Did your relative die in the Civil War and leave minor children behind? If so, the child (via his or her guardian) may have received a pension. That pension may provide solid evidence of the child's date of birth and some information about the widow.
The pension records would be federal records. If a guardian was appointed, those records would have been created by a local court.
My ancestor died of Typhoid in the war. He had two children who were very young. The widow received a pension, and I have those papers, but I didn't realize there might be something for the children too.
ReplyDeleteMy gggrandmother was raised by HER grandmother. Mary Ann (gggrandmother) Faulk's mother died in 1859. Her father then died during the Civil War. Mary Ann was raised by her grandmother. Would you look for a pension under the child's name? The guardian? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI would look under the name of the child. These are excellent records. Good luck!
DeleteThere were also Soldiers' Orphan Schools where the children of soldiers killed in the Civil War could go and graduate from them. It was a good thing for the most part. I found my great-grandmother and her sister in one in PA and their mother was there working as a nurse.
ReplyDelete