Arlington National Cemetery

GPS Coordinates: 38.882683, -77.068373
County: Arlington
Record count: 426,502

Ownership: U.S. Army, Office of Army Cemeteries

Directions: Located along the west-bank of the Potomac River, on the other side of the river from the Lincoln Memorial.

Background: Arlington National Cemetery, the nation’s premier military cemetery, was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, the former estate of Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. With Washington, D.C. cemeteries overwhelmed by wartime deaths, Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs ordered burials to begin there, with the first interment on May 13, 1864, and its official designation as a national cemetery on June 15, 1864. Initially seen as a necessity rather than an honor, Arlington gained symbolic importance after the first Decoration Day (Memorial Day) ceremony was held there in 1868, leading to the construction of the James Tanner Amphitheater in 1873 and the larger Memorial Amphitheater in 1920. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated in 1921, became one of its most sacred landmarks, later including Unknowns from World War II and Korea in 1958, and Vietnam in 1984 (though that soldier was later identified). Over time, Arlington became a place of national reverence, with President William Howard Taft interred in 1930 and President John F. Kennedy in 1963, cementing its role as a central site of American memory and military honor.

Burial Records

• View All Transcriptions Combined, 426,502 records
  • Office of Army Cemeteries, compiled by Interment.net, September 22, 2025, (423,735 records)
  • Unidentified Burials, compiled by Interment.net, September 22, 2025, (2,610 records)
  • Maine Mast Memorial, compiled by Interment.net, October 13, 2025, (157 records)

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