Military Records Can Provide Clues
As I was researching my great-great-great-great-grandfather, John S. SWORDS, Sr., from South Carolina, I learned that he served in the Revolutionary War. The copies of military service and pension records I obtained from both the National Archives in Washington, DC, and the South Carolina State Archives in Columbia, SC, contain fascinating documents. (Please note that the files contain different applications, affidavits, depositions and other documents.) In sworn affidavits by both John S. SWORDS, Sr., and his witnesses/corroborators, I learned that he enlisted in Spring 1777 and served as a private in the regiment commanded by Colonel Sumpter of the South Carolina line for a term of 3 years. He was taken prisoner at the Siege of Savannah as he and two other soldiers attempted to move his fatally wounded commander, Captain Boyce, back behind the battle lines for treatment. He stated that he was held by the British without food or water (other than rainwater) for two weeks, and that he escaped and traveled home. He subsequently rejoined the army and finished his term of service.

After discovering this detailed information, I made my way to the library to research the Siege of Savannah. I learned more about this battle, and that the unit in which John S. SWORDS, Sr., served was part of the 2nd SC Continentals, led by Col. John Laurens, who took part in this battle—and that the Siege of Savannah was a bitter loss for that unit.

My curiosity was aroused. I wondered what life was like for the Continental soldiers in this part of the country, where the unit in which my gggg-grandfather served had traveled, and in what other actions they had been engaged and involved.

Military Histories Provide Details
Historical accounts of military campaigns have been popular since ancient times. Julius Caesar (http://myron.sjsu.edu/romeweb/WRITERS/art13.htm) was not only a Roman emperor, statesman and military general, he was an excellent historian. Porcius Cato Marcus (http://myron.sjsu.edu/romeweb/WRITERS/art11.htm) (also known as Cato the Elder), was also a famous Roman statesman, military general and writer who lived from 234-149 BC. They and other Roman writers recorded the history of Roman warfare, and these writings are the source of our detailed knowledge of the Roman period.

State and national histories, and the hundreds of books about every war and conflict, certainly provide detailed accounts of specific campaigns. They provide analyses of the forces, military leaders, terrain, weather conditions and other specific contributing factors. (Whether a specific account contains bias in favor of one side or another can sometimes be a matter of conjecture, and it is really up to us, the readers, to weigh and carefully consider what we read.)

Military regimental histories are another source of detailed information. James C. Neagles, in his book U.S. Military Records, (http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog/product.asp?pf%5Fid=25546&dept%5Fid=10202000) hits the nail on the head when he says, "Regimental histories are probably unsurpassed in recreating the daily activities and operations of the individual units within the armed forces. When used with other sources, these accounts can be of great help in assembling a meaningful history."

In a regimental history, you are likely to find day-by-day accounts: the movements of the units, their participation in battles, the names of the officers and their roles and decisions, and the names and events of special individuals. Rosters of soldiers of a regiment and all units are included, often with the date of enlistment or transfer, the ranks achieved, promotions/demotions, special medals awarded, and final action (mustered out, killed in action, missing in action, taken prisoner, court martialled, etc.)

Regimental histories also include detailed accounts of weather conditions endured by the soldiers. The types of uniforms they wore are usually described, along with the insignia for the uniforms, flags and guidons. The availability of clothing, and the boots and supplies they had (or did not have) are usually discussed. You will learn about the food they ate and where it was obtained (supply units, hunted, raided, captured or stolen). Descriptions of the means of transportation (on foot, horse/mule, wagon, train, ship, airplane) are often interesting. The types of arms issued to the soldiers and the other weapons they used (cannon, mortar, sword, bazooka, tank, jet fighter, torpedo, antiaircraft guns, etc.) are always discussed and provide insight into the conditions of warfare at the time. Sometimes there are lists of personnel assignments for specific equipment included. Last but not least, diseases and other physical hardships are described, often summoning up a vivid picture of the conditions endured by the soldiers.

Regimental histories usually are compiled using the official records of the units. The specific military branch's official records, adjutant general's reports, regimental muster rolls, service records, quartermaster documents, medical reports, casualty lists, personnel records, diaries and personal accounts, and other sundry materials have been studied and the records compiled to produce a comprehensive historical picture.

Toward the end of the U.S. Civil War, some regimental histories began to be published, particularly for the Union forces. The authors sought to take advantage of the public's thirst for knowledge of glorious feats and victories. Some of these histories were authentic; others contained somewhat sensationalized or fictionalized accounts of so-called heroic deeds by some leaders. Publication of the histories eased off for a time as the United States tried to reunite. In the late 1870s, however, a great many veterans sought spur or sponsor reunions among their units. Regimental reunion associations were formed and historical information and artifacts were collected. Written histories, often written by veterans themselves and consisting of anecdotes and memoirs, began to be published. These were followed by more scholarly works, which often contained biographical sketches and/or vital statistics of regimental members. Ultimately, there have been thousands of such historical volumes published. Many still exist in special collections of libraries, in the hands of state, regional and/or local historical societies, and in private collections of military societies such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Confederacy, Sons of the Confederacy, United Confederate Veterans, the VFW, American Legion and others. You just need to know where to look and not be afraid to make inquiries.

Putting It All Together
All of the information you compile through this type of research can help you create a detailed biographical portrait of your ancestor. Like you, I started with a name of an ancestor on a pedigree chart; John S. SWORDS, Sr. I fleshed out his family group, determined that he served in the Revolutionary War and then obtained copies of his military service and pension records. With the information found in the latter, I researched a specific conflict (the Siege of Savannah) and learned more about my gggg-grandfather's unit. I then traced his unit back through state historical information, and located a regimental history that provided more details.

John S. SWORDS, Sr., is no longer merely a name on a pedigree chart. He is now a Revolutionary soldier who was twenty-two at the time of his enlistment in York, SC. I now know the routes traveled by John S. SWORDS, Sr., during his service from Spring 1777 through his capture at Savannah in December 1778, and more details about his life during that period. These include the food he ate, the clothing he wore, the weather conditions in the SC-GA coastal area where he served throughout most of 1778, the type of gun he carried, names and ranks of his comrades, and the names and fates of his officers. I know he returned home and married Eleanor SWANCEY on 24 April 1782, and they settled in the Old Pendleton District of SC, later moving to Ninety-Six District in 1785 after he received a bounty land grant for his military service. They produced eleven children. He collected military pensions, first from the U.S. government and later from the State of South Carolina. He died in 1834. His wife applied for and was granted a widow's pension, which she collected until she died in 1841.

There are certainly many more details about John S. SWORDS, Sr., that can be written, based on his military service. Military service and pension records, combined with other military history records, including military regimental histories, greatly enhance your knowledge and understanding of your ancestors.

Happy hunting!

George

Bibliography and Other Reading:
Boatner, Mark M., III. "Encyclopedia of the American Revolution". Third edition. (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. 1996.)

Meyerink, Kory L. "Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records". (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc. 1998.) http://shop.ancestry.com/ancestry/printedsources1.html

Neagles, James C. "U.S. Military Records". (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc. 1994.) http://shop.ancestry.com/ancestry/usmilrec1.html.

More about Military Regiments
In case you missed it, this week Ancestry.com announced that it has placed a new Civil War Database online at: http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/military/cwrd/main.htm
This new database allows you to "search for a soldier and click on his name for more information. You will learn the regiment with which he served, and by clicking on the regiment, you will be taken to the regimental history, which includes statistics, a chronology of battles fought, and a link to the entire roster of that regiment." This is a unique research opportunity! Check it out today.

Notes on Last Week's Column about Estate Papers
I receive a great deal of e-mail each week. While I can't answer absolutely every one, I read each one and find some tremendous interesting stories. In response to last week's column, I received the following messages that I wanted to share with you that illustrate other points about estate papers.

Frank Wenzel wrote, "Your case of using the estate papers and court records struck home. I had the good fortune of following my gr-gr-grandfather’s estate for a period of almost 80 years! He died in Oct 1870 and his last surviving daughter lived to the ripe old age of 91 years, finally succumbing to old age in March 1950. It took me almost a year to sift through what remained of the estate papers (the early records were lost in a courthouse fire but the will and some other documents were reconstructed by the court). Those papers undoubtedly saved me years of research."

Important Note: The court had to reconstruct the will and other documents in order to complete probate of the estate.

Cliff Ocheltree wrote, "Check the docket records of the court to see if there were any legal actions concerning the estate. These actions would not usually be part of the estate file but separate civil actions with their own files. Had spent several years working on my LUCKETT lineage but had always failed to find a date of birth for my Henry. Found that a rather lengthy suit followed a dispute over which will was his last testament (this in spite of the fact that his estate was handled for more than a year as an intestate proceeding!). In the civil case file I found transcripts of depositions taken, 1839 no less, one of which included the deceased's brother-in-law reading from the family Bible the birth dates of each of the heirs. No record of these proceedings was to be found in the estate file."

Important Note: Many courts will cross-reference case files that affect other cases. In the case of an estate that cannot be settled pending the settlement of another case, a reference is made in the estate file so that, when the probate court reviews the file, it will know to check the disposition of the other case before closing the estate. Occasionally, but not always, a copy of the other case's judgement/conclusion is included in the estate file. Cliff is right on target when he says to check the court records, dockets, or otherwise, for other actions that might have affected the estate. He found important vital dates from a family Bible. While this is a secondary record, its having been found acceptable as evidence by a court of law places a higher value on the content than perhaps other evidence.

What's on the Web?
In the "Along Those Lines . . ." column of 21 May, I listed the "Best Genealogical Web Sites" (http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/george/882.asp)
There are so many wonderful, well-done Web sites that make genealogical research better. One that I omitted that should have been included is JewishGen at: http://www.jewishgen.org/. This site is staffed entirely by volunteers and contains databases, educational material, links to some terrific resources, news about genealogical projects worldwide, and access to e-mail discussion groups. It's a great site.

There is an increased interest among Native American family researchers to learn more about tribal culture, traditions and languages. Native American genealogists will therefore be thrilled with the Web sites listed in the July 1999 issue of Yahoo! Internet Life magazine. Lisa Mitten's Native American Sites at http://www.pitt.edu/~lmitten/indians.html at the University of Pittsburgh has many great links. The Canadian site, First Nations Website, at http://www.schoolnet.ca/aboriginal/ is available in English or French. (The term, First Nation, is preferred in Canada over the terms Indian or Native American.) This site contains information about tribal nations, cultural resources, and learning languages, including links to audio files to listen to sample words. In addition, the Web site created by Paula Giese before her death in 1997 is still online with its prolific content of more than 300 Web pages. It can be found at: http://indy4.fdl.cc.mn.us/~isk/

There are many, many military history sites on the Web. One of the most interesting, however, is that of the U.S. Army Center for Military History at: http://www4.army.mil/cmh-pg/. Another is the Naval Historical Center at http://www.history.navy.mil/. Also, there is a wonderful Web site about maintaining the accounts of military history from our veterans and their families. It can be found at “The Center for Life Stories Preservation” site at http://www.storypreservation.com/links-mh.html. You'll find some wonderful stories and photographs at this site.

Finally, people have been asking me for my Web site. I've been working on it but, like every other Web site, it isn't finished. However, feel free to check it out at http://members.aol.com/alonglines. I am still waiting for additional Web space so that I can place my family genealogy out there. It's ready to be posted, thanks to a terrific software package called GED2HTML which converts your GEDCOM file to a set of ready made, indexed and cross-referenced HTML files. Hopefully, I'll have the Web space and my files uploaded sometime in July. Thanks for your patience!

Visit George Morgan's NEW Web page at: http://members.aol.com/alonglines.

The article originally appeared in the Genealogy Forum on America Online. You may send e-mail to mailto:alonglines@aol.com. George Morgan would like to hear from you, but, because of the volume of e-mail, is unable to personally respond to each letter individually. He also regrets that he cannot assist you with your personal genealogical research.

George is also the author of The Genealogy Forum on America Online, which is available in the Ancestry Online Store at: http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog/
product.asp?pf%5Fid=1101046&dept%5Fid=10102000.