Hello,
I am a Washington DC resident who researches in this area and I'm stuck on a question. Hopefully someone here can point me in the right direction. In way of background:
Recently the National Portrait Gallery Museum in downtown DC was remodeled. The building once housed the US Patent Office. A fine web site about the history of the Patent Office and it's use during the American Civil War as a hospital and morgue, is here:
http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/pob/
During the remodel there was discovered to be carved initials in one of the window sills (which happens to be on the floor where medical operations, and, the morgue were located). I have included a picture of the initials, that for now are protected by a glass covering.
Specifically my question is this: Is there a web site, or research facility, that with only these initials would list possible names. Now, lots of assumptions are being made, for instance; 1.) this is a soldier although possibly a hospital "worker", or, 2.) this is the date the person was in the building for "hospitalization, or, this is a memorial to someone who died on that date, or 3.) this isn't a date but some designation of "outfit".
I'm open for other realistic guesses. I have covered the hospital records for those admitted to the Patent Office "infirmary". Thank you. NR
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw5ueCwhMU1hVFhFOEI1VDJjQzQ/edit?usp=sharing
I am a Washington DC resident who researches in this area and I'm stuck on a question. Hopefully someone here can point me in the right direction. In way of background:
Recently the National Portrait Gallery Museum in downtown DC was remodeled. The building once housed the US Patent Office. A fine web site about the history of the Patent Office and it's use during the American Civil War as a hospital and morgue, is here:
http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/pob/
During the remodel there was discovered to be carved initials in one of the window sills (which happens to be on the floor where medical operations, and, the morgue were located). I have included a picture of the initials, that for now are protected by a glass covering.
Specifically my question is this: Is there a web site, or research facility, that with only these initials would list possible names. Now, lots of assumptions are being made, for instance; 1.) this is a soldier although possibly a hospital "worker", or, 2.) this is the date the person was in the building for "hospitalization, or, this is a memorial to someone who died on that date, or 3.) this isn't a date but some designation of "outfit".
I'm open for other realistic guesses. I have covered the hospital records for those admitted to the Patent Office "infirmary". Thank you. NR
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw5ueCwhMU1hVFhFOEI1VDJjQzQ/edit?usp=sharing
Bringing the