War of 1812 service

Question

I have found 2 records under my ancestor's name for the War of 1812.  One record lists him under a volunteer regiment and another record under a different regiment.  His spouse later received a land patent for the volunteer service.  I found an 1835 pension record, but it did not list the regiment or company.  Could he have served under the volunteer regiment first before enlisting into an infantry regiment?  Also, is there a website I could research where the regiments originated and what battles/area where they served during the war other than National Archives site (hard to navigate)?  I do not have a Fold 3 subscription.

Thank you.

Comments

Once the Family History Centers reopen you can use Fold3 there. Although I am a volunteer at a FHC, I have no insight as to when that might happen.

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I don't have any Family History Centers near me  

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Many years ago I Wrote to the adjutant general’s Office in New York State asking for the widows’ war of 1812 pension packet. .   I don’t know if they’re still free, but they did send it to me.

Answer 1

Without a link to the WikiTree Profile in question, this question would be almost impossible to answer if you're looking for any specific details regarding specific individuals, units, assignments, etc.

With that stated...

In General, it is possible for someone to be assigned to different units during wartime. There's many variables to consider as well.

I've even seen stuff like units that began as an all Volunteer unit later gets combined with one or more others to create a whole different unit.

~Brian Kerr

Comments

My ancestor's profile page:  Bartlett-5119

He was a volunteer in CAPTAIN LYTLE'S COMPANY, RIFLEMEN, U.S. VOLUNTEERS (9th Infantry?), and received his land grant from this unit.  The 9th Infantry originated in MA, but fought in the Battle of Niagara Falls.  The other regiment he served was the 108th Regiment - NY Militia, Col Calvin Britain, Capt Rufus Bar (10th Infantry?).

Answer 2

Hi Renee.  Family Search has quite a bit of info on the War of 1812 for starters:

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Beginning_War_of_1812_Research

But the short answer to the question is yes, some did serve in multiple units.  One thing that's not always clear from the records is that some of the participants served in a state militia rather than regular army.  Militia units were called upon from time to time to enhance and assist regular army troops, and those who served that way also became eligible later for land grants.

Comments

This article from the FamilySearch wiki may be helpful.  

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States,_War_of_1812_Index_to_Service_Records_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records

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He was a volunteer in CAPTAIN LYTLE'S COMPANY, RIFLEMEN, U.S. VOLUNTEERS (9th Infantry?), and received his land grant from this unit.  The 9th Infantry originated in MA, but fought in the Battle of Niagara Falls. The other regiment he served was the 108th Regiment - NY Militia, Col Calvin Britain, Capt Rufus Bar (10th Infantry?).   With this information, would he have served the volunteers, then the 108th?

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I'll look into it, thank you

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I took a quick look at first few sites that show up when you Google those units.  It looks like the 9th Infantry was activated for the duration of the war (Jun 1812 - Feb 1815) and was disbanded shortly after the end of the war.  The militia unit participated for less than a month in Oct-Nov 1814.  So I would guess that you have the order right, although I didn't find either a Capt. Lytle or your ancestor among the names in the infantry unit.

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Thank you and I'll make a note of it.

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Interesting about not seeing Captain Lytle (Lyle?) name in there since my ancestor received a Land Patent due to his service in the volunteer unit?  Maybe they do not have all the units online?

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It's more likely that I just didn't do a very thorough search.  If you found that data somewhere, it's probably legitimate but just not where I looked.

Answer 3

You should look through here also for info on the War of 1812. Lots of resources here!

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:War_of_1812_Resource_page

Good luck on your research!

Comments

Thank you.  That helps me with a timeline and description of battles.  I now have an idea of what battles my ancestor could have been involved around the date of service in northern New York.