An Asterisk On a Compiled Service Record

Another gem from the National Archives. No smoking guns here, but if you've ever seen a footnote in a compiled military service record from the National Archives and wondered what could be in that record, here's what happened in my case.

In "Muster-Out Versus Paid Out for the 78th Illinois," it was noted that there was a notation at the bottom of the muster out card in the compiled service record of Riley Rampley.

That notation read:

"The members of this regiment were finally paid June 20, 1865, and they are considered by the War Department as having been under military authority until that time.--R. and P.[Record and Pension Office] 370,781."

Out of curiosity (and for a possible blogging topic), it was decided to obtain these records from the National Archives. 

Record Group 94 (Adjutant General's Office), entry 502 (Record &
Pension Office document files - record cards), box 367, file # 370781

Record Group 94 (Adjutant General's Office), entry 502 (Record &
Pension Office document files - record cards), box 367, file # 370781

Company D was mustered out on 7 June 1865 in Washington, DC. The 78th was kept together as a unit and sent to Chicago, Illinois, where they received their final pay on 20 June 1865. Their pay date and muster out dates differed by thirteen days.

The distinction probably would not have been a problem except for one member of Company G--Henry Ferguson. Ferguson claimed a pension based upon an injury received between 7 June and 20 June 1865. Ferguson had five years from the date of his discharge to file his pension claim and he filed that claim on 15 June 1870--more than five years from the discharge date but not five years from the final payment date. And if Ferguson wasn't under military command on 15 June 1865, he wouldn't be eligible for a pension based upon his military service. And so after his claim was filed, the correspondence began.

That correspondence is recorded on twenty cards to which "R. and P 370,781" refers.

In summary...

The 78th arrived at rendezvous in Chicago, Illinois, on 11 June 1865 where then men awaited their final payment. They were provided military rations through 20 June 1865 and received final payment on that date. It was being under military authority at the rendezvous in Chicago and being provided rations until 20 June that was the essence of the reasons why Ferguson's pension was approved and the footnote was apparently put on the muster out card in the compiled service record of every man in the 78th.

As genealogical fate would have it, there was no mention of Riley or John Rampley in the card explaining the footnote on their compiled military service record muster out cards. The footnote explanation gave me details about the unit's movement and payment, but for the most part it was military correspondence regarding muster dates, pay dates, providing rations, etc. Chances are if the footnote had directly involved and impacted the Rampleys there would have been a notation or mention in their pension files.

War of 1812 Warrants on BLM Site--A Suggestion

[note: this post is not meant to be a comprehensive discussion of these records]

Researchers sometimes forget about the War of 1812 and the military benefits later provided to its veterans and widows. The majority of benefits for War of 1812 service took the form of land warrants which were good for a specific quantity of land in areas still owned by the federal government.

The bulk of these warrants were given in the 1850s, stemming from legislation during that time. The warrrant image in this post was created from the surrendered warrant of Clara Lake and was based upon her husband's service in the War of 1812 from Virginia.

One quick (but not full-proof) way to locate these warrants is through the Bureau of Land Management website. When searching for these warrants on the site, make certain you search for warrants (I leave the patents unchecked as that's for the person who actually settled the property which may or may not have been the veteran/widow and which may "clutter" my search results). 

Make certain you have the location set to "any." The warrants are tied in the database to the location where the property was patented (actually settled). That location may have nothing to do with where the veteran served from during the war or lived at during the warrant application.

Richard Lake and his wife Clara lived in Virginia and Kentucky. The property was eventually patented in Iowa by the person who purchased the warrant. If I had ignored the result because the Lakes never lived in Iowa, I would have missed the reference.

And when there is a patent on the BLM site based up on a military warrant, there are two things at the National Archives that you want to obtain copies of:

• the application for the warrant
• the surrendered warrant

The application tends to have more detailed information on service and life after the service, but the surrendered warrant can have clues as a well. 

And for people who lived during this era, we need all the clues we can get. 

NARA Changes--Call to Action

Changes are potentially afoot at the National Archives--ones that will negatively impact genealogists and family historians. I have recently been using NARA files more than ever for Casefile Clues and these changes are very disconcerting.

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Angela McGhie, President, National Capital Area Chapter, Association of Professional Genealogists, has allowed me to post a sample letter and more information here.


"Proposed renovations at the National Archives will affect all researchers. As you have probably heard, if the proposed changes materialize, much of the research space at the National Archives inWashington, D.C. will be converted to offices, exhibits, and otheruses, and research services will have to be reconfigured in a much smaller area. To assure that research resources are enhanced, rather than diminished, we again appeal—urgently--for your help.

There is an extremely important congressional subcommittee hearing later this month. The hearing of the Subcommittee on InformationPolicy, Census, and National Archives, which oversees NARA, will examine the National Archives mission. The proposed changes at Archives-1 will be discussed. The new Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero, will testify."

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More information, including a sample letter can be downloaded from any of the files below--Word version, PDF version, or RTF version. Please keep letter to the point and personalize it. Angela has allowed me to post versions of her letter and more information here:

• /ProposedrenovationsattheNationalArchives1.doc--Word Doc File
• /ProposedrenovationsattheNationalArchives1.pdf-- PDF File
• /ProposedrenovationsattheNationalArchives1.rtf -- RTF File

Spread the word!

This post can be linked to directly at:

http://www.rootdig.com/2009/12/nara-changes-call-to-action.html

NARA's plan for digitzing National Archives Records

From:

http://www.archives.gov/comment/digitizing-plan.html

"The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is seeking public comment on its draft Plan for Digitizing Archival Materials for Public Access, 2007-2016. This draft plan outlines our planned strategies to digitize and make more accessible the historic holdings from the National Archives of the United States.

The document is divided into several sections. The first section, INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND, provides information on NARA's mission, our archival holdings, and our past experience with digitization, to give you the context of the draft Plan for Digitizing Archival Materials for Public Access, 2007-2016"

NARA is even considering partnering with private, public, and other organizations in an effort to preserve as much paper records as they can. NARA's agreements with Footnote.com are a part of that effort.

Read more about the proposal on the NARA website.