Monday, April 15, 2013

Military Monday - Learning Civil War Research from Amy Johnson Crow

On Saturday Amy Johnson Crow came to town to talk about researching our Civil War soldiers.  Amy's presentation was sponsored by the St. Joseph County Public Library and the South Bend Area Genealogical Society in conjunction with this years One Book, One Michiana event.


I have so many civil war ancestors (53 at last count) that I have a separate tab on this blog to keep track of them!  I have completed an online class on researching civil war ancestors, own many books on the subject and have years of research behind me.  But I learned so much from Amy on Saturday!

I learned more about the draft and why my ancestor might appear on the draft record but never in a regiment.  I learned more about the GAR then I ever knew including the fact that they were integrated at a time when segregation was the norm!  I learned to pay more attention to those county histories instead of just skimming the index for my ancestors name.

Mostly I had a wonderful time with my genealogy friends talking about our ancestors who fought in the war and learning about research strategies from one of the best!

Thank you Amy for an enjoyable Saturday!



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7 comments:

  1. Linda Herrick SwisherApril 15, 2013 at 11:34 PM

    I learned a lot! We are so stoked because one of Amy's examples dealt with a Civil War soldier buried in Hammond, IN. The cemetery has seen a lot of problems with badly kept records, missing stones, etc. and we had no knowledge of William Guthridge. Now we can see if his headstone is missing, or just buried.

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    1. Lisa Swanson EllamApril 16, 2013 at 1:46 PM

      That was so exciting! Genealogy serendipity strikes again!

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  2. The Brigham City FortApril 15, 2013 at 11:49 PM

    I've been researching a Civil War Ancestor. Never expected to find him in a National Cemetery (future blog post). It was fun to learn about him and his part in the Civil War.
    Regards, Grant



    http://thestephensherwoodletters.blogspot.com

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    1. Lisa Swanson EllamApril 16, 2013 at 1:47 PM

      I can't wait to read that blog post, Grant! I love the unexpected finds!

      Lisa

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  3. Devon Noel LeeApril 16, 2013 at 5:03 PM

    I would to know more about why folks enlisted (signed up for the draft) but didn't serve. And I'd love to know if there was a record as to why that next step wasn't taken. It might solve a mystery I have.

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    1. Lisa Swanson EllamApril 17, 2013 at 11:22 AM

      Hi Devon!

      Amy said that some men who were drafted never served because of two reasons:

      1. They paid a substitute to serve for them. The sub then served under their own name, not the drafted man's name.

      2. They should never have been a part of the draft due to age, disability, etc.

      I learned so much from Amy's lecture!

      Lisa

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  4. PATRICIA KIMBERLY April 19, 2013 at 5:28 AM

    Australia has much to offer to the world. family first have become one of the most stable and prosperous nations on earth, but with privilege comes responsibility and the way family first rise to meet these responsibilities will ultimately determine if family first truly are a great nation.

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