The service record, documents pertaining to your ancestor's actual participation in a branch of the armed forces, includes date (and sometimes place) of enlistment, rank and unit, muster rolls of presence or absence on certain dates, and discharge details. Personal details such as age, residence, occupation, and birth information may also appear. For those who served voluntarily during wartime between 1775 and 1902, the federal government created a compiled service record which blended information abstracted from various original records. Such compiled records contain miscellaneous documents pertaining to payroll, hospital and prison stays, promotions, and court martials.