Field Hospital, 2^nd Division, 2^nd Army Corps
near Brandy Station, VA., March 1864; Library of Congress

Additional Places to Search
By now genealogists and family researchers probably already know there were two classifications of Civil War veterans: 1) regular army 2) volunteer. We also know 2 out of 3 deaths were caused by disease vs. war wounds from the battlefield.   These numbers often discourage researchers from seeking their veteran’s medical records. But much can be learned from carded medical files and field records of hospitals.  

What is Available?

Researchers can expect to find the soldier’s rank, date of admittance and return to duty, information, status and often treatment of complaint. If the soldier (or prisoner of war- POW) died in the field, this was often noted also.

Tips

Although many of the Civil War records are widely known, here are just a few resources you may wish to add to your “Research Arsenal.” These are textural records (loose paper) archived at the National Archives. Know that the references below are part Record Group (RG) 94: Records of the Adjutant General, 1762-1984.

• Carded Medical Records for Volunteer and Regular Army and Navy Personnel. Record Group (RG) 94.12.3. Best source is the NARA website.

• Indexes to Field Records of Hospitals, compiled 1821 – 1912. Record Group (RG) 94.12.5

Series from Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 – 1984. This RG includes the US Colored Troops (USCT), 1861-1865, register of patients.  This series also contains references to the series "Reports and Correspondence, 1861 - 1888" "Surgeons' Reports on Medical Operations in Various Commands, 1861-1865", "Reports on Surgical and Medical Cases, 1860-1879”

• Records Relating to Medical Personnel
  Was your ancestor an officer or physician during the Civil War, to include nurses and matrons? Be sure to review the textural records of 94.12.4

Other Resources

Be sure to reference the Veteran and Widow Pension Files. These records - affidavits, doctor notes, and correspondence - often provide details of wounds and hospitalization in the veterans files.  

Provost Marshal General Records may also provide information on your ancestor’s medical and physical condition.  Visit: Forgotten Provost Marshal General’s Records.

For More Information

Visit NARA Records with Civil War Medical Information.

Kathleen Brandt

a3genealogy.com
Accurate Accessible Answers

a3genealogy@gmail.com

Texas Revolution is NOT Mexican American War

Map From: http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/texas-maps.htm

Researching Your Texas Revolution Veteran

There’s so much to say about both the Texas Revolution and the Mexican - American War but we must first learn that these military conflics are not one in the same. Yes, the Texas Revolution may have been one of the catalysts for the Mexican War, 10 years later, but truly, they are two military efforts, akin to the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

History Review and Timeline

Overview. We are all familiar with The Alamo, Sam Houston, and the Battle of San Jacinto that lasted less than 20 minutes, but what do they have in common? They are all related to the Texas Revolution, also known as The Texas War of Independence, 2 Oct 1835 - 21 Apr 1836. American colonists, joined by Mexican settlers (Tejanos)  forced their independence from Mexico’s conservative government which resulted in the Republic of Texas. With the help of Texas sympathizers from the US approximately 2500 men fought for this effort (against approximately 6000 Mexican troops).

Early settlers, 1820-1830, mostly from the US deep south, who entered the region of Tejas of the Republic of Mexico were required to vow allegiance to Mexico and agreed to being Roman Catholic. And although slavery had been outlawed by 1829 in Mexico, it was allowed for an additional year (1830) in Tejas for the American settlers.

1835 War of Independence. It was this year that conservative Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna, known as Santa Anna, became the President. It was this year that Santa Anna promoted his power by enforcing the newly mandated conservative “Siete Leyes” (7 laws). The Siete Leyes established a national government that abolished state legislature to include that of Tejas, denying them of any independent state control.

1836 Revolution Ended. The Revolution ended at the Battle of San Jacinto which lasted less than twenty minutes on 21 April 1836.

1836 - 1845 The Republic of Texas. The Republic of Texas was independent of Mexico and earned diplomatic status from the US, France and Britain. Sam Houston was elected President. However, Mexico still claimed the Texas territory as part of the Mexico.

Dec 1845 Texas joined the Union

1846 Mexican - American War. Keep in mind that the Texas Revolution ended in 1836. Know that the US declared war against Mexico 1846, abt 10 years later.

After the Texas Revolution, the United States claimed the Rio Grande as its southern border, based on the Treaties of Velasco; whereas Mexico claimed the border as Nueces River, north of the Rio Grande. Efforts to acquire (purchase and negotiate) the Mexico territories of Alta California and Santa Fe (NM), to include the Nueces Strip in Texas, failed. The first skirmish - the Thornton Affair (Thornton Skirmish) was along the disputed Nueces Strip. This skirmish led President Polk to lead Congress to declare war against Mexico 13 May 1846.

Of course it is well known that the Mexican - American war resulted in the USA gaining California, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada and parts of other states. And, it also quieted any questions regarding the southern border of Texas. To fully understand this war and the importance of continental expansion, it is vital that historians and researchers understand the American culture of the 1840’s and the role Manifest Destiny played in the decision for westward expansion.

5 Research Resources

In addition to battle museums across Texas, researchers must know that Texan settlers were not exclusive in serving in the Texas Revolution. There were the Georgian soldiers, Kentucky (Mustangs), Alabama (Red Rovers),  Mississippi (Mauraders) and soldiers from the other southern states. Each state should be researched for relevant repositories. For example there were about 120 militia men of the New Orleans Greys (13 Oct 1835) who joined the efforts of the Texas Revolution. Here are 5 good repositories for research.

• New Orleans Howard-Tilton Library. Tulane University, LA

•  Cushing Library & Archives, Texas A&M

• Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) website  has an extensive article providing Research Help to Republic of Texas Military Records 

• Officers and Men of the Texas Republican Army are posted by Company on Fold. 

• Texas General Land Office. Texans who served in the Texas Revolution were extended land bounty and donation grants for 640 acres. For more information on the the issuance of bounty and donation grants reference TSHA –Land Grants.

For More Information
Be sure to visit:

• Sons of the Republic of Texas
• Daughters of Republic of Texas

Kathleen Brandt
a3Genealogy@gmail.com

Researching Mexican War Records

Library of Congress, US-Mexican War

Can be Challenging

Many researchers totally forget there was a US-Mexican War, 1846-1848. But often we can findl veterans of the Civil War that also served in the Mexican War. Most know that by the end of the US-Mexican War, the United States gained the current southwest states between Texas and California.

Researching Your Mexican War Soldier

To begin this research, be sure to learn More About US-Mexican War.

For a list of battles and more information on the US-Mexican War visit:PBS- US- Mexican War. 

Approximately 100,000 soldiers served in the US – Mexican War. Seventy-five percent (75,000) enlisted in the volunteer army. The soldiers also served in the Army, Marines, and Navy. Like the Civil War, most deaths were due to disease. Only about 2000 soldiers who died while serving in the Mexican War, died of enemy fire, or battle wounds. The remaining 11,000 died of disease and many were hospitalized. For this reason a good place to begin your search is using medical records.

Where to Research for Mexican War and Civil War Medical Records

National Archives (NARA) is the repository of a couple important Medical Documents and Records

• Carded Medical Records of Volunteer Soldiers in the Mexican and Civil Wars, compiled 1846 – 1865. The Mexican War records for each organization follow those of the Civil War. These records are arranged alphabetically by surname. Here is the NARA reference: ARC Identifier 655646 / MLR Number PI-17 534 Series from Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office (AGO), 1762 - 1984 
• Indexes to Field Records of Hospitals, compiled 1821 - 1912ARC Identifier 655733 / MLR Number PI-17 544BSeries from Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1984 This series also contains references to the series "Reports and Correspondence, 1861 - 1888" (ARC Identifier 655752), "Surgeons' Reports on Medical Operations in Various Commands, 1861-1865" (ARC Identifier 655739), "Reports on Surgical and Medical Cases, 1860-1879" (ARC Identifier 655743), and "Lists of Casualties in Various Engagements, 1860-1889" (ARC Identifier 655746).

Need More?

As many of the soldiers were volunteers, be sure to check your state repositories. A key to your ancestors’ service is becoming familiar with your states’ activity in the war. Don’t forget to look at county and state biographies and obituaries.  In Tennessee, here is a great website to initiate your search: The Volunteer State Goes to War: A Salute to Tennessee Veterans. This website, like many official state websites, will provide us with the battles, officers, and a bit on the causalities.

The Military Resource: Mexican War, 1846-1848 on the NARA website reminds us to check for letters of officers and the National Cemeteries.

For “regular military service (vs. volunteer) officer records and correspondence may be found in the NARA Adjutant General records. Here is a great finding aid for the NARA Military Service during the Mexican War,1846-1848. This finding aid includes locations of the Compiled Military Service Records, Pension Applications, Volunteer Solider Files, and Remarried Widows based on the Service in War of 1812. 

As this war was fought on Mexico soil, 750 soldiers of this war were interred at the US National Cemetery in Mexico City. However, less than 10 of these burials have been identified. Visit the Burial Listing at the American Battle Monuments Commission website. 

Pension Files and Bounty Land: For a quick search at the United States, Index to Mexican War Pension Files, visit the Family Search free website. Veterans who were discharged from the Mexican War were eligible for 160 acres of federal bounty land. Land records are always a great source for genealogical research. For the Mexican War, the bounty-land warrants are filed with pension files at the National Archives can be located in the Textural Records: T317 Index to Mexican War Pension Files, 1887-1926. (Filed by surname for Mexican War, 1846-1848).


African Americans Also Served
Visit: Invisible Men: Blacks in the US Army in the Mexican War. African Americans also served on Naval Ships. 

Kathleen Brandt
a3Genealogy@gmail.com
Accurate, accessible answers

Searching for Slave Masters

Did Your Slave Master Ancestor Go to Missouri?

I was recently asked "where did the slave masters come from in order to settle in Missouri?" The answer is many of the Missouri slave owners came from Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

The largest slave holding counties were around Saline County: Boone, Manitou, Howard, Chariton, Cooper,  Clay, Ray, and Lafayette counties. These counties are within 90 miles of one another and nicknamed Little Dixie. Researchers will quickly learn that if you find an ancestor in one, it will behoove you to expand your research to include the other counties.

Why did Plantation Owners Move to Missouri?

The Missouri land was ready for cultivation of familiar crops - hemp and tobacco. Even the transplant planters familiar with cotton growing knew that growing hemp and tobacco was similar and required an easy transition with the work of slaves. Eighteen percent (18%) of Missouri’s hemp crop was cultivated in Saline County (before 1861).

Even if you have a Mississippi ancestor, finding ties to Saline County Missouri may be found in agricultural records. Did you know that Missouri shipments, mostly from Claiborne Fox Jackson’s company in Saline County, shipped commodities -  hemp, corn, oats, salt, pork, beef – to Natchez Mississippi to feed the cotton field slaves?

Finding Slave Master Records

Did you know your slave master ancestor is named in every court record and many vital records of his slaves before the Civil War, and many after emancipation? 

Descendants of slaves know, too well, that researching their ancestors involve thorough slave master research. However, the same applies when researching slave masters.  The sale of a slave of his family is noted in the deeds of the slave masters. Ship manifests transporting slaves often name the slave-master. After the civil-war, ex-slave documents, including ex-slave Civil War pension records, legalization of slave marriages and other freedman bureau records, usually names the ex-slave master and his place of origin. We can often determine slave master whereabouts after the Civil War using these records. Ex-slave masters were directly tied to ex-slaves and their identities for years following the Civil War.

For More Information

Press Release: Slave Marriage Book Project

The Slave Marriages

Saving Saline County Missouri Records  

Kathleen Brandt

Accurate, accessible answers

a3genealogy@gmail.com

Website: a3Genealogy.com

Tips on Researching Institutionalized Ancestors

Where are Asylum Records?

As you've probably already figured out, when it comes to researching institutionalized ancestor's it’s not locating them that is the issue; the problem is how to access the records. Is it even possible? In the post Mental Health Facilities and State Hospital Records, 4 Jan 2010, the case of 3rd Great-Uncle Willis Cox and his daughter Freddie Reba (Cox) Looney from Coffeyville, Kansas and Washington County, Oklahoma, respectively, was shared. As I mentioned there, “not everyone can boast that at any given time one, or more, ancestor was being treated in a State Hospital, but I usually exclaim that my family actually had a wing at the Kansas - Osawatomie State Hospital, also known as the State Insane Asylum." But locating other ancestors scattered across the USA, have been a bit more challenging. (Read Stalking Irish Madness and Me, 11 Jan 2010). 

Where to Start

The first step is to confirm your ancestor’s whereabouts. Using the following records/documents will assist you in determining where your ancestor may have been institutionalized: 

• census records
• cemetery records/tombstones
• death certificates
• probate records
• court records
• obituaries 

Finding Records

Every state has has in place statues specifying the distribution, and release of records of the mentally ill.  Many of the earlier records were discarded, leaving perhaps just an index to past patients holding minimum information. The Kansas Statute 65-5603, specifies the information that can be released for family history research.  "Examples include: dates of birth and death, dates of stay, names and addresses of family members.  Medical information, including the DIAGNOSIS, is not open." To obtain copies from these records, researchers must  submit a request form with payment.

This is the case for the Topeka Kansas State Hospital Records. Although microfilmed records are held at the Kansas Historical Society for patient case files from 1872 until the 1960 "only familial relations of deceased patients and living former patients can request information from these records." 

Other states, like Minnesota have year restrictions for retrieving hospital records. In Minnesota there is a 50 year hold on all records from the date of admittance. Accessing these restricted records from the Minnesota Historical Society requires a signed "Application and Use Agreement." For more information  on privacy and genealogy research read:  Privacy Restrictions Keeping You From Research?

Why So Challenging?

Prior to State Statutes, often state hospitals like Osawatomie, Kansas discarded the patients’ original files. However, often indices of past patients are still on record. But to successfully obtain a copy of the medical file, the researcher must broaden the search.

For many states, like Illinois, state mental hospital records are "closed". Researchers will have to piece information using death certificates, military pension records (sometimes widow pension requests), probate records (sometimes closed if assigned to custodian), cemetery records, and local newspapers to obtain sufficient information. We have also seen copy of medical records submitted and filed with court cases. 

A complete 100+ page medical record of Willis Cox’s including his examination records, and doctor's observations at he State Hospital were held with his Civil War Pension records. In the "Survey for family medical history" a bit of information from the attending physicians was also mentioned his daughter, Freddie Reba’s convalescent time at the State Hospital.

In addition to the sources mentioned above, and exhausting your State Archives and Historical repositories be sure to do a keyword search at the familysearch.org website.  Here you will find a variety of state hospital records. For example, the Family Search microfilmed New Orleans (Louisiana). Insane Asylum, Records of the Insane Asylum, 1858-1884 contains records on entries and releases of patients. 

  

Kathleen Brandt

Website: a3genealogy.com

Accurate, accessible answers

a3genealogy@gmail.com

Saving Old Photos

Photo taken 1911, Anthony, Harper County, Kansas. 

Morris Porter (baby) with grandmother Nola (Morris) Wells Jackson. 

PhotoFixerJoe
It doesn’t take much for a family historian to scream. We get excited with every find of a new ancestor, with every little hint to locating the needed historical document, and meeting faraway cousins - all screams of joy, usually followed by our “happy dance.” But we scream the loudest, and of horror, when we pull out that favorite old photo of the sod house, or of a pivotal ancestor and we realize it is fading, and what is left are clear marks of years of abuse. Time to search for solutions to save our family history, and preserve the places and faces for future generations.   So what to expect?

I turned to Joseph Witkowski, better known as PhotoFixer Joe, located in the Kansas City area.  Photofixer Joe came highly recommended by Jenna Mills of Desperately Seeking Surnames. Thanks Jenna!

Goals for Restoration:

• Goal 1 was to bring life back into the photo
• Goal 2 was to display my ancestors on the walls of my 1904 home. (Thought they’d feel comfortable there.)
• Goal 3 was to preserve the original photo. I was welcoming the thought of less hand touching and exposure to the elements, while still sharing with cousins who clearly have the propensity to touch every detail of the original photo in between licking their fingers dripping of Kansas City Barbeque sauce.

Meet Photofixer Joe

I had the pleasure of interviewing Joe. I did not include below the question: “What is the basic process?” But the answer included hints on scanning, use of Photoshop, and proper printing. Visit the PhotoFixerJoe website for more information. .

Q1. Tell me about your current business. What are you doing exactly?The mission statement of the business is “helping restore your memories”. I restore and repair damaged and faded photographs that are either historically or emotionally important to someone. 

Q2. When did you start the business?Photofixerjoe legally started as a business in 2011.  However, my education in the darkroom and printing process began 40 years ago when I built my first in home darkroom.  I am a huge fan of Ansel Adams and read somewhere that he tweaked his photograph “Moonrise over Hernandez” for about 10 years before he was fully satisfied with his print.  I was really curious about what he would have tweaked for 10 years and that began the journey of “manipulating” images.

Q3. What is your target market?My target markets are individuals and organizations that are serious about restoring their memories and understand the level of effort involved in this process. It requires an in depth knowledge of whatever software you are using and a lot of patience. The photograph of your family living in the home built from mud took about 20 to 25 hours to restore. 

Q4. How did you come up with your business idea? I purchased my first digital camera about 12 years ago.  It was 3.2 megapixel and I paid close to $1,000.  I think you can get one of those as a gift with a gas fill up nowadays.  I needed to process my own prints and purchased the Photoshop 5.0 software.  We are now on Photoshop 13 (CS 6).  The software was designed with the darkroom process in mind but with greater flexibility.  I had fun with changing people’s hair color, adding hair to my friends that didn’t have it and adding other elements into the picture that were not present in the original image. It evolved from doing silly things to making minor repairs.

Q5. How do you choose which projects to accept?

 The projects that most interest me are old and damaged family photos from the 19^th and 20^th century.  I really enjoy studying the images and learning a bit about the people in the picture.  I even make up my own stories. I had coin collection when I was young boy and I would think about the people who had the coins and the places the coins may have traveled. I had a fairly active imagination which has helped in the art part of restoration.  I also enjoy working on WWII images as well as color faded pictures from the 50’s. 
Q6. What has been the hardest project and what made it so hard?My hardest project has been the restoration of a damaged picture of a woman, when she was a young girl, with Elvis Presley. Besides the damage, the colors were faded and it was a small snapshot.  I knew what a great memory this was for the woman and trying to get the image closer to her memory of the moment was a challenge but I made it happen.  I really felt great about her reaction.

Q7. What was your favorite a3Genealogy photo that you restored? Why did you like restoring it?  So far, it’s been the image of the family near the mud home.  I thought this was just a great picture that really needed to be restored.  It looks like a very proud family.  They wanted to show the world they were doing OK by including their two horses and standing outside their home. Everyone but the husband is looking at the camera.  In those days the film was very slow which meant the exposure took a few seconds and you had to be very still. This means he was looking away on purpose.  That is very cool and it makes me wish I could spend some time with him.  The lady having her glasses on adds a level of sophistication because of the use of technology to help improve quality of life.  It also shows they were very connected to the outside world.  She did not need to wear the glasses for the portrait but did.  Just the fact that they had someone take the portrait also shows a level of affluence. I can go on (that darn imagination) but will stop here.

Q8. How do you price a project? Pricing depends on the level of effort.  It does not take a lot of time to restore a color faded photo from the fifties (how about that for alliteration).  If that is all that is involved I would charge $25 and included is a small digital file for social media use and a large digital file for printing purposes.  Simple restorations would be anywhere from $50 to $100.  For example, your photo with the woman and infant would be right at $100 or maybe just slightly higher.  Extensively damaged photos would need to be quoted.  All quotes would be provided after I scan the image. Damage that is not visible on smaller prints shows up on the enlarged scan. You can request a custom printed file on high quality paper all the way up to 17 X 22 for an additional charge.  Actually, I can print a wall sized mural that would be made up of 17 X 22 segments.  Prices are posted at www.photfixerjoe.com.

Q9. What do you do for fun?

All aspects of photography are fun for me and I love to travel to get exciting images. My wife and I went to Africa in Sept of 2012 on a photo safari.  We loved the experience so much that we are going back March 2013.  We are both Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do and I am also a Scuba Dive Master.

I will share additional restorations April 2013.

Kathleen Brandt

Website: a3Genealogy.com

a3genealogy@gmail.com

Virginians Granted Kentucky Land

Mammoth Caves National Park Research
Have you ever analyzed your Kentucky ancestors? If you get back far enough, you will find that many came from Virginia. Did you know that Kentucky was part of the Virginia Commonwealth? By following wars and the laws, you may be led to your early Virginian and Kentucky ancestors.

Looking at early Kentucky maps, it becomes apparent that south of the Green River is consistently designated as reserved territory. This is really obvious when researching the Mammoth Cave area in south central Kentucky, which is now a National Park, but at one point this massive set-aside land was the home of about 13 or more churches, residences and many cemeteries (few still remaining). Our research of this Mammoth Caves National Park and a few targeted early residents carried us back to the Revolutionary War and the French and Indian War. Yet Kentucky did not become a state until 1792.

War Impact

An often forgotten war in our genealogy research is the French and Indian War, 1754-1763. Perhaps you haven’t traced that far back yet, but it will probably prove to be significant in your Kentucky ancestors’ research. This war between British American and New France colonies left a paper trail since Virginia soldiers’ were awarded land grants in lieu of pay; leaving the researcher a wonderful collection of early Virginia-Kentucky ancestors’ land records. (The same is for Virginia-Ohio ancestors).

What are Bounty Land Warrants?

Our early military-active ancestors were enticed to join war efforts by the promise of “bounty land warrants.” Soldiers were able to first apply for the coveted warrants. If granted, the warrants on file confirmed the soldier and the number of bounty land acres he was entitled to based on his rank and other useful genealogical data is provided. 

Bounty land acres were reserved specifically for the purpose to pay for military service. For Virginia militia, land was set-aside in “Kentucky” for the soldiers (or heirs) to claim. Between about 1773 - 1792, Virginia soldiers, or their heirs, received warrants for bounty land. The land was located in what is Kentucky today. After the Revolutionary War, Kentucky was formed and designated from Virginia. Virginia Revolutionary War soldiers were also offered bounty land in Kentucky and Ohio. At least 4748 bounty land warrants were issued by Virginia to Revolutionary War veterans. The warrants authorized surveys of the soldiers’ land. A soldier was able to surrender his bounty land warrant for a land patent, resulting in ownership of the land.

Where are the Records?

The original warrants are held at the Kentucky Land Office, in Frankfort, KY and have been microfilmed by the Family History Library (FHL): Virginia Grants, 1782-1792. Be sure to also review the Old Kentucky Grants (1793-1856) microfilms held at the FHL. 

A vital resource to our Mammoth Caves area research was the FHL microfilm rolls of the Grants South of the Green River, 1797-1866. The land south of the Green river was also reserved for Virginia soldiers.  

Top research resources:

1. Kentucky Land Office, Frankfort, KY 
2. County Tax List,  held at Frankfort, KY also reference ancestry.com
3. Preemption Receipts and Warrants from the VA Land Commission from the Library of Virginia, Richmond VA.  
4. Kentucky Land Office Online Database: Virginia and Old Kentucky Patent Series 

For More Information

The process of Warrants to Patents has been simplified in this article. Much deeper understanding of the law is necessary for a successful search. Here are two places to begin:

• The Library of Virginia
• KentuckyLand and Property Family Search Wiki

Kathleen Brandt
Website: a3genealogy.com
a3genelaogy@gmail.com

Accurate Accessible Data

Hidden Historical Records

Tracing Slaves

There are records of slaves dated as early as the settlement of the Americas, but rarely can we trace these ancestors since last names are usually not given. Slaves did not always take their last owners names, and they often changed their names during Reconstruction Era as was permitted by law. Read also Ex-Slave Alias. So where else can you search for hints of your ex-slave ancestor? The answer is early Marriage Records.


Did They Legalize Their Marriages?
Marriage records of recently freed ex-slaves are often tucked under the more commonly researched books. After emancipation, African Americans were to legalize their marriages, slave marriages, commonly jumping over a broom, or by a roaming preacher, was not recognized after the Civil War. (Of course it bought them few rights before the Civil War, sometimes a master allowed them them joint residency).

But after the Civil War,  when the right was granted, many African Americans rushed to get their marriages legalized, but not all. Those who did not legalize their marriage often regretted it. Without the formal civil marriage documents widows attempting to obtain Civil War Pensions of their slave-union were most often denied, even with children in tow and depositions of the slave marriage confirmed.

Freedmen's Bureau of Marriage Records 
Of course there are Freedmen's Bureau of Marriage Records but in Rural America marriages were rarely recorded with the Bureau but at local courthouses. At a3Genealogy we are attempting to capture and index these smaller hidden collections. For more information on the Freedmen's Burea of marriage records visit Sealing the Sacred Bonds of Holy Matrimony Freedmen's Bureau Marriage Records. 

What to Expect
In the Saline County Colored Marriages Book, 1865-1870 not only were the marriages and parties named, but also name of children born under the slave marriage. The bride's surname may be a "hint" to a slave master, but of course more research is needed.

Slave Marriage Book Project

Current Funded Projects
The Slave Marriage Book Project was launched 13 Feb 2013 on Kickstarter to scan, index and e-publish the names listed in the Colored Marriages of Saline County, MO. 1865-1870.

Hope to see you on our sponsor page.

Kathleen Brandt,
a3genealogy.com
Accurate, accessible answers
a3genealogy@gmail.com

Ancestor Disappeared? May Have Traveled Overseas

Consular Records

Did your ancestor travel overseas for work, missionary work, U.S. government work? Was a child of an American citizen born overseas? This occurred frequently with customary long overseas visits. The Department of State records, various records of death notices of US citizens abroad should be scoured for your elusive ancestor.  Don’t dismiss these records as only for those who were naturalized USA citizens and returned to their native land to visit family. Vacationers fell sick, were victims of violence, automobile accidents, or were imprisoned, etc. These records also included deaths that occurred in Canada and the Americas.

What to Expect

In addition to providing genealogical data of family members and kinship, often a passport number is provided. In the case of Spyrus Kansas, Greek born, but naturalized citizen of the USA, the names and addresses of his wife and siblings are provided, along with his passport number and his burial (and re-interment) information with the cause of death.  It even gives information on the family home being attacked by guerilla forces while in Greece. 

Married in Europe

Women were often naturalized by marriage; and travelled on a joint passport. See Passports Applications for Genealogy.  In doing so, American citizens (by marriage) like that of Germaine Jackson’s death states she was a [USA] native by marriage, but born in Paris.  The good news for the researcher is that for clarification, her marriage date, and address of her French family and origin are provided.

Death at Sea

It’s no surprise that many died at sea. There are 333 records of Titanic casualties; limited to the bodies found. Obviously sea voyage continued to the destination, and the deaths were reported to the Dept. of State, upon arrival as was William Morris’s death. Morris of New York was  traveling to Brussels in 1903.

Foreign Death Certificates

Often research leads us to locating a foreign death certificate. Know that foreign death certificates are most often written in the foreign language where the death occurred. For forensic genealogical searches of heir, estates, and dual citizenships, these foreign death certificates are a place to begin your search, but are usually not accepted for USA insurance or estates and may be denied for Dual Citizenship records. (This is only applicable for foreign consulates that still require ancestor death certificates.)   

Foreign Service Post Records

If your ancestor served the USA on an assigned foreign diplomatic or other government post, records can be located in Record Group (RG) 84: Foreign Service Post Records of the US Department of State.  Textural records of the death (plus births and marriages) from 1788-1962 of US citizens may be found in the Records of Diplomatic Posts (RG 84.2) and Records of Consular Posts, RG84.3.

Locating the Records

Although ancestry.com has digitized the Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad, 1835 -1974, researchers must know that the original National Archive death records are archived in four reference collections: 

• Record of Death Notices of United States Citizens Abroad, 1835 – 1855 
• Death Notices of United States Citizens Abroad, 1857 – 1922  
• Death Reports in the State Department Central Decimal File, 1910-1963 
• Reports of the Deaths of American Citizens, 1963-1974

For More Information

Deaths of US Citizens in Foreign Countries. NARA
Travel. State. Gov,Consular Report of Death , Dept. of State

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy.com

a3genealogy.blogspot.com

Confederate Records for Free, Slave, White and Black

Confederate: Chimborazo Hospital, Richmond VA

Confederate Hospital Records

Many Confederate records were destroyed, often on purpose, so when we discover a useful resource for genealogical research of Confederate ancestors, we do a happy dance. Record Group 109, War Department Collection of Confederate Records holds the captured or surrendered “Rebel Archives, ”but it’s the Records of (Confederate) Hospitals, RG 109.8.4, that provides additional information on our individual ancestors that served the Confederacy.

A Good Place To Start

The Confederate Congress passed the “Act to better provide for the sick and wounded of the Army in Hospitals” on 27 September 1862.  However hospital records are dated as early as 1861: Record Group 109.8.4, Records of (Confederate) Hospitals.  Although not complete, you may find your Confederate ancestor listed or named correspondence and documentations included in the Records of the Medical Department, Confederate War Departments, 1861-1865.

  

If your ancestor was hospitalized in the Richmond Virginia area, there were many beds. The records of each of the area hospitals should be checked but the Chimborazo Hospital  in Richmond, VA was the largest, with an 8000 patient capacity; and Winder Hospital, with a capacity of 5000 patients, also in Richmond.

If you find your ancestor in a nearby Confederate Cemetery, be sure to check the records of the closest hospital. For example: the Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery listings has 105 graves listed on Find A Grave, many of the veterans interred here were patients at the Shelby Springs Confederate Hospital.

What to Expect

Besides listings of patients, and officers, the researcher may also find their Civil War Confederate veteran in the collection of hospital musters, lists of medical officers, lists of patients, soldier discharges, and more in Record Group 109.8.1 and Record Group 109.8.2. A bonus, should it be located, is the “Soldier’s Furlough Passes.” These records can be located in RG 109.8.2 Records of Medical Directors.  Again, not complete, but the passes provide the dates of when a solder was furloughed from the hospital and furlough information directed to the soldier.

As for vocabulary on these records, know that muster rolls were personnel lists and records to include the wage amounts.

African American Confederate Ancestors

There are few records that record the black that serviced the Confederate military. However, the collection of medical records gives an account of African Americans that served in a medical facility as a civilian employee. Civilian employees may have been cooks, laundresses, etc. The recording of black Civilian workers varied between medical facilities. Know that not all hospitals recorded their black civilians or slaves. However, if available the African American records can be found in the hospital muster and clothing rolls, 1861-1865, RG 109.8.1. Most of the muster lists provide the employee, the name of owner and the date of service, and type of service. Even slaves who were placed at medical facilities are listed, but only by first name. As usual, to conduct your slave research, a slave master must be known, but they are named on these records.

In Richmond hospitals there are five (5) Confederate volumes targeting the African American workers.  These volumes are not indexed, but available:

• List of colored employees, General Hospital No. 21, 1862-1863 (Vol. 14)
• Lists of employees and accounts for food purchased, Chimborazo Hospital No. 1, 1862-1865 (Vol. 307) 
• Record book, Chimborazo Hospital No. 1, 1862-1865 (Vol. 310)
• Lists of employees, Chimborazo Hospital No. 2, 1862-1865 (Vol. 85)  
• Jackson Hospital, lists of employees, Division Nos. 1-4, 1863-1864 (Vol. 187) 

Locations of Hospitals

A listing of these Confederate States assigned hospitals with salvaged records is below.

Alabama

Fort Morgan Hospital, 1862-64

Ross General Hospital (Mobile), 1861- 65

Shelby Springs General Hospital, 1864-65

Arkansas

Rock Hotel Hospital (Little Rock), 1862-63

Georgia

Walker General Hospital (Columbus), 1864-65

General Hospital No. 1 (Savannah), 1862-64

Additional hospitals at Dalton, 1862-63, and Macon, 1862-65

Kentucky

Bowling Green Hospital, KY, 1861-62

Louisiana

            Shreveport General Hospital, LA, 1864-65

Mississippi

Lauderdale Springs General Hospital, 1862- 63,

Way and Yandell Hospitals (Meridian), 1865

St. Mary's Hospital (West Point), 1864-65

New Mexico

Fort Fillmore, 1861-62

Dona Anna, 1861-62

North Carolina

General Hospital No. 7, 1861-65

Pettigrew Hospital (Raleigh), 1861-65

Military Prison Hospital (Salisbury), 1864-65

General Hospitals No. 4 and 5 (Wilmington) 1862-65

Additional hospitals 1863-65

Charlotte, Fort Fisher, Goldsboro, Greensboro, and Wilson,

Tennessee

 Overton General Hospital, Memphis, TN, 1861-62; 

Texas

General Hospitals at Franklin and El Paso, TX, 1862, and Galveston and Houston, TX, 1861-65

Virginia

General Hospitals No. 1-27, 1861-65

Chimborazo Hospital, 1861-65

 Howard's Grove Hospital, 1862-65

Jackson Hospital, 1861-65

Camp Winder General Hospital, 1861-65

Danville, 1862-65

Orange and Farmville, 1861-65

Petersburg, 1861-65

Williamsburg, 1861-64

Kathleen Brandt

www.a3Genealogy.com

Accurate, accessible answers

US Congressional Serial Set, Part II

Black History Month

Yes it’s black history month, but family researchers with slave ancestors or those descendant of slave masters must tap slave and free-colored records year round. Why? Because these collections hold our history; a great part of the US history. So, here’s the highlight on slave and free-colored research using the U.S. Congressional Serial Set.

Using Serial Set to Research Slaves and Slave Holders

The U.S. Congressional Serial Set, filled with genealogical tips, hints, and treasures, is not getting its fair share of attention by genealogists or other historical researchers. I can’t think of one reason why this free-resource is not being perused on a regular basis. It’s full of what we love – gossip, scandal, court cases and names of both supportive and vile neighbors. It covers topics on women, African Americans, Native Americans, students, soldiers, sailors, pensioners, landowners, and inventors. Is this not the genealogists’ dream?  And as already mentioned – it’s free (with a library card).

If you use the keyword  “slaves” there are 659 occurrences  Some of these documents give us social history and legal proceedings void of ancestors’ names and may be deemed less than helpful to the researcher. But, the collection also includes claims for slaves killed in the military – especially useful if you are stuck in the War of 1812 era, pension appeals, land disputes, and even emancipation information like that of  Jane Hall (above).

Emancipation Papers: Francis Hall and Others.

Maryland slave Jane Hall, born 1799 ran away from her master in 1820 and subsequently was manumitted (as were her heirs) by Alexander Claxton in 1821. (Francis Hall, 55th Congress, 1st Session, Senate, Rpt No. 123).

Pension: Richard Jackson 22 Jul 1890 

Many pensions were settled at the congressional level and the US Serial Set has detailed accounts of the requests, proposals and appeals.  Richard Jackson, a slave and teamster for the Union Army was shot, captured and imprisoned, attempted an escape, shot again. The account is pretty detailed, and it also gives his slave master’s name as Dr. Charles J. Manning. (Serial Set-ID:2815 House of Representatives, Report No 2784, 51^st Congress, 1^st Session).

Land: On the Application of a Cherokee Indian Woman to Sell a Reservation of Land Which Was Made to Her Husband, Who was Adjudged to be a Runaway Slave. 

 A difficult research project is the intermarrying of Native Americans and African Americans residing in the southeast. A report dated 8 Feb 1831 documents Sally Johnson, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation in Jackson County, Alabama married a runaway slave Peter Johnson. Peter was “reclaimed by his master.” The legality of selling of Peter’s 650 acres of reservation land was in question. (Serial Set: A3P033 Publ. land No. 892, 21^st Congress, 2^nd Session). 

Runaway Slave Names: Benjamin Oden; 7 April 1834. 

Slave Frederick ran away from his master, Benjamin Oden in Maryland,1814. He enlisted in the military as alias William Williams and died in 1815.  Military men were entitled to bounty land and the master wanted to claim the bounty land that would have been given to William Williams, as if he were a free man. This one report gave us the name of slave, freeman alias and master. (Serial Set-ID 262; Benjamin Oden, Rep No 392, 23^rd Congress, 1^st Session, House of Representative). 

Accessing the U.S. Congressional Serial Set

If you aren’t familiar with the Serial Set, be sure to read U.S. Congressional Serial Set for Genealogists, Part I. The Serial Set is an online resource available via your local library that subscribes to HeritageQuest Online; and, it’s accessible remotely using your home computer with a library card.

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy.com

Accurate, Accessible Answers