{"id":11421,"date":"2015-09-11T11:36:09","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T15:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=11421"},"modified":"2019-11-06T11:19:40","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T16:19:40","slug":"civil-war-newspaper-research-personal-notices-letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/civil-war-newspaper-research-personal-notices-letters.html","title":{"rendered":"Civil War Newspaper Research: Personal Notices &#038; Letters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>Introduction<\/em><\/strong><em>: In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak shows that one of the ways ordinary citizens and families communicated across enemy lines during the Civil War was by having personal notices and even letters published in newspapers \u2013 and these are a great resource for family historians. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s often said that \u201cWhere there is a will, there is usually a way.\u201d This is true even during the most challenging times \u2013 such as during the American Civil War, when in the midst of terrible fighting, communications still found their way across enemy lines. Families either smuggled letters, sent them via flags of truce, or \u2013 what is not often realized \u2013 published them in local newspapers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11422\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11422\" style=\"width: 633px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/illustration-0911-2015-battle-of-chickamauga.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/illustration-0911-2015-battle-of-chickamauga.png\" alt=\"illustration: the 1863 Civil War Battle of Chickamauga, by Kurz &amp; Allison, c. 1890\" width=\"633\" height=\"460\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/illustration-0911-2015-battle-of-chickamauga.png 633w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/illustration-0911-2015-battle-of-chickamauga-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/illustration-0911-2015-battle-of-chickamauga-413x300.png 413w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 633px) 100vw, 633px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11422\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration: the 1863 Civil War Battle of Chickamauga, by Kurz &amp; Allison, c. 1890. Credit: Library of Congress.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thanks to digitized newspaper collections online, such as GenealogyBank\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/gbnk\/newspapers\/?utm_source=social&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=%20SM_Blog_txtlnk_2014_00&amp;s_referrer=social&amp;s_siteloc=blog&amp;s_trackval=%20SM_Blog_txtlnk_2014_00&amp;kbid=69919&amp;pq=1&amp;prebuy=no&amp;intver=&amp;CCPRODCODE=\">Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>, genealogists can search these old newspapers to find very personal communications from and about their ancestors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Restricted Messages<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some newspapers during the Civil War, such as the <em>Daily National Republican<\/em> of Washington, D.C., limited the types of notices its readers could publish. In this old news article example, readers could only submit information regarding health or whereabouts to friends and relatives.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>E. Cunningham and family of New York City relayed a message to Mr. and Mrs. Bernard F. McKenna. They were well and wished to hear the same from them.<\/li>\n<li>Charles Horsfield of Wilmington, North Carolina, learned that his mother had died on the 15th of July, an important genealogical date if an obituary was not published.<\/li>\n<li>Letitia Donahue of New York City was desperate to hear news of her husband Sam. He was formerly of Atlanta, Georgia \u2013 but if you notice the reference to Augusta, this is an important clue as to his possible whereabouts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11423\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11423\" style=\"width: 301px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/daily-national-republican-newspaper-0828-1863-personal-ads.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11423\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/daily-national-republican-newspaper-0828-1863-personal-ads.png\" alt=\"personal ads, Daily National Republican newspaper advertisements 28 August 1863\" width=\"301\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/daily-national-republican-newspaper-0828-1863-personal-ads.png 301w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/daily-national-republican-newspaper-0828-1863-personal-ads-286x300.png 286w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 301px) 100vw, 301px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11423\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daily National Republican (Washington, D.C.), 28 August 1863, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>\u201cPlease Copy\u201d or Answer Instructions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Whenever you spot a \u201cplease copy\u201d notice, there is a connection to the location. It may be a residence, place where someone works, or \u2013 in the case of a soldier \u2013 a place where they were stationed.<\/p>\n<p>Many of these newspaper notices also gave instructions as to how one could answer. This clue indicates that they had access to a particular newspaper, even if they lived elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reprisals and Hidden Identities<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the more proactive newspapers during the Civil War was the <em>Richmond Enquirer<\/em> in Virginia, which exchanged personals with various northern papers.<\/p>\n<p>Divided families often printed notices \u2013 but if they feared reprisals, either for themselves or for loved ones, they would disguise identities by using nicknames or initials. In this example, E. S. C. requested to hear from Mrs. M. J. Ebbs. They were well and sent their love to Alice.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11425\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11425\" style=\"width: 624px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-personal-ad.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11425\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-personal-ad.png\" alt=\"personal ad to M. J. Ebbs, Richmond Enquirer newspaper advertisement 16 April 1864\" width=\"624\" height=\"156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-personal-ad.png 624w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-personal-ad-300x75.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-personal-ad-500x125.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11425\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richmond Enquirer (Richmond, Virginia), 16 April 1864, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Search tips to locate hidden identities:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Search without a surname<\/li>\n<li>Search by initials with or without a surname<\/li>\n<li>Search by nicknames and locations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Civil War Soldier News<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Not surprisingly, many newspaper notices were about missing Civil War soldiers.<\/p>\n<p>In the same issue of the <em>Richmond Enquirer<\/em>, there was a message to Lieut. J. M. Podgett of the 18th Georgia reporting that Britton W. Riggons was well and comfortable at Camp Douglas in Illinois.<\/p>\n<p>Another notice, to Charles B. Linn, notes that messages were getting through and that \u201cthings\u201d were sent back. He was welcome to respond to \u201cW. S. R.\u201d via the <em>Richmond Enquirer<\/em> or the <em>New York News<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11426\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11426\" style=\"width: 625px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-linn-personal-ad.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11426\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-linn-personal-ad.png\" alt=\"personal ad to Charles Linn, Richmond Enquirer newspaper advertisement 16 April 1864\" width=\"625\" height=\"155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-linn-personal-ad.png 625w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-linn-personal-ad-300x74.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-linn-personal-ad-500x124.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11426\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richmond Enquirer (Richmond, Virginia), 16 April 1864, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Letters to Congressmen<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many letters published in newspapers during the Civil War are full of pathos and desperation, such as the following example.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11427\" style=\"width: 623px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-tyler-personal-ad.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-tyler-personal-ad.png\" alt=\"personal ad to Joseph Segar, Richmond Enquirer newspaper advertisement 27 October 1864\" width=\"623\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-tyler-personal-ad.png 623w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-tyler-personal-ad-300x99.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-tyler-personal-ad-500x165.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 623px) 100vw, 623px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11427\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richmond Enquirer (Richmond, Virginia), 27 October 1864, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After learning that Dr. Frederick Griffith had been captured about the 20th of September, Wat H. Tyler, M.D., wrote his Congressman Joseph Segar.<\/p>\n<p>What is exciting about this discovery is that the capture is reported in official records, but not how assistance was requested. Griffith was exchanged on 19 March 1865, most likely a direct result of Tyler\u2019s letter. Be sure to visit their Findagrave memorials:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Frederick Griffith: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/cgi-bin\/fg.cgi?page=gr&amp;GRid=6945174\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/cgi-bin\/fg.cgi?page=gr&amp;GRid=6945174<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Joseph Eggleston Segar: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/cgi-bin\/fg.cgi?page=gr&amp;GRid=6862543\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/cgi-bin\/fg.cgi?page=gr&amp;GRid=6862543<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Wat Henry Tyler, Jr. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/cgi-bin\/fg.cgi?page=gr&amp;GRid=120187991\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/cgi-bin\/fg.cgi?page=gr&amp;GRid=120187991<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Civil War Vital Records<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When you cannot locate a vital record from the Civil War era, a genealogist might find direct or indirect evidence of that record in newspaper notices. In this example, the widow was visiting the Angier House and her husband\u2019s loss was noted.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11428\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11428\" style=\"width: 778px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/plain-dealer-newspaper-0712-1862-woodbury-personal-ad.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11428\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/plain-dealer-newspaper-0712-1862-woodbury-personal-ad.png\" alt=\"personal notice about Mrs. Woodbury, Plain Dealer newspaper article 12 July 1862\" width=\"778\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/plain-dealer-newspaper-0712-1862-woodbury-personal-ad.png 778w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/plain-dealer-newspaper-0712-1862-woodbury-personal-ad-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/plain-dealer-newspaper-0712-1862-woodbury-personal-ad-500x170.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 778px) 100vw, 778px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11428\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), 12 July 1862, page 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This sad notice is important because it connects three generations, and substitutes for an obituary.<\/p>\n<p>In this next example, M. Jane Richardson wrote her father to report that her husband had died on 1 October 1864 of diphtheria, and that Little Nora had no hope of recovering either. She was in deep distress and asked her father to come see her.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11429\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11429\" style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-richardson-personal-ad.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11429\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-richardson-personal-ad.png\" alt=\"personal ad to Mr. Burton, Richmond Enquirer newspaper advertisement 27 October 1864\" width=\"622\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-richardson-personal-ad.png 622w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-richardson-personal-ad-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-1027-1864-richardson-personal-ad-500x260.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11429\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richmond Enquirer (Richmond, Virginia), 27 October 1864, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Civil War Marriage Records<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What is wonderful for genealogists searching these Civil War-era newspapers is that not all notices were sad.<\/p>\n<p>Many marriage notices were published at that time. In this one, G. L. M. married Miss A. L. on Wednesday, March 30, 1864, possibly in New York.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Genealogical Challenge:<\/em><\/strong> Try to figure out whom this marriage notice was about and let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11430\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11430\" style=\"width: 626px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-marriage-announcement.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11430\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-marriage-announcement.png\" alt=\"marriage announcement, Richmond Enquirer newspaper article 16 April 1864\" width=\"626\" height=\"123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-marriage-announcement.png 626w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-marriage-announcement-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/richmond-enquirer-newspaper-0416-1864-marriage-announcement-500x98.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 626px) 100vw, 626px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11430\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richmond Enquirer (Richmond, Virginia), 16 April 1864, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Civil War research is a fascinating topic \u2013 and it doesn\u2019t have to be limited to official records.<\/p>\n<p>You can date early photographs using revenue stamps, learn about regiments through their uniforms, and explore the fascinating articles and letters found in historical newspapers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related Civil War Articles &amp; Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/civil-war-genealogy-how-to-find-union-soldier-uniform-clues.html\">Civil War Genealogy: How to Find Union Soldier Uniform Clues<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/dating-old-family-photographs-with-civil-war-revenue-stamps.html\">Dating Old Family Photographs with Civil War Revenue Stamps<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/genealogybank\/civil-war-genealogy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Civil War Genealogy<\/a> (GenealogyBank Pinterest Board)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak writes about letters and personal notices that civilians published in newspapers during the Civil War.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":53843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12713],"tags":[453,12,2719,18861,2020],"class_list":["post-11421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-research-tips","tag-american-civil-war","tag-genealogy","tag-genealogy-search-tips","tag-letters-and-diaries-or-journals","tag-newspaper-archives"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/illustration-1011-2016-featured-graphic-civil-war-battle-of-chickamauga.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}