Military records are can be a wealth of information on your ancestors. Unfortunately, not everyone you descend from were of age to enlist as a soldier in a war. Many of my grandfathers were too old or to young to fight. But, there are other wartime records which were kept that could help you in your research. One example of this is the Confederate Citizen Files on Fold3.com. It's currently free on this mostly pay to use website. It's an excellent resource if your ancestor lived in the southern states and were not able to participate in the Civil War as a soldier.
The Confederate Citizen Files contain claims related to individuals and business which provided goods and services to the Confederate Government during the Civil War. These claims were later used by the US Government Adjutant General's Office to prove the disloyality of people after the war. The contents of each individual file varies. One might discover where the person lived, goods he or she provided, if they could write, other family member's names and names of neighbors. It's an excellent resource for finding out information on the females and non-soldier males in your family.
The Confederate Citizen Files contain claims related to individuals and business which provided goods and services to the Confederate Government during the Civil War. These claims were later used by the US Government Adjutant General's Office to prove the disloyality of people after the war. The contents of each individual file varies. One might discover where the person lived, goods he or she provided, if they could write, other family member's names and names of neighbors. It's an excellent resource for finding out information on the females and non-soldier males in your family.
This is a good idea! I still can't find a record of my great-grandfather's service in the Confederate Army. I'll copy this URL and try again!
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