Sandusky County Civil War Soldiers Database

Before anybody begins to accuse me of being obsessed with the topic of the Civil War, I promise this will be the last blog on the subject, at least for a while. I had forgotten one very important local source of Civil War data — the Sandusky County, Ohio, Civil War Soldiers Database housed on the Hayes Presidential Center's Web site.

According to the Web site, a Bowling Green State University student, Richard L. Manion started the project as part of his thesis research in 1989. The project was continued by the Curator of Manuscripts at the Hayes Presidential Center, Nan Card. More than 60 sources were used to complete the database. If your family has lived in Sandusky County for at least the last 150 years, you should check out this resource. The records indicate that more than 65% of all military-aged men in Sandusky County did service for their country at some point during the Civil War.

Andrew Zink, for example, is one of the men listed from 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. From the database, we learn that he was 18 when he enlisted on March 31, 1864. He lived in Sandusky Township of Sandusky County. He enlisted as a private and was a private when he was captured June 11, 1864 in Ripley, Mississippi. He died October 21, 1864 in Andersonville prison.

To read more about the history of the database and to search for your own Civil War ancestors, go to http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/databases/soldiers/soldiers.htm.

Until Next Time — Happy Ancestral Digging! Note this post first published online, October 9, 2007, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

@ 9 October 2007, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Field Trip — The Hayes Presidential Center's Civil War Encampment

Though the Civil War Encampment at the Hayes Presidential Center has been going on for 16 years, I have never attended. This year, I put the encampment on my “must do” list. My old faithful Sony digital and I went to Spiegel Grove to check things out. Sights, Sounds and Thoughts from the Encampment:

1. A” Confederate” woman from the Cleveland area spoke to me about how the unusually hot weather had sapped all the energy right out of the reenactors. Her ninth year in attendance of this event, she said normally they all kept busy in order to stay warm — but not this year.

2. A few moments spent chatting with a budding blacksmith who talked with me about learning this new trade. He had tried making soap for one season, but didn't care for that. He said the idea of blacksmithing came to him in a dream. Oh unconscious mind, what a devil you can be. He told me he enjoyed his newfound passion — even on such a hot day.

3. Two preteen girls dressed in Civil War-era attire, chatted about completing a treasure hunt — they were looking for President Hayes' birth date (or death date — eavesdropping has its limitations) and decided Hayes' tomb would be a good place to check.

4. Tents pitched everywhere. Located across the trail from Hayes' Tomb was the Union Camp while the Confederate Camp was stationed along Hayes Avenue on the western end of the Spiegel Grove grounds.

5. A curl of steam seen rising from a tin coffee boiler sitting unattended in front of one tent site. For some reason, the sight affected me — I could easily imagine the same scene over one hundred 45 years earlier. I tried capturing the feeling in a picture, but it lost something in the translation.

6. The dichotomy of seeing a woman costumed in Victorian Era dress taking a quick swig of bottled water.

7. Sutlers Row, a lengthy stretch of walk way lined with vendors' tents connected the Union and Confederate Camps. My hunch is the tent selling cold drinks saw the most action during the two-day encampment.

8. Yankee reenactors drilling in front of the Hayes home. Hmm — did I see a female reenactor among their ranks? Maybe I need new glasses. If not, good for her!


9. I overheard a conversation from a Confederate enthusiast to some bystanders concerning the real truth versus what was being taught in history books. Sigh … I wish I had walked over sooner so I would know what truth and what the history books have been incorrectly written.

10. “Fire in the Hole” yelled as a group of rebel reenactors fired their cannon. Though prepared, I jumped and lost the picture of them firing that I had planned on taking.

11. The absolute look of rapture on a young boy's face as he sat perched atop his father's shoulders. Still holding his hands over his ears, he couldn't take his eyes off the cannon, hoping the men would fire it again.

I've already decided the lantern tour of the soldier's campsites is something I want to have on my “to do list” for next year's encampment.

Until Next Time — Happy Ancestral Digging

Note this post first published online, October 8, 2007, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

© 8 Oct 2007, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Some Civil War Facts

In honor of this weekend's Civil War Encampment at the Hayes Presidential Center's grounds, I thought I would share a few related facts. 

1. Ohio sent 313,180 to fight for the Union Cause. 

2. Only New York and Pennsylvania furnished more men to the Grand Army of the Republic than Ohio.

3. More Ohioans died from disease than were killed in battle. (19,365 died of disease and another 11,588 were killed or mortally wounded.) 

4. The deadliest disease for the Union Army (with more than 44,500 deaths) was diarrhea. 

5. The Union enacted a draft on March 3, 1863 for men between the ages of 18 and 45. Each state was given a quota of troops to fulfill. If the number of volunteers was sufficient to meet the quota then no one was drafted.

6. The Confederacy's first draft law was enacted on April 16, 1862, called the Conscription Act. All healthy white men between the ages of 18 and 35 for a three-year term of service. 

7. In September of 1862 the age limit was raised to 45 in the Confederate States 

8. In February of 1864, the Confederacy again extended the age range from 17 to 50.

9. The state where the most battles were fought was the state of Virginia, which was the site of 2,154 battles.

10. Approximately 30,000 Union soldiers died in Confederate prisons. 

11. Approximately 26,000 Confederate soldiers died in Union prisons. 

12. The 72 Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry was organized in Fremont in the fall of 1861. 900 men left for Camp Chase on January 24, 1862. The following are those from the Regiment who died in Andersonville Prison.

Pvt. Alexander Almond 

Sgt. William Baumgartner 

Pvt. Simeon Blackman 

Pvt. Michael Burns

Pvt. Patrick Donohue 

Pvt. Eugene Frankenberg 

Pvt. John Gullenback

1st Sgt. Daniel I. Haggerty 

Cpl. Niles S. Haines

Pvt. William Hinton 

Pvt. Owen Hudnell 

Cpl. Edwin L. Hyde 

Sgt. Sherman A. Jackson

Pvt. Robert Kelvington 

Cpl. Martin S. Lochner 

Pvt. George W. Lowe

Pvt. Noble Perrin 

Cpl. Henry J. Potter 

Pvt. John Purcell 

Pvt. John H. Ross

Pvt. Conrad Sheller

Pvt. Henry Shook

Pvt. Platt Soper

Pvt. Solomon Stage 

Pvt. Martin J. Staner 

Cpl. Ferdinand Statler

Pvt. Warren Sturtevant

Pvt. Michael Weaver

Pvt. Luther Wentworth 

Pvt. Eli Whitaker 

Cpl. Andrew J. Zink

13. By 1864, Andersonville housed 33,000 prisoners. It was the fifth largest city in the South. 

14. The last battle of the Civil War took place at Palmito Ranch, Texas on May 13, 1865 — a month after Lee's surrender. The Confederate side won the encounter. 

Until Next Time … 

Note: Facts and Statistics were taken from the following Web sites: CJ's Civil War Home Page: (He lists his source as Atlas Editions; Civil War Cards) Shotgun's Home of the Civil War: The Civil War Home Page: http://www.civil-war.net/ http://www.udata.com/users/hsbaker/ohio72.htm PBS's The Civil War: Note this post first published online, October 5, 2007, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

©5 Oct 2007, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Happy Birthday

For many reasons, October 4 is a date of note in my family. The most important reason being that it is my dad's birthday. Dad is half of a dynamic duo that gave my three siblings and me the best of all childhoods. Dad and I didn't meet until I was four months old. He was serving as a supply sergeant in Japan when I was born. But he was there when all three of my younger siblings came screamin' into this world. 

He was the one who had to tell mom that the doctors didn't think they would be taking my baby brother home, probably the hardest thing he ever had to tell her. My mother, discharged from the hospital, had to leave her precious newborn behind and it fell to my father to go to the hospital every morning to see my brother and find out how he was doing. Dad did this every day until my brother finally came home.

As a kid, my dad would sometimes take me with him when he went golfing. It wasn't that I liked golf (heavens no), or the great outdoors, or even the fact that most of the time I could weasel an orange soda pop out of dad at the end of nine holes. No, what I liked about walking alongside him hole after hole was that I had my dad ALL TO MYSELF. Sometimes we walked silently and just enjoyed the day, and sometimes, poor dad was subjected to 50 million questions — I don't know how he ever concentrated on his game! 

Besides being a golf fanatic, Dad is also an avid sports fan, and a big Ohio State supporter. He was horrified to learn that his one and only granddaughter was a Michigan enthusiast. He said of her devotion to Michigan, that it was like “being at war with Russia, and she was on the side of the Russians!” Yep, he's a real Buckeye fan and 20 some years later, my daughter still supports the Maize and Blue. Russians indeed! 

My Dad called the 2000 election way before the issue of “hanging chads” was resolved. At my nephew's wedding in November of that year, my dad asked me if I had heard the news that Bush had been declared the winner in the presidential election. He said it with such earnestness that I didn't doubt him for a second. My mistake — I spent the rest of the evening talking about Bush being President Elect with everyone I entered into the most casual of conversations. It wasn't until the end of the night, that I realized my dad had pranked me. To this day, his defense is that he was just early in his forecast of what eventually happened. So what if his eldest daughter looked like an idiot. 

The truth of the matter is that in my family, we joke a lot, and consequently we laugh a lot, tell stories a lot, and are noisy a lot. A newcomer has to have a strong constitution to face one of our big family gatherings. But in spite of all that or maybe because of it, we also love a lot. That's what my father and my mother taught us. As my Dad always says, “It's the little things.” So here's to you, daddy — HAPPY 76TH BIRTHDAY! 

Until Next Time … Note this post first published online, October 4, 2007, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

©4 Oct 2007, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

A Defective Laugh Gene

Confession time. I have a secret. When I laugh, every once in a while I will suck in air through my nose and mouth, and this rather unpleasant sound emerges. I mean really unpleasant. You know, unpleasant as in “hey, who let the pig loose in the theater” unpleasant. Technically, you might call it a snort, but ladies don't snort, right? 

 I haven't always had this problem. I mean I don't remember any kids on the school playground pointing derisively at me while I was laughing. I'm sure I would remember something that traumatic. The thing is, I wasn't bred by snorters. Both of my parents have these nice respectable laughs (although I'm not sure the same could be said of their sense of humor, Dad!). 

 I've tried to hide this affliction from the general public, I think pretty successfully. When I'm laughing in a public place I will laugh and think, “Don't snort.” Laugh - “Don't snort.” Laugh- “Don't snort.” What does this have to do with genealogy or family history? Well, in talking to the very nice minister who gave the service at my Aunt's funeral yesterday, he mentioned that the family had told him about my Aunt's snort and that her granddaughter, Tanya had inherited the same snort (sorry Tanya, but it was the Reverend who outted you, not me). Without missing a beat, my formerly sweet sister poked me in the ribs and said, “Hey that must be where you get it from!” Thanks sis. 

 So now I know it's inherited. It must have just skipped a generation. Oh and the piece de resistance, my brother-in-law narced on my rib poking sister and told me she snorts too - she must be better at hiding it than I am. As it turns out, both of my sisters are secret snorters. And for all of you smug non-snorters sitting out there passing judgment, remember NEITHER of my parents are afflicted, and look what defective laughers they produced. 

 So if you happen to be at the local cinema and you hear someone laughing and then snorting, be nice. It could be yours truly - or one of my siblings - or maybe even a cousin! Until Next Time — Happy Ancestral Digging! Note this post first published online, October 3, 2007, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

©3 October 2007, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Aunt Florence

My Aunt Florence passed away last week. Born on April 30, 1917, she came into this world three weeks after the United States declared war on Germany. She died, as the United States stands enmeshed in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. For someone who had such bellicose bookends marking her life, she was a lady of great warmth and humor. Because she was the eldest of nine siblings, her knowledge of our family history was the most extensive — she had lived it first hand.

In my blog, “It's All in the Detail,” I related one of her stories about her maternal grandmother, Laura Jane Feasel Lynch. She also had stories about her paternal grandparents, Samuel and Clara Jacobus Hoy. Clara, Florence said, favored the male grandchildren. On one occasion, Clara had given Florence's brother Johnny a sack of candy. In recounting the story some 80 years later, Florence remained slightly offended that Johnny had not shared one piece of this windfall with her. 

She also told stories of Christmas at the Hoy family farm. Tradition had a huge evergreen on the homestead being lit with candles on its branches — a most spectacular sight. Her Uncle Robert, only 10 years older than Florence and the youngest of Sam and Clara's boys, was in charge of the water bucket used to douse any errant flames that lighting the Christmas tree invariably created.

Storytelling was Aunt Florence's favorite form of communication. Seeing Aunt Florence meant hearing a story that was guaranteed to make you smile, if not cause an outright belly laugh. As often as not, she was the target of her own stories, some silly thing she had done or that had happened to her. 

After my brother received his associate's degree, he went to Mentor and moved in with Aunt Florence as he went job hunting. I think Aunt Florence enjoyed having him to fuss over, and I know my brother enjoyed that time with her, as well as getting a chance to know his “Cleveland” cousins. His tales of Aunt Florence's cooking were mouth watering to those of us listening, and her lasagna, apparently, was the closest thing mere mortals could get to heaven. 

Today, Florence Laura Hoy Fry is being laid to rest. She will lie beside her beloved husband, Wilbur Chester Fry in Oakwood Cemetery. In a world of negative and strident voices, there is sadness in knowing that a voice of such warmth and laughter has been forever stilled. 

 Until Next Time … Note this post first published online, October 2, 2007, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

©2 October 2007, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Genealogy Quick Tip — Making Use of Message Boards

Shirley Langdon Wilcox is a certified genealogist who is a past president of the National Genealogical Society, a past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the author and co-author of a number of books (including “Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy”). Well, you get the idea; she's a very accomplished lady. She also happens to be a cousin, albeit a distant cousin of mine.

We both descend from William Armstrong, an Irish Immigrant, and Leah Shupe Armstrong Coffelt. Shirley descends from their daughter, Susan Teresa and I descend from their daughter Elizabeth Harriet. I didn't know of her illustrious genealogical background when I first wrote her an e-mail a few years back. I had found her when I had looked up the Armstrong name on Genforum. (http://genforum.genealogy.com/).

She was both cordial and gracious and e-mailed me scanned copies of two pages from the Armstrong Family Bible. I, in turn, e-mailed her several obituaries I had found on Susan and Elizabeth's siblings. The Internet is a great equalizer. I would never have had the nerve to contact her had I not found her on Genforum, nor would I have had the foggiest idea of how to go about it. If you haven't taken advantage of Genforum or its sister message board, the Rootsweb/Ancestry Message Board (http://boards.ancestry.com/), you might want to try it. Who knows, somebody out there may be able to help you shatter a brick wall. But remember, genealogical etiquette (not to mention the golden rule) demands that we use these encounters to share information, not demand it.

 Until Next Time — Happy Ancestral Digging! Note this post first published online, October 1, 2007, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

©1 Oct 2007, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder