Hi Kerry listers. I thought I would mention that I have now downloaded on my computer: "Grand Army of the Republic: Civil War Veterans, Department of Massachusetts, 1866-1947". This is a list of over 40,000 names of Civil War veterans who joined this group in Massachusetts or their sons who joined Sons Of.............or the Wives of.................... I have found an ancestor through this list. I knew that William McSheehy had been a Civil War veteran but had been unable to find out where he had enlisted or anything. I have still not been able to find any pension record at the Nat. Archives. But I found him on this list. He joined the Volunteer Army in New York. Big surprise to me. But this GAR list gives his regiment, rank, etc. Everything that I needed to send to Washington, D.C. for his service record. Which I am now waiting for. The interesting thing was the spelling of his name. Back then, my family had not "returned" the Mc to its name and most of the time the spelling was Sheehy. But William enlisted as Shehea. I had tried every other spelling that I could think of to find him but that one. (Trust me on this one. I grew up a McSheehy and you would be amazed at what people can do to this name. Or maybe you wouldn't.) William has been the one brother who seemed to give the most info when he filled out forms when they first came over from Co. Kerry. Maybe this will lead me somewhere else. I also found a Maurice Lynch who served with him and could be part of my Lynch family but there were quite a few Maurice Lynches around, I have found. I do know that my family does have a Maurice Lynch in its tree. Who knows? Might be coincidence. Might not. The complete files of the GAR members is in the Cambridge, Mass. library but they have all been put in storage until 2009, I was told, due to renovations being done on the building. Sigh. So I must try to be patient. The point is, if any of you think your ancestors might have been in the Civil War and settled after the war in Massachusetts, I am more than happy to look it up for you. It seems most Civil War vets signed up with the GAR. I have also found William's son John who joined the Sons of.................. The search continues.................... Monica ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.