2 Lost Soldiers

[The Real Skip]

I'm looking for two family members from Vienna, Pickens, AL, which was a trading town on the Tombigbee river (gone now). They may have gone to the town of Pickensville to enlist, or maybe travelled the river to enlist at a bigger town. I'm looking for tips on where to look for them. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DorwinBlack]

Some possible leads from familysearch.org
( https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Pickens_County,_Alabama_Genealogy ):

Regiments. Men in Pickens County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a large regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Pickens County:

- 2nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B
- 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C
- 7th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company H
- 11th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Pickens County Guards"
- 19th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Pickens Rough and Readys"
- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Dixie Boys"
- 25th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E
- 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B and G "Pickens Planters"
- 41st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B, C, D, I and K
- 42nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B and D

• 1862-1865 History of Company B, 40th Alabama Regiment, Confederate States Army, 1862-1865. 1902. Anniston, Ala: Norwood. Online at: Internet Archive

 

[lupaglupa]

What information do you have that would help us search? Family name, given name, birth date etc. - the more you can tell us, the better we can help you.

 

[The Real Skip]

Oh! I wasn't expecting help in searching. I thought maybe the was just a list of common research links. I've tried following many confusing online possibilities, and haven't yet found a reliable workflow. I've even searched Confederate cemeteries in Brazil (didn't know about all that).
Your offer of assistance is very generous.
Thank you!

What I have so far:
James William/"Willis" Wilder
Born 1829
1850 Census Occupation: farmer
1860 Census Occupation: mechanic
Survived war and possibly moved to Columbus MS

Rufus G Wilder (G probably stands for Green)
Born 1832 or 1833 in Vienna, Pickens Co, AL
1850 Census Occupation: farmer
1860 Census Occupation: mechanic
1862 Private MS 8th Confederate Cavalry
Company D
Imprisoned: Shelbyville, TN


Benjamin L Wilder
Born 1834 in Vienna, Pickens Co, AL
Possibly served in CSA

 

[The Real Skip]

I have been using FamilySearch for genealogy research. I like that site. Many of the links I have found in various sites contain connections to other links, but I can't seem to find something like enlistment lists, roll call lists, casualty lists, etc. I know Civil War history is a bit of a tangled web, and I have postponed delving in because the puzzle seems daunting. Are there wiki-type guide(s) and reliable sites to find info? Hoping to solve some family mysteries and at long last know the service records and fates of these men. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Fairfield]

I thought maybe the was just a list of common research links. I've tried following many confusing online possibilities, and haven't yet found a reliable workflow

Straightforward, in-depth research links for ACW soldiers are few and far between--however, focused & local sources certainly exist. While researching something else today, I stumbled on a database for Appalachian soldiers--and I do mean stumbled.

• I'd think that a good starting point is the FamilySearch Wiki Start with Alabama and narrow in on Pickens County OR start with Civil War, then Alabama and finally Pickens County.
• US GenWeb project, then hone in on Alabama and, then, Pickens County.
• A serendipity approach is to Google your names and see what comes up, both on the main search page and under BOOKS
• My genealogy guru says to start with FS Wiki (suggested above) then look at the largest & nearest university or public library.
• Contact the local historical society--either town or county.

I'm in Maine so what I suggest is the Clueless Person's Guide to Confederate Research; --I'm sure that someone with more skill in that area can be more helpful.

 

[lupaglupa]

So Rufus, as you have seen, left behind good records. He originally enlisted at Columbus, Mississippi so he may have moved there prior to the war. But then Columbus fits with your theory of the men travelling on the Tombigbee, since it was the farthest north navigable town on that river. Rufus was captured at Shelbyville, TN in 1863, sent to Nashville, then Louisville, then Camp Chase, then Fort Delaware where he died November 12, 1863 of an inflammation of the lungs. The records say he was buried on the Jersey shore.

I don't pick up any records for Benjamin Wilder. He could have served in a home guard unit and not left enough of a paper trail to get on official registers. I looked at both Alabama and Mississippi state records and didn't get a hit.

There is a James W. Wilder who enlisted in the 42nd Alabama Infantry at - again - Columbus, Mississippi. James enlisted May 7, 1862. He was paid in June by a cousin of mine! So funny to see that. He was captured and paroled at Vicksburg. I don't have anything else on him.

 

[FredSCobbett]

Have you already consulted the book "Wilder Families in the Southeastern United States" by William Murtha Wilder?

 

[FredSCobbett]

Maybe of interest: According to the aforementioned book "Rufus Green Wilder b[orn] 1832 d[ied] in the Confederate Army" had a brother "Julian Wilder b[orn] 1832 d[ied] in the Confederate Army".

 

[Mike Serpa]

Here's the info from the book mentioned in post #8 by @FredSCobbett

Wilder and some connecting (especially some Ware) families in the Southeastern United States of America : a belated, 'though very incomplete, report of such part of them, of their origins, of their migrations and of their genealogies, as could be fou

574 pages : 22 cm

archive.org

 

[The Real Skip]

Look at you guys! Good stuff. There are clearly some experts here!
I'm impressed that you know the book! I have 2 printings of WMW's Wilder book, including the last one. There are errors and Julian turned out to be Julia (no surgeries required - just an error). I confirmed that with census data. She died at the end of the war, and that might have contributed to the confusion by WMW.

H-9 is my great great grandfather, he was in the Home Guard in the last days and possibly rode with Gen Joseph Wheeler in the last days (I have no evidence for the later - just family stories). So I guess in total, there were 3 or 4 soldiers. But my OP was relating to info on James and Rufus, who have been a family mystery until I recently started researching them.

Thanks @lupaglupa !!!!! That's fantastic info. How do I find that? How did you find it …? And so quickly! I'll be keen to follow up on that and research the related movements, battles and imprisonment. I think Benjamin Wilder died during the Civil War, but could have died from disease, which I understand killed more than bullets (someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that).

 

[FredSCobbett]

The Wilder book has errors but it is still a good place to start from.
So the James William/"Willis" Wilder you are looking for seems to be identical with H-8, right?

 

[The Real Skip]

I agree! And fortunately with my line there were only a few minor errors. I am amazed by what he accomplished with the tools available to him at the time.
Yes, James is H-8 and Rufus is H-1

 

[The Real Skip]

Based on the info provided by @lupaglupa it looks like this is where Rufus was buried:

R G Wilder (unknown-1863) - Find a Grave Memorial

www.findagrave.com

 

[The Real Skip]

"He was paid in June by a cousin of mine! "

That's interesting! Is there a document relating to that? I'd love to see it.

 

[lupaglupa]

"He was paid in June by a cousin of mine! "

That's interesting! Is there a document relating to that? I'd love to see it.

Yes, you can see all of the documents I used either at Fold3, which is a subscription-based website of military records, or at the National Archives. Military records for Confederate soldiers are mostly available online. It takes a bit of practice to get at them quickly.

 

[The Real Skip]

I will follow up on those. Does Fold3 offer anything that is not available at the National Archives?

Does anyone know what "normal" practice was when recruits were enlisted? In particular, if brothers show up at the same time, are they put into different units, or "allowed" to be in the same unit?

 

[Fairfield]

I will follow up on those. Does Fold3 offer anything that is not available at the National Archives?

Does anyone know what "normal" practice was when recruits were enlisted? In particular, if brothers show up at the same time, are they put into different units, or "allowed" to be in the same unit?

In Maine--and I suspect elsewhere--friends, neighbors & relatives tried to arrange it so that they'd go into the same unit. If you look at the residential breakdowns, central Maine residents dominated in the 3rd Maine, the 7th Maine and the 19th Maine. This turned out to be unfortunate because, if the unit took a severe hit, the survivors lost many who were dear to them.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

I'm looking for two family members from Vienna, Pickens, AL, which was a trading town on the Tombigbee river (gone now). They may have gone to the town of Pickensville to enlist, or maybe travelled the river to enlist at a bigger town. I'm looking for tips on where to look for them. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Welcome. Learn, contribute, and Enjoy!

 

[ErnieMac]

Rufus G. Wilder was a member of Company D, 8th Confederate Cavalry. The regiment was formed in the aftermath of Shiloh by consolidating three cavalry battalions (Baskerville's, Bell's & Brewer's) composed of 6 Alabama and 4 Mississippi Companies. As noted Rufus Wilder was captured at Shelbyville during the Tullahoma Campaign and subsequently died at Ft. Delaware. The following document is a Federal POW Death Register (from Ancestry.com) showing R. G. Wilder on line 393 of the document.