{"id":11738,"date":"2015-10-26T12:03:38","date_gmt":"2015-10-26T16:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=11738"},"modified":"2022-04-15T13:29:26","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T17:29:26","slug":"civil-war-genealogy-old-letters-in-newspapers-research-resources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/civil-war-genealogy-old-letters-in-newspapers-research-resources.html","title":{"rendered":"Civil War Genealogy: Old Letters in Newspapers & Research Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak expands on her earlier article about Civil War letters published in newspapers by sharing some additional Civil War research resources and tips. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

A recent GenealogyBank Blog article of mine discussed personal communications of the Civil War period (see: Civil War Newspaper Research: Personal Notices & Letters<\/a>). Desperate families crossed enemy lines, sent letters via flags of truce, or \u2013 more safely \u2013 exchanged messages via newspapers, especially when a loved one had become a prisoner of war.<\/p>\n

The importance of these Civil War letters published in newspapers should not be discounted, because in many cases they are the only record of a person\u2019s experience during the war, if not their military involvement.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Photo: group of Union soldiers of Company G, 71st New York Volunteers, 1861. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along with those old newspaper letters, there are other Civil War resources to help genealogists with their family history research. Here are some additional considerations for searching Civil War records.<\/p>\n

Searching for Civil War Soldiers<\/strong><\/p>\n

When searching for Civil War records, the first stop for many is the National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors Database<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many early American military records are to be found in this database. This is a wonderful resource \u2013 but as with all genealogical military databases, it\u2019s nearly impossible for it to be complete. During periods of upheaval, many records go astray or were lost for many reasons.<\/p>\n

What Happened to Lucien Wheatly?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One Civil War soldier I could not locate in the Soldiers and Sailors Database is Lucien Wheatly of the Sixth Regiment Cavalry.<\/p>\n

A letter in the Richmond Enquirer<\/em> reported that nothing had been heard from him since 17 December 1863. The writer, who was not fully identified, reported that Wheatly was a prisoner of war at a prison called \u201cScott\u2019s Factory,\u201d but thought he might have been sent away.<\/p>\n

\"missing<\/a>
Richmond Enquirer (Richmond, Virginia), 30 May 1864, page 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is an extremely important citation, because it pinpoints the soldier\u2019s last known location. However, scant information is available on this prison. The website Civil War Richmond<\/a> states it existed from 1862 to 1864 and that its location has never been determined.<\/p>\n

Whenever you cannot locate a historical place, search GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>. I did an archives search, and found that there are only a few clues \u2013 but this one is important: Scott\u2019s Factory was reportedly four or five miles from Smithfield.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Richmond Enquirer (Richmond, Virginia), 3 February 1864, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By triangulating the references in the old newspaper article (Chuckatuck Creek, Cherry Grove & Smithfield), a diligent researcher could possibly solve the prison\u2019s location mystery, or at least narrow the possibilities. Perhaps someone more proficient in Virginia geography could use these clues to find Scott\u2019s Factory. Google Maps shows Chuckatuck Creek<\/a> to be about 12 miles south of Smithfield, and since the Union gunboat was to \u201cgo around and meet the Yankees at Cherry Grove,\u201d perhaps one should follow the water routes.<\/p>\n

Follow-up Searches for Lucien Wheatly<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever you can\u2019t find an ancestor you\u2019re researching, always perform a follow-up search using alternative dates. It\u2019s not clear if there was more than one Lucien Wheatly, but I did locate the name twice in GenealogyBank\u2019s<\/a> collections, and also in several Web references.<\/p>\n