I'm new to this list...so here goes... In 1848 my G-Grandfather's brother, John Nelson Harned, ran away from his home on Long Island at age 16, and was never heard from again. Over the weekend I stumbled across a reference in Smith, J.E.A., "The History of Pittsfield...", to Nelson Harned as listed on the Civil War Monument in the Pittsfield Park. The information given in the book is that he was a Private with the 34th Reg't of MA Infantry and died January 7, 1864 at Harper's Ferry, VA. Because there are often mistakes in transcription, I'd like to make sure the info in the book is accurate. Is there someone on this list who lives in or near Pittsfield who knows whether this monument still exists and would be willing to visually verify this information on the monument? If this is my relative, he could only have been in Pittsfield from 1848 to 1862. He might have worked for the Coltsville Paper-Mill which was set up in 1848, because he had worked in a Long Island paper mill managed by his father. Do any of you folks have suggestions of good local sources which would cover this time period?. Thanks in advance for any assistance in solving this 150 year old family mystery. John -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> United We Stand! John Harned john@harneds.com www.harneds.org <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>