Research About Family Members in the Civil War
This is a work in progress. In the 1970s, my father started researching our family's involvement in the Civil War. I picked up the project in 2005. I've slowly researched the path these ancestors took from Germany to New York to Virginia and then to Philadelphia. Record keeping from the 1830s to the 1890s is inexact at best. Making sense of it all has become a challenging hobby.
- Abraham H. Myers - Older brother of my great great grandfather
Abraham was born in Bavaria in 1838. He emigrated to the U.S. via New York in 1855. During the Civil War, he served as a Confederate soldier in Company E of the 17th Regiment Virginia Infantry beginning in 1861. He later moved to Philadelphia, where he died in 1901. (Continue to full research)
- Solomon H. Myers - My great great grandfather
Solomon was born in Bavaria in 1845. He may have served in the Confederate army in the 1st Virginia Partisan Rangers in 1862 and the 23rd Virginia Cavalry in 1864. He died in Philadelphia in 1903. (Continue to full research)
- Marx (Max) Myers - First cousin of my great great grandfather
Born in 1839 in Richmond, Va. Said to have served as a Confederate soldier in the 12th Virginia Infantry. Killed in the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) in 1861.
- Isador Myers - First cousin of my great great grandfather
Born in the U.S. on 3/2/1841. Served as a Union soldier in the 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry (Birney's Zouaves), Company D. Died 10/31/1872. Some records may list his name as Isdore W. Myers or Iedson W. Meyers ("Iedson" is mentioned in the NPS database but is probably a misreading of Judson W. Myers, another soldier in the 23rd but in Company L - recruited in Luzerne County, Pa. as opposed to Philadelphia). National Archives has service records on microfilm M554 roll 90.
- Herman Julius Myers - First cousin of my great great grandfather
Born in Virginia on 7/27/1843. Said to have been a Confederate soldier in the 1st Virginia Cavalry. Wounded at battle near Winchester, Va. Died 9/8/1901.
Noteworthy Links
- Civil War links
- National Park Service database - Huge project allows access to basic info on all soldiers' compiled service records. Prison and other records will be added in the future. The site includes databases of all regiments (with their histories) and battles (with action summaries).
- JewishGen Civil War database - Lists Jewish Civil War veterans compiled in an 1895 directory. (Sounds promising but doesn't seem to work.)
- Online Civil War Indexes - Links to dozens of databases, state libraries, and other helpful Web sites.
- Myers family genealogy links
