Gleaning Information From Military Records – Part 4

This is the 4th and final article in this series on Military Records. You can read the first three in the series at Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. These records can offer up quite a bit of information including your ancestors’ and collateral relatives’ vital statistics, birth date and location, residence at the time of registration, type of military service, campaigns they might have been involved in, next relative, occupation, address of their employer, identifying marks, their signature, and reason for infirmities if they applied for an Invalid Pension.

In Part 3 I used my great-grandfather’s (James Emory House) Application for Invalid Pension as an example. I will continue with his papers to show who he served under, campaigns he took part in, and the reason he applied for this.

My great-grandfather appeared before a clerk of the Common Pleas Court of Coshocton County, Ohio on September 6, 1887 to submit this Declaration for an Original Invalid Pension.  In it he stated the date and place he enrolled to serve the Union and the State of Ohio in the Civil War and also what company and regiment in which he served.  The document lists that James’ regiment was commanded by Col. E.R. (Ephraim) Eckley and mentions that my great-grandfather was honorably discharged at Washington D.C.

When he was discharged from the service he was 23 years old and stood 5 ft. 8.5 inches, had dark complexion and hair and grey eyes.  It goes on to read, “That while a member of the organization aforesaid, in the service and in the line of duty at Near Corinth in the state of Missipi on or about the               day of April, 1862, he contracted a disease of his stomic which the doctors called catarrh of his stomic. That his disease of his stomic continued to afflict him untill he was discharged and has continued to afflict him more and more untill the present time.”

The continuation of the document tells the location of the hospitals where he was treated: one in Tennessee and also in St. Louis.  It also says that James did not have any other military service except serving for the Union.  His occupation prior to and following military service was Farmer and that he was considered one half disabled.

In a General Affidavit dated June 21, 1888, 63 year old S.M. Baldwin of Butler County, Iowa stated that he was James Emory House’s sargent and later his First Lieutenant and knew James personally while in the service of Company “H”, 80th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteers.

(Further transcription) That while in line with his duty as a soldier near a place called “Corinth” in the State of Tennessee some time in the month of Apl 1862 he the claimant contracted a trouble in his stomach and was sent to Hospital at St. Louis and after his return to the company it appeared that he could bear but little fatigue and was constantly complaining of trouble in his stomach.

The above paragraph gives me an approximate time and place that my great-grandfather’s illness began and that it was so severe he actually had to be hospitalized.  I also learned who his immediate superior was by this General Affidavit.

In another affidavit, given by William Derr who personally knew James House, the affiant stated that my great-grandfather contracted the catarrh of the stomach about April 30, 1862 and was sent to a hospital in Tennessee for about 10 days and then to a St. Louis hospital.  He returned to duty in July 1862 which indicates that the hospitalization lasted about 3 months. 

Above is the Declaration for Invalid Pension that my great-grandfather submitted.  This application states that on July 9, 1890 James, at age 48, residing in Tuscarawas Township, Coshocton County, Ohio, made a declaration that he was the same man who enrolled as a Private in Company H of the 80th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on December 26, 1861 to fight in the Civil War.  Furthermore, that he served at least 90 days and was honorably discharged on May 22, 1865 at Alexandria, Virginia.  He asked for Invalid Pension due to the fact that he could not earn a living because he suffered from “disease of stomach, piles and heart, Catarrh of head and throat, and total loss of sight of right eye.”

It is not clear if he lost his sight due to the infirmaties he suffered from military service or had contracted glaucoma or macular degeneration.  Catarrh of stomach/head/throat, etc. is categorized as “An inflammatory affection of any mucous membrane, in which there are congestion, swelling, and an alteration in the quantity and quality of mucous secreted. In America, especially, a chronic inflammation of, and hypersecretion from the membranes of nose or air passages. in England, an acute influenza, resulting from a cold and attended with cough, thirst, lassitude and watery eyes; also, the cold itself. ” (Causes of Death in the Late 19th Century)

In August 1912 the Adjutant General official document read:

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF PENSIONS
Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 1912,
Respectfully returned to the Adjutant General, War Department for a full military history and a personal description with age at enlistment.
2 Enclosures

THE ADJUTANT
GENERAL’S OFFICE
WASHINGTON, AUG 27, 1912
Respectfully returned to the
Commissioner of Pensions
with the information that in
the case of
James E. House Co. H, 80th Reg’t, Ohio Inf
the records show personal description
as follows:
age 19, height 5 feet, 8 1/2 inches,
complexion dark, eyes grey, hair black
place of birth Coshocton Co, O
occupation farmer
Age at reenlistment 21 years.
The revocation of the muster out to reenlist as veteran and muster in as veteran is canceled, he was a veteran volunteer from Feb. 21, 1864 when reenlisted as such.
The military records furnish nothing in addition to that shown in former statements.
Geo Andrews, Adjutant General

On April 30, 1923 when James was 81 years old a Declaration for Pension was applied for:
This application stated that James required attendance by another person because of his disabilities that included: totally blind in right eye, bronchial asthma, chronic indigestion, prostatic trouble, kidney trouble, rheumatism, weak and emaciated.  Furthermore, it stated that since leaving the service he had lived in Coshocton County, Ohio and the State Soldiers Home of Ohio (Erie County), and he had been unable to work.

On the bottom of that declaration is a stamp that specifies that the “Declaration accepted as a claim under Sec. 2 Act of May 1, 1920.”

And the final page in the file is dated October 1924.

Above is the drop report stating that James House, who had received $72 a month with the last payment sent in August 1924, had been dropped from the roll due to his death which ocurred on Oct. 1, 1924.

From all of the information contained in James House’s pension file, I can conclude that he never did return to full health after being afflicted with catarrh during his service in the Civil War and that even though he had been able to work as a farmer after he was discharged, he couldn’t work full time and earn enough to live on.  I believe that as he aged the disease and other disabilities weakened him.

The overall picture of my great-grandfather’s life became much clearer after reading through this file as I could put dates to events in his life. 

I urge you to see what kind of picture you can get of your ancestors and collateral relatives with the aid of their military files (if they have any) in order to “flesh” out the person or persons you are looking for.

I hope this four part series has given you more avenues to look when doing research and inspired you to see what other stones can be turned over in order to document events in your ancestors’ lives.

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Gleaning Information From Military Records – Part 3

In Part 1 I discussed how Military Records can help you get a complete characteristic profile of your ancestors and collateral relatives. The WWII Registration Records (“Old Man’s Draft”) in 1942 list color of eyes and hair, type of build, and height as well as birth location and date and their signature. To a lesser extent so does the WWI Registration Records of 1918.

In Part 2 I listed examples ranging from employer to possibly a wife or other relative who is listed as knowing the address of the person registered. That informaton has helped me place the individual with the correct family.

In this article I will give examples of how Civil War Pension Records or Invalid Pension Records are also useful in determining dates of marriage, children’s names and birthdates, and type of duties the individual performed in service to the country.

When I first started on this genealogy quest ten years ago, it didn’t take me long to make contact with a cousin who had copies of our shared ancestor’s Invalid Pension application documents.  He copied those and mailed them off to me.  Seeing how valuable those sheets of paper were, I sent off to the National Archives for my own copy (before prices went way up!).  It seemed to take forever before I received them – but only after I got a reply that stated what they had found and how much I needed to send before I got the actual copies. 

Most of the information on the service of my maternal great-grandfather, James E. House, was posted here in a biography I wrote about him. However, as I began my search for Grandfather House, I realized that there were other people in the Coshocton area of Ohio who shared the House surname. I mentioned this to the cousin who had sent me information, and he reasoned that he thought he’d placed James in the right family based on what was on the Invalid Pension application. That’s when I thought I should pay closer attention to these records.

One page in particular was a voucher sent to James requesting that he complete and send back in order to receive his next quarterly payment.  The questions concerned whether he was married, what proof he had of the marriage, names of children and dates of their birth.

First, Are you married?  If so, please state your wife’s full name and her maiden name.

Answer, Frances V. House   maiden Frances V. Ogan

Second, when, where, and by whom were you married?

Answer, By A.Y. Kingston J.P., Washington, Guernsey Co., Ohio May 26, 1873. 

(I believe this was probably the next question.) Third, what proof of marriage exists?

Answer, Marriage certificate also in records in probate judge’s office, Cambridge, Ohio.

This tells me the exact date and place of the marriage between my great-grandparents and where the marriage record was located.  His wife’s maiden name has been reported differently by descendents yet in James’ own hand, he listed the maiden name that I believe is correct (albeit probably a maiden name acquired as either a foster child or adopted daughter of the Ogan household.)

Fourth, Were you previously married? If so, please state the name of your former wife and the date and place of her death or divorce.

Answer, Yes. Barbara S. House, died July 10, 1872 in Guernsey Co, Ohio

With this last bit of information, I was able to clarify which James House (out of the few I’d found in and around Coshocton) was my great-grandfather.  I also learned the date of death of his first wife which until I had this paper, I knew was sometime between the birth of her last child and the date of my great-grandparents’ marriage.

Fifth, Have you any children living? If so please state their names and dates of birth.

Answer, E.F. House Dec. 17, 1886.  Belle D. Ruby Apr 23, 1868. Lucina Conger Sep 13, 1869.  Florus A. House Apr. 21, 1873.  Jno W House Aug. 31, 1874. James W. House June 20, 1876. Julia A. House Sep 20, 1880.  Ella M. House June 22, 1882.  Alva L. House May 9, 1886.

Date of Reply June 4, 1898 and his signature.

My first thought was “I have my great-grandfather’s signature!”.  Then my next thought was “Oh, he married Frances AFTER their first child was born!”  That first child had been “in question” as to being Barbara’s (the first wife) or my great-grandmother’s.  With James listing Barbara’s death as prior to Florus’ birth, that answered that question.

Other pages in the Pension forms included General Affidavits of persons who had known my great-grandfather either prior to and after his service or during his service in the Civil War.  One of those affidavits I realized were given by James’ parents, Florus Allen House and Julia A. House – my great-great-grandparents!  I saw that they had also signed the affidavit!

Florus’ and Julia’s ages were listed which also gave me another documentation on their approximate birth years and the township and county in which they lived in 1888.

With just these two pages of James House’s Invalid Pension Application, I acquired information on three generations – my great-grandfather (James), his parents (Florus and Julia) and his two wives and children.

Next – more information from my grandfather’s Civil War papers.

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Gleaning Informaton From Military Records – Part 2

In Part 1 I explained what a valuable resource Military Records can be in locating vital characteristics of ancestors and collateral family members. I was able to deduct that most of my Grandpa Amore’s brothers and cousins were similar in height, build and eye color. That gives me a clearer perspective on how I ended up with blue eyes and being “vertically challenged”. I also discovered how my grandfather signed his actual name – even though it had been spelled or listed differently in other places – though not by him.

In this article, I will give examples of how I was able to place certain individuals with the correct spouse or parents. Some of them I was unsure of and some of them I had listed as “unrelated” in my family file until I discovered documentation placing them in the correct family.

Adam Christian Goul (3rd cousin of my maternal grandfather, Glen R. Johnson) was located as part of the C.M. and Elizabeth Goul household in the 1900 US Census – except I only knew that his middle name began with a “C” and the month and year of his birth.  Once I located his World War II Draft Record (called the “Old Man’s Draft”), I discovered his middle name was Christian (obviously after his father).  Since I have discovered that there are many people named “Adam Goul” in my maternal grandfather’s family, I was firmly able to say that this was the same person as in the 1900 US Census by comparing the date and place of his birth and location of residence given on the Draft Record and place this Adam Goul with the correct parents. 

William Harrison Goul (another cousin of my grandfather, Glen R. Johnson) has been listed in my family file as William Harry Goul until I found his WWII Registration Record.  Since I also have a William H. Goul and many men with the name “Harry Goul” in my file, I wasn’t sure which one this was. This particular gentlemen is listed as Harry W. Goul in the 1900 US Census and as William H. Goul in the 1910 US Census.  On the Registration record he listed his daughter as Geraldine and that cinched it for me since she was listed as his child in the 1910 US Census.  

1900 US Census

1910 US Census

John Monroe Wilt (1st cousin of my maternal grandmother, Vesta Christena Wilt Johnson) has been listed as John Wilt, son of Charles and Margaret Wilt, in my family file.  I did not have a middle name nor a correct birth date.  His WWI Military Registration Record listed his age as 18, birthdate as Feb. 4, 1900 and his wife as Elizabeth.  His employer was his father, Charles.  With at least three different men named John Wilt in my file, this record allowed me to place the correct information for this particular man.

If you have added individuals as “unrelated” in your Family File because you are sure they are related to someone somehow and have some basic information (birth date/location or wife’s name) – study the information presented on Military Records concerning nearest relative, employer, birth date and location in order to turn them into a “related” individual. 

Stay tuned for Part 3!

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Gleaning Information from Military Records – Part 1

If you’ve been lucky enough to find military records connected to your ancestors or collateral family members, then you have realized what a find these records can be.  Information generally available include vital statistics (height, weight, color of hair, eyes, complexion), an address, nearest relative, occupation and place of employment, date and place of birth, and more.

Most of these questions on these records were answered by the person in question so it is generally thought to be a Primary source, as opposed to a death record which is filled out by someone else about the person.

Part 1 of this series on “Gleaning Information from Military Records” concerns characteristics and the spelling of names about my paternal ancestors – the Amore family.  Further articles will delve into occupations, addresses, places of birth, and other information that I was able to ascertain from these records.

Over the years, I’ve seen my paternal grandfather’s name as William Lloyd and Lloyd William.  I know he always went by “Lloyd.”
 

1900 Census

 

1920 Census

I’ve also seen it spelled as “Loyd”. So when I ran across my grandfather’s WWI and WWII military draft cards, I realized what a find these particular type of records are.  In his own signature, he writes his name: William Lloyd Amore or W. Lloyd Amore. 

 

Signature on WWI Registration Card

Signature on WWII Draft Card

There – end of mystery.  Why then did my grandmother (his wife) sign her name as “Mrs. Loyd Amore” on most things? 

 

 

 

Did she not realize how her husband’s name was spelled?  Maybe it wasn’t that important to her or to him that she get it right.  To me it’s a sign not only of respect, but love, that you at least know how to spell your spouse’s first name.  But that was a different time then.  There were a lot of other things to worry about, I suppose.

 

From the military records I learned that my Grandpa Amore was short in stature (5’5″) and his eyes were blue.  My father is a little taller than that.  As I checked my grandfather’s brothers’ records I discovered striking similarities:

1. Clarence Amore (youngest of the 6 Amore brothers) was 5 ft. 6 1/2 inches tall and also had blue eyes.

2. Herbert (next to the youngest) was 5’8″ and blue eyes.

3. Roy (second oldest brother) was 5’7″ and had blue eyes.

4. Rollo (third youngest and next in line after my grandfather) was 5’6″ and had blue eyes.

5. Isaiah “Zade” (oldest brother) was listed as “tall” on his WWI Registration card (he was much taller than his brothers) and had blue eyes.

So I went back to look at my grandfather’s cousins’ military records.

1. Charles Cleveland Amore (Grandpa’s 1st cousin) was listed on his WWII Draft Card as 5’10” and had gray eyes.  However, on his WWI registration card his eyes were listed as brown.

2. Grover Amore (1st cousin) was 5’6″ and had blue eyes.

3. Leonard Studor Amore (half 1st cousin) was 5’9″ with blue eyes.

My conclusion was that most of the Amore men were of medium stature (under 5’9″) and blue eyes were predominant.  They were all also listed as slender build (even the couple who were tall) and almost all of them had light complexion.

 

Charles Cleveland Amore didn’t write his name on his WWI Registration card.  Instead, at the age of 34, he put his “mark”.  Someone else signed his name.

On his WWII Draft Card at age 57, he did sign his name – although it is really difficult to read as it looks more like a child’s scrawl.

The deduction I make is that over the years, Charles (or Charley – as his signature seems to read), learned how to at least sign his name probably for business purposes or other personal reasons.

Can you get a clearer picture on similar characteristics of your ancestors that trickle down to you?  What about a name that you’ve had difficulty determining exactly how it was spelled?

Stay tuned for Part 2!

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