Series 5339

Division of Archives and Records Service


Veterans' burial locations cards and forms, ca. 1950-ca. 1990.

View history of records' creator.

Schedule Description

In the 1950s, the Archives began collecting information on veterans' burial locations. Starting in the late 1960s, most of the cards were converted to a computerized database (series 8490) with the original cards destroyed. The database itself was converted to fiche in 1986 and deleted. This series includes cards which were never converted to that database, updates which were never corrected on the database, and form letters received after the abandonment of the conversion project. The data was initially collected to provide information to veterans' organizations on burial locations so graves could be flagged for Memorial Day. Form letters were sent to next of kin to obtain information. This information was then transcribed to cards (ca._1950-1970), which in turn were largely entered in the database; entered directly to the database (ca._1969-1986); or left on the letter after the abandonment of the project (post
1986). Each entry in this series provides name, birth and death dates, military service data, and cemetery and plot. The majority of these veterans are those of the territorial era or the Spanish-American War who had died by the 1970s. The occasional form letters date to deaths in the mid-1980s.

Scope and Content

In the 1950s, the Archives began collecting information on veterans' burial locations. Starting in the late 1960s, most of the cards were converted to a computerized database (series 8490) with the original cards destroyed. The database itself was converted to fiche in 1986 and deleted. This series includes cards which were never converted to that database, updates which were never corrected on the database, and form letters received after the abandonment of the conversion project.
The data was initially collected to provide information to veterans' organizations on burial locations so graves could be flagged for Memorial Day. Form letters were sent to next of kin to obtain information. This information was then transcribed to cards (ca. 1950-1970), which in turn were largely entered in the database; entered directly to the database (ca. 1969-1986); or left on the letter after the abandonment of the project (post 1986).
Each entry in this series provides name, birth and death dates, military service data, and cemetery and plot. The majority of these veterans are those of the territorial era or the Spanish-American War who had died by the 1970s. The occasional form letters date to deaths in the mid-1980s.

Notes

Originally the cards were filed alphabetically by county and thereunder by cemetery name, but in preparation for data entry they were refiled alphabetically.

The series was initially arranged by county thereunder cemetery. Some of the cards were rearranged alphabetically by veteran's name in preparation for entry in the database; those cards which were still by cemetery at time of processing were rearranged by veteran's name for consistency. Another box of material was located in 1992 and filmed as a third reel. Archivally processed by A.C. Cone in 1990.