More Ohio Civil War Genealogy

Action-packed issue #2 of this year's Ohio Civil War Genealogy Journal, with the motto, "Bringing back to life Ohio soldiers who served in the Civil War, through their stories and records. Bringing back to Ohio the soldiers who were lost or moved on after the war."

"The Brown Water Navy: The Ironclads of the Mississippi River Squadron and the Exploits of Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Commander William Rion Hoel," by Matthew Hoel. WRH played a key role in the Battle of Island No. 10, a key stage in the Union's regaining control of the Mississippi.

"Recollections of Columbus Huddle, 46th OVI," by Kittie Huddle Millikin, with added editorial notes.

"Book Review: Both Prayed to the Same God: Religion and Faith in the American Civil War, by Robert J. Miller"; reviewed by Dan Reigle

"John Wolf, Meigs County OH, 4th West Virginia Infantry," submitted by Darrell Helton

"Ask the Experts" including "Ohio Veterans in Yellow Medicine County MN," submitted by Michelle Gatz

"Death of Lorenzo Barnell, 9th Ohio Independent Battery Light Artillery," submitted by Tanis Diedrichs

"George Gilmer, 22nd Iowa Infantry, Mortally Wounded at Vicksburg," submitted by Mila Sloan

"William Clouse, 99th OVI, Ohio City OH," submitted by Rodger Norton

"1883 Census of Pensioners, Mahoning County, Ohio," by Michael Elliott -- plus a list of counties published in OCWGJ

"Members of Van West Post 627, Grand Army of the Republic," by Rodger Norton and Daniel H. Reigle

Ohio Genealogy News, Summer

If you're not a member of the largest state genealogy organization in the US, here's what you're missing in their magazine:

"Mahoning County Historical Society Archival Library," by Pamela L. Speis, which actually focuses on Trumbull and Columbiana counties as well. As always, a visit will be rewarded by finding unique local records -- for instance, the James Mackey collection. He was a surveyor in the Youngstown area 1849-1901.

"Synopsis of the Year 2007," by OGS Library Director Thomas Stephen Neel

"A Case of Mistaken Identity," by Martha Hamilton, one of the first-place winners in OGS's writing contest, who distinguishes two John Hamiltons in Gallia County.

"2008 OGS Conference a Success," by Kenny Burck, looking back on the April event in Cincinnati

Among the shorter notes, be advised that the Akron-Summit Public Library has made its 1940-2007 Akron Beacon-Journal obituary index available on line. Of course, if you actually go there you can view an obituary index going back another 99 years!

Vital records via newspaper

Last weekend the Youngstown Vindicator wrote up DeWayne McCarty's new compilation, Newspaper Abstracts From the Villages of Columbiana and East Lewistown, Ohio: ten years of work, 656 pages, covering births, marriages, and deaths in area small towns from 1870 to 1902.

If you're new to this, be sure to use these abstracts as a guide to finding the actual newspaper stories -- both to guard against error and to find additional material that may lurk in the original.

If you're old to this, you may have wondered if good traditional genealogical work of this kind is about to be superseded by some universal every-word-searchable digitized version of every newspaper that ever existed. I'm told by those who should know that it won't be, not any time soon. Thanks for keeping the faith, Mr. McCarty.