Researching Your Civil War Carolinian

Jordan JonesE-mail : [email protected]

Web: genealogymedia.comTwitter: @ genealogymedia

NGS Family History ConferenceRaleigh, North Carolina, 2017

Session S -445; Syl labus p. 613

Researching Your Civil War Carolinian

mailto:[email protected]

Please Be Courteous

© 2017 GenealogyMedia.com

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Turn off any noise-making ringers on devices.

Use phones, tablets, and computers only for personal notes or brief social media posts.

Do not take photos of slides.

Photos during the session are only by prior written permission. Photographing or recording any part of this session is a violation of my copyright.

I will post all of my slides at www.genealogymedia.com/talks

http://www.genealogymedia.com/talks

About References


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References are brief in these slides.

Detailed references are available in the expanded syllabus, available for free online at http://www.genealogymedia.com/talks

References in both the NGS syllabus and in the slides are numerically coded to the references in the online syllabus with numbers in square brackets, thus: [ ].

http://www.genealogymedia.com/talks

A B R I E F H I S T O R Y . . .

The Carolinas in the Civil War

“Manifest Destiny” Clashes with “The Peculiar Institution”


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29 Dec 1845—Annexation of Texas completed

1846–1848—Mexican-American War

1846–1848—Wilmot Proviso proposes to outlaw slavery in the lands taken from Mexico

1850—Compromise of 1850: Popular sovereignty

1855–1856—“Bleeding Kansas”

16 Oct 1859—John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry

6 Nov 1860—US Presidential Election

Electoral votes from the Carolinas go to John C. Breckinridge, who supported extending slavery to the western territories.

March to Secession


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6 Nov 1860—Lincoln elected

20 Dec 1860—South Carolina secedes

9 Jan 1861—Mississippi secedes

10 Jan 1861—Florida secedes

11 Jan 1861—Alabama secedes

19 Jan 1861—Georgia secedes

26 Jan 1861—Louisiana secedes

9 Feb 1861—Confederate States of America formed

1–23 Feb 1861—Texas secedes

March to Secession


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4 Mar 1861—Lincoln inaugurated

12–13 Apr 1861—Battle of Fort Sumter, SC

15 Apr 1861—President Lincoln calls for 75,000 troops from the states to suppress the rebellion

17 Apr 1861—Virginia secedes

6 May 1861—Arkansas secedes

20 May 1861—North Carolina secedes

8 Jun 1861—Tennessee secedes

Secession


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Dark Red Seceded Before Fort Sumter

Light Red Seceded After Fort Sumter

Yellow Slave-Holding Union

Blue Union

Gray Territories

Major Civil War Events in NC and SC


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7 Nov 1861—The Battle of Port Royal, SC. Largest naval assault of the war; 12,000 Union troops land.

Apr 1862—Order freeing slaves on SC Sea Islands.

Late 1862—Mitchelville, a town for freed slaves on Hilton Head Island, SC, established.

1863—First attempt at a post-slavery social order, “contraband camp” on Roanoke Island, NC

17 Feb 1865—Much of Columbia, SC destroyed by fire while under occupation by Gen. Sherman

26 Apr 1865—Largest troop surrender of the war, 89,270 soldiers, Benton Place farm, Durham, NC

A S T E P - B Y - S T E P G U I D E

Finding Your Carolinian Civil War Ancestor


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A Step-by-Step Guide


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Step 1—Prepare

Step 2—Begin your search

Step 3—Perform a preliminary search in rosters

Step 4—Search for compiled military service and pension records

Step 5—Search for other records of wartime service

D O Y O U R H O M E W O R K …

Step 1—Prepare


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At Home

The more you can learn about the war and its records, and understand about your ancestor—whether a soldier or not—the easier it will be to focus your research.

a) Gather information already obtained about yourCivil War–era ancestors

• Family lore and stories

• Family documents

• The family Bible

• The results of the research you have already conducted


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Learn About the War

b) Learn about the war:

• Battles

• Political events

• Read a basic history of the Civil War, such as:

• McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom [11]

• Consult reference works, such as:

• The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference[15]

• Everette B. Long’s Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac, 1861–1865. [95]


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The Ultimate Military Reference: The OR

War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. [96]

The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies. [97]


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Learn About the Records

c) Learn about the records created by the war and the emancipation:


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• USA and CSA Records

• Draft, bounty, and enlistment records

• Compiled military service records

• Regimental records

• Adjutant General’s records (USA and CSA)

• POW records

• Amnesty records

• Hospital records

• Pension Records (USA and state)

• Soldier’s home records (USA and state)

• Freedmen’s Bureau records

Ask Yourself Some Basic Questions

• Was your ancestor in the military?

• Did he or she provide material aid or services to the military?

• Was he Union or Confederate?

• From which state?

• Was he volunteer or regular?


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• Army, Navy, Marines?

• Was he a prisoner?

• In the state militia? home guard?

• Was he a prisoner?

• Did he switch sides?

• Did he desert?

• Was he hospitalized?

• Was he disabled?

• Did he survive?

A S W I T H A N Y G E N E A L O G I C A L P R O J E C T , P R O C E E D F R O M T H E K N O W N

T O T H E U N K N O W N …

Step 2—Begin Your Search


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Get the Death Certificate

North Carolina started recording deaths in 1913.

Ancestry [23] or FamilySearch [24–25]

South Carolina started recording deaths in 1915.

Ancestry [26–27] SC Dept. of Health [28]


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“Confederate Veteran”


20

“Confederate Veteran” on the line for the name

Death Certificate: S. E. Younts


21

Raleigh, N.C. Soldiers Home

S. E. Younts [Isaiah L. Younts]

Check the 1910 Census [29]

30. Whether a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy


22

Unfortunately, this field is often blank or confusing, with

additional notations, as well as lax compliance.

Isaiah Younts, 1910 Census


23

Isaiah YountsNo mention of his service

or anyone else’s

Check the 1890 Census Veterans Schedule

Intended to enumerate Union veterans and widows

Includes some Confederate veterans and widows.

• This is more common outside the South, where enumerators may have assumed that any veteran was a Union veteran.

• Many of these entries are crossed out, but legible.

Some of the 1890 Veterans Schedule is lost; the schedules for part of Kentucky, and the states after Kentucky in the alphabet exist, as well as some other incomplete schedules.


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Extant 1890 Veterans Census Records

Part of Kentucky–Wyoming, and the following:

• Lincoln Post #3, Washington, DC

• California (Alcatraz)

• Connecticut (Fort Trumbull, Hartford County Hospital, and U.S. Naval Station)

• Delaware (Delaware State Hospital for the Insane)

• Florida (Fort Barrancas and St. Francis Barracks)

• Idaho (Boise Barracks and Fort Sherman)

• Illinois (Cook County and Henderson County)

• Indiana (Warrick County and White County)

• Kansas (Barton County)


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An 1890 Census Veteran Schedule Example


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Name: John T. Ross

Rank: Private

Company: D

Regiment: Dist. Col. Vol., 2nd Reg

Enlistment: July 1, 1862

Discharge: July 1, 1865, Length of Service: 3 years

Post-Office: Raleigh, N.C.

Disability Incurred: Cold Settled on Kidneys from sickness incurred AD

1863

Check the 1870 Census

Especially important for African-Americans, who may not have been listed in previous census records.


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Dwelling 1207, Family 1217, Bryan, Adam, 31, Male, Black, Farmer, value of real estate owned $850, cannot read or write, male citizen over 21

Check the 1860 Census

Josiah [Isaiah] L. Younts, Davidson County


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C A N Y O U Q U I C K L Y D E T E R M I N E W H E T H E R Y O U R A N C E S T O R W A S I N T H E M I L I T A R Y ,

A N D , I F S O , W H A T U N I T ?

Step 3—Perform a Preliminary Search in Rosters


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Search the “Soldiers and Sailors System” [34]

Soldiers: The database for soldiers is fairly complete.

Sailors: Funding has only allowed for adding the 18,000 African-American Union sailors.

• The rest of the sailors, Union and Confederate, are not yet listed.

• “The current sailors’ list is the product of a team of researchers from Howard University … working with a Historian’s Steering Committee representing Howard, the Naval Historical Center, the National Park Service, and academic experts.”


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Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System


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Given Name: Isaiah L.Surname: Younts Battle Unit: 48th NC InfantrySide: Confederate State: North Carolina

M230, Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of North Carolina.

NC-Born African-American Sailors


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933

John Albain, Aged 13, Born NC


33

Bryan Adam, Aged 20, Born SC


34

North Carolina Rosters

John W. Moore’s 4-volume Roster of North Carolina Troops in the War Between the States [35]

Lists 104,498 (approximately 70% of the total number) Confederate North Carolina Troops.

Organized numerically by regiment.

Did not include an index.

Available at the North Carolina Archives, re-organized in a card catalog format, free; and online (Ancestry, paid)

North Carolina Troops, 1861–1865: A Roster. (17 vols.) [36]


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“Israel” Younts in Moore’s Register [3]


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Israel [Isaiah] L. Younts, enlisted August 8th, [18]62,

Davidson Co. [Listed under Company B, 48th Reg’t]

South Carolina Rosters

Record of the Confederate Historian [37]

South Carolina Troops in Confederate Service [38]


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South Carolina Troops in Confederate Service


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N A R A — “ L A I D S I D E T O S I D E , P A G E S I N O U R H O L D I N G S

W O U L D C I R C L E T H E E A R T H O V E R 5 7 T I M E S ! ”

Step 4—Search for Compiled Military Service & Pension Records


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Civil War Records in the National Archives

1. Compiled Military Service Records (U|C)

2. Pensions (U only; C with states)

3. Record of Events (U|C)

4. Prisoner of War Records (U|C)

5. Soldier’s Home Records (U only; C with states)

6. Congressional Pardons

7. Confederate Papers Relating to Citizen or Business Firms

8. Internal Revenue Assessment Lists

9. Many, many more© 2017 GenealogyMedia.com

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C A R D E D A N D A M A Z I N G L Y C O M P L E T E , E S P E C I A L L Y F O R U N I O N S O L D I E R S

4.1—Compiled Military Service Records (CMSRs) at NARA


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Compiled Military Service Records (CMSRs)

Compiled Military Service Records exist for “volunteer” Union (RG 94) and Confederate soldiers (RG 109)

• “The War Department compiled the CMSRs from the original muster rolls and other records some years after the war to permit more rapid and efficient checking of military and medical records in connection with claims for pensions and other veterans’ benefits.” [59]

• The CMSRs of Confederates “consist of cards on which the War Department … recorded information abstracted from Union pension and parole records, and from captured and other surviving Confederate records.” [55, p. 144]


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CMSRs—Union, North and South Carolina

RG 94—Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, includes records that have been published on microfilm as follows:

• M589—Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served With U.S. Colored Troops. 98 rolls.

• M1017—Compiled Service Records of Former Confederate Soldiers who Served in the 1st Through 6th U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments, 1864–1866. 65 rolls.


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CMSRs—Union, North Carolina


• M391—Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of North Carolina. 2 rolls.

• M401—Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of North Carolina. 25 rolls.


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CMSRs—Union, South Carolina


• M1819—Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served With the United States Colored Troops: 1st U.S. Colored Infantry, 1st South Carolina Volunteers. 19 rolls.


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Galvanized Yankees


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6,000 Confederate POWs joined the Union army and served mainly in the West fighting frontier wars with the Indians while the rest of the Army was otherwise occupied. “US Volunteers”

“I, James Vick born in Nash County in the State of North Carolina, and by occupation a Farmer …

“Sworn and signed to, at Point Lookout [Prison Camp for Confederates, Maryland] …

“1st Regiment of US Volunteers …”

CMSRs—Confederate, North and South Carolina

RG 109—War Department Collection of Confederate Records

• M253A–C—Consolidated Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers. 535 rolls.

• M331—Compiled Service Records of Confederate General and Staff Officers, and Non-Regimental Enlisted Men. 275 rolls.

• M1781—Muster Rolls and Lists of Confederate Troops Paroled in North Carolina. 7 rolls.


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CMSRs—Confederate, North Carolina


• M230—Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of North Carolina. 43 rolls.

• M270A–C—Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of North Carolina. 580 rolls.


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CMSRs—Confederate, South Carolina


• M381—Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of South Carolina. 35 rolls.

• M267A–B—Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of South Carolina. 392 rolls.


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Isaiah L. Younts’ CMSR from M270


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U N I O N V E T E R A N S A N D D E P E N D E N T S O N L Y

4.2—Pensions at NARA


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Union Pensions

“The pension file will often contain more information about what the soldier did during the war than the CMSR, and it may contain much medical information if he lived for a number of years afterwards.” [17]


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Dependents

“To obtain a widow’s pension, the widow had to provide proof of marriage, such as a copy of the record kept by county officials, or by affidavit from the minister or some other person. Applications on behalf of the soldier’s minor children had to supply both proof of the soldier’s marriage and proof of the children’s birth.”


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John Ross, who we found in Raleigh in 1890


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A US Colored Troops Infantryman from NC


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A North Carolina Mounted Infantryman


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Pension Records—A Genealogical Gold Mine

This is a complete lecture all of its own

Suffice to say that pension records can be the most valuable records of a military ancestor

They often include testimony from neighbors and fellow soldiers.

They often include marriage records and lists of children and their birth dates.

Search for all of the pension records for the other soldiers in your ancestors’ unit. They may include references to your soldier.


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State Pensions for Confederates

Confederates could apply for pensions in the former states of the CSA, as well as some border states. Depending on state laws, they might not have needed to serve from that state.


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Missouri

North Carolina

Oklahoma

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

Alabama

Arkansas

Florida

Georgia

Kentucky

Louisiana

Mississippi

T H E N A T I O N A L A R C H I V E S , T H E L I B R A R Y O F C O N G R E S S ,

S T A T E A R C H I V E S , A N D O T H E R R E P O S I T O R I E S

5—Search for Other Records of Wartime Service


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T H E N A T I O N A L A R C H I V E S :

M U C H M O R E T H A N J U S T C O M P I L E D M I L I T A R Y S E R V I C E R E C O R D S

A N D P E N S I O N S

5.1—NARA Beyond CMSRs and Pension Records


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Civil War Records in the National Archives

1. Compiled Military Service Records (U|C)

2. Pensions (U only; C with states)

3. Record of Events (U|C)

4. Prisoner of War Records (U|C)

5. Soldier’s Home Records (U only; C with states)

6. Congressional Pardons

7. Confederate Papers Relating to Citizen or Business Firms

8. Internal Revenue Assessment Lists

9. Many, many more© 2017 GenealogyMedia.com

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Guides to Records in the National Archives

Anne Bruner Eales and Robert M. Kvasnicka, Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States [55]

Michael P. Musick, “Civil War Records: An Introduction and Invitation” [57]

Trevor Plante, Military Service Records at the National Archives. Reference Information Paper 109 [61]


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NARA Web Pages for Civil War Research

“Civil War Records” https://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war [59]

National Archives Catalog Archival Research Catalog https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog

Microfilm https://www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm-catalogs.html


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https://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war

https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog

https://www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm-catalogs.html

NARA Record Groups for Civil War Research

RG 15—Records of the Veterans Administration (includes Union pensions)

RG 92—Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General

RG 94—Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s-1917 (includes Union CMSRs)

RG 109—War Department Collection of Confederate Records (includes Confederate CMSRs)

RG 110—Records of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau (Civil War) (Military police)

RG 249—Records of the Commissary General of Prisoners


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S C R A T C H I N G T H E S U R F A C E …

5.2—Library of Congress


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Library of Congress

Library of Congress—www.loc.gov

American Memory—http://memory.loc.gov/ [63]• Hotchkiss Map Collection (Confederate Army Maps)—

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/maps/hotchkiss/

• Slave Narratives—http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html[64]

• Civil War Maps—From the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division, the Virginia Historical Society, and the Library of Virginia http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/civil_war_maps/ [66]

Library of Congress—Civil War Manuscripts (PDF) http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20040324001cw.1


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http://www.loc.gov/

http://memory.loc.gov/

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/maps/hotchkiss/

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/civil_war_maps/

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.20040324001cw.1

W H A T I S A V A I L A B L E I N R A L E I G H

5.3—North Carolina State Archives


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Guides to Records in the NC Archives

Guide to Civil War Records in the North Carolina State Archives. [70]

Guide to Private Manuscript Collections in the North Carolina State Archives. [73]

Guide to Research in the North Carolina State Archives: County Records. [71]


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NC Archives Web Pages for Civil War Research

Civil War Collection, 1860–1965, North Carolina State Archives, 92 boxes, plus maps http://www.archives.ncdcr.gov/ead/eadxml/mil_civ_war.xml

Circular 4: Civil War Records in the North Carolina State Archives http://www.archives.ncdcr.gov/FindingAids/Circulars/AIC4.pdf [21]

MARS (Manuscript and Archives Record System) http://mars.archives.ncdcr.gov/


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http://www.archives.ncdcr.gov/ead/eadxml/mil_civ_war.xml

http://www.archives.ncdcr.gov/FindingAids/Circulars/AIC4.pdf

http://mars.archives.ncdcr.gov/

North Carolina Roll of Honor

“In accordance with a resolution of the General Assembly on December 20, 1862, a ‘Roll of Honor’ was compiled to record the names of North Carolina’s Confederate troops who served during the war years…. Nine volumes were completed before the project was abandoned in 1864.

“Partial rolls exist for the lst-40th, 42nd-57th, and 61st

Regiments and for the lst and 2nd Battalions. No other rolls are known.” [21]


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The Civil War Collection

This “artificial collection” includes:

Petitions for Presidential Pardon, 1869–1868

Bounty Payrolls, 1862–1864

Miscellaneous Quartermaster Department Records, 1860–1865

Muster Rolls and Pay Records by Regiment and Unit, 1861–1865

Personal reminiscences, memoirs, essays, scrapbooks, and other miscellaneous records. [21]


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North Carolina State Pensions

North Carolina had two pension laws, enacted in 1885 and 1901.

The State Archives has records of applications for pensions:

• Applications for Pensions under the Act of 1885

• Applications for Pensions under the Act of 1901

• Indices to both collections are available in the Archives Search Room and online through MARS (Manuscript and Archives Reference System) at http://mars.archives.ncdcr.gov/


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http://mars.archives.ncdcr.gov/

The North Carolina Pension Laws

Pension applications were usually completed in the county courthouse.

At first, North Carolina gave pensions only to indigent veterans and widows. In later years, however, all Confederate veterans and widows became eligible for compensation.

Pensioners usually served in a North Carolina unit, but there were pensions granted for service in other states forces.

North Carolina did not give pensions to Union veterans or widows.


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North Carolina Pension Applications

The information included varies somewhat from county to county, but usually included:

• Date of application

• Soldier’s name

• Age

• Company and Regiment

• Date of enlistment

• Date and circumstances of wounds

• Nature and extent of disability, and

• An oath of eligibility under the pension act


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North Carolina Soldiers’ Home

Records of the North Carolina Soldiers’ Home Association (in the Records of the State Auditor), 1891–1938

• AUD.7.3–7.4–SHA: Inmates Roll Book and Register

• AUD.7.8–SHA: Hospital—Record of Patients

• AUD.7.9–7.10–SHA: Hospital Registers


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Conscript Substitute Record


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Deposition Supporting an Age Deferment


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This day personally came before me …Catharine Weaver aged Eighty one or two years who after being sworn deposesand says that she was aquainted (sic) with Alexander Hill and has known him from infancy he is fifty one years and Eight months old I know this from they age of my son Peter which is recorded which record show that my son Peter is fifty one years old and well remember that Alexander Hill was born Eight or ten months old when my son Peter was born I was well acquainted with A. Hill Father and Mother as they lived about one mile from where we live ….

Bounty Payrolls


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Isaiah L. Younts in the Bounty Payroll


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AUD.7.3—Soldiers’ Home Association: Inmates Roll Book and Register


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AUD.7.4—Soldiers’ Home Association Register, 1911-1919


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AUD.7.8—Hospital, Record of Patients, 1908-1916, p. 291


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AUD.7.8—Hospital, Record of Patients, 1908-1916, p. 143


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Name Mr. I. L. Younts Age 67 [In another hand:] R. C. YountsCo. DavidsonWife Mrs. S. E. Younts 610 11th Ave. S.E. Roanoke, V.A.Admitted Sept. 10th 1911DischargedDeath April 2. 1912 1020 a.m. Age 68Denom

Wifes address. Mrs. S E Younts, Thomasville, NC

Brought one change of underware

Daughter Mrs. H. E. Meyers.R.F.D. Route 3Thomasville, NC

Wife Mrs S. E. Younts6-10-11th S.E. [S.E. crossed out] Ave. S.E.

Roanoke, V.A.

AUD.7.9—Soldier’s Home Association Hospital Register 1911-1919


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U N C C H A P E L H I L L , D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y , N O R T H C A R O L I N A S T A T E L I B R A R Y ,

E C U J O Y N E R L I B R A R Y ,

O L I V I A R A N E Y L O C A L H I S T O R Y L I B R A R Y

5.4—Other North Carolina Repositories


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UNC Chapel Hill Special Collections

Louis Round Wilson Collection—MSS http://www.lib.unc.edu/wilson/index.html

North Carolina Collection http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/

North Carolina Civil War Image Portfolio -http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/pcoll/civilwar/index.html

Search the MSS site: http://www.lib.unc.edu/search/mss.html


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http://www.lib.unc.edu/wilson/index.html

http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/

http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/pcoll/civilwar/index.html

http://www.lib.unc.edu/search/mss.html

Duke University Special Collections

How to Find Special Collections Materials (at Duke University) http://library.duke.edu/research/finding/speccoll.html

John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/franklin/

Sallie Bingham Center for for Women’s History and Culture http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/bingham/

Women and the Civil War http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/bingham/guides/civilwar.html

Retrieving African-American Women’s History http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/bingham/guides/retrieve/index.html


87

http://library.duke.edu/research/finding/speccoll.html

http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/franklin/

http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/bingham/

http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/bingham/guides/civilwar.html

http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/bingham/guides/retrieve/index.html

Other Important Libraries

North Carolina State Library, Raleigh

• http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ghl/genealogy

• North Carolina State Library’s list of NC libraries on the web: http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ld/about-libraries/library-directory

ECU Joyner Library, ECU, Greenville http://www.ecu.edu/lib/. Special collections include:

• East Carolina Manuscript Collection

• Military

• Naval and Maritime, and

• North Carolina

Olivia Raney Local History Library, Raleigh http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/locations/orl/


88

http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ghl/genealogy

http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ld/about-libraries/library-directory

http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/locations/orl/

W H A T I S A V A I L A B L E I N C O L U M B I A

5.5—South Carolina State Archives


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Guides to Records in the SC Archives

Guide to Civil War Records: A Guide to the Records in the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. [83]

“Confederate Military Records” http://archives.sc.gov/resources/militaryrecords/Documents/Confederate%20Military%20Records.pdf[84]

Artificial Limbs for Confederate Soldiers [82]


90

http://archives.sc.gov/resources/militaryrecords/Documents/Confederate Military Records.pdf



SC Archives Resources for Civil War Research

Records of Confederate Veterans 1909–1973

Criminal Court Records

Legislative Papers 1782–1866

Records of the Confederate States District Court for South Carolina

Records of the Confederate States Admiralty Court

Pension applications 1919–1925

Artificial Limb Applications and Vouchers, 1879–1899

Confederate Home and Infirmary Applications


91

South Carolina State Pensions

South Carolina had four pension laws, enacted in 1887, 1896, 1900, and 1919

The State Archives has records of applications for pensions:

• Pension applications 1919–1925

• Few pre-1919 pensions survive, but there are county lists of pensioners

• An index is available at http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/

• This index includes other records covering South Carolina Confederates from 1909–1973

• Select “Record Group: Records of Confederate Veterans, 1909–1973” and “Document: Pension Application”


92

http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/

A South Carolina Widow’s Pension Application


93

A South Carolina Widow’s Pension Application


94

“I am the widow of John David Gaskin who enlisted in company G Regiment of the 7th S.C. I[nfantry] Battalion of ___, Captain Wm. Clyburn, on the 3 day of April 1862…. He was discharged from the service at Appomattox on the 9 day of April 1865 …

“I was born 9 day of Mch 1852. I was married to him 28 day of May 1881. My husband did not desert the service of the Confederate States nor of this State. My husband dies on the 4 day of Dec 1909.”

The South Carolina Pension Laws

Pension applications were usually completed in the county courthouse.

At first, South Carolina gave pensions only to disabled veterans and widows. In later years, however, financially needy Confederate veterans and widows became eligible for compensation.

Pensioners usually served in a South Carolina unit, but there were pensions granted for service in other states forces.

South Carolina did not give pensions to Union veterans or widows.


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South Carolina Pension Applications

The information included varies somewhat from county to county, and over time, but included:

• Date of application

• Soldier’s name

• Age

• Company and Regiment

• Date of enlistment

• Date and circumstances of wounds

• Nature and extent of disability, and

• An oath of eligibility under the pension act

• Date of marriage and wife’s birth date


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Artificial Limb Applications

South Carolina had five artificial limb programs to provide artificial limbs or cash to Confederate amputees between 1866 and 1907.

Records exist for Artificial Limb Applications and Vouchers, 1879-1899.


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Confederate Home & Infirmary Applications

South Carolina opened the Confederate Home and Infirmary in Columbia in 1909 to house two infirm and destitute veterans from each county.

Widows and wives were admitted beginning in 1925.

Sisters, daughters, and nieces were admitted in later years.

The home was closed in 1958.


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Confederate Home & Infirmary Applications

The applications provide

• name

• age

• residence

• occupation

• relationship (if female)

• unit

• dates of service

• name of closest relative

Inmate registers may also provide medical history and date of death


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S O U T H C A R O L I N I A N A L I B R A R Y , S O U T H C A R O L I N A H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y ,

S O U T H C A R O L I N A D I G I T A L L I B R A R Y ,

L O W C O U N T Y D I G I T A L L I B R A R Y

Other South Carolina Archival Sources


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South Caroliniana Library

Many small, but potentially valuable collections of manuscripts, including:

Confederate Hospitals in South Carolina Research Files, 1861–1991 [85] http://library.sc.edu/socar/mnscrpts/csahsptl.html

Bessie Lee Garvin Genealogical Collection [86] http://library.sc.edu/socar/mnscrpts/garvin.html

Louise Kelly Crowder Genealogical Collection [87] http://library.sc.edu/socar/mnscrpts/crowder.html


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http://library.sc.edu/socar/mnscrpts/csahsptl.html

http://library.sc.edu/socar/mnscrpts/garvin.html

http://library.sc.edu/socar/mnscrpts/crowder.html

South Carolina Historical Society

Selected Resources for tracing African American History at the South Carolina Historical Society schistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/African-American-History-research-guide_2011.pdf [88]

Records of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, C.S.A., 1861-1865 schistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/CSA-Records-1043.00.pdf [89]

And many other collections of manuscripts and family papers


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http://schistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/African-American-History-research-guide_2011.pdf

http://schistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/CSA-Records-1043.00.pdf

South Carolina Digital Library

Charleston Firefighters Rosters, 1862–1864, rosters of free men of color who comprised fire companies in Charleston scmemory.org/collection/charleston-firefighters-rosters-1862-1864/ [90]

Columbia, SC City Directories 1859 scmemory.org/collection/columbia-sc-city-directories-1859-2/ [91]

Rare Books And Special Collections Pamphlet Collection scmemory.org/collection/rare-books-and-special-collections-pamphlet-collection/ [92]

And many other collections of manuscripts and family papers


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http://scmemory.org/collection/charleston-firefighters-rosters-1862-1864/

http://scmemory.org/collection/columbia-sc-city-directories-1859-2/

http://scmemory.org/collection/rare-books-and-special-collections-pamphlet-collection/

Two Exceptional Online-Only Resources

Low Country Digital Library lcdl.library.cofc.edu [93]

Digital resources from a number of participating institutions covering the “Lowcountry region of South Carolina and historically interconnected sites in the Atlantic World”

Low Country Africana www.lowcountryafricana.com [94]

Focuses on African-American genealogy research in the low country of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida


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http://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/

http://www.lowcountryafricana.com/

Bennett Place, circa 1904


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Site of the

Agreement

Leading to the

Largest Surrender

of Troops In the

Civil War.

Durham, NC.

(Library of

Congress)

Confederate Veterans Reunion, 1908 or 1909 North Carolina Collection UNC

Questions?

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Jordan Jones

[email protected]

These s l ides, and the handout, are avai lable at :

http://www.genealogymedia.com/talks/


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Contact

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.genealogymedia.com/talks/

Researching Your Civil War Carolinian

Education

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