Fold3 Free Access: Unlock Your Family’s Military Past Free Access to WWI & WWII Records Nov 8–16, 2025

Fold3 Free Access! If your ancestry research has military branches — veterans, enlisted men, wartime units — the upcoming free-access window at Fold3 is a golden opportunity you won’t want to miss. From 8 November to 16 November 2025, Fold3 is opening its extensive collection of World War I and World War II military records to the public at no cost (registration required).

*Access to the records in the featured collections will be free until 16 Nov 2025 at 11:59 p.m. MT. Registration required. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view records using a paid Fold3 membership.

Fold3 Free Access: Why this matters

For many of us tracing ancestors who served in the world’s great conflicts, the hurdle isn’t finding hints — it’s gaining access to the raw documents: service files, unit rosters, pension records, maps, photographs, diaries, and more. Fold3’s free-access offer means you can dive into 96 million+ records covering WWI & WWII service, including unit histories, soldiers’ homes records, POW lists, military letters and special orders.

Think of the possibilities: finding your grandfather’s battalion, seeing the photo of his unit, reading the letter he wrote home, discovering his migration after service. These are not just names and dates — they are stories, waiting to be recovered.

Fold3 Free Access: What kind of records are included

Here are a few highlights to look for:

• Service records and muster rolls for U.S. forces dated through WWI & WWII.

• Unit-level panoramic photos (WWI era) and morning reports (1912-1939) for insight into the formations your ancestor belonged to.

• WWII war diaries, air-crew missing reports, U.S. Air Force photos — the kind of records that give texture to your ancestor’s wartime experience.

• Fold3 states that it has “350 million+ records” that capture service and sacrifice of veterans in families.

Fold3 Free Access: How to make the most of the free access window

Here are some tips to maximize your time and set yourself up for success:

• Register or log in ahead of time. While the access is free, Fold3 requires registration to view the material.

• Have your ancestor’s details ready. Even partial info helps: name, branch of service (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force), approximate years of service, unit or theatre (if known), location of enlistment.

• Start with broad searches, then narrow. Use the free-access period to explore and pull up everything you can on a soldier, then once you see promising hits, note the record titles and citations. That way, if you need to revisit under paid membership later, you’ll have your bibliographic trail.

• Download or capture what you find. Since free access ends at 11:59 p.m. MT on 16 November 2025, make sure you save copies of records you’ll want long-term.

• Follow the leads. A service record might list a unit name, which in turn might lead to war diaries or photos. A pension file might reference medical conditions or relocation after service. Map, photograph, roster — they all build context.

• Document your source. When recording what you found on your family tree or genealogical software, include citations: record title, collection name (Fold3), date accessed. That helps future generations follow your path.

Fold3 Free Access: A motivational reminder: your ancestor’s story matters

Too often, military ancestors become just a line on a family tree: “John Doe, US Army, WWI.” But when you step into the records — when you find the unit photo, the morning report, the letter, the muster roll — you begin to restore that person, his or her experience, to the human level.

Perhaps your great-uncle crossed the pond in 1918 and arrived in France in a muddy trench. Perhaps your grandmother’s brother, a bomber crewman in WWII, is listed in a missing-air-crew report. Maybe your ancestor ended the war, came home to the U.S., and used a GI-Bill to build a life you are now uncovering.

That’s why this free access window matters: it gives you permission to explore, to dig, to uncover. Because the stories behind the names and dates are waiting.

Fold3 Free Access: What to do next

• Mark your calendar: 8 November–16 November 2025.

• Plan a research session — allocate one or two hours during this period.

• Make a list of ancestors who served, with as much information as you currently have.

• Visit Fold3’s free-access page to read the terms and get started.

• And once you uncover records, share the story. On your family tree, in your research notes, or with younger family members who may not yet know the service their forebears rendered.

Fold3 Free Access: Celebrate service, honor the past, recover the story

The sacrifices of our military ancestors helped shape our nation. This week of free access is more than just an offer — it’s an invitation. An invitation to remember, to learn, to honor. To take the pieces that time has scattered and bring them together into a narrative your family can carry forward.

At Genealogy Bargains, we believe that every ancestor has a story, and sometimes the most powerful stories come from the battlefields and barracks of the 20th century. With the free access to WWI & WWII records from Fold3, that story can start now.

Ready to begin? Set the time, ready your ancestor list, and step into the records. The past is waiting — and your family history will be enriched forever.