Customer Reviews

Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor

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My father purchased a Civil War era pistol engraved with the name of the owner and his regiment. He turned to me and my years of genealogical research experience to help him find information on the gun's owner. I was at a loss because I had avoided the maze of military research, not knowing the how's and where's. Well, not any more! Bertram Groene's "Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor" answered years of questions I've had in a clear, concise and very readable book. Not only do I now know where to find information for my father, but I can delve into the military background of my Civil War ancestors and my Revolutionary War ancestors. Anyone who served in innumerable wars can be found using Groene's book. A must have for your library because you're bound to have a vet.

There are thousands of volumes of information about the U.S. Civil War. There are even entire libraries specializing on the subject. So where do you begin?

Groene provides an excellent launching point by describing the most significant U.S. Civil War references, and he suggests not only where to search but how.

He goes into considerable detail on how to use the 128-volume Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in the War of the Rebellion (OR) reference, and it 31-volume naval counterpart (ORN). He also suggests resources for regimental histories that will help you trace the histories of higher-ranking officers and get information covering everything from the regiment's mustering to the disbanding of its survivors.

There's a large section in the book devoted to identifying U.S. Civil War equipment and researching the backgrounds of its owners. Groene shares his own research experiences regarding how a name on a sword or pistol has often lead to the discovery of an interesting chain of events.

This book is ideal whether you are a genealogist, a U.S. Civil War historian or a weapons collector.

This book provides envaluable information for Civil War Collector's and Beginner Genealogical Researcher's alike. Covers all aspects and possible sources for Civil War Records and documentation with instructions on how to obtain them.

This book will be invaluable to any genealogist, even the very experienced. Groene tells you where to begin, where to write, where to go, and what to look for. Includes instructions to identify and verify Civil War-era weapons and accoutrements for interested collectors.

Packed full of information if your serious about your Civil War Ancestors this is the book to get. I found it very helpful on how to obtain information on my ancestors, most of them confederates!!! I would reccomend this book very highly.

Lighweight and handbag size research aid to those searching for ancestors who participated in the Civil War.You can take it with you as a reminder of resources available when you visit libraries or family resource centers. Lists places and organizations that may have records you can't find elsewhere. As a geneaology hobbiest for decades, I found this little gem a wonderful aid. It put me on track to locate my great grandfather's military record and discover in which battles he took part.

This book sets out resources, ideas, and materials which could prove to be useful in identifying Civil War-era ancestors. It helped me quite a bit, although I was lucky enough to find other resources not identified in this book. Without this book the job would have been, at the very least, far more time-consuming and difficult.

A little thin, but most of what you'll need is here.