George Morgan Reviews Dollarhide’s “Genealogical Resources of the Civil War Era”

The following book review was written by George Morgan, of “The Genealogy Guys,” and was posted as part of an Along Those Lines column on Dick Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (Plus Edition).

The history of the U.S. Civil War is one of the most compelling dramas of our past. Many of us have ancestors or family members who fought for the Union or Confederacy, and their individual stories can be reconstructed through research into their service records and pensions, regimental histories, and other publications found in print and online.

William Dollarhide has written a new book, Genealogical Resources of the Civil War Era: Online and Published Military or Civilian Name Lists, 1861-1869, and Post-War Veteran Lists. Mr. Dollarhide is a well-known genealogist and author, and an astute scholar of history and migration patterns. This new book is a definitive guide to what is now available to researchers and where the resources can be found.

The book is divided into three sections. Part 1, the Introduction, provides a short primer of historical events leading up to the Civil War, with some attention to the war years and post-war period. Now get ready for the pith of the book.

Part 2 begins with a table of what Dollarhide calls Resource Groups (RG), which should not to be confused with the National Archive and Records Administration (NARA) Record Groups. There are twenty RGs, and these are further divided into Nationwide Sources and Statewide Resources. The tale includes a description and an indication of any originals, microfilm, or online databases are available. The following pages include detailed descriptions of each RG, the individual resources, and in what format they can be found. For example, when NARA microfilm is cited, the series number is cited along with an indication of the number of rolls available. When Family History Library (FHL) microfilm is cited, the FHL film number for the first roll in a series is cited.

In other cases, such as RG 14, “1861-1869 Statewide Name Lists & 1890-1910 Territory Lists,” the available resources are listed in state sequence, and a reference is given to the page in the book on which that resource is described; its format is indicated, and suggestions are given for obtaining or accessing it. There are copious numbers of document images included to illustrate specific types of records.

Part 3 includes the Statewide Name Lists, 1861-1869, and Post-War Veteran Lists. Organized in state name sequence, there are comprehensive descriptions of existing materials for this decade, indications of their location and format, and suggestions for accessing the items. Part 4 is titled, “The Best Civil War Resource Centers for Local & County Research,” and Dollarhide provides strong descriptions of some of the best places to research.

This book is an excellent compendium for the serious Civil War researcher and for any library’s genealogical reference collection. Published by Family Roots Publishing Company, Bountiful, Utah, the book sells for $32.95.

Many thanks to George for the excellent review. As the publisher of the volume, I do appreciate the time he took to do such a thorough job of it.