Austin, married Ezra Adams. People attached these records into their trees in support of the union of Hannah Haines and Ezra Adams, even though these records contradict this claim.

Jacob Haines' land holdings in Evesham, Burlington County, New Jersey were partitioned in 1799 among his five children: Rebeccah, Jacob, Jeremiah, Jonathan, and Hannah. Rebeccah's husband, Caleb Haines, was named. No husband was listed for Hannah, which is consistent with her being too young to be married in 1799 and inconsistent with my Hannah, who was already married to Ezra Adams and with children by 1799.

1799 Petition to divide real estate of Jacob Haines, late of the County of Burlington County, New Jersey.
Viewable at Ancestry.

Jacob's estate papers include a diagram of the land division. Evesham still exists as a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, but it is much smaller today than it was in 1799. These parcels of land were bordered on the east by the Rancocas Creek. I tilted the image of Jacob's land to align north upwards to line up with our modern maps.

Diagram of Jacob Haines' partitioned land.
Viewable at Ancestry.

I think I found the land! See what you think. The parcels may not be privately occupied. They are east of the Flying W Airport and Resort in Medford.

Modern map of Medford, Burlington County, New Jersey
that might coincide with Jacob Haines' land that was divided
in 1799.

Modern map showing location of the land of Jacob Haines, deceased around 1799
in Evesham (now Medford), Burlington County, New Jersey.

I'm changing Hannah Haines' name in my tree to Hannah Unknown. Her children's records mostly do not name their parents, but when Hannah is mentioned, she is "Hannah" or "Hannah Adams." I have yet to find a record of marriage for Ezra Adams to anyone in the late 1780s or early 1790s.

Ezra or Edward Sweet (1858-1925)

A surprise child was mentioned in an obituary- or was this a mistake? I think this was a purposeful misnaming.

Lucy Ann Dunn (1822-1910) was a daughter of Nathaniel H Dunn (1790-185x) and Sarah Adams (1796-1882). In 1840 Lucy married George Pearson Sweet (1820-1861). In 1868 Lucy married John Seal (1822-18xx).

I found five children born to Lucy Ann Dunn and George Pearson Sweet: George, Stephen, Emma, Sarah Virginia, and Ezra. The family was living in Trenton for the 1860 census.

1860 United States federal Census. Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey.
George P Sweet, wife Lucy, and children George, Stephen, Sarah, and Ezra.
Emma died in 1854, so she is not listed in the 1860 census.

Lucy died November 10, 1910 in Bordentown, Burlington County, New Jersey. Her obituary only mentions one child, Edward Sweet, who operated a hotel in Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey.

Obituary of Lucy A Seal
Trenton Evening Times Newspaper
November 11, 1910

Family tree of Ezra, maybe Edward, Sweet (1858-1925).
His wives were probably related, as they shared the surname Burchell.

I looked for Edward Sweet born to Lucy and George without success. I think the name Edward in the obituary incorrect. Edward was actually Ezra.

But was this a purposeful mistake? Perhaps. In 1910, Ezra Sweet was in legal trouble for "bringing to his place disreputable women" and "carried on a gambling den" at a hotel he kept in Perth Amboy. His "aged mother" was mentioned in a newspaper article.

The Daily Home News
of New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey
September 9, 1910.
Ezra Sweet was sentenced to two years in prison for illegal activities as a hotel keeper.

Perhaps Ezra was called Edward in his mother's obituary to disguise the connection to the illegal Ezra Sweet, hotel keeper.

Why weren't the other children mentioned in Lucy's obituary? Sarah Virginia Sweet (1849-1931) was still alive. Was Ezra his mother's favorite, no matter his legal indiscretions?