Research

Administrative History

The proclamations were compiled by the Bureau of Military Statistics and its successor, the Bureau of Military Record, between 1863 and 1866.

The Bureau of Military Statistics was originally established by Governor Morgan on December 20, 1862 and formally recognized by the Legislature by a law of 1863. This statute defined its specific duties and appropriated $6,000 for the tasks. A law of 1864 made the bureau an independent organization separate from the Adjutant General's office with essentially the same duties as those originally set forth in the 1863 statute. These duties included: collecting and preserving the name and personal history of every individual mustered into the service of the U.S. government; compiling a history of each of the regiments raised by New York State; and providing an account of the aid afforded by the towns, cities, and counties of the state.

In May 1865 the legislature changed the name of the bureau to the Bureau of Military Record (Chapter 690); its duties, however, remained the same.