Today I have added 10 of the 12 pages of letters found in my great grandfather's David Richardson Strother's Union Citizen 's file for your review. I want to show the documents in the UGRR Secret Quilt Code's Museums "Military History" Documents Collection. Also visit my website at www.plantationquilts.com
I will also show you our Research Methods and information we have pass from generation to generation. I hope you will document your family's contributions, your community or an event. Here are some steps to get you started.
There are other David Strother's that were in the Civil War and we will show you how to find and document your ancestors that participated in the Civil War. You can see some of my family members that were in service on my Military History Page
Get organized, get a journal and a notebook. Make notes on what you know. Keep a notebook so you have all the information in one place.
Plan to put your name, date, location and your contact info (phone or email) on each document you find on back or bottom. (This has proven helpful in my family as we pass the documentation from generation to generation)
If you do not have the following documents for your ancestors. You start the Collection with your information. Assemble the following records about you and any family you know.
I am putting my family in www.Familysearch.org it has free registration and allows me to search for documents about my ancestors and attach them to the individuals personal record. There are many other sites you can consider. I wanted everyone to be able to access this information regardless of their financial situation or geographic location.
Source as many records as you can of the following:
Family Bible may have marriage, births, deaths of families
Cemetery Records or locations
Photos (put at least who is in the photo, where it was taken, date)
Letters, post cards, greeting cards from older relatives
Medical Records, shot records
Organizations (ex. Masons, Eastern Stars, Fraternity or sorority)
Land deeds or rental leases
Bills of Sales for services or goods
Voter Registration Information
Manumission papers (Caucasian, Native American, Asian, African Americans and Hispanics were all enslaved in America & world wide) They were all slave owners, traders, auctioneer, slave ship captain where you can find records.
Church records, brochures,
Anniversary gifts or cards
Conference books, ribbons, photos
Obituaries of subject or other family members
First (often seen as given name)
Middle name or initial is going to be very helpful to eliminate those not your ancestor)
Last name (often seen as Surname) It was assumed that the child has the same last name as the father or head of household on the census records unless listed differently.
Married, Single, Widowed or Divorced
Country of origin (State, County, City)
Organizational information
Military History: (May include some all or none of the following.)
Recruitment city state and date, age at enlistment, former employment or skills, if they were killed or wounded, discharge information date location (city & state), commander who they served with, hospitalization, deserter, pension, old soldiers home, their service jacket may include birth, age, recruitment date and location,marriage, children, parents, death, burial, residential address, any distinguishing marks, height, race, religion, branch of service where discharged and if it was an honorable or dishonorable.
Date of Birth: You might find it on Census Records, Death Certificate, Family Bible Records, dates on Newspaper clipping or church records. (est.) school records, State Christening or Birth Records.
Do not assume that they were on the Union or Confederate side based on where they lived.
Do not assume that they were all males. Many females served in the Civil War as nurses, scouts, spy's or dressed and pretended to be men. Others were in supporting services like sewing, cooks,doing wash and were in military camps with their loved ones.
Some were taken as "Contraband" see photo below as the Union Army traveled through the South and enslaved people on plantations were liberated.
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