Barb's recent e-mail about NYC ancestors serving in the Civil War reminded me to ask a question I've been wondering about for a while. Any military buffs out there who can help me? A number of years ago, I ordered a Civil War military record from NYS for someone with the same name as my Brooklyn ancestor. I don't really know enough about Civil War service to interpret it and figure out whether it pertains to my ancestor, though. (Some parts of the record match my guy, others don't - his occupation is correct, his age is off.) The record says that this person enlisted in Utica. A regimental history I found online does say that it was recruited throughout NYS, including large parts of it in NYC. My main question is should the enlistment location match the place where the soldier lived? Are there situations in which it wouldn't? Thanks, Kathleen

Hi Kathleen, The Civil War is not my specialty, but I acquired my first ancestor's records in 1977, so now know more than I once did. NYC was pressured to provide a certain quota of soldiers. Young Irish immigrants were barely here, yet drafted. If an immigrant was not naturalized, [See: Act of July 1862] Union vets who were honorably discharged were eligible for accelerated naturalization w/ a one year residency, instead of five. The solider was still required to file for naturalization; some applied and were grated in the same day. Poverty in Ireland and USA [SEE: recession prior to C.W.] prompted men to enlist. Guaranteed income, or so they thought. Many soldiers were owed months of money, and supplies (including shoes, food, etc) after discharge. Then too, a pension was guaranteed after so much service time. One did not have to enlist near home. Men often enlisted with brothers or friends. Various regions offered enlistment bonuses as an enticement. These proverbial "carrots" were not equal to each other. My g-grandfather from NYC enlisted in Avon/Palmyra NY. Another thing. This was definitely a poor man's war. Any man could buy his way out of the war for $300. I have two brothers, one served as a substitute for a wealthier draftee, the other brother paid his $300. for a substitute. Lincoln didn't expect the Civil War to last more than a year. Surprise surprise. The huge draft began in 1863. You might read up on the NYC Draft Riots of 1863. Mayhem in the streets. National Guard called in to assist NYC Metropolitan Police. If you're uncertain about the records you have, try to cross reference the soldier. There are several free sites online and the information is not always consistent. Barb MizScarlettNY@aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Kathleen Scarlett O'Hara Naylor via <nybrooklyn@rootsweb.com> To: ny-irish <ny-irish@rootsweb.com>; NYC-ROOTS@rootsweb.com <nyc-roots@rootsweb.com>; Brooklyn List <NYBROOKLYN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sat, Mar 26, 2016 11:37 pm Subject: [BKLYN] Civil War Ancestor? Barb's recent e-mail about NYC ancestors serving in the Civil War reminded me to ask a question I've been wondering about for a while. Any military buffs out there who can help me? A number of years ago, I ordered a Civil War military record from NYS for someone with the same name as my Brooklyn ancestor. I don't really know enough about Civil War service to interpret it and figure out whether it pertains to my ancestor, though. (Some parts of the record match my guy, others don't - his occupation is correct, his age is off.) The record says that this person enlisted in Utica. A regimental history I found online does say that it was recruited throughout NYS, including large parts of it in NYC. My main question is should the enlistment location match the place where the soldier lived? Are there situations in which it wouldn't? Thanks, Kathleen ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NYBROOKLYN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message