Ron Hughes wrote: >I am researching the family of William Rensselaer BROOKS from NYS. Civil >war records indicate he was born in Sullivan County, NY. Some family >members seem to think he was born in England. He enlisted in Hornellsville, >Steuben, NY. Died in Baton Rouge, LA. > >He enlisted at the age of 40 in 1862, so his DOB would have been about >1821-1822. While I had census index CDs out for Cliff Williams, I took a look at Steuben and Sullivan Counties, NY, for Brooks heads of household in the 1810 and 1820 census. Steuben/Sullivan Counties, NY: Brooks heads of household, 1810 census: =============================================== Joel || Sullivan County || 00101-10001 || page 332 Justin || Sullivan County || 00100-20200 || page 332 Steuben/Sullivan Counties, NY: Brooks heads of household, 1820 census: =============================================== None. Not much of a presence, at least in the census years. Just on a hunch, based on William's middle name, I took a look at Rensselaer County in 1820 as well: Rensselaer County, NY: Brooks heads of household, 1820 census: ========================================== Amos || Sandlake || page 240 Casper || Schodac || page 235 The name Rensselaer is, of course, associated with the Hudson River Valley. There were Brookses in the Hudson River Valley, some (most?) with names like Caspar/Casper and Dutch Reformed church records which suggest that they share German or Dutch origin. Although this may prove to be nothing more than an exotic tangent for you, Valentine Van Zee, if she's listening, is the person here who seems to know the most about these folks. While that doesn't literally match your English theory, it does conform in terms of birth outside the U.S. -- and family stories evolve through time, as we all know. If he's English, meaning born and named over there, it's odd that an English family early in Victoria's reign would give him a Dutch middle name connected with New York. His NARA military record would certainly note if he was foreign born, whether in England, Canada, or continental Europe. Your reference to Civil War records doesn't make clear whether you're relying on online databases, or whether you've acquired his actual military records, which run to many pages, as are war pension files, if a pension was received by any heirs. Have you looked into Hornellsville records (town, cemetery, tax, church, history) and resources? Or NARA specifically? Chris ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Christopher Hapgood Brooks Researching BROOKS Families of New England |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||