The February 11, 2010, meeting of the Madison County Genealogical Society was held at the Edwardsville Public Library in Edwardsville, Illinois.
President, Robert Ridenour, called the meeting to order.
Reports:
In the absence of our
Treasurer LaVerne Bloemker, Secretary, Barbara Hitch presented
the financial reports for the month of January 2010.
November
Dues for 2010 are
now being accepted. We would very much appreciate receiving your
renewal checks by ASAP. Present members will receive one more
Newsletter in February.
Do you have a family
member that is interested in (or even obsessed with) genealogy?
A membership in the Madison County Genealogical Society would
be a very thoughtful gift. A gift card will be sent to the recipient
of any gift membership.
The following memberships are available:
Individual/Family Annual Membership $20.00
Patron Annual Membership $30.00
Life Membership $250.00
Contact our Secretary, Barbara Hitch, at [email protected],
about a gift membership.
On February 11, 2010, Tom Pearson, Reference
Librarian in the Special Collections Department of St Louis Library,
presented a program on the Historical Background and Genealogical
Records of the War of 1812.
Impressment
Involuntary impressment of American sailors and merchant seamen
into British Navy under the guise of "capturing deserters."
More than 6,000 American sailors had been shanghaied by British
press gangs by 1812.
Expansionist Ambitions
America had designs on foreign possessions in North America. A
group of U.S. congressmen ("War Hawks") spurred this
effort to expand U.S. territory and influence to Spanish Florida
and British Canada.
Indian Troubles
Many people felt that British agents were purposely stirring up
Indian troubles in the U.S. mid-western territorial possessions.
(And they were correct.)
European Conflict
The "War Hawks" felt that Britain would be stretched
too thin if forced to contend with simultaneous military campaigns
in Europe and North America.
Continental System
The U. S. became ensnared in this tangle of English and French
decrees and orders concerning European trade restrictions and
boycotts (1806-1812).
American Strategy in the War of 1812
The first American strategy in the War of 1812 was to gain control
of Canada by capturing Montreal or Quebec, then force England
to negotiate to regain it. However, operations against the British
forces in Canada (1812-1814) were unsuccessful, thereby forcing
the U.S. in 1814 to adopt a defensive position. The second American
strategy was to commission privateers (private vessels granted
permission to seize British naval and commercial vessels) and
thus hamper the British war effort. This was very successful -
500 privateers eventually seized 1,300 British prizes.
British Strategy in the War of 1812
The British early in the war blockaded American ports with 75
naval vessels, greatly reducing American imports and exports and
angering many New Englanders dependent on foreign trade for their
livelihoods. After Napoleon's defeat in 1814, the British were
able to begin a land offensive against the Americans. The British
were able to burn Washington, D.C., in 1814, but were unable to
reduce or capture Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.
The British also began a campaign against New Orleans in an effort
to block commerce on the Mississippi River. However, a force of
militiamen and Army regulars under Andrew Jackson decisively defeated
a force of British regulars at the Battle of New Orleans on January
8, 1815, but the battle took place two weeks after a peace treaty
had been signed.
Compiled Military Service Records (CMSRs)
War of 1812 soldiers could enlist for a bewildering variety of
terms of service: 30, 60, and 90 days, and 6 or 12 months. These
service records were compiled by government clerks from original
muster rolls, pay rolls, etc. and cover volunteers in various
military organizations raised by the states. A War of 1812 soldier
could have served in more than one military organization during
the war thus there would be a different CMSR for each military
unit in which the veteran served. CMSRs were recorded on cards
that are kept in jackets at NARA in Washington, D.C.
Most War of 1812 CMSRs have not been microfilmed. One exception
is the CMSRs for the state of Mississippi, available in a 22 roll
microfilm set [NARA series M678]). However, there is an Index
to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer War of 1812 Soldiers
(NARA series M602 - 234 rolls). This index is alphabetical by
surname and includes name, rank, and unit or units in which the
man served. This microfilm set is available at St. Louis Public
Library (MI).
Muster Rolls and Rosters
Various rosters in book and/or electronic format exist for the
following states and territories: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia,
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia.
St. Louis Public Library owns many (but not all) of these book
state rosters of 1812 soldiers. These registers can be easily
found on Worldcat.org by searching for: 1812 registers Virginia.
(Replace Virginia with the state of interest.) [Ed: Worldcat.org
is an electronic catalog of items available at thousands of libraries
worldwide. A search of this catalog will show you which libraries
have the item you are looking for.]
Enlistment Records
Some men enlisted in the United States Army, Navy, or Marine Corps,
rather than in a volunteer military organization raised by a state.
Records of such Army enlistments are available on a microfilm
set, Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1789-1914 (NARA
series M233- 47 reels), which is available at the St. Louis Public
Library (SLPL). SLPL also owns various registers in book form
of 19th century U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps officers.
Pay and Account Books
Pay and account books for various volunteer military organizations
are often in the collection of state archives and are sometimes
reprinted in books or in periodicals. Again, these can be easily
found on Worldcat.org by searching for: Virginia pay 1812.
Regimental Histories
Many regimental histories have been written and can easily be
found on Worldcat.org: Virginia regiment war 1812.
Lists of Impressed Seamen
Two NARA microfilm publications contain information about impressed
seamen: Registers of Applications for the Release of Impressed
Seamen, 1793-1802, and Related Indexes (M2025- 1 roll) and Miscellaneous
Lists and Papers Regarding Impressed Seamen, 1796-1814 (M1839-
1 roll). These fils can be obtained from NARA (purchase) or the
Mormon Church (rental).
Records of POWs, Enemy Aliens, and Privateers
NARA microfilm set "War of 1812 Papers" of the Department
of State, 1789-1815 (NARA series M588 - 7 rolls) includes material
on War of 1812 prisoners of war and on the registration of enemy
aliens (British citizens living in the United States during the
War of 1812). Set contents include: Roll 1 - Letters Concerning
Letters of Marque and Enemy Aliens, 1812-1814; Roll 2 - U.S. Marshal's
Returns of Enemy Aliens and Prisoners of War, 1812-1815 (Part
I); Roll 3 - U.S. Marshal's Returns of Enemy Aliens and Prisoners
of War, 1812-1815 (Part II); Roll 4 - Requests for Permission
to Sail From the U.S., and Passenger Lists of Outgoing Vessels,
1812-1814; Roll 5 - Correspondence Regarding Passports, 1812-1814;
Roll 6 - Agreements for Exchange of Prisoners of War, 1812-1813
and Miscellaneous Letters Received Concerning Prisoners of War,
1812-1815; and Roll 7 - Miscellaneous Intercepted Correspondence,
1798-1814.
Records of Courts-Martial and Courts of Inquiry
Proceedings of general courts-martial against both regular and
volunteer War of 1812 soldiers are located in the Records of the
Judge Advocate General, 1809-1890 (NARA Record Group 153 - 8 rolls).
Proceedings of general courts-martial against War of 1812 sailors
and marines can be found in the Records of the General Courts-Martial
and Courts of Inquiry of the Navy Department, 1799-1867 (NARA
series M273 - 198 rolls).
Discharge Papers
Discharge papers can sometimes be found in bounty land application
files. Records of the Adjutant General's Office (NARA Record Group
94) include some surgeons' certificates of disability issued to
regular army soldiers during the War of 1812 (not microfilmed).
Bounty Land Records
Most veterans received grants of 40-160 acres, although a special
act of Congress passed in 1814 doubled the acreage allotted to
320. War of 1812 bounty land acts prior to 1850 allotted land
only to enlisted men, not to officers. Until 1842, War of 1812
bounty lands were located only in special military districts within
the present-day states of Illinois, Arkansas, and Missouri. After
1842, War of 1812 veterans could claim any unrestricted public
domain land with their bounty land warrants. Before 1852, War
of 1812 bounty land warrants could not be legally assigned to
a second party. However, a warrant recepient could circumvent
this law by signing a power of attorney that allowed transfer
of warrant to another person.
Bounty land application files typically provide soldier's name,
age, military unit, place of residence when applying, and term
of service. These files (War of 1812 Bounty Land Warrants, 1815-1858,
M848 - 14 rolls) are indexed on roll no. 1 for assignees in the
Arkansas and Missouri military districts. Other listings are in
roughly alphabetical order.
The Illinois State Archives has an online index for Illinois public
domain land sales which includes Illinois War of 1812 bounty land
assignees: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/data_lan.html.
Military Censuses
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several states compiled
lists of veterans of various wars residing in that state in a
given year. St. Louis Public Library owns such registers for Iowa
(1886) and Nebraska (1893, 1897, and 1915).
Cemetery and Burial Records
Cemetery and burial records can be founding many places: County
cemetery books, "Goodspeed" type county histories of
the 1880s and 1890s (These histories are basically written by
the people or families mentioned in the books, so the information
should be taken "with a grain of salt.") Pension files
usually include a notice of death and may state burial place.
Illinois State Archives has an online database called "Database
of the 1929 Roll of Honor" http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/honorroll.html.
St. Louis Public Library owns a book that lists War of 1812 veterans
buried in Tennessee. Once again, you can do a Worldcat.org search
for honor rolls: (War 1812 honor roll Virginia).
Hereditary and Lineage Societies
Members have an ancestor who was a War of 1812 soldier, sailor,
or marine. Members have to submit proofs that their ancestor was
a War of 1812 veteran, and proof that they are descended from
that veteran. If the society allows public access to its files,
such files can be gold mines for persons seeking information on
a War of 1812 ancestor. Try a Worldcat search: (War 1812 societies).
Mr. Pearson gave attendees a Bibliography of War of 1812 Materials
in the collection of St. Louis Public Library and a list of websites
containing War of 1812 data. This bibliography and list can be
found at: Biblio_1812.html/
This presentation was very well received by the audience.