This program gives a researcher some quick tips along with electronic and print resources that can be used to research Civil War soldiers. Much of the information in this guide can be used for researching soldiers from any state that send men off to the Civil War. The focus of several Civil War Ancestor
of the research strategies and resources are Connecticut specific. If you have a Civil War ancestor or an interest in researching men who enlisted during the year’s 1861-1865 this research guide will offer you several starting points for beginning as well as expanding your research. During the 150th Commemoration of the Civil War, researching the men and women Information on Our State’s Civil War Soldiers of that gallant generation allows us to make personal connections with our past as a nation. In reaching back we gain an understanding our past and inform our future. Civil War history is all around us. Honoring it we may gain an appreciation for those who have gone before us to make our current lives possible. All honor to those volunteer sons of Connecticut. Their history is too precious to be neglected or forgotten. Enjoy your journey into the past lives of those who preceded us and defended our nation in the hour of its greatest crisis.
of the research strategies and resources are Connecticut specific. If you have a Civil War ancestor or an interest in researching men who enlisted during the year’s 1861-1865 this research guide will offer you several starting points for beginning as well as expanding your research. During the 150th Commemoration of the Civil War, researching the men and women Information on Our State’s Civil War Soldiers of that gallant generation allows us to make personal connections with our past as a nation. In reaching back we gain an understanding our past and inform our future. Civil War history is all around us. Honoring it we may gain an appreciation for those who have gone before us to make our current lives possible. All honor to those volunteer sons of Connecticut. Their history is too precious to be neglected or forgotten. Enjoy your journey into the past lives of those who preceded us and defended our nation in the hour of its greatest crisis.
The internet has revolutionized genealogical research. Search engines and databases such as Ancestry.com have opened doors to the past. New information is being added daily. There are several find something about his life.
quick tips for searching relate to Boolean syntax, which is the language used by search engines such as Google. You can increase your chances of finding the information you want by using “operators” to refine your search. The most common operators are the plus sign (+), minus sign (-) and quotation for better, more specific results marks (“”). Using the plus sign tells the search that the words you are linking with the + must appear in the search; The minus sign tells the search that a word must not appear in your results; surrounding words with quotations marks tells the search that the results must appear as a phrase.
Six Web-savvy strategies defined by genealogist, Nancy Hendrickson, for Family Tree Magazine are:
1) Master search-engine math (syntax & operators)
2) Refine your search to find the best sources
3) Scout out smaller sites
4) Look for places, not people
5) Try multiple databases (and search engines)
6) Go beyond Genealogy sites Connecticut) for only Connecticut information with the name.
(Information from: Your Ultimate Guide to Genealogy On-Line, Essential Tips and Tools to Trace Your Roots on the Web, from the Editors of Family Tree Magazine)
quick tips for searching relate to Boolean syntax, which is the language used by search engines such as Google. You can increase your chances of finding the information you want by using “operators” to refine your search. The most common operators are the plus sign (+), minus sign (-) and quotation for better, more specific results marks (“”). Using the plus sign tells the search that the words you are linking with the + must appear in the search; The minus sign tells the search that a word must not appear in your results; surrounding words with quotations marks tells the search that the results must appear as a phrase.
Six Web-savvy strategies defined by genealogist, Nancy Hendrickson, for Family Tree Magazine are:
1) Master search-engine math (syntax & operators)
2) Refine your search to find the best sources
3) Scout out smaller sites
4) Look for places, not people
5) Try multiple databases (and search engines)
6) Go beyond Genealogy sites Connecticut) for only Connecticut information with the name.
(Information from: Your Ultimate Guide to Genealogy On-Line, Essential Tips and Tools to Trace Your Roots on the Web, from the Editors of Family Tree Magazine)
One of the best sources for initially researching any soldier, North or South, is the American Civil War Research Database. A subscription is only $25 a year and provides access to all sorts of personnel, state, town, regimental, information. Many libraries have subscriptions to this database that can be used. You can try the guest demo (free) or the Descendants/Ancestors Database for $10. This Database is especially useful if you have not yet located the Individual’s regiment. This database can be used to search a state for individual names, regiments and town/city information and statistics. They also have a photo directory and tons of specifics on every hometown and regiment in the US and CSA. A terrific first place to begin research.
If you have no other leads, the internet is the first logical place to run a quick regimental listing and can be done in several ways. Look for rosters, etc.,and any other clues. Once you know the regiment you have an open door to more specific information about where your ancestor was, what experiences and battles he may have participated in, where he may have been camped, who he may have fought with, etc. You will also have a much better chance of completing information for a National Archives request for pension records and compiled military service records. A quick way to locate a soldier’s regiment is to use the free Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database offered by the National Park Service and detailed in the next slide.The American Civil War Research Database on the previous slide offers this information as well a more in-depth regimental experience records, statistics, details about cities and towns that sent men off to war, etc.
The National Park System offers this research database free of charge to researchers. The General Index Cards, can also be ordered as part of Compiled Military Service Record from the National Archives. The CWSS offers the information detailed in the snapshot of the webpage.
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