How to Find People From the Civil War
Genealogists rely heavily on oral history when piecing together their family tree. Families may have a family legend or stories about a relative who lived during the Civil War, perhaps even someone who participated in the war. Aside from the wealth of genealogical information that you may gain by tracing a Civil War relative, you will learn about your personal connection to your country's history.
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Instructions
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Interview family members to gather any information that they may have about the person that you wish to find. Interview older family members first. Use a list of suggested interview questions if you prefer to follow a prepared list. Concentrate on ascertaining if the family member has heard any family stories or legends about ancestors who lived during the Civil War period and obtain as much information as possible about that event.
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Look in old family books and albums for evidence of ancestors and information about those people. Check family Bibles, books (look for inscriptions), certificates, journals or diaries, photo albums, family archives, backs of old pictures and any other paper trail that might provide information about the Civil War person. The soldier himself may not have written anything, but his wife and children may have left some written data.
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Look up information on a Civil War history site, such as KidInfo Civil War or Ohio State University's eHistory, if you have reason to believe that your ancestor played an important part in the Civil War. The eHistory site allows you to search for biographies by using an alphabetical search.
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Access the National Park Service's search tool to identify Civil War soldiers. Include as much information about the soldier as you know in the search tool, including his first and last name, unit, state of origin, function and the army (Union or Confederate) in which he fought.
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Access the Civil War Roster Lists. You can find Civil War soldiers through the roster lists of soldiers, organized by states.
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Visit the National Archives Civil War Records. The National Archives Civil War records include compiled military service records and pension records for both Union and Confederate soldiers.
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