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This is a letter from an ancestor of mine, James McGinnis. He was the first eagle bearer of the war eagle “Old Abe” and held that position from September 1, 1861-May 30, 1862. James was from Eau Claire, WI in Company C of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. In it, he details a fight at Fort Henry. The size of this can be increased by going to: https://picasaweb.google.com/1026465...49269219171154
I'm doing research on Missouri and Iowa. My Dad's family was more to the east, but still in the Tennessee area then, but Mom's family had settled there. My one grandfather's father lived in the Missouri county which would have been dead center in the invasion route of Iowa troops as they entered the guerilla war that was the civil war in Missouri. They left the state as refugees and returned afterwards, though never went back to the same place. My other grandmother has a family story of being burned out of home as a child during the war. Still hoping to find out where she was born for sure since all the family tales match somewhere mid open warfare in Missouri. An uncle on her side was a drummer boy for a confederate unit. Someone in the family still has his drum.
It has made reading about the war in Missouri far different in a personal way knowing that some of my genes trace back to then. My mom told me there were stories of hiding out the James boys later after the war as well because they hated the railroads so much. Ironically my great grandfather worked in some high level job for Union Pacific.
I can go back to a convict transport in 1719 as well and two brothers who founded part of the family in due time after being given their freedom. I've been researching the whole largely unknown topic of indendtured servants since then. I'd like to know what sort of world early 1800's Kentucky was since both sides of the family stopped off there at the time too. I'd like to know what sort of world made my ancestors and how its in part made me.
Your answer is going to be NO for the most part.
There are a great number of reasons for this.
. Women at the time if the Civil war lost husbands, and remarried to others, also at this time, many women walked away from the life they had and changed their names so they could start over.
. Many people do not or have not kept track of where they came from
. This does not take in to the number of people who did not take part in the war or tried to stay away or out of it.
. The number of records that have been lost over time
. Men spreading their "seed" as they went (children born with no last name or idea who their real father is/was)
. and on and on and on...
This is not to say that a large number/most people did not have some member of their family in the war or on both sides of the war.
Just that it is very hard to trace ancestry back that far and have it be the truth.
My 2 cent and worth just as much
History channel did a great show on this topic I think it was last year. Might want to check and see if there is anyway to get a copy or even a print out about the show ( Library is a great place for this type of media also)
Actually if you only go back to the Civil War, there are a LOT of records out there if you want to look. State records as well. If you want to find out bad enough, you can.
As for loyalties, if your family is from the border states, there is a good chance they took both sides or possibly refugeed out of a burning farm and perhaps went north (regardless of side, you run away from the armies) and never went back.
. This does not take in to the number of people who did not take part in the war or tried to stay away or out of it.
The topic title asked if most Americans can trace their ancestry to the Civil War ERA, not necessarily to having been involved in the Civil War.
Given that the 1850 and 1860 census lists the full household, I typically find most people can trace several of their branches back to this point. I've noticed a LOT of people who find dead ends in the late 18th century and early 19th century because of this. They find their ancestors on the 1850 census which dates the oldest living ancestors to having been born anywhere between roughly 1780 to 1830 and that's where their trail ends. This is very common. If you put the effort into it, it's generally not that difficult to trace back to the mid 1800s on at least a few branches. It's when you start getting into colonial times that it becomes much more difficult.
You would have to have ancestors who were of a certain age during that era. If they were too old or too young, they could have missed it.
I would say that would depend entirely on where. A state with no war? Maybe if you were very small. But maybe a father would be missing form the family. Older? You'd certainly know of the war and of those who left and would never come home at the least.
In the south, certainly, even small children. Life got lean and hungry there, even for little kids. And eventually you stood a chance of running into armied directly.
Border states like Kansas and Missouri were in a virtual state of guerilla warfare and many were displaced. Regugees and refugee camps were numerous, along with civilian to civilian violence. My family was one of many who chose to leave the state during the war.
If you mean to enlist and fight, perhaps, but it is considered by many historians to be the first modern total war where much of the methodoligy was aimed at civilians (even indirectly) and thus if war was being fought near you it would inevitable touch your life.
i cant trace mine bek people lie a great deal. much better to do DNA testing. works for me. i dont know how i got here but i know where i came from. yeah yeah i know the mayflower that is what they tell u so u will repeat it at school.
I just don't know for a fact but I have a cousin into tracing family history. If it is true she turned up some amazing things all the way back to Europe. She once told me we were related to a king who had been out sowing wild oats and we are related to the wild oats.
Excluding those whose ancestors immigrated since then, of course. Many Yankees with Confederate ancestors or vice versa?
I have gotten as far as 1860 on Grandpa's side and roughly 1928 on Grandma's side. I'm having a bit of trouble with Grandma's side since she came from Germany and I have not been able to find anything except the passenger list from the ship she came to Ellis Island on that left Berlin.
I have tons of relatives that I can trace back to the civil war. Most served in Ohio regiments. A few were in Ma regiments.
John F Kempton. I have this piece from his bio
ON Sept. 25, 1863, he enlisted in Co. D, 25th [sic 20th] O. V. I., and served three years [2 years, 8 months, 7days], during which time he was engaged in some of the severest contests of the war, such as the battles of Shiloh, Vicksburg, Jackson, Miss., Black River, Raymond, Baldwin Station, Champion Hills, Kenesaw Mountain and the siege of Atlanta, where the company was taken prisoners, only Dr. Speaker and Mr. Kempton escaped, by breaking through the lines; took part in forty-one engagements; was discharged May 30, 1865, at Washington. He then returned home.
I have another direct descendant, who, along with his son worked in a Union Hospital.
There is also my 3rd Gr Grandfather William Elsey who died at the battle of Chickamauga. My 3rd Gr Grandmother was his second wife. IN the 1860 census they all lived together, including his kids from his first marriage and my GGGrandmother Mattie. IN the 1870 census the kids from the first marriage were gone and my GGGRndmother had her mother living with her. I wonder what happened with the older kids
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