Over the coming weeks, we’ll be getting together with family and friends. This time of year I think a lot about the loved ones we have near and those we have lost and I am thankful for every one of them!
I won’t be home until Thanksgiving morning so my family had a small dinner several weeks ago to celebrate.
No matter where you are and who you are with, I hope you have a wonderful holiday!
Genealogy Tip: While you’re together this holiday season, tell stories to the younger generation and record them. They can be digitized and kept for all to hear long into the future.
Those stories start with finding your ancestors. Contact me to get started.
Baseball has always been a part of my life. My dad grew up in southern New Jersey across the river from Philadelphia, so we rooted for the Phillies as kids. We went to many games at the old Veterans Stadium. It was heartbreaking to see the Phillies lose to the Houston Astros in this year’s World Series.
I rooted for the Phillies this time around because I’m a Boston Red Sox fan and I couldn’t bring myself to cheer on the Astros when my childhood team was playing for the title. I live in New England, so being a Sox fan goes without saying.
My brother played shortstop for many years for teams my dad coached. My mom, sister, and I spent many summers watching my dad pass on his love of the game.
Luckily, my husband likes baseball as much as I do. He grew up the son of a minor league baseball player in the 1950s and played himself right through college. His dad is in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Together we are trying to see all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. So far the count is 15. It would have been 16 if the San Diego Padres would have played in the drizzle. Honestly, it was just drizzling!!
I have to say one of our favorites is Citizen Bank Park, the replacement for Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The view of the city is fantastic and it’s just a fun place to watch a game. My brother takes his son there every year.
My husband and I always get to each stadium when the doors open so we can walk around without too many people. We hike to the top row, sit, and take in the view. And of course, you can’t forget about the food. In Philly, we went with Bull’s BBQ instead of the old standby…cheesesteak. “Bull” was the nickname of Greg Luzinski, a left fielder for the Phillies in the 1970s and 80s. It was delicious!
I’m sorry the baseball season is over, but it’s only 94 days until pitchers and catchers report again. Maybe next year we’ll try and see one of the 15 remaining stadiums on our MLB bucket list.
Genealogy Tip: Get out and make memories of your own that your descendants will want to write about in their own blog someday.
If you want to see what kind of memories your ancestors made, give me a call…
If you’re new to genealogy research, you may not be familiar with a CMSR…Compiled Military Service Record. These records can be some of the richest sources of information we can find on our ancestors.
In this blog post, you’ll learn what a CMSR contains and how to obtain it. I’ll also give an example from my family so you can see how valuable this can be.
What Is A CMSR?
A Compiled Military Service Record is one of the foundations of military records. It does cost money to acquire, but the amount of information it can offer is staggering.
Here are some things that may be included:
Enlistment dates – find out when your ancestor joined the military and when they were discharged. Where they AWOL at any time?
Ranks held – did your ancestor start as a private and work their way up in the ranks?
Battles engaged in – discover what battles your ancestor was involved with. Was he a pivotal player?
Personal details – these military records may be wonderful substitutes for other missing records, like marriage dates, full names and birth places.
A CMSR can highlight your ancestor’s military service, their sacrifices, achievements, and contributions to history. For anyone tracing their family history, these records serve as an invaluable key to that part of their life. Genealogy research is incomplete without discovering more about your ancestor’s military life.
Obtaining a CMSR
Here’s how you can obtain your ancestor’s CMSR:
National Archives: The National Archives is a primary repository for CMSRs, offering access to records spanning from the Revolutionary War to the Philippine Insurrection. Visit their website here or contact them directly to begin your search.
Online Resources: Several online databases provide access to digitized CMSRs. Websites like Fold3 and Ancestry.com may have extensive collections for you to explore.
According to the National Archives, “Beginning in the 1890s, the War Department created the Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR) to document the military service of Volunteer soldiers. Transcribed from original muster and pay rolls, regimental returns, descriptive books, hospital rolls, and other records, the CMSRs were intended to permit more rapid and efficient checking of military and medical records in connection with claims for pensions and other veterans’ benefits.
The War Department initially created CMSRs for Union veterans of the Civil War and later expanded the records to include state Volunteers from other conflicts. As a result, the National Archives now holds CMSRs for Volunteer soldiers from the Revolutionary War through the Philippine Insurrection.”1
My Family’s CMSRs
I have a CMSR for two ancestors, one on my mom’s side (John Dunahoo) and one on my dad’s (Andrew Bothell). John’s packet is taking a while to look through because it is over 100 pages long. Andrew’s is much shorter at 15 pages. He was the husband of Susanna Krewson, the couple I wrote about in this previous blog post.
Andrew’s record shows he was a Corporal in Company H, 138th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Infantry. He enlisted on 16 August 1862 in Yardleyville, Bucks County, PA; mustered in on 26 August 1862 in Harrisburg, PA; and mustered out on 23 June 1865 near Washington, D.C.
Civil War Veterans Card File2
Wikipedia has an enlightening article documenting the battles this regiment participated in during their years of service. This included the Battle of Cold Harbor, a fight that occurred near Mechanicsville, Virginia from 31 May to 12 June 1864. I drive past this exit every week on my travels around Richmond, Virginia, and can’t imagine the horrors he witnessed.
This battle held particular significance in Andrew Bothel’s life as it was where he suffered his injury.
Casualty Sheet3
A musket ball injured Andrew on June 1st, 1864, and on June 6th he transferred from a field hospital to an Army hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. For a map showing Andrew’s unit’s position on that day, check out the image here.
Below is a hospital card detailing his battle wounds and vital information about his nearest relative…his wife Susanna Bothel who lived in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This card provides one more piece of evidence of their marriage.
Hospital Card4
His muster roll cards list him as a patient at a general hospital in Alexandria until January/February 1865 when he entered Haddington Hospital in Philadelphia. According to the website Civil War-Era Historical Sites in Philadelphia, the hospital occupied the Bull’s Head Tavern Building and accommodated around 200 beds. Andrew mustered out near Washington, D.C. in June 1865. The government owed him $14.06. At that point, he faced a trip home of over 150 miles to Newtown to rejoin his wife and children.
The National Archives lists medical records among the wonderful collections they have. That is where I will look next to see if they have anything further on Andrew.
Finally
As we research out ancestors, there are many free resources and some that come with a fee. We have to choose what we are willing to spend money on. Without a doubt, the information you can find in a CMSR is worth every penny. I look forward to ordering again for other ancestors.
13 Nov 2022 UPDATE – I wrote to NARA to see if they had hospital or medical records. Within the week they were kind enough to send me 4 hospital cards they had for Andrew. A musket ball severely wounded him on 1 June 1864, hitting his right hip. He had recovered enough to receive a furlough on 22 June 1864 and returned to duty on 24 March 1865, about 3 weeks before the end of the Civil War. Another takeaway from this…you won’t get what you don’t ask for…so ask!
Genealogy Tip: Take the time to transcribe all records, but especially CMSRs. It may seem tedious, but well worth it if you find that one nugget of information you need.
Do you need assistance with military records? Contact me and I’ll help you fill out that part of your ancestor’s story.
2 “Pennsylvania, U.S., Veterans Card Files, 1775-1916,” images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62200/images/3182_1784?pId=187135: accessed 31 October 2022), card for Andrew Bothel, image 2403 of 45794; citing Pennsylvania National Guard Veteran’s Card Files, 1867-1921, Series Number 19.135, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
3 Compiled service record, Andrew Bothel, Cpl., Co. H, Reg’t 138th PA Infantry; Carded Records, Civil War; Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s-1917; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
