Civil War Ancestors

One thing I really enjoy about genealogy is that the research we do turns up continual surprises. For instance I have always felt I could ignore the Civil War. After all my direct line were Loyalists and after the American Revolution, they settled along the St. Lawrence River in Canada. My great grandfathers didn’t return to the United States until the 1880’s, both of them settling in North Dakota. But it turns out that relatives - uncles, brothers, cousins - crossed over a lot earlier. So far I have identified 4 men who served with the Union Army.

My great grandfather’s uncle, George Baldwin, moved his family to Frankville, Iowa sometime between 1851 when he was enumerated in the Canadian census and 1856 when he was enumerated in the Iowa State Census. In 1856 his family consisted of his wife Eleanor, sons Silas, age 15, William Henry 13, George 4 and David, not yet 1 and daughters Sarah, 11 and Mary 2. You can see when the Civil War broke out in 1861, Silas was 20 and William Henry was 18. So it is no surprise that they both enlisted.

Silas joined the Iowa 38th Infantry, Company E on September 24, 1862.[i] He was 21 years old. The Iowa 38th Infantry joined Grant’s Army in the siege of Vicksburg. They were positioned in swampy area because there was a rumor that Confederate Calvary was headed to relieve Vicksburg. Descriptions of conditions in the field mention the relentless attack by mosquitoes. The 38th is known for never participating in any battles because 30% of the unit died due to disease. The survivors were assigned to other Iowa regiments. Unfortunately, Silas Baldwin was one of the 30% who succumbed, dying of “swamp fever” on September 10, 1863. He is buried in the military cemetery in Port Huron, LA. His brother William Henry, joined the Iowa 16th Regiment in 1865 and did not see any major action.

My second discovery was certainly a surprise. My great grandmother, Catherine Elizabeth Tweed, was born in Mountain, Dundas County, Canada West on July 1, 1850. She was the daughter of John Tweed and Elizabeth Grue (Add Footnote). The family was enumerated in both the 1851 and 1861 Canadian censuses and then disappeared. Family stories say that John Tweed moved to Erie, PA. So I started checking the 1870 census for Tweeds in Erie. I did not find John or William but I found James with a wife and with his sister, Lizzie, in the household. I looked for evidence of both John and William and although I have never found a trace of John, I was surprised to find William Tweed in Cleveland, OH. He enlisted in the regular Union Army on June 7, 1865, 18th Infantry Division, Company E.[ii] His name is William Sidney, 18 years old, born in Mountain, Canada, painter by trade. He had gray eyes, light hair, fair complexion and stood 5 feet 8 inches tall.

This week I was looking at the siblings of my great great grandmother, Charity Winegard Van Camp, and found her brother Abraham Winegard in Lisbon, St. Lawrence, New York where he enlisted in the 39th New York Infantry, Company D on September 12, 1864.[iii] He was born December 27, 1835 in New York. His parents were John Winegard and Martha Bartlett (probably a transcription error since his mother was Maria Barclay). He was married. The record also indicates that he saw action at Fort Hill and some other minor skirmishes. Fort Hill was a fortification overlooking the city of Frankfort, KY. Kentucky remained in the Union but there were large pockets of Rebels living in the state and attempts were made to take the capitol and declare Kentucky for the Confederacy. Abraham was discharged on July 1, 1865.

I wonder how many other ancestors I will find fighting in the Civil War.

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[i] Historical Data Systems, "US, Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Jan 2015), Service record for Silas Baldwin; Citing Iowa records. 

[ii] Register of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, 81 rolls); Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s-1917, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington, D.C., Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Jan 2015),, Service record for William Sidney Tweed

[iii] New York State Archives, Albany, New York; Town Clerks’ Registers of men Who Served in the Civil War, ca 1861-1865: (N-Ar)13774, Box Number: 51: Roll Number:28; [Database on-line]( Ancestry.com : accessed 29 Jan 2015), Service record for Abraham Winegard