Let’s Start at the Very Beginning With Civil War Research – Part 2
Yesterday I shared a few ideas to begin your research on your Civil War ancestor. I have a couple more tips I thought might help you. Now that you’ve gathered some names of potential Civil War veterans, you’ll want to find which regiment they served with and their enlistment dates. Make your first research stop the 1860 US Federal Census. There you’ll find the location of ancestors in 1860. Knowing where they lived gives you the opportunity to research regiments raised in that area. With the war starting just months after the census was taken chances are your ancestor joined a regiment from the area in which he lived. Make sure you take a look at the National Park System’s Civil War Soldiers and Sailors free online database. You can find it at https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm Also check the standard online databases like FamilySearch, Ancestry, Find My Past, My Heritage, Fold3, etc. Remember, if you don’t have a subscription check your local library or Family History Center. They provide limited versions of some of these online resources to patrons free of charge either at their physical location or online. Another point on your research checklist should be the Special Enumeration of Union […]