Subscribe to our Email
Fort Ticonderoga History:
Researching Your Ancestors Who Served at Fort Ticonderoga
Due to the small size of the museum’s library staff, we regret that we can not at this time accommodate drop-in or unscheduled research inquiries.
Fort Ticonderoga was a continuously active military post between 1755 – 1781. Throughout that twenty-six year period more than fifty thousand soldiers of France, Great Britain, Canada Germany, the American Colonies and later the United States either served at or passed through Ticonderoga. Unfortunately, it was never common practice in the 18th century to keep comprehensive lists of the names of all persons who served at any given fort at any given time.
American soldiers are by far the easiest people to research. If you would like to try to find more information about an American ancestor you believe served at Fort Ticonderoga during the 18th century please write us a letter clearly outlining the information you already know about that person. To effectively research your ancestor, you must at a minimum know when and from which colony or state he served. Knowing the name of the regiment he served in is also very helpful.
Soldiers of Great Britain, France or Germany are the most difficult to research. Unfortunately, 18th-century muster rolls for soldiers from these countries are nearly non-existent. Unless your ancestor was a commissioned officer, there is very little hope of finding any information at all.
What Resources are Available at Fort Ticonderoga for Genealogical Research?
The Fort Ticonderoga Museum library contains about 13,000 works on the Seven Years’ War and War for American Independence, biographies of key figures involved in those conflicts and numerous works on 18th century military theory. Of the entire library collection, less than 1% of the works are genealogical in nature. These include the publications of the various states’ historical societies in which many, but not all, 18th century muster rolls have been published, regimental histories and studies of the military forces of several colonies who contributed soldiers during the 18th century conflicts. These works do not, however, generally contain detailed information about individual soldiers apart from perhaps a name on a list.
Where Else Can I Research My Ancestors?
Fort Ticonderoga’s genealogical resources are quite limited. We recommend contacting the archives of the state from which your ancestor served. Many states’ archives hold vast collections of records relating to the military conflicts of the 18th century. In fact, some of these archives have extensive collections of muster rolls on which you may find information about your ancestor. In addition to state repositories we also suggest that you contact the historical societies of the towns in which your ancestor lived. Often these small organizations have important information about local inhabitants. You may also find published town and county histories helpful as they often have biographical sketches about past inhabitants who served in America’s 18th-century conflicts.
If your ancestor served during the War for American Independence he may have been eligible for a pension in the decades following the end of the war. In order to receive a pension a veteran had to describe in great detail his military service to his town’s magistrate who recorded the information and forwarded it to the national pension office for approval. These original pension records - numbering more than fifty thousand - still exist at the National Archives and are available on microfilm at many city libraries and the several branches of the National Archives located around the country.
Another place to research your ancestors is the New England Historical and Genealogical Society located in Boston, Massachusetts. The society has extensive genealogical collections and publishes a journal , The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, devoted to American genealogy. The journal has been published continually since 1847 is indexed and contains numerous entries about soldiers who served in American wars in the 18th-century. This journal is available in many larger town and city libraries.
Contacting Fort Ticonderoga for Genealogical Research
If you would like to contact Fort Ticonderoga regarding an ancestor’s French and Indian War or Revolutionary War service, you may direct your request to:
Genealogical Research
Fort Ticonderoga Museum
P.O. Box 390
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
We attempt to answer every inquiry in the order in which they are received. Due to the small size of our research staff, please patiently allow several weeks for research and reply. At this time we do not have a person dedicated to genealogical research inquiries nor are there any local genealogical researchers who can be hired to undertake your requests.
