Finding the 1890 Census as You Look for Civil War Ancestors

In the last entry I mentioned we'd be searching for the 1890 Census, and here we are! Since the 1890 Census was partially burned and as a result deemed unusable and destroyed, we are not going to find it. What we are actually looking for are the surviving documents that make up the Special Enumeration of Union Veterans and Widows. This document is available in major genealogy collections, such as the LDS Family History Centers; the Allen County Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana; and the Library of Michigan in Lansing, Michigan.

If you are able to visit the Library of Michigan in person, first take a look at the Index to 1890 census of the United States / compiled by Helen Smothers Swenson ; decoded by Frances Terry Ingmire. This excellent resource will tell you exactly where to look for your ancestor in the Special Enumeration. This tome is also available at Kalamzoo Public Library and Western Michigan University Library.

This resource was a great aid in my search for my Great-Great Grandfather Ira Slawson. It told me that he had fought with two New York regiments and also the companies he had been in. This information was helpful in applying for military records and in conducting further research in libraries and on the Internet.

Why the big emphasis on this special enumeration? Here's how Cyndi Howell of Cyndi's List fame describes it:

An act of March 1, 1889, provided that the Superintendent of Census in taking the Eleventh Census should "cause to be taken on a special schedule of inquiry, according to such form as he may prescribe, the names, organizations, and length of service of those who had served in the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States in the war of the rebellion, and who are survivors at the time of said inquiry, and the widows of soldiers, sailors, or marines." Each schedule calls for the following information: name of the veteran (or if he did not survive, the names of both the widow and her deceased husband); the veteran's rank, company, regiment or vessel, date of enlistment, date of discharge, and length of service in years, months, and days; post office and address of each person listed; disability incurred by the veteran; and remarks necessary to a complete statement of his term of service. Practically all of the schedules for the States Alabama through Kansas and approximately half of those for Kentucky appear to have been destroyed, possibly by fire, before the transfer of the remaining schedules to the National Archives in 1943.

You can view Cyndi's original quote at http://www.cyndislist.com/cyndi/pensions.htm

For an additional treat, scroll up to the top of Cyndi's page to read the story about her search for her Civil War ancestors.

The bottom line for us is that each item of information we pull from the Special Enumeration gives us a lead that we can pursue and develop into part of the narrative that makes up our ancestor's life.

Getting Started in Civil War Research

Before we start looking at Groene's recommendations, the first thing we need to do is to find a Civil War ancestor to research! The first inclination is to think about direct male ancestors and to consider who might have been of military age (say between 17 and 40). Go ahead and add these folks to a list. Now look at their brothers, and see if any of them are potential candidates. Finally, check your female ancestors and look to see the ages of their brothers in 1861. Once you add these folks to the list, we're ready to get started.

Groene's Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor takes us to the National Archives. This is truly one of the great resources we need to mine. In order to get the best answers possible, we need to identify as much as we can about where our candidates lived during the Civil War and where they were in 1890. Look up each of your candidates in the 1890 U.S. Federal Census. Although the census burned, parts of it, including the Civil War veterans section, survived. If your ancestor is listed there, you may be able to discover his regiment and company.

Next we'll be looking at how to access the 1890 Census.

Memorial Day Approaches

I'm sitting here watching season 4 of Combat, the 1960's show that ran for five years featuring Vic Morrow and some other pretty decent actors. It's my library's fault: they had a display honoring Memorial Day, the Combat! DVDs were on it, and I had to do it. It's much better than I remember, and believe me, I used to be parked in front of the TV every Tuesday nights at 7:30, channel set on number 7 for WXYZ, Detroit's ABC affiliate.

Be that as it may, what Memorial Day truly inspires in me is a remembrance of the Civil War, and what that meant to us as a nation. Decoration Day, as it was once called, was intended to honor our Civil War soldiers. Later it was expanded to include veterans of all wars.

I remember 1961 and the centennial celebration of the Civil War vividly. About 10 years later, I learned that my grandfather's grandfather (2nd great) had fought in the war, but very little was known about that. So 20 years after that, when our youngest son Derek was doing a project for school, we decided to find out about our Civil War ancestor.

This is a lengthy topic, so it will cover several posts. I plan to share the main points of Bertram Hawthorne Groene's Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor. If you really want to do this, buy this book! I've kept up on the Civil War genealogy books, and in my opinion, this is still the best one. Get the others from the library and learn from them. This is a pre-Internet book, but it is rock solid in its methodology and advice. We used this book to track down our ancestor, and as we walk through it we'll use our adventure as a guide.

Good hunting!

Spring Opportunities

Spring is usually a time when many of our hobbies take a back seat to yard work, vacations, and traditional Spring cleaning! But it's also a time of great opportunities as families celebrate holidays, birthdays, and weddings. As a genealogist, it pays to keep your notebook and camera handy as you visit with relatives. Not only is it a great time to catch up, but it's also an opportunity to chat about family history and ask questions in person that might not get answered in a letter or a phone call. I will always be glad that I started this hobby when my grandparents were still alive and that I was able to ask them some questions that kept me oriented in the right direction.

By the way, I also wanted to mention that although I post information on books that I've read and recommend, and that they contain links to places you can purchase those books, that these books are often available at your local library or through inter-library loan. In Michigan we have MEL, and it is a tremendous asset.

Finding Granddad's War

Finding Granddad's War is an excellent book--it currently is rated 5 stars at Amazon. This book is a practical guide for researching World War II. In addition, Badger shows great compassion and insight when conducting his interviews--a great lesson for all genealogists as they interview family members. Finally, it demonstrates the great rewards of "going deep"; i.e., finding out as much as you can about a single ancestor.

Phil

Reducing medical risks through genealogy

With a recent stroke in the family, I wanted to talk about family medical history and genealogy. As this family member went in for surgery, the doctor requested the causes of death for his parents and grandparents. This helped in risk assessment. So we knew that complications might occur, and when they did, he was in the hospital and the stroke's severity was greatly reduced.

Bottom line, it's a good idea to jot down the causes of death of your direct ancestors for a couple of generations and to share that with your doctor. You probably know what they are, but if you don't, I'll be glad to help you find out, free of charge.

I think it's that important.

Faces of America

I recommend that anyone who can view Faces of America do so. After two episodes, it is demonstrating the impact of Family History on some very well known people. While everyone's reaction to discovering their family is unique and personal, it is very easy to identify with the excitement these famous people have as they learn further details about their families. The series is being shown on PBS. I've been able to view it in Detroit but not in Lansing. Episodes are available for viewing through the link at wkar.org in Lansing.

Phil visits the National Archives

Start Up Special

To celebrate the start up of Genealogy Buddies, I'd like to offer $10 dollars an hour research rates for any project from 1-20 hours. If you'd like to try a small project first at the regular rates of $20 an hour, you can later exercise the special offer. This offer is for all subscribers to the Genealogy Buddies Blog as well as all fans of Genealogy Buddies on Facebook. Simply post on the wall or comment on the blog that you'd like to discuss a project, and I'll contact you through email. Or simply email me at philiptobias@yahoo.com.

Good hunting!

Welcome!

Welcome to Genealogy Buddies! As I post different topics, feel free to contact me with any questions you have and I'll do my best to work those in.