St. George's Notes III - Your Civil War Ancestors...
« on: June 12, 2004, 10:56:21 PM »
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Looking at the time frame we represent, it seems that a large number of us would've served on either side during the Civil War.
This is most helpful when developing your impression, since it can give you the background for your own character - plus, you can add the odd military item to your possibles bag to further add a touch of realism.
A good way to do this is to look into your own ancestry and see who fought where, and with whom did they fight?
You can then draw from real experiences.
You're going to need a couple of things in order to get started - an old, old living relative, and maybe the big, old Family Bible.
You need the ancient relative because they may know some of the family's oral history, and the associated names and their ties within the family.
You need the Family Bible because that's what many families used when they chronicled the various births, deaths and other pertinent data that made them "families".
There's also a good book that you can borrow from any well-stocked Town Library, and you'll usually find it in the Geneaology section.
It's titled:
"Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor" - by Groene.
It was printed some time back, and my copy doesn't have web links, but newer ones may, so stop by, check it out and see.
The actual addresses for the agencies involved are good though, and you can go to the 'net and dig from that point on.
There are a few of the things you'll need to do and to know:
1. Know the actual name of your ancestor.
2. Know his Date of Birth.
3. Look for his Discharge or Mustering-Out Certificate.
4. Know what State/County he lived in.
5. Know what Unit he may have served in.
6. Ask first at your County Historical Society.
7. Look at the record of the war that his State published.
8. Inquire at the National Archives - (the book explains how)
http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/index.html9. You want to see his Military Record of Service.
10. You really want to see his Pension Records.
This list will keep you involved, but the hunt can be surprisingly worthwhile.
The Pension Records are important, because each time they changed the laws - those pensions needed to be re-requested, and in order to do that, affidavits needed to be filled out by men who served with him - attesting to actual service and times.
This means that the Pension Records will have more in them about specific duties and actions, while the Military Record will have the bare-bones details pertinent to that soldier up until discharge.
This really isn't as hard as you may think and the folks who deal in these Records are quite helpful with providing details and digging up additional information - so be certain to thank them profusely.
There are organizations that you may join currently, upon being able to prove your Civil War Veteran's connection.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War:
www.suvcw.orgThe Sons of Confederate Veterans of the Civil War:
www.scv.orgThese are the two premier outfits that you'll find both interesting as well as useful in your quest.
I'll talk more on these Military Societies, their badges, and the politics of the era at a later date.
Scouts Out!