tadbart Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 Hey guys- I'm looking for some help on how to start researching a Soldier from the Union Army who was at Ft. Sumter when the Confederates attacked. Any of you military guys know of a database? We share a last name. Just trying to figure out if we were related. Thanks in advance. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 5 minutes ago, tadbart said: Hey guys- I'm looking for some help on how to start researching a Soldier from the Union Army who was at Ft. Sumter when the Confederates attacked. Any of you military guys know of a database? We share a last name. Just trying to figure out if we were related. Thanks in advance. What State was he from? He might have qualified for a state pension. What rank? Commissioned? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcalAF Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 A lot of the federal records were destroyed in a fire. Anyone can request records that old though, maybe worth a shot. There is a form you fill out and mail in, should be able to find it online, probably on the VA website. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holyjohnson Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 try contacting Ft. Sumter first, they must have an idea of who was present, start at the beginning. Good Luck, keep us updated. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadbart Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Awesome. Thanks for the direction, guys. @railfancwb he was enlisted, a Private John Kehoe. There's a bronze monument inside the fort with a list of those who were there during the bombardment. Through a little googling, I found a Pvt. John Kehoe who was with the NJ Volunteers, Company B, 2nd Regiment From May 27, 1861 through June 10, 1862. Not sure if this is the same guy who was in Ft. Sumter, though. @norcalAF I'll dig around on the VA site. Thanks for the pointer! Good call @holyjohnson . Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time on the island to do any real digging. My friend found a cannon with his family's mark on it, and we spent the majority of the time chatting with a Ranger about that. I just happened to see the list of names on my way out. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcalAF Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 https://www.archives.gov/veteransThis is the website, not the VA. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadbart Posted April 2, 2020 Author Share Posted April 2, 2020 10 hours ago, norcalAF said: https://www.archives.gov/veterans This is the website, not the VA. thanks, man. looks like the oldest records are housed in DC. when the world starts spinning again, I'll head up that way and spend a day in the archives. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tous Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Good luck, amigo. Isn't learning stuff the most fun you can have with your clothes on? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadbart Posted April 2, 2020 Author Share Posted April 2, 2020 1 hour ago, tous said: Good luck, amigo. Isn't learning stuff the most fun you can have with your clothes on? Thanks, tous! Yeah, I've got some interesting family ties to Savannah, GA, and I'm stoked to maybe put those together with some Civil War history. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Historian Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 1 hour ago, tadbart said: thanks, man. looks like the oldest records are housed in DC. when the world starts spinning again, I'll head up that way and spend a day in the archives. Sometimes with things like this you need to do what's known as a freedom of information act letter. They will do the research for you if they have records. With older records like this the states often have better resources. For example, Georgia has excellent records of that time period. Also, don't over look the local historians. Most places seem to have some level of community history organization that may contain some records. I do this as a hobby. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Most local libraries have reference rooms, often kept locked with admission by request, with local history information. Census, genealogy, area and family histories, maps, etc. Do an internet search on the name. A fair number of cemetery markers have been transcribed and put into searchable files. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadbart Posted April 2, 2020 Author Share Posted April 2, 2020 @Historian I think the best thing to do is start back at the source, which means a longer visit to Charleston (gee, darn). I sure didn't give the town the exploration it deserved, as it was just one facet of the road trip. Once I'm sure I'm looking for the right guy, the FOIA letter could save me a lot of leg work! There appears to be quite a few John Kehoe's. I'm not even certain yet that the NJ guys is the same fella. I'm guessing that a trip back to the Fort, coupled with rail's suggestion to check out the local historical info, will point me in the right direction. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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