Rants & Observations

Civil War Genealogy by George K. Schweitzer, PhD, ScD

I think I've said this before but I started researching my family history sometime around forty years ago now. One of the first stories about my family I learned was my great-grandfather going north from his Tennessee home and fighting for the Union. Over the years I've learned some of the stories about him were just that, stories. But I've also learned how he was charged with desertion because he when home for Christmas and how his father, my great-great-grandfather, was jailed for aiding the enemy by the confederate authorities because my great-grandfather was home during the holiday.
Finding this information has taken years of searching through documents and collaborating with distant relatives. Schweitzer's book makes finding many of these sources so much easier.
Starting with the war itself and providing the uninformed with a brief background and history from which to orient oneself, Schweitzer provides an overview of the various documents and histories available. He then walks the reader through the various national and state archives that are available. The next section deals with the various national and state publications followed by the numerous local resources that are available. His section on the various military unit histories is extremely informational. He closes with a discussion of artifact collections.
Whether you are just beginning your civil war research or you are an old hand, this is one book you should have in your library.

posted by Paul @ 9:16 AM