Deceased Military Veterans Lineage Society

DECEASED MILITARY VETERANS LINEAGE SOCIETY

Richland County – Shelby Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society

RULES

Shelbians have a proud tradition of military service, both in wartime and peacetime. The Richland County – Shelby Chapter aims to honor these veterans, both men and women, who lived in Shelby, Sharon Township or Jackson Township at some point in their lives. Those who served in a federal unit, state, unit or local militia are eligible.  Those who worked at Wilkins Air Force Depot are also eligible. The person must have lived some or all of their life or died in the Shelby area.

  1.  The applicant must be a current member of the Richland County – Shelby Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.
  2. The applicant must be a direct descendant, parent or grandparent, adoptive parent, or a collateral relative of the person who served in the military. “Collateral” is restricted to a brother or sister of the applicant’s direct ancestor in this application. The applicant must prove his/her direct ancestor and the collateral soldier are the children of the same parent(s).
  3. Applicants must prove appropriate dates of residency in addition to proving lineage.
  4. Include only those documents necessary to prove service. It is not necessary to submit the entire file. List soldier’s name, unit, state and repository where the record is stored (NARA, state archives, etc.). If the record is on microfilm, cite publication and roll numbers. In case of Pension File, List soldier’s name (or widow’s or other dependent’s name if filed by other than the soldier) and certificate number. Full date of military service must be on the front page of the application in dd/mm/year format.
  5. You are encouraged to include copies of photographs in uniform and awards. An archive of the applications will be maintained in the genealogy room at Marvin Memorial Library. Some documentation may be included in stories on the chapter website.  
  6. An application fee of $10 must accompany the paperwork. The applicant may submit an unlimited number of veterans. Supplementary applications on ancestors added at a later date will be $5 per application. 
  7. All applications are reviewed by the Deceased Military Veteran Lineage Society committee, with verification by the President of the Chapter. All documentation becomes the property of the Richland-Shelby Chapter, OGS and will not be returned to the applicant under any circumstances. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT ORIGINAL DOCUMENTATION, photocopies only.  Submissions that are not accepted, will be held for two years to allow sufficient time to gather missing information. There is no additional fee for resubmission.
  8. The deadline for submission of applications is December 31 each year. A certificate will be awarded to each applicant at the June picnic. Those who cannot attend will receive their certificate by mail after the ceremony.


Evidence Documentation Preparation Procedures

  1.  Submit the completed application(s) with copies of evidence documents. Do not send original documents as they will not be returned. Downloadable applications may be found on the chapter website, or paper copies may be obtained through any chapter board member or lineage society committee member.
  2. Submit a multi-generation pedigree chart showing all lines submitted in the application.
  3. Organize evidence documents by generation, according to your ascent chart. Documents should state the evidence to be proven, and citation, along with the applicant’s name, email address and phone number. Number each document and fill out the Document List page.
  4. Documentation must be provided for each date, place or name written on the application. If you do not have an acceptable evidence document, leave that space blank.
  5. Dates should be written in day, month and year format, i.e. 12 May 2006. Dates may be estimated using censuses or tombstones. If estimating a date (circa), write it like this: c 1810. Dates calculated (e.g. from age at death on tombstones) must have cal written before the date (e.g. cal 1810)
  6. All females must be identified by their maiden names in order to be approved. Exceptions are made only in the case of African Americans and Native Americans, and only when such ethnicity and lack of surname is proved. Each legal name change for anyone listed on the application must be documented.

Rules of Evidence and Citation

  1. Each document must include a full citation — title, volume and page number, location, date, or court of record. This includes newspaper clippings and photographs.
  2. Proof of service should include one or more of the following items: military roster or muster roll, pension record, discharge copy, veteran records, soldiers tombstone, or contemporary letters or newspapers indicating service.
  3. Documents contemporary to the life of the individual may be used as proof — births, deaths, marriages, Bible records, deeds, census, tax lists, obituaries, letters, etc.
  4. Secondary materials may be used to support other evidence only — county histories or biographies, family histories, oral history, reunion lists, lineage society papers. No secondary reference will be accepted by itself.
  5. Documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a translation into English.
  6. Female applicants using their husband’s surname should include a copy of their marriage record to prove that name change. All name changes must be documented.
  7. The OGS lineage society rules – https://www.ogs.org/about/lineage/OGSLineageRules2017.pdf – contain helpful information to determine evidence citation and types of evidence that can be accepted. 

To request an application form, click here.

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