Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:

It’s Saturday Night again –

time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Here is your assignment, should you decide to accept it (you ARE reading this, so I assume that you really want to play along – cue the Mission Impossible music!):

1)  Have you found a common document or record (e.g., vital record, military record, probate record, etc.) that provided new and/or unique information to one or more of your ancestors?  How did it affect your research?  Please share your find.

For me, one of the documents that stands out when I think about breakthroughs or unique information is military pension files

My 2nd great grandfather, Albert Hutchinson served in Company D of the 1st Iowa Cavalry. In my early days of genealogy, I would send off to the National Archives for a copy of the military and pension files for my ancestors who served during the civil war. These files often contained information about the marriage and children of the veteran. Albert’s file contained information about his second wife and their son, but little mention of his first wife and their children. Or, so I thought.

At the time, I did not realize that the archives would select the portions of the file they thought I wanted to see. Little did I know that I needed to request a copy of the ENTIRE file. Only after receiving a second copy of the pension file — this time the entire file did I discover a document that contains the death date for his first wife: Julia Harding Hutchinson.

Image 78
County of Doniphan
State of Kansas

I Peter Miller of the County of Doniphan, State of Kansas
being first duly sworn do state upon my oath, that I have been act-
ively engaged in the undertaking business in Wathena Kansas, for the
past Twenty years, And on Jan 4th 1892 Albert Hutchinson Jr. son of
Albert Hutchinson purchased from me a  coffin in which to bury his
Mother, Julia Hutchison, wife of Albert Hutchison.

Peter Miller

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 10th Day of August 1911

Commission expires Sept 5th 1911 [? Bent]
Notary Public

Also in the file is a second document related tot he death of Albert Hutchinson

County of Doniphan
State of Kansas

I Peter Miller of the County of Doniphan State of
Kansas, being first duly sworn do state upon my oath that I have
been actively engaged in the undertaking business in Wathena Kansas,
for the past Twenty years; and on July 22nd 1896 Albert Hutchison Jr
Son of Albert Hutchison purchased from me a coffin in which to bury
his father

Peter Miller

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 10th day of August 1911
[?]
Notary Public

Commission expires Sept 5th 1911

Without the complete military pension file, I likely would not have found a source for the death of Julia Harding Hutchinson. Thus, I have gone back and hired a researcher to retrieve the entire military and pension files for my other ancestors who served during the civil war.