Faded Echoes of the Civil War: Correlating Evidence of Identity and Kinship – Amy Larner Giroux

Amy Larner Giroux, PhD, CG, CGL

SESSION: NGS2104-BCG-02 TRACK: BCG Skillbuilding

SPONSOR: Board for Certification of Genealogists®

Genealogists typically work from a known individual and extend familial connections for ancestral and descendant lines. However, there are times when the data gathering stages involve identifying people within a certain group (e.g. neighborhood, religious organization, occupational group) before the extensions of the lineages can begin.

This presentation recounts the research involved in identifying New England and Mid-West Union soldiers whose burials in St. Augustine, Florida, were lost to time. A single photograph identifying 9 men and an order for 68 marble headstones started the investigation to identify the regiments, soldiers, and kin.

Attendees will be introduced to a set of methods to identify and search record groups by criteria to identify the people involved. These methods, including a military version of the FAN methodology, help to locate group membership and then identify individuals by name and kinship. Understanding these methods of research and the information contained in a series of record groups will help attendees find data on their own ancestors.

This presentation, along with “‘Charley Keep my Gun Clean’: Documenting Love and Loss During the Civil War” (session NGS2104-MIL-01), will expand the toolkits of attendees working on research during the U.S. Civil War time period.

BIO: Amy Larner Giroux, PhD, CG, CGL, is an award-winning author with articles published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Record, The Genealogist (American Society of Genealogists), and Florida Studies. Her research interests interests include New York, New England, Florida, military cemeteries, burial iconography, and ethnic studies.

The Virtual NGS 2021 On-Demand! Viewing Starts 15 June

This lecture series is available to view from home on your computer or mobile device and offers you the opportunity to develop exceptional genealogy skills with a highly comprehensive set of on-demand webinars from NGS’s expert conference speakers. On-Demand! packages of audio-visual lectures are now available for purchase.

Select from the 20 or 40 On-Demand! lecture packages with over 85 sessions to choose from. Watch starting 15 June 2021 through 31 December 2021. Both packages come with access to two full days of NGS 2021 Live! from 19-20 May 2021, the virtual conference syllabus, and sponsored bonus sessions. Plus, view the sessions from NGS 2021 Live! and any sessions you did not choose from the breakouts (nine more) beginning 15 June. All sessions will be closed captioned.

To learn more about the NGS 2021 Virtual Family History Conference’s week-long events, 17-21 May, visit the conference and download a copy of the program brochure.