Fold3 question/help needed

[scooter748driver]

I'm in a "trial" subscription period with Fold3. Is it only for finding people or can it be used to find things like official records, rosters, etc. I'm looking for records on weapons issues to the 1st Connecticut Cavalry. My search there generates over 9K results. Not sure what to search for. Any suggestions?

 

[Gary Morgan]

I'm in a "trial" subscription period with Fold3. Is it only for finding people or can it be used to find things like official records, rosters, etc. I'm looking for records on weapons issues to the 1st Connecticut Cavalry. My search there generates over 9K results. Not sure what to search for. Any suggestions?

I will sometimes just put in a number, then click Civil War (either Union or Confederate) and go down and pick the state that the regiment I'm looking for was from. That should get you rosters as well as the records of the individuals who were in that regiment. That will still probably get you hundreds of guys, but if you click everything except CMSRs, Pension Files and Indexes, that should help you narrow it down. I also happen to know that the 1st CT was the ONLY cavalry regiment from Connecticut, so checking off cavalry on the side should help narrow things down as well.

There is also a regimental history on the 1 CT Cav, but it's modern and may or may not be helpful.

Amazon.com

You might also want to check the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford (they had a lot on the 16 CT guys who ended up at Andersonville) and the New England Civil War Museum, which is in Connecticut. When I was there doing research, I mentioned cavalries to the guy who was acting as docent, and he said there was only one in the state, which makes me think he may know something about the regiment.

Good luck!

 

[UCVRelics]

I'm in a "trial" subscription period with Fold3. Is it only for finding people or can it be used to find things like official records, rosters, etc. I'm looking for records on weapons issues to the 1st Connecticut Cavalry. My search there generates over 9K results. Not sure what to search for. Any suggestions?

Most of the ordnance records are going to be in the state archives as they were state issue. You can also try the LOC. Another option and its a long way around is The 1st Conn Cav would have been issued carbines, so checking all the CW carbines in the SRS may give you an insight as to what they were issued.

 

[lupaglupa]

Unfortunately the individual records for soldiers from Connecticut haven't been completely digitized yet so what you will find on Fold3 is limited. As @Gary Morgan and @ucvrelics have pointed out you may find other sources better for answering your questions. The Connecticut State Library has a bunch of CW resources

LibGuides Home: Military Records: Civil War

LibGuides Home: Military Records: Civil War

libguides.ctstatelibrary.org

and the state military department also has info

Connecticut Men in the Civil War

portal.ct.gov

 

[steamboater]

I'm in a "trial" subscription period with Fold3. Is it only for finding people or can it be used to find things like official records, rosters, etc. I'm looking for records on weapons issues to the 1st Connecticut Cavalry. My search there generates over 9K results. Not sure what to search for. Any suggestions?

My copy of "An Introduction to Civil War Small Arms", by Coates and Thomas, details the 1st CT Cavalry being supplied with Smith carbines.

 

[Bruce Vail]

I will sometimes just put in a number, then click Civil War (either Union or Confederate) and go down and pick the state that the regiment I'm looking for was from. That should get you rosters as well as the records of the individuals who were in that regiment. That will still probably get you hundreds of guys, but if you click everything except CMSRs, Pension Files and Indexes, that should help you narrow it down. I also happen to know that the 1st CT was the ONLY cavalry regiment from Connecticut, so checking off cavalry on the side should help narrow things down as well.

There is also a regimental history on the 1 CT Cav, but it's modern and may or may not be helpful.

Amazon.com

You might also want to check the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford (they had a lot on the 16 CT guys who ended up at Andersonville) and the New England Civil War Museum, which is in Connecticut. When I was there doing research, I mentioned cavalries to the guy who was acting as docent, and he said there was only one in the state, which makes me think he may know something about the regiment.

Good luck!

Are these rosters images of the original documents, or are they lists compiled sometime after the war?

 

[lupaglupa]

Are these rosters images of the original documents, or are they lists compiled sometime after the war?

I've seen both - original hand written ones from during the War and official printed ones compiled after.

 

[Bruce Vail]

I've seen both - original hand written ones from during the War and official printed ones compiled after.

Thanks. I've been resisting paying out for a Fold3 sub for years. Maybe it's time to pay up...

 

[lupaglupa]

Thanks. I've been resisting paying out for a Fold3 sub for years. Maybe it's time to pay up...

It's a slippery slope so be careful starting if you don't want to be paying for it forever. We now pay for Ancestry (international), Fold3, and newspapers.com. It adds up to a lot each year. But it is oh so convenient.

 

[Gary Morgan]

Thanks. I've been resisting paying out for a Fold3 sub for years. Maybe it's time to pay up...

Some libraries have institutional subscriptions, but they limit what you can do (can't contact someone who posted someone, eg). Fod3 is frequently free for Memorial Day weekend if you want to hold off and have a research marathon that weekend!