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Civil War Research: Tracing Union & Confederate Ancestors

Presented by: David Allen Lambert and Melanie McComb
Original Broadcasts: June 2024

In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he acknowledged the soldiers who fought and died in battle declaring, “the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” Indeed, as genealogists there are many of us with American ancestry from the Civil War era who wish to determine if—and how—they served, so that they can be remembered long into the future. This online course will delve into the many primary and published resources that exist to document your ancestors’ role in the Civil War and their contributions to either the Union or Confederate cause.

COURSE TOPICS

Class 1: Union Ancestors: Essential Resources for Tracing Their Service
Presented by David Allen Lambert
In this first class, we’ll discuss how to determine if your ancestor served for the Union Army and how to learn more about their service through compiled service records, muster rolls, unit histories, and more. For each record group we will explain what information is provided, how to access the resources, and how to leverage the sources to uncover stories of your ancestor's service.

Class 2: Confederate Ancestors: Essential Resources for Tracing Their Service
Presented by David Allen Lambert
Following on the heels of the first class, in this session we will discuss key resources for researching your Confederate Ancestors. You’ll learn how to determine if they served for the confederacy and how to trace their service through important resources. 

Class 3: Women in the Civil War
Presented by Melanie McComb
While you may look to the men in your tree first to determine if you have ancestors who served in the Civil War, don’t forget your female ancestors from the time period as well. Many women contributed to both the Union and Confederate causes by serving as nurses, spies, and even by disguising themselves as men and taking up arms on the battlefield. In this class, we’ll cover the historical context of women in the Civil War and key resources for researching your female ancestors in the era. 

Class 4: Union and Confederate Pension Files: A Genealogist’s Gold Mine
Presented by David Allen Lambert
Pension files can contain a wealth of information about your Civil War ancestors—including medical information related to your ancestor’s service and details about their movements and fighting during the war. They and may even include unique additions like letters your ancestor wrote from the front and photographs. In this class, we’ll discuss how to determine if a pension was filed for your Union or Confederate ancestor and how to access it.

Class 5: Post-Service Records for Union and Confederate Soldiers 
Presented by David Allen Lambert
When the Civil War drew to a close in 1865, over 600,000 had died for the Union and Confederate causes. Those who survived lived in a united but forever changed nation. In this final class, we will cover records for tracing your veteran ancestors after the Civil War ended, including veteran home records, veteran organizations (such as the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Confederate Veterans), Civil War hereditary societies, and more.

Q&A Session 
Presented by David Allen Lambert and Melanie McComb

This course includes five 60-minute classes, one Q&A session, and exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation. These recordings and all course materials will be available for the foreseeable future.

Once you complete your registration, you can access this page under “My Account”> “Digital Content.” You will have access to course materials for the foreseeable future.