{"id":23251,"date":"2017-06-19T11:55:49","date_gmt":"2017-06-19T15:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=23251"},"modified":"2023-09-22T09:51:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T13:51:41","slug":"genealogy-101-23-researching-your-union-civil-war-ancestor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-101-23-researching-your-union-civil-war-ancestor.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy 101: #23 Researching Your Union Civil War Ancestor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article \u2013 part of an ongoing \u201cIntroduction to Genealogy\u201d series \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega shows some of the many sources available to research your Union Civil War ancestor, including military service records and pension records. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201c<\/em>From the Family Kitchen.<\/em><\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you have a Civil War soldier in your family tree? Did he fight for the Union? Now\u2019s the time to learn more about his life. Not sure how to start your military research? This article provides some first steps in learning more about your Union Civil War soldier ancestor.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: unidentified young Union Civil War soldier. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Find His Name<\/strong>
\n(I\u2019m referring to soldiers as men but there were some women who fought in the Civil War dressed as men.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the first places to confirm your Civil War ancestor\u2019s military service is the free National Park Service\u2019s Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database<\/a> website. To search for a specific soldier, click on the \u201cSoldiers\u201d tab and then enter his information such as name, state, and side (choose Union in this case). Your results list will provide a name, battle unit, and any alternative names. You can click on your ancestor\u2019s name to find a few more details including rank and National Archives microfilm number.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Civil War record for Willis A. Ararasmith. Credit: National Park Service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u2019t forget to click on the hyperlinked battle unit name to learn more about your ancestor\u2019s unit.<\/p>\n

Genealogy Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Note the names of other soldiers in your ancestor\u2019s unit. You may find the names of relatives or neighbors.<\/p>\n

Obtain His Military Records<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that you have found some information about your Union soldier, you may want to obtain copies of his military service records. Digitized military service records for both Confederate and Union soldiers can be found on the subscription website Fold3. Access to Fold3 is available through an individual subscription or by using the website at a nearby Family History Center. Please note that Fold3 has other Civil War records as well. You can also order the military records from the National Archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Forget the Census<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget about the valuable information that can be learned about your Civil War ancestor in the U.S. Census. For Union soldiers, there are a few census enumerations that you will want to take note of.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Evening News (San Jose, California), 31 May 1890, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While genealogists lament the loss of the 1890 U.S. Census, some of the 1890 Veterans Schedule still exists. Missing are the states of Alabama through Kansas and about half of Kentucky. The Veterans Schedule was meant to enumerate \u201cAll men [and widows] who were mustered into the military service of the United States during the late war\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

However, there are exceptions to this and it\u2019s not unusual to find Confederate soldiers, as well as widows and veterans from previous wars, listed in these schedules.** Questions asked include: Name of surviving soldier, sailor, marine, or widow; Rank; Company; Name of regiment or vessel; Date of enlistment; Date of discharge; Length of service; Post Office address; and Disability incurred. I highly recommend reading the enumerator instructions for the 1890 U.S. Census to learn more about this schedule. You will find those instructions on the U.S. Census Bureau<\/a> website.<\/p>\n

For some researchers, the first indication that a male ancestor was a Civil War veteran may have been from the 1910 U.S. Census. This census asked if the person listed was a \u201csurvivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy.\u201d In the instructions to enumerators for the 1910 U.S. Census it states that \u201cthis question should be asked to all males over 50 years of age who were born in the United State and all foreign born males who immigrated to this country before 1865. Write \u2018UA\u2019 if a survivor of the Union Army; \u2018UN\u2019 if a survivor of the Union Navy; \u2018CA\u2019 if a survivor of the Confederate Army; and \u2018CN\u2019 if a survivor of the Confederate Navy.\u201d***<\/p>\n

What about a Pension?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that you know your ancestor served for the Union during the Civil War, and you have obtained or ordered his military service record, your next question will be: did he, his widow, or dependent children receive a military pension?<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Anamosa Eureka (Anamosa, Iowa), 4 August 1870, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the FamilySearch Family History Research Wiki page Union Pension Records<\/a>, the Act of July 14, 1862 \u201cStarted the General Law pension system for Civil War veterans who had sustained war-related disabilities. Pensions became available to widows, children under 16 years of age, and dependent relatives of soldiers who died in military service from war related injuries.\u201d By 1872, the law allowed the veteran\u2019s dependents to collect a lump sum payment based \u201con the date of death or discharge from service in addition to a monthly pension payment.\u201d**** FamilySearch collections include:<\/p>\n