Finally found the missing name, and the adoption didn't help either...

Samuel.Sohm

First Sergeant
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Ever since I came to this site, I have always looked at your signatures with a certain longing to know if anyone in my family served in any other capacities than what i already knew. I have traced my family on my mothers side and found them to be sturdy farmers and tradesmen (which is nothing to be ashamed of in my book) but no soldiers up until WWI (which I actually have a pretty cool picture of BTW). My fathers side all came from Germany or Switzerland after the ACW and only two draftees are among them (my great grandfather, and grandfather, which I am quite proud of). From there the tradition does not go any further back that I can find, but their is a catch to the whole story. That is my fathers ADOPTED side of the family. Over the last several years, he has begun to discover a far larger, and more deeply rooted side of his biological family after he met his biological sister. I can now proudly claim at least one ACW ancestors (on my grandfathers side, after suffering through the turmoil of one pesky name I could not find). Here is a little bit about him:

Emmanuel Mayne, CPT, 3rd Iowa Cavalry. He served faithfully up until being one of the few killed at the Battle of Kirksville. I have found his grave marker, as well as that of his wife, and her pension records (thanks to a free 14 day membership on ancestry.com).

Not only that but as I looked back further I found a veteran of the war of 1812, Private Adam Mayne, who was (and this is unconfirmed by me as of yet) a bodyguard to President Madison during the conflict.

We then proceed even further back to a few revolutionary soldiers:
Ninian Beall Magruder: a private in the 3rd Company, Middle Battalion, Montgomery Country Maryland.
Ninian Offutt Magruder (different man): a sergeant in the 2nd Company, Maryland Troops.

I could go even further back but I won't. I just wanted to share this discovery in the forum so the anyone who is discouraged when they hit a wall on the family tree can know that it pays off the persevere.
 
I'm working on a write-up of the Battle of Kirksville and aftermath. They had their 150th this past weekend and there is a new locally/self? published book about the battle by D. Craig Asbury.

The book is a mixed bag. (I'm at the halfway point presently, just getting to the engagement.) I snapped it up when I saw it had quite a few maps of the operations competently done by the author. It is more polished than the typical locally done work, and incorporates local history well. The tone itself appears mostly reasonable.

Unfortunately, the book has some rough edges. The introduction doesn't go out of its way to acknowledge contributors saying only, "There are too many people to thank for their assistance." :frown: Jeez, at least try to thank a few of them! Incredibly, the text does not contain an index, footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography! It has some written sources included in the text as subjects are introduced, but there are also a few "it is said" comments that are dubious--including one attributed to Lincoln that I have yet to find a source for, but says more about the author's likely source of information than about the subject. This is of course a problem since the lack of verifiable references makes it risky to rely on the author's interpretation of events.

The author spends quite a bit of time reviewing the coming of war in Missouri, and some of it is muddled. There are a few errors, and some omissions that paint a picture at odds with sentiment at the time. There are many works that do a more objective and accurate job of covering the bigger picture in Missouri. I'm not sure if the author intended to write this section from a nearly completely secessionist POV, but he succeeded in doing so. Some of his POV spills over into the reviews of actions early in the Porter campaign. All that said, it is not shrill.
 
I just wanted to share this discovery in the forum so the anyone who is discouraged when they hit a wall on the family tree can know that it pays off the persevere.

Great news and great advice! It's amazing how satisfying it is to find that personal connection. I'm glad, but not surprised, that you kept at it and persevered.

Whenever I hear that word, persevere, I can't help thinking of Lone Watie (played by the unforgettable Chief Dan George) talking to Josey Wales:

I wore this frock coat in Washington, before the war. We wore them because we belonged to the Five Civilized Tribes. We dressed ourselves up like Abraham Lincoln. You know, we got to see the Secretary of the Interior. He said, "Boy! You boys sure look civilized!" He congratulated us, and he gave us medals for looking so civilized. We told him about how our land had been stolen. Our people were dying. When we finished, he shook our hands and said, "Endeavor to persevere." They stood us in a line--John Jumper, Junior McIntosh, Buffalo Hump, Jim Pockmark, and me. I'm Lone Watie. They took our pictures, and the newspapers said, "Indians Vow to Endeavor to Persevere." We thought about it for a long time. "Endeavor to persevere". And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union. – The Outlaw Josey Wales
 
Blood isn't everything. Your adoptive ancestors are every bit as much your forbears as the biological. In most cases, their experiences and their family traditions had much more to do with what you are today, than your biological ancestors. If anyone suggests my father isn't really my son's grandfather, he'd better be ready for a fight! Nurture often trumps nature. Celebrate all your history.

Cheers!

jno
 
Blood isn't everything. Your adoptive ancestors are every bit as much your forbears as the biological. In most cases, their experiences and their family traditions had much more to do with what you are today, than your biological ancestors. If anyone suggests my father isn't really my son's grandfather, he'd better be ready for a fight! Nurture often trumps nature. Celebrate all your history.

Cheers!

jno
Totally agree. I know their stories though and this was a time of self exploration for my father and myself. While my grandparents are (and always will be) my grandparents, this time was not about that family, but rather a celebration of the biological side specifically.
 
I will quote "Boyz in the Hood" when i say:
"Any fool can make a baby, but only a real man can raise his children."
I would add that my grandparents raised both their children knowing that they weren't their own blood. That is a far higher character in my mind....
 
I've finished the book now, and have concluded my original assessment was correct. The maps are ideal for this kind of battle. The text does well with the battle narrative and providing a lot of background on participants, but it lacks references so it is hard to judge how accurate it is in particulars. The author's overall assessment of Missouri's sympathies is at odds with the historical records and better historians. There are some obvious mistakes ("Hartsburg" vs. Hartville, etc.) and the skewed anti-Federal perspective to deal with...odd since the author had a gggrandfather from the 9th MSM killed in the battle.

Don't know if you have seen it, but there is an image of Capt. Mayne in uniform in the book, p. 159.

My gg grandfather was also present in this battle from what I can gather. I wasn't aware of this before because of MSM companies being spread about at the time and his being a small detachment in the fight. Turns out that while my son and I were under an awning in town waiting for some rain to pass, we were standing on the same ground his company traversed in taking the place.
 
I've finished the book now, and have concluded my original assessment was correct. The maps are ideal for this kind of battle. The text does well with the battle narrative and providing a lot of background on participants, but it lacks references so it is hard to judge how accurate it is in particulars. The author's overall assessment of Missouri's sympathies is at odds with the historical records and better historians. There are some obvious mistakes ("Hartsburg" vs. Hartville, etc.) and the skewed anti-Federal perspective to deal with...odd since the author had a gggrandfather from the 9th MSM killed in the battle.

Don't know if you have seen it, but there is an image of Capt. Mayne in uniform in the book, p. 159.

My gg grandfather was also present in this battle from what I can gather. I wasn't aware of this before because of MSM companies being spread about at the time and his being a small detachment in the fight. Turns out that while my son and I were under an awning in town waiting for some rain to pass, we were standing on the same ground his company traversed in taking the place.
Any chance I can get a scan of it?
 
Any chance I can get a scan of it?

If I can figure out how to upload a file in the conversation system... Doesn't seem to be an option for that, just in threads.

Since the book is a recent publication and I'm sketchy on copyright law I'm hesitant to upload the image to a thread on the site--personal correspondence with an individual is another matter since this would seem to fall in fair use to me.
 
If I can figure out how to upload a file in the conversation system... Doesn't seem to be an option for that, just in threads.

Since the book is a recent publication and I'm sketchy on copyright law I'm hesitant to upload the image to a thread on the site--personal correspondence with an individual is another matter since this would seem to fall in fair use to me.

Ok i can do that. If you want ill pm you my email.
 
Back
Top