How to Find a Relative Buried Overseas
Margaret Donovan · May 18, 2016
Many families carry only a fragment of memory about a relative who never came home — a name, a photograph in uniform, a letter edged in black. This guide sets out the practical steps you can take to turn that fragment into a fuller story.
1. Start with the name
Begin with the names directory. Enter the surname first; if nothing appears, try just the first few letters, since spellings in the source records vary. Note that a middle initial often distinguishes two men of the same name.
2. Note the core facts
Each personnel record gives you the rank, branch, unit, war and date of death, and — where known — the decorations awarded and the cemetery or memorial where the serviceman is commemorated. Write these down; every one of them is a thread you can pull.
3. Follow the unit
A regiment and division will tell you which campaign your relative served in. Unit histories, often held by NARA and regimental associations, can place him on a specific battlefield on a specific day.
4. Visit — or ask the cemetery to help
The American Battle Monuments Commission maintains every overseas cemetery and can arrange floral tributes and photographs of a headstone for families unable to travel. Our cemeteries pages explain where each one lies and how to reach it.
If you reach a dead end, write to us. A second pair of eyes on an old record often finds what a search box cannot.
Remembrance is patient work. Take it one record at a time.
Margaret Donovan — Genealogy & Records Specialist
A professional genealogist, Peg helps families connect a name in the archive to their own history.