Researching Your Civil War Carolinian

Jordan Jones
E-mail: jordan@genealogymedia.com
Web: genealogymedia.com
Twitter: @genealogymedia
NGS Family History Conference
Raleigh, North Carolina, 2017
Session S-445; Syllabus p. 613
Researching Your
Civil War Carolinian

Please Be Courteous
© 2017 GenealogyMedia.com
2
 Turn off any noise-making ringers on devices.
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 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

About References
3
 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: [ ].

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”
5
 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
6
 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
7
 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
8
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
9
 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
10

A Step-by-Step Guide
11
 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
12

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 your
Civil War–era ancestors
• Family lore and stories
• Family documents
• The family Bible
• The results of the research you have already conducted
13

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]
14

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]
15

Learn About the Records
c) Learn about the records created by the war and the
emancipation:
16
• 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?
17
• 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
18

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]
19

“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 Younts
No 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.
24

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)
25

An 1890 Census Veteran Schedule Example
26
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.
27
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
28

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
29

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.”
30

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
31
Given Name: Isaiah L.
Surname: Younts
Battle Unit: 48th NC Infantry
Side: 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
32
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]
35

“Israel” Younts in Moore’s Register [3]
36
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]
37

South Carolina Troops in Confederate Service
38

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
39

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
40

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
41

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]
42

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.
43

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.
44

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.
45

Galvanized Yankees
46
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.
47

CMSRs—Confederate, North Carolina
Records
• 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.
48

CMSRs—Confederate, South Carolina
Records
• 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.
49

Isaiah L. Younts’ CMSR from M270
50

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
51

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]
52

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.”
53

John Ross, who we found in Raleigh in 1890
54

A US Colored Troops Infantryman from NC
55

A North Carolina Mounted Infantryman
56

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.
57

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.
58
 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
59

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
60

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
61

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]
62

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
63

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)
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
64

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
65

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
66

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
67

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]
68

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/Circula
rs/AIC4.pdf [21]
 MARS (Manuscript and Archives Record System)
http://mars.archives.ncdcr.gov/
69

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]
70

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]
71

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/
72

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.
73

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
74

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
75

Conscript Substitute Record
76

Deposition Supporting an Age Deferment
77
This day personally came before me …
Catharine Weaver aged Eighty one or
two years who after being sworn deposes
and 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
78

Isaiah L. Younts in the Bounty Payroll
79

AUD.7.3—Soldiers’ Home Association:
Inmates Roll Book and Register
80

AUD.7.4—Soldiers’ Home Association Register, 1911-1919
81

AUD.7.8—Hospital, Record of Patients, 1908-1916, p. 291
82

AUD.7.8—Hospital, Record of Patients, 1908-1916, p. 143
83
Name Mr. I. L. Younts Age 67 [In another hand:] R. C. Younts
Co. Davidson
Wife Mrs. S. E. Younts 610 11th Ave. S.E. Roanoke, V.A.
Admitted Sept. 10th 1911
Discharged
Death April 2. 1912 1020 a.m. Age 68
Denom
Wifes address. Mrs. S E Younts, Thomasville, NC
Brought one change of underware
Daughter Mrs. H. E. Meyers.
R.F.D. Route 3
Thomasville, NC
Wife Mrs S. E. Younts
6-10-11th S.E. [S.E. crossed out] Ave. S.E.
Roanoke, V.A.

AUD.7.9—Soldier’s Home Association Hospital Register
1911-1919
84

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
85

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.ht
ml
 Search the MSS site:
http://www.lib.unc.edu/search/mss.html
86

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.ht
ml
 Retrieving African-American Women’s History
http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/bingham/guides/retrieve/in
dex.html
87

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

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
89

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/Do
cuments/Confederate%20Military%20Records.pdf
[84]
 Artificial Limbs for Confederate Soldiers [82]
90

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

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.
95

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
96

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.
97

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.
98

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
99

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
100

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
101

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
102

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
103

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
104

Bennett Place, circa 1904
105
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?
106

Jordan Jones
jordan@genealogymedia.com
These slides, and the handout, are available at:
http://www.genealogymedia.com/talks/
107
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