Did your ancestor serve during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45? Learn more about their Soviet military service using this free resource! Last week in Part I of our two part series, we introduced Pamyat Naroda (Память народа), a website hosted by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (Министерство обороны Российской Федерации) to honor the participants of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, commonly referred to as the Eastern Front of World War II in English-speaking countries. … [Read more...]
Finding Your Soldier of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45 (Eastern Front of WWII): Part I
Did your ancestor serve during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45? Learn more about their Soviet military service using this free resource! Many descendants of Eastern European immigrants who landed on North American shores in the first wave of immigration soon found that their relatives who stayed behind were no longer citizens of the historical empires who had ruled over them. With the changing borders through the Interwar period to the beginning of World War II, the citizens of the new … [Read more...]
“Children of the Dust”: How Genetic Genealogy Helped an Amerasian Woman Locate Her G.I. Father
With client permission, we share one woman's experience of growing up "Amerasian" and the important role genetic genealogy played in helping her locate her G.I. father. Growing Up Amerasian When Anni was little, she would often ask about her father, but her mother always gave her the same vague reply, “I met him Taichung, then I had you.” Anni was born in the 1960s - the daughter of a Taiwanese mother and an unknown U.S. serviceman fighting in Vietnam. Anni said she always felt different, … [Read more...]
This Is Not a Drill: Pennsylvania Military Records Can Be Found Online!
Documenting military service is a goal for many genealogical researchers. For those with Pennsylvania ancestry, many military records are just a click away on the ARIAS website run by the state’s official archives. What Is ARIAS? ARIAS is an acronym for the Archives Records Information Access System, a website created by the Pennsylvania State Archives to enhance free access to databases showing the service of thousands of the state’s residents in various military outfits, tied to service in … [Read more...]
Captain Timothy Parker: Revolutionary War Hero
*This story of Revolutionary War hero, Captain Timothy Parker, is shared with client permission. The recent Memorial Day holiday allows us a time to remember those who have served our country, particularly through military service during times of war. We were privileged to research and write a detailed biography of our client’s ancestor, Captain Timothy Parker, a Revolutionary War Captain of the Connecticut Navy and privateer. We utilized a wide variety of primary sources from the Connecticut … [Read more...]
No Strangers Among Us: Uncovering the Story of the Forgotten Soldier
We have spent countless hours researching the brave men and women who have fought for this country. One recent case uniquely showcases the strong connection between the public and those who fight for our freedoms—even when there is no familial relationship. James William DeGraff, a private in the 81st Airborne Anti-Aircraft Battalion, 101st Airborne Division of Alachua, Florida, died on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He left no wife or children, but in 2015 he touched the life of a … [Read more...]
Civil War Pension Files Research Tips
The Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861-1864, and approximately 622,000 Americans served on either the Union (Northern) or Confederate (Southern) side. Afterwards, a provision was set up for Union soldiers or their surviving dependents to receive pensions from the federal government, though the qualifications to receive one varied through the years. Until the 1890s, only those soldiers who had incurred an injury or permanently debilitating illness as a result of their military … [Read more...]
Poisoned Pies and the Civil War
A recent case we were asked to work on revealed some extraordinary family history. With the help of a large Civil War pension file, we were able to discover that an ancestor died of what was unofficially called "Black Tongue" but more specifically resulted from eating a poisoned pie. How did that happen? We'll explain. The Poisoned Pies This ancestor served in the Civil War near Louisville, Kentucky - an area where for a time, a great number of soldiers suddenly took sick and died; some quite … [Read more...]
Bronze Stars and Sergeant’s Stripes: Solving a Military Mystery
From a vague recollection and tattered photograph, our genealogists were able to piece together the details and help our client access key military records for her father. On 12 July 1973 a cataclysmic fire at the National Personnel Records Center destroyed between 16 and 18 million records, including 80% of the records of World War II soldiers. When a client asked us to help her locate information regarding her father, Danny*, we knew that this would require some creative research. The … [Read more...]
When Pension Files are Genealogy Treasure Troves
Pension files can provide a wealth of information for genealogy research. We'll show you details pension files can contain to extend your family history. As a genealogist, I enjoy working with military records and documents and really like it when a client is interested in their ancestor’s military history, too. Tracing an individual from his enlistment, through his actual service and on to his discharge can provide a thrilling – and occasionally sobering – glimpse into the life of an … [Read more...]