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About this project

After the Civil War the US Congress authorized the formation of the 9th and 10th Cavalry of black soldiers, as well as four black infantry regiments. This project covers Returns from Military Posts for the 9th and 10th cavalry, covering the years 1866 through 1916, when these "Buffalo Soldiers" served mostly in Texas and the southwest, but also in Cuba and the Philippines.

Like other Military Returns this project has documents with lists of the soldiers' names, ranks, the place and the dates that they served. The project difficulty is set at Average because of the wide variance from where the data can be extracted.

For more information, please view the following:
Ancestry Support Article
U.S. Military Record message board

Contents 1 Need help keying this project? 2 Form with Names 2.1 Regiment Commanding Officer 2.2 Regiment Return Date - Month 2.3 Regiment Return Date - Year 2.4 Prefix 2.5 Given Name 2.6 Surname 2.7 Suffix 2.8 Alias Prefix 2.9 Alias Given 2.10 Alias Surname 2.11 Alias Suffix 2.12 Number 2.13 Rank 2.14 Company Letter 2.15 Action Date - Month 2.16 Action Date - Day 2.17 Action Date - Year 2.18 Action Place 2.19 Enlisted or Officer

Need help keying this project?

Word Archives Keying Standards
Project Support Article
U.S. Military Records Message Board

Project-specific sample images and form field help:

Choose a sample image from below to see the corresponding form field examples.
Form with Names

Form with Names

Any document with names of Individuals should be indexed using this Document Type. Some documents will be specifically for Commissioned Officers, others will be for Enlisted Men, and some will contain names for both Commissioned Officers and Enlisted Men.

Regiment Commanding Officer

Key the full name of the Commanding Officer, as it is written on the document. This name will typically be located near the top of the document. Include the rank title. Do not key periods.
See Example

Regiment Return Date - Month

Key the Month from the Regiment Return Date. This date will typically be found near the top of the document.
See Example

Regiment Return Date - Year

Key the Year from the Regiment Return Date. This date will typically be found near the top of the document.
See Example

Prefix

Key any titles before the name, such as "Dr" or "Rev" in the Prefix field. Since this project has a separate Rank field, do not include the Rank in this field.
See Example

Given Name

Key the first name and any middle names or initials. Key all names found on the page, including the remarks and record of events, except for the signatures at the bottom.
See Example

Surname

Enter the surname here as it appears on the image, using the drop-down list to help you. Key all names found on the page, including the remarks and record of events, except for the signatures at the bottom.
See Example

Suffix

Key all titles following the surname, such as "Jr" or "III." Because this project has a separate field for rank, do not include the rank in this field.
See Example

Alias Prefix

Key any titles before the alias given name, such as "Mr" or Mrs". Since this project has a separate Rank field, do not include the Rank in this field.
See Example

Alias Given

On some records, a second name is given in parentheses or quotes. This name is usually a nickname or maiden name. Key the first name or initial and any middle names or initials in the Alias Given field. If you cannot distinguish a given name or surname, please input the entire name in this field.
See Example

Alias Surname

Key any Alias Surname which appears. Occasionally an alternate name may be recorded for a given individual. This name may be denoted by parentheses. All the rules for keying a primary name should also be followed for keying any alias name.
See Example

Alias Suffix

Key any titles following the alias surname such as "Jr" or "III". Because this project has a separate field for rank, do not include the rank in this field.
See Example

Number

Key the number from the column titled "NO," or from any numbered list the individual is in. This field may not be present on all documents or for all individuals.
See Example

Rank

Key the Rank of the Individual, as it is written on the document. The Rank will most likely be under the column titled "Rank." When an individual has multiple ranks, such as "Capt and Bvt Major", include all ranks separated by a semicolon, for example: "Capt; Bvt Major". This field may not be present on all documents or for all individuals, but must be keyed when present. The text for this field will automatically populate in the next record, until it is changed. Please make sure that the correct entry is in this field before accepting it.
There are several ranks and rank abbreviations that the keying tool does not like, so you will have to use the F7 button to accept them. Examples include, but aren't limited to, Blacksmith, Recruit, 2d Lieut, and Corpl. As updates occur with the keying tool, this may change.

See Example

Company Letter

Key the Company Letter. It will typically be found under a column titled something similar to "Letter of Company," or "Company" The text for this field will automatically populate in the next record, until it is changed. Please make sure that the correct entry is in this field before accepting it. "Band" and "NCS" are companies, But "Unassigned" is not.

Tip: there is no company "J" because it looks too much like an "I" in cursive.
See Example

Action Date - Month

Enter the Month from the Date that the Individual ended their term of military action. When present, there should be an Action Date associated with each Individual. If there is a date range with columns "From" and "To", this information should be extracted from the "To" column. If there is no information in the "To" column, extract information (if possible) from the "From" column, or from other Remarks about the individual. When it becomes necessary to extract the date from the remarks column, use the first date you encounter on the line, unless you see a date listed as "To", in which case, use the "To" date. The information for this field may not be present on all documents or for all individuals, but it must be entered, when present. The text for this field will automatically populate in the next record, until it is changed. Please make sure that the correct entry is in this field before accepting it.
See Example

Action Date - Day

Enter the Day from the Date that the Individual ended their term of military action. When present, there should be an Action Date associated with each Individual. If there is a date range with columns "From" and "To", this information should be extracted from the "To" column. If there is no information in the "To" column, extract information (if possible) from the "From" column, or from other Remarks about the individual. When it becomes necessary to extract the date from the remarks column, use the first date you encounter on the line, unless you see a date listed as "To", in which case, use the "To" date. The information for this field may not be present on all documents or for all individuals, but it must be entered, when present. The text for this field will automatically populate in the next record, until it is changed. Please make sure that the correct entry is in this field before accepting it.
See Example

Action Date - Year

Enter the Year from the Date that the Individual ended their term of military action. When present, there should be an Action Date associated with each Individual. If there is a date range with columns "From" and "To", this information should be extracted from the "To" column. If there is no information in the "To" column, extract information (if possible) from the "From" column, or from other Remarks about the individual. When it becomes necessary to extract the date from the remarks column, use the first date you encounter on the line, unless you see a date listed as "To", in which case, use the "To" date. The information for this field may not be present on all documents or for all individuals, but it must be entered, when present. The text for this field will automatically populate in the next record, until it is changed. Please make sure that the correct entry is in this field before accepting it.
See Example

Action Place

Enter the Place(s) where the Individual served their term of military action. Do not key periods, otherwise key all locations as written, do not expand abbreviations or correct misspellings. Separate locations with semicolons (example 1: Logan; Colo; Wash; DC; Saw Mills; Utah) (example 2: Springfield; Boston; Tallahassee) (example 3; Tex; Colo; Kansas). When present, this information will most likely be found under a column titled "Where" or "Place" but may be contained in other remarks about the individual. Include all locations listed for an individual. However, locations that do not mention a place such as "in the field" or "target range" should be omitted. "In the field, Cuba" should simply be entered as "Cuba". The information for this field may not be present on all documents or for all individuals, but must be entered when it is present. Please make sure that the correct entry is in this field before accepting it.
See Example

Enlisted or Officer

At the top of the Document or Section where the names are listed, there should be some sort of indication whether the individuals in that section are Officers or Enlisted men. Please enter either the word "Enlisted" or "Officer" depending on what is on the record. There may be Officers and Enlisted Men on the same page, in different sections. If there is no indication as to whether the individual is an Officer or an Enlisted Man, leave this field blank.

Privates, sergeants, corporals, cooks, blacksmiths, farriers, artificiers, and wagoners are all considered as enlisted men.
See Example