As its contribution to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the LDS Church-sponsored organization, FamilySearch.org, has released millions of online records from the Confederate and Union armies.

The collection includes thousands of enlistment or pension records that can provide key family data, including age, birthplace or spouse’s name. Other collections, such as census records, are more focused on “ordinary civilians who lived during that turbulent time.”

Though many of these records have been available for some time, FamilySearch is adding them to its familysearch.org/civilwar site and is looking to enlist volunteers in an online campaign over the next five years to provide access to the highly desirable historic documents. These volunteers will index current records and add pertinent information to make the records more searchable online.

Source: LDS Press Release, May 11, 2011.