Records of the Marine Corps held in Record Groups outside of Record Group 127
The records of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) are primarily held in Record Group 127: Records of the United States Marine Corps. However, there are additional Records Groups that hold Marine Corps records, especially during times of war. A brief overview is provided below for some of the primary Record Groups where Marine Corps records are located outside of Record Group 127. Note that because the USMC falls under the United States Navy any Record Group that primarily holds U.S. Navy records may also hold records relating to the Marine Corps.
Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Not specifically USMC records, these records see the most use in genealogical research. Older records relating to pensions from all military branches are some of the more frequently sought after records within this Record Group.
Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United States
As a general rule this Record Group is fairly limited in relevancy when researching the USMC. However, there are a couple of exceptions in the form of civil suits brought against the Marine Corps and naturalization petitions for individuals that served in a branch of the United States Armed Forces. These records are generally from the 1700-1800s and are most frequently used for genealogical research.
Record Group 24: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel
This Record Group holds the Personnel Files of both the Navy and Marine Corps. Military Personnel Files are primarily held at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. You can learn more about Military Service Records on our Veterans’ Service Records webpage. Additionally, this Record Group holds records relating to administration, policy, and casualties.
Record Group 29: Records of the Bureau of the Census
Records held in this Record Group are not “Marine Corps” but can be useful for some kinds of research, especially genealogical. Census records include censuses of Marine Corps Bases and similar properties. These records tend to be fairly narrow in scope and may have limited utility when researching topics related to the USMC.
Record Group 38: Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations has purview over the Marine Corps. When researching issues of administration, operations, and policy the CNO often has a direct connection with the USMC. Depending on the topic of research, this Record Group can be an invaluable resource when researching the Marine Corps. Understanding the relationship between the Chief of Naval Operations and the Marine Corps is important when approaching these records. For example USMC records of Action Reports, War Diaries, and similar operational records can be located in this Record Group from World War 2, Korean War, and Vietnam War.
Record Group 45: Records of the Office of Naval Records and Library
This Record Group includes Muster Rolls and Payrolls of US Navy ships from the late 1700s and the 1800s, which include Marine detachments. Additionally, this Record Group holds some of the earliest records of the Navy and Marine Corps.
Record Group 48: Records of the Secretary of the Interior
While very limited in scope, this Record Group includes a variety of photographic materials that include the Marine Corps. These materials tend to relate to events, ceremonies, and celebrations.
RG 59: General Records of the Department of State
The Department of State often utilized Marine Corps personnel to serve as guards and security for their embassies. While not directly records of the USMC, records within Record Group 59 can provide additional context or information regarding events or operations concerning the Marine Corps. Additionally, administrative records between the Department of State and the Marine may also be found in this Record Group.
Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration
Records relating to the USMC in this Record Group largely pertain to the accessioning of Marine Corps records into the National Archives. These records may also include information about USMC records that are not permanent and were retained by the Marine Corps until final disposition of the records.
Record Group 79: Records of the National Park Service
While not Marine Corps records, this Record Group does hold records of national historic places and landmarks. These historic places and landmarks include sites dedicated to Marine Corps personnel, Marine Corps actions, and current or former Marine Corps properties. While these records are topically limited, they may provide background information for some research topics.
Record Group 80: General Records of the Department of the Navy (pre-1948)
This Record Group holds records of the Secretary of the Navy and those offices that report directly to the Secretary of the Navy. Many of the administrative and policy records in this Record Group directly relate to the Marine Corps. While this Record Group generally holds records relating to high level administrative and policy concerns, there are also records relating to lists of war time casualties, which includes Marine Corps personnel.
Record Group 85: Immigration and Naturalization Service
These records are not directly related to the Marine Corps but may be useful for genealogical research. Records relating to persons who are naturalized U.S. citizens through military service can be found in this Record Group. This includes individuals that were naturalized through military service in the USMC.
Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General’s Office (Army)
For this Record Group the “Adjutant General’s Office” is referring to the War Department’s Adjutant General’s Office. The Marine Corps records held in this Record Group are primarily from the late 1700s and 1800s and are more closely related to personnel records than administrative, operational, or policy records.
Record Group 111: Records of the Chief Signal Officer (Army)
The records relating to the Marine Corps in this Record Group are fairly minimal. However, there are some records relating to USMC equipment and the Marine Corps Equipment Board. There are also moving images and photographs that relate to the Marine Corps.
Record Group 125: Records of the Judge Advocate General (Navy)
While the Marine Corps has its own Judge Advocate General Division, for record keeping purposes, USMC Judge Advocate records (especially those of trials and court records) are filed with the Navy Judge Advocate General. When searching for records that fall under the Judge Advocate General it is important to consider records held in both RG 125 and RG 127.
Record Group 147: Selective Service System
While related to the armed services, the Selective Service System records are generally limited in their direct relevance to USMC research. These records may be useful for genealogical research relating to individuals registered for military service, to include USMC service members.
Record Group 165: War Department General and Special Staffs
While limited in its record collections that relate to the Marine Corps, this Record Group does have material relating to the Marine Corps from the World War 1 era. While the primary collections for the World War 1 era USMC records are held in Record Group 127 the collections in this Record Group may provide additional perspective or context.
Record Group 181: Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments
A variety of topics are included within this Record Group, however, these records are generally related to the activities of bases and similar shore establishments. While this Record Group primarily includes Navy records there is a sizable number of collections that directly relate or include on USMC installations.
Record Group 220: Records of Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards
Due to the eclectic nature of this Record Group a variety of Marine Corps related topics can be found within. While these records are diverse in their subject matter, they are equally diverse in the depth in which they cover a topic. Some records may thoroughly discuss a topic related to the Marine Corps, while others simply mention the Marine Corps in relation to the larger issues of the armed forces.
Record Group 313: Records of Naval Operating Forces
There is a significant quantity of records relating to the USMC within this Record Group. The bulk of the relevant records are from the World War 2 and Korean War time frames. However, there are plenty of collections that relate to the USMC outside of those time frames as well. When conducting research into the USMC this is an important Record Group to explore.
Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense
RG 330 holds a large collection of photographs, graphic materials, and moving images. Textual Records relating to the Marine Corps within this Record Group are generally policy and reports. While some policies or reports may be specific to the Marine Corps, generally these policy and report records are related to all the branches of the military.
Record Group 385: Naval Facilities Engineering Command
These records relate to various Navy and Marine Corps facility plans and facility equipment. This Record Group includes a large collection of architectural records, engineering records, maps, and charts.
Record Group 428: General Records of the Department of the Navy
This Record Group holds records of the Secretary of the Navy and those offices that report directly to the Secretary of the Navy. Many of the administrative and policy records in this Record Group directly relate to the Marine Corps. While this Record Group generally holds records relating to high level administrative and policy concerns, there are also records relating to awards case files and aircraft losses in Vietnam which may include Marine Corps personnel.
Record Group 472: Records of the Forces in Southeast Asia
These records are primarily focused on Army activities in Southeast Asia. However, there are records relating to the Navy and Marine Corps activities in this Record Group as well. When conducting research on the USMC during the Vietnam War era the collections in this Record Group may provide additional information and context. Primarily discussed is the I Corps Area and their relationship with the USA XXIV Corps. Also included are Action reports in MACVJ3 Evaluation Reports.