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Most wars throughout history have had a number of people or groups, whose religious convictions prohibited them from fighting. Living by their pacifist beliefs or doctrine these groups would not take up arms and fight when their government called upon them. This was also true during the Civil War. Both North and South had their share of conscientious observers who would not join the military due to their religious beliefs. Pennsylvania was home to a large portion of this population in the north. Quaker, Mennonite and Dunkard communities had been established in eastern Pennsylvania since early colonial times. Once the draft was instituted in 1862 they sought exemption due to their long-practiced and deeply-held religious beliefs. The Pennsylvania Constitution at this time in history allowed for conscientious objection due to religious dogma. Yet it required the objector to make a public oath of his faith and pay a fee that went to the relief of wounded soldiers. Many men could not make a government instituted oath due to their beliefs so they signed a written affirmation of their faith and their objection to military service. The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania has compiled the depositions of those potential soldiers drafted by Pennsylvania who sought exemptions. The index can be found at http://genpa.org/collection/pennsylvania-civil-war-conscientious-objectors. Information in the depositions include names, ages, residences and occupations of those seeking refuge from military service. Located mainly in Lancaster, Bucks, Chester, Philadelphia and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania the groups represented as conscientious objectors came from the Amish, Mennonite, Quaker and Dunkard communities. Also included but lesser known were the Schwenkfelders and the Christadelphians religious groups. All of these groups stated they felt bearing arms in an act of war was against Christ’s teachings in the New Testament. If you have ancestors who lived in eastern Pennsylvania during ... Read More »

You've heard me say it before but I'll say it again. I am amazed at the amount of information available to us in our genealogy research! Especially when fleshing out our Civil War ancestors. They left us quite a paper trail to follow. It's there even after 150 years and with a little perseverance we can follow that trail. So here's one more step on that path, using a really interesting site, as we continue to investigate the lives of our Civil War ancestors. Read More »

I've had that thought a time or two (hundred) times while doing research! I'm sure the key to nearly all my family's genealogy questions lay in the ashes of that missing census that went up in flames in 1921 or in the remnants that were destroyed in 1934-35. Yes, destroyed by the Department of Commerce! Yet, some of that 1890 US Federal Census is still available to us today. Read More »

If you’ve done some research on your Civil War ancestor I’m sure you’ve been to the Soldiers and Sailors Data Base provided by the National Parks System. There you’re able to find most veterans listed whether Union or Confederate. You’ll find the regiment they fought with, a history on that regiment, descriptions on major battles as well as some cemetery records and a list of Medal of Honor recipients. The site’s filled with lots of information but did you know there’s another link provided by the National Park System? Read More »

I've come across another terrific resource as you continue your research on your Civil War ancestor or any military ancestor you may have. It's Military History Online. As the website states in its by-line they are “A Webzine of Community-Submitted Articles." Yet they are a lot more than that. Read More »