Researching your Ancestors Military Service Up through The Civil War from your Computer

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Researching your Ancestors Military Service Up
through The Civil War from your Computer

• Rod Fleck

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Purpose today

• Brief Summary of Military Periods
• An approach to military history research if you
  are new
• Clues to look for or that you may have

• Some of the sources I use for each period and why
• Also, an introduction to one subscription site
  www.fold3.com

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So a quick snap shot of American Military History

• Military I am using that to mean serving in an
  armed force specifically organized by a governing
  body.
• During the period in question we see local
  militias give way to state militias to the
  start of a federal military.
• I also think that many folks do not realize we
  have had military engagements from nearly the
  start of the European colonization.

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What Hints Do You Have?

• 1840 Census Veteran reference
• Headstone
• Listed in a Patriot List book, local history
• Obituary Veteran of ----
• Tombstone
• will usually have rank and regiment
• Symbols GAR/SCV MxAmWar 1812 Others
• Artifact
• Badge
• Photo
• Shadow Portrait
• Military Equipment
• Book
• Print
• Family History
• Story With Washington at Valley Forge
• Great Grandma joined the D.A.R.

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What are your looking for?

• Specific reference to a conflict
• Even better- reference to a regiment
• 12th Massachusetts
• Colonel Samuel Brewers Regiment
• Individuals rank (Pvt Capt etc.)
• Utilize the idea of what events were going on and
  how old was your ancestor at that time

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Key Research Concepts for Each Major Military
Epoch

• Handout will have the links for most of these
  sites and others.
• Key Concepts approaches to use to gain
  additional information.
• Will make this available on-line
  atwww.olypen.com/tinkers
• Will attempt to highlight both use of the web and
  www.fold3.com
• ALSO Books military history is still very
  book oriented.

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Snapshot - Early Colonial Period1622 - 1691

• Powhatan War at James River 1622-24
• Native American versus Virginia Colonists
• Powhatan War of 1644-1646
• Native American versus Virginia Colonists
• Pequot War -1636-37
• Native American versus a combined Colonial
  Native Response (350 male expedition)
• English-Dutch War 1664
• Surrender to British New Netherlands permanent
  base for British regulars for 120 years.
• Bacons Rebellion, 1675 Jamestown, VA
• Colonist v. Colonists and Colonists v. Native
  Americans
• Leislers Rebellion, 1689-1691 New York City
  region
• Colonists v. Colonists, then Colonists v. British
  Regulars
• HEY Wait he missed onewell no, not really.

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King Phillips War

• The peace of Plymouth ended in the third
  generation
• Most costly war in American history when
  considered in proportion
• Massive losses in relationship to population
• Colonists pushed back into area around present
  Boston
• 1,000 Natives killed at Great Swamp
  Fight/Massacre
• Pushed many Native Tribes into being allies with
  French
• Native captives sold into slavery
• New England based and involved all colonial
  governments

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Europes Wars on American Shores

• King Williams War 1689-1697
• War of Rhenish Palatine War of the League of
  Augsburg
• Colonists versus French Colonists
• 2,200 men attack Quebec
• Queen Annes War 1702-1713
• War of Spanish Succession
• New England Phase in and about Maine and Port
  Royal
• S.C. attacks Spanish Colonies south of them
• Quebec redux
• King Georges War 1744-1748
• War of Austrian Succession
• New England Colonists take French Louisburg on
  Cape Breton Island

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French and Indian War1754-1763

• Will involve entire colonial area and will be
  started in large part by a young, naïve Virginia
  militia colonial
• British regulars and Colonial Militias with
  Native American Allies
• Costs of this war born by British government and
  they thought that the colonists should help pay
  for defending the colonies
• Led to something a problem that we call.

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Colonial Wars Key Concepts

• Usually a reference in a printed source at a
  regional or state level to your ancestors
  participation in specific engagement, local
  militia, etc.
• Google Books searchable regional histories.
• State Archives may have specific records
  available to prove service.
• http//www.colonialwarsct.org/general-society.htm
  Heritage Society for The Society of Colonial
  Wars. Great resource site for information via
  the Connecticut Chapter.
• http//www.militaryheritage.com/7ywlink.htm Seven
  Years War/FI War portal site. Select British
  troops and that opens a lot of links for this war.

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American Revolution

• Englands imposition of taxes led many colonists
  to question their relationship with the King.
• Ultimately, the King and his governments
  decision to impose their will on the colonists
  led to a six year war.
• 250,000 served. Or, if we use the 1790 census
  as a population guide 120 served in the
  military.
• Tens of thousands more rendered service, aid and
  support.
• Sides
• Colonies v. - British
• France - Loyalists
• Natives - Hessians
• Spain - Natives

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American Revolutionary WarKey Concepts

• Usually you will see a reference to your
  ancestors military or patriotic service in a
  document, tombstone
• Organized at a Colony level with Federal service
• Published archive sources at state level
• State Archives and/or Adjutant General may have
  materials
• http//www.revwar75.com one of the best portal
  sites for Am Rev War Materials
• Daughters of the American Revolution
• www.dar.org Genealogical Research Database
  Ancestor look up
• Patriot Burials books done by DAR showing where
  an AmRevWar Patriot is buried
• Ladies if you have a potential Patriot, the DAR
  can really help you and if you are interested in
  their organization, you may find a great new
  social circle
• Guys same for www.sar.org (Sons of American
  Revolution) www.sr1776.org (Sons of the
  Revolution)
• Children/Grandchildren www.nscar.org similar
  proof requirements if admitted as children can
  bridge up to the adult society
• National Archives (www.archives.org)
• Pensions and Bounty Land documentation use NATF
  85
• Service File
• Significant increase in costs to obtain file from
  NARA
• Pension 75
• Bounty 25
• Recommend hiring a file puller usually about
  35
• Website focus on ether battles/engagements, or
  regiments

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Northwest Indian War

• Northwest Territories of the 1790s-1830s
• U.S. versus the Shawnee and Delaware led by
  Little Turtle and Blue Jacket in area of the Ohio
  - the NW of that period
• Greatest defeat of US Army by Native Americans in
  1791. Led to organization of U.S. Army (Legion
  of the United States) under General Anthony
  Wayne.
• Native defeat at the Battle of Fallen Timbers

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War of 1812

• Arose out of British aggression with maritime
  impressments, as well as out of political and
  economic issues.
• 18 Jun 1812 through 8 Jan 1815 (Though treaty was
  signed in late 1814).
• Burning of the US Capital did not lead to
  surrender that the that the British commander
  expected
• 285,000 served or 4 of the 1810 population
• Sides
• U.S. v. - British
• Natives - Natives

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War of 1812Key Concepts

• State organized with Federal Oversight
• Again, State Archives or Adjutant General
• New York Equipment Reimbursement
• National Archives (www.archives.org)
• Pensions and Bounty Land documentation use NATF
  85
• Service File
• Significant increase in costs to obtain file from
  NARA
• Pension 75
• Bounty 25
• Recommend hiring a file puller usually about
  35
• Societies
• United States Daughters of 1812 Bicentennial
  active Washington organizations
• http//www.usdaughters1812.org/
• General Society of the War of 1812
  http//societyofthewarof1812.org/membership/become
  -a-member/
• Both can be very helpful to research your
  ancestor
• Usually see a reference in biographies of
  children or grandchildren

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Indian wars

• First Seminole War 1817-1818
• West Florida
• Black Hawk War 1832
• Illinois
• Second Seminole War 1835
• Central Florida

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Mexican-American War

• Texas and Territorial Expansion
• 1846-1848
• 104,000 volunteers or ½ of 1 of 1850
  population
• War predominately on Foreign Soil
• Yet, before you have the Texas Rebellion
• If ancestor involved in Texas Independence, lots
  of data at the state level.

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Mexican-American WarKey Concepts

• State Raised, Federal Service -
  Supervised/Deployed
• National Archives (www.archives.org)
• Pensions and Bounty Land documentation use NATF
  85
• Service File
• Significant increase in costs to obtain file from
  NARA
• Pension 75
• Bounty 25
• Recommend hiring a file puller usually about
  35
• State Rosters with the State Archives
• Online
• Printed
• Descendants of Mexican War Veterans
• http//www.dmwv.org portal site
• May want to reach out to them for local societies

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U.S. Civil War(a.k.a. War of Southern
Agression/Rebellion War of Northern Agression
etc.)

• Political compromises on the issue of slavery in
  relationship to the creation of new states, as
  well as within existing states, were no longer
  seen as possible.
• 1861-1865
• North 13 men served 2,500 regiments
  1.5-2.2m
• South 910 men served 1,000 regiments 1m

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U.S. Civil WarKey Concepts

• http//www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/info.htm - Civil War
  Soldiers and Sailors System 6.3 million records
  used to create this amazing database
• State Archives
• Pennsylvania on-line copies of the index of PA
  vets
• Printed histories by Adjutant General (Google)
• 1890 Census Union
• Pensions
• Union NARA
• Confederacy State
• Printed Histories
• Armies, Corps, Divisions, Brigades, Regiments
• Campaigns, battles
• Many of these could be found on the web in some
  format but new books coming out at nearly all
  the time

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One other set of suggestions

• Reenactors
• Military historians focused on reenacting the
  specific events of a certain military period
• More details about activities, armaments,
  uniforms, service duties, etc.
• Militaria Forum
• http//www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/
• Great potential resources there by individuals
  very interested in specific items
• Uniforms
• http//library.brown.edu/cds/askb/
• Anne S.K. Brown Military collection while this
  contains digital images, the library is one of
  the best in the world for military uniform
  information.
• Specific Books
• http//www.ospreypublishing.com/default.aspx
• Osprey Publishing This is the publisher of
  hundreds of military specific books from weapons
  to uniforms to battles to campaigns. Worth
  finding if you are wanting to get more detail in
  your effort to understand your ancestors
  service.
• Examples here on table

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www.fold3.com

• The military documents subscription website
• Originally a competitor to Ancestry.com now
  part of Ancestry but military focus
• Searchable site constantly adding docs
• Organized within specific periods
• All documents within that archive set
• Currently adding 1812 Pension Records
• Name references flag folding ceremony where third
  fold is for veterans
• Subscription Site but it does have tutorials
  and videos

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So, lets use a couple of examples

• Joshua Dunbar
• Gravestone Soldier (of the Revolution)
• Pensioner
• Will ask for two examples
• Will also be here during the break and be willing
  to help you if I dont get to your issue or
  question.

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www.fold3.com

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