Finding Civil War Wagoner Records

[GailPlatt]

Thank you for this website where I can ask knowledgable folks for a direction to finding my ancestor! I am searching for my ancestor Robert L Taylor aka: R A Taylor, Edward Taylor whom family lore says he is of Native American ancestry. Family lore also stated he was a teamster for the Civil War and delivered mail. He is not married at this time to verify him with a wife. His first child was born in 1867.

On the 1870 Census, he is listed as a Wagoner. I assume that he continued driving wagons or referencing his job during the war. I believe his birth state is SC gathered from census records. I can not prove that he is Native American.

Since I do not know where he served, where would I begin looking? I am very lost. Oh, he was either confederate, or was for the confederation!

Here's hoping someone can direct me, as hard as I think it will be!

Gail

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Thank you for this website where I can ask knowledgable folks for a direction to finding my ancestor! I am searching for my ancestor Robert L Taylor aka: R A Taylor, Edward Taylor whom family lore says he is of Native American ancestry. Family lore also stated he was a teamster for the Civil War and delivered mail. He is not married at this time to verify him with a wife. His first child was born in 1867.

On the 1870 Census, he is listed as a Wagoner. I assume that he continued driving wagons or referencing his job during the war. I believe his birth state is SC gathered from census records. I can not prove that he is Native American.

Since I do not know where he served, where would I begin looking? I am very lost. Oh, he was either confederate, or was for the confederation!

Here's hoping someone can direct me, as hard as I think it will be!

Gail

Really need more info. Where is he living in the 1870 census ? What's his age in 1870 ?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Welcome Gail.

The names you submitted did return some results within the South Carolina records on fold3.

However, I'm afraid we may need some more specifics about where he was living during the War, etc.

Wagoners were generally enlisted assignments rather than a rank (sometimes contracted out to civilians). More on them at these threads:
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/what-did-a-wagoner-do.24782/#post-308851
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/support-services-teamster.110922/

Was he possibly employed by the Confederate Postal Service?

If you can provide some more details, we have a great group of detectives that might can help you.

 

[chellers]

Welcome from East Texas.

 

[Frederick14Va]

Found some CS Quartermaster invoice payment records for a Robert L. Taylor, listed as a Wagon Master. He was a civilian hired to haul goods under contact for the CS QM. Most of the invoices notated invoices submitted or payment made around Ashville NC. Looks like he owned and managed a number of wagons and teams for hire.

 

[GailPlatt]

Really need more info. Where is he living in the 1870 census ? What's his age in 1870 ?

Thank you so much for your assistance! Robert Taylor may have been around 29-34 years old. He was living in Banister, Halifax, Virginia during the 1870 US Federal Census.

 

[GailPlatt]

Found some CS Quartermaster invoice payment records for a Robert L. Taylor, listed as a Wagon Master. He was a civilian hired to haul goods under contact for the CS QM. Most of the invoices notated invoices submitted or payment made around Ashville NC. Looks like he owned and managed a number of wagons and teams for hire.

Oh it sure sounds like you may have found him, but how could I be sure? Does the invoices say what year it was written? How did you find Robert? And where would I find these records that may lead me to my GG Grandfather? I am so excited that you may have found him!

What a great resource CivilWarTalk is! I will certainly spread with such excitement to my Genealogical Society friends how helpful all of you are!

 

[GailPlatt]

Oh it sure sounds like you may have found him, but how could I be sure? Does the invoices say what year it was written? How did you find Robert? And where would I find these records that may lead me to my GG Grandfather? I am so excited that you may have found him!

What a great resource CivilWarTalk is! I will certainly spread with such excitement to my Genealogical Society friends how helpful all of you are!

I do need a clarification if I may, C S stands for Confederate States?

 

[MRB1863]

Hello and welcome from 35 miles north of Gettysburg!

I hope information is found and documented to be about your GGGrandfather, Gail!!!! Family history is a precious study! My GGGrandfather was also a wagoner, but for the Union in the 96th PA. Unfortunately he did not survive the war. Thanks for joining us!

 

[Frederick14Va]

The invoices for a Robert L. Taylor were located in the Confederate Quartermaster records filed in civilian business. These are basically an invoice/bill, and/or voucher/payment record for services rendered. The surviving accounts give date ranges of around Jan-Feb 1864. by whom and where he was paid. There may be other records that didn't survive. He obviously owned and hired out a number of wagons and teams for the purpose. These records rarely if ever give any further data on the subject in question.

There is no way to 100 percent confirm this is the person your looking for, less other collaborating references are found to cross reference or at least place him in the area in question during the time frame for a reasonable guess. Very rarely will one find everything neatly piled in one consolidated file that may answer and confirm ones research. More times than not it takes harvesting hoards of fragments of data that typically are scattered across a wide host of venues and records that each on their own accord may help piece together pieces of the puzzle. Many folks spend years if not several decades searching and piecing the parts together, that's not unusual. This is a rather common name but this was the only file found that the subject was a wagon master. Not unusual that folks would sometimes go to where the contract work was available, so the location and distance is relative. There is another Robert Taylor listed but his accounts only are regarding sale of hay and forage to the Confederate Govt.. that may or may not be related to the other, no means to establish that either way.

Here are two of the invoices in question for reference.