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Record Group: Department of Defense
Subgroup: Adjutant General's Office (Civil War)
Series: United States Colored Troops - Service Files, ca. 1862-1870s
Accession #: 1968.002
Series #:  SDEA4015
Guide Date: 5/1997 (JK); rev. 4/1999 (CSM) 
Volume: 2.5 c.f. [5 boxes]


Institutional History | Box List

Content Note

This series contains miscellaneous documents relating to individual soldiers (both black and white) in the United States Colored Troops who were credited to New Jersey. A few of the files relate to black soldiers in other non-New Jersey units (e.g., the Massachusetts Colored Cavalry); however, information on African-Americans who served in New Jersey units (as cooks, for example), or black naval recruits who were credited to the state, can be found with the records for those units. The files in this series were created from papers contained in the former Civil War binders #252-255. In all, about 600 soldiers are documented in these files (as compared to over 2,900 who served from New Jersey in the United States Colored Troops).

Below are descriptions of the key document types present. These are followed by an alphabetical list of the files, including: the name of the soldier, the unit of service, and the locality credited or otherwise mentioned in the papers. Frequently, the town mentioned was the location of the recruiting office for the congressional district credited (e.g. Camden, Trenton, Morristown) and not the residence of the soldier. Researchers should also note that the vast majority of files contain only one or two items.


  Muster certificates: Completed at the time of mustering-in, most of the muster certificates were issued at Camp "William Penn" at Chelten Hills, PA. They record the name of the soldier, the company he was assigned to, and the date of muster.
  Certificates of service: These were usually prepared to document the eligibility of a soldier's family for relief pay. They generally include the name of the soldier, the unit of service, and the signature of the commanding officer.
  Discharge certificates and transmittal letters: A few original discharge certificates are included; more often, there will be simply a cover letter transmitting the discharge. The few certificates that are present contain considerable information, including: soldier's name; date of enrollment; date, place and reason for discharge; place of birth; age; physical description; and occupation at the time of enrollment.
  Correspondence and affidavits: Much of this material relates to individual soldiers' eligibility for state pay or relief pay for their families.



Box List

click on the box number or contents to view the list of soldiers

Box Contents
1 Aaron-Dillon
2 Doughty-Jewell
3 Johnson-Purnell
4 Quay-Trusty
5 Tucker-Zabriskie


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Created September 2003; updated March 2006