Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor (Paperback)

~ (Author) "On May 11, 1861,one month after the Civil War began, strapping, nineteen-year-old, six foot Ebenezer Mason of Litchfield, Connecticut, walked into a Hartford recruiting station..." (more)
Key Phrases: pension records, United States, New York, North Carolina (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

It is tantalizing to speculate about the role your ancestors may have played in the great national drama of the Civil War. But family records are often inaccurate, or provide precious few leads on where to begin the search.

Now, experienced historian Bertram Hawthorne Groene shows you how easy it is to trace your forbearers' role in the war, where and how long they fought, whether they were Union or Rebel, soldier or sailor -- even with a minimum of information.

Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor provides you with:

-- The names and addresses of all state archives.

-- The names and addresses of institutions that hold microfilmed service records from the national archives.

-- Names and publishers of useful regional Civil War reference books.

-- Names and publishers of sourcebooks for identifying Civil War weapons and accoutrements.

-- And much more.

Historians, genealogists, antique dealers, and collectors of Civil War artifacts will find this concise guidebook of great value. But most of all it is of inestimable practical value to family historians, North and South, who are discovering the pleasure and satisfaction of compiling an accurate family history.

From the Publisher

My mother occasionally buys one of Ballantine's books without realizing it, only to later give me her unsolicited, but very welcome, opinion. When she told me she had bought this book, I couldn't for the life of me figure out why, since as far as I knew all my ancestors came over after the civil war, and those who came before had settled in the Dakota Territories. Turns out I had a three great, great, great uncles who all died in the same battle, and my mother, a rampant geneologist, bought the book to help her find out which battle and where they are buried.
A. Scheibe, editorial

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 17, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034536192X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345361929
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #258,188 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST HAVE BOOK FOR YOUR GENEALOGY LIBRARY, December 29, 1999

By A Customer

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great U.S. Civil War resource for genealogists/historians, May 6, 2001

By	Robin G. Sowton "rsowton" (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Civil War Genealogy Research Tool, November 15, 1998

By A Customer

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.