Simple research method

[jbrown007]

Looking for information? Start with what you know: the person's name.

1. Search the National Archives for the enlistment record. Two clicks after searching you should be able to see the person's enlistment record.

2. If the person died during the war, the next search is the 34th Division Casualty List. This information is organized by unit - if you do not the unit it will take a little longer to search the alphabetical lists. Once the person's name is found, the list should provide company, date of death and overseas cemetery where they are interred.

3. If the person was a POW, the 34th Division Casualty List site above also has POW listings.

4. Here is where the amateur detective work starts. Access the narratives by Patrick Skelley at the 34th Infantry Division Association's website. Click as needed: 133rd, 135th, 168th. The 168th narrative is much less complete than the others. There is also the 34th Division's narrative and some other files that can be accessed under the HISTORY section of the website.

If you have an exact date you can now read the narratives and find out what was going on during that time. Occasionally an attached division may have a history that can shed some light on the events that occurred that day.

5. I like to search NewspaperArchive.com for relevant articles. Although the site is not as big as I would like, it has provided info such as vists home, photos of medals being awarded, reports from the front and other pertinent information.


That is the basic structure of how I look for someone on the internet. Depending on what I find I will follow that direction as far as it takes me.

JB