15/07/2006
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Tracing those ancestors of the CSA
For an organisation to which I belong (Sons of Confederate Veterans - Wm. Norris Camp), I had to submit documentation proving that my Confederate ancestors were indeed Confederate veterans. Thankfully, my grandmother, the genealogist of the family, had done that work since she and Mom are members of the sister organization (United Daughters of the Confederacy) that demands the same documentation. Looking at my documentation, I would say the first thing to do is looking at family records from you to as far back as you can. Then, if there is still a gap, use libraries and church records to ascertain the missing ancestors. Once you are back around the time of the War Between the States (1861-1865), the archives and library of the State in which he served would have the service records of the Confederate veterans. For other wars before then (1812, Revolution, French & Indian War), I am not sure where to go except the State Library and Archive.
If I have time, I would like to document my Huguenot descent. That descent means more to me than my other ancestry since it is not only biological descent but also spiritual descent (the Covenant). (Huguenots were the French Reformed Christians led by John Calvin.) I've gone as far back as 1700's Britain, to which some of my Huguenot ancestors fled when the wicked King Louis XIV of France revoked his grandfather's (Henri IV) Edict of Nantes, which gave religious liberty to the Huguenots and other Protestants.
Other bands of Huguenots fled to Switzerland with Calvin, and still others fled to Canada, VA, FL, and the Caribbean. I pity those who fled to Florida (Fort Caroline near present day Jacksonville) since they went from French Catholic oppression to Spanish Catholic oppression since Florida was a Spanish territory at the time, and all they wanted was to settle and worship God in peace.
(I am a "member in good standing" of the SCV and pay my dues, but I rarely attend the meetings since their meetings are on the same night as Bible Study / Care Group. And Christ comes first.)
Comments (2)
My Confederate ancestors lived in southern Georgia where General Sherman's troops burned almost every existing building in their path, according to family word-of-mouth history. My family believed that buildings housing the records were burned, even in Atlanta, so they never bothered to look them up.
That's really interesting that you've been able to trace your roots that far back, especially finding that rich spiritual heritage. Thanks for sharing.
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