I ordered two Civil War Soldier bundles from Gopher and was extremely happy with the results! The pricing is very affordable if you can't make the trip to NARA yourself. Additionally, the turn around time for both orders was fast; in fact, they arrived well before the estimated delivery date (which was only one month). Finally, the image quality was absolutely fantastic--clean, crisp, and easy to read. Overall, I found Gopher to be an affordable, quick, and easy way to get high quality digital copies of the records I needed. It is my go-to service for NARA records, and [...]

I recently used Gopher records to find service, medical and pension records for my 2nd great grandfather, who was in the civil war. The information and files they found for me was truly astounding! I knew his name, wife, and unit he served in, Gopher did the rest..The records they found for me put all the pieces together and brought my 2nd great grandfather ‘back to life’, and what a life it was! I would recommend this service to anyone who is researching their family.

I had ordered a record through the National Archives then found out the wait time was up to 90 days. The next day I learned about Gopher Records from a friend who used their services praising their quick turn around. I messaged Gopher Records and received a return message that same day. After explaining my situation with NARA and the records I was looking for, Bob Velke let me know which records were available for my research and helped me to understand that what I had ordered through NARA was not what I actually wanted. I was able to [...]

About 40 years ago I ordered and received the Civil War records and pension files for my Great Grandfather. Based on a comment on Facebook for a genealogy group that I joined, it was recommended that I try again using Gopher Records. I gave it a try since the original files received were missing pages and the copies Gopher provides are in color. Jackpot! I received more pages and more answers using their service and it was actually very close to the price I paid some 40 years ago. They were fast, efficient, responsive [...]

I highly recommend Gopher Records. All of my questions were answered prior to placing my order. The application process was easy. My records were provided quickly and a pension file that was already digitized was given to me free of charge. The records provided birthdate, marriage date and proved that I had the proper burial location for my ancestor. Highly recommend not only for genealogical purposes but also to pay respect for ancestors military service.

I want to thank Gopher Records for locating all information on my ancestors Civil War file. Not only service but pension with depositions and letters. I truly appreciate your making the adjustments to my request to avoid my paying for more than necessary.

I wish I could give them 10 stars! For several years, I have been going back-and-forth with the national archives and veterans administration over my Civil War ancestor. These fine. No very fine folks Neue how to cut through all of that red tape. I now have the records that I had worked for for years in just a few months. Blessing upon you!!!

Bob, I took advantage of your pandemic offer to dig into records as soon as NARA resumed processing. At this point you have completed all my requests. It has been eye-opening for our family, and we are most grateful for your expertise. At every step along the way you kept me well informed with realistic expectations. Your professionalism and dogged pursuit have been admirable, even to the point of a Freedom of Information request that accomplished the research goal. Highly recommended! I'm compiling my next request now.

Gopherrecords was recommended by a few people on 'Find My Civil War Soldier'. I was amazed at all the documents they found for my GG Grandfather and his brother. And so fast! The whole process was very easy. I now know some of the places he was during the war and how he was injured. Many details from the pension applications and all the paperwork that that involved gave me a better picture of my ancestors. It helped validate birthdates, parents names, place of birth etc. Well worth the money. And [...]

Recently I used Bob's services again and was, again, very satisfied. He got what I wanted within a few days and the scanned PDF was very clear. He even called me on the phone because we had an email problem. Having worked with the Archives directly in the past I can also say that Bob's prices are competitive in addition to being fast (which the Archives is not). If you need pension or compiled service records Bob's your guy.