Need Help with a Pennsylvania Regiment

[nancyelizabeth]

One of my Great grandfathers, Phillip Flynn, appears in the 1865 New York State Census as serving with the 6th Pennsylvania. I have looked around and put in a request for his military files with the National Archives but nothing comes up. I am left with assuming he was lying on the census record. Has anyone ever heard of that happening before? I know he was living in Philadelphia during the War because two of his daughters were born there and I have proof of that fact. So I'm curious as to what all of you think. Thanks for the help!

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

One of my Great grandfathers, Phillip Flynn, appears in the 1865 New York State Census as serving with the 6th Pennsylvania. I have looked around and put in a request for his military files with the National Archives but nothing comes up. I am left with assuming he was lying on the census record. Has anyone ever heard of that happening before? I know he was living in Philadelphia during the War because two of his daughters were born there and I have proof of that fact. So I'm curious as to what all of you think. Thanks for the help!

Welcome. The 35th PA Infantry was first organized as the 6th PA Reserves. In Co E of that regiment, is a James Flinn. He was "wounded, discharged for disability on 12/19/1862". In Co. F was a John Flinn who transferred to the 191st PA Infantry on 5/31/1864. You say your ancestor's name was Peter. During the Civil War era, some men went by their middle name ?

 

[nancyelizabeth]

Welcome. The 35th PA Infantry was first organized as the 6th PA Reserves. In Co E of that regiment, is a James Flinn. He was "wounded, discharged for disability on 12/19/1862". In Co. F was a John Flinn who transferred to the 191st PA Infantry on 5/31/1864. You say your ancestor's name was Peter. During the Civil War era, some men went by their middle name ?

Thank you for your response. I don't know what his middle name was. Any record I've seen doesn't include it. P

 

[nancyelizabeth]

Welcome. The 35th PA Infantry was first organized as the 6th PA Reserves. In Co E of that regiment, is a James Flinn. He was "wounded, discharged for disability on 12/19/1862". In Co. F was a John Flinn who transferred to the 191st PA Infantry on 5/31/1864. You say your ancestor's name was Peter. During the Civil War era, some men went by their middle name ?

James Flunn might be promising. Phillip was the name that I've seen repeatedly so I don't know about "James." I'll have to explore that possibility. Thanks again.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Any chance someone left out the word ' cavalry ', or there's a ' c ' somewhere? Census takers were not always incredibly exact. 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry have any Phillips?

 

[Suzanne A]

One of my Great grandfathers, Phillip Flynn, appears in the 1865 New York State Census as serving with the 6th Pennsylvania. I have looked around and put in a request for his military files with the National Archives but nothing comes up. I am left with assuming he was lying on the census record. Has anyone ever heard of that happening before? I know he was living in Philadelphia during the War because two of his daughters were born there and I have proof of that fact. So I'm curious as to what all of you think. Thanks for the help!

Hi again. This entry intrigued me because I didn't know that the 1865 New York State census identified where soldiers were serving in the Civil War. So I learned something. Your ancestor appears to have been 40 in the 1865 census and 45 in the 1870 federal census. That is old enough that he would have been on the Class II list, married men over 35, had he registered for the draft, and not likely to be drafted. I see no relevant military records either, but if he was in the Army he wouldn't have been home to "lie", it would have been some one else. I don't think he would have needed to lie to avoid the draft either I just think it likely that it's just a mistake in the 1865 census which appears to be the only record of any kind that attributes this military service to him. They census personnel do make mistakes -- the field notes are transcribed onto the pages we see which does leave room for error. I was frustrated that I couldn't find a subject I was researching with a very common name, Gilbert Smith, in New York City -- he was in the furniture business. I finally realized that I had found him only his occupation was erroneously listed as "auctioneer". When I read down the page, I realized that the transcriber had just recopied the occupation of the head of household before him beside his name -- this was my man and there was no Gilbert Smith auctioneer.

Philip Flynn should have registered for the Draft and I don't see that he did that either, at least under first name Philip, but that doesn't matter, what you want to know is if he served in the Civil War. BTW are you sure the Philip Flynn of the 1865 census is your ancestor? That 1865 census does not show any daughters born in Philadelphia during the War. It shows all children born in Kings, meaning Brooklyn, Kings Co. NY But that could be another error. In these apartment buildings in New York City (actually, Brooklyn wasn't in NYC until 1898, but the situation was the same), you don't know who was giving the information, it could be a landord or landlady or another tenant, not necessarily family, not necessarily anyone who actually knew the information.

I really would not assume that anyone lied when I see mis-information in a census. Errors are just too common to attribute an intent on anyone's part to deceive unless you know you're looking for a scoundrel;-)

 

[nancyelizabeth]

Hi again. This entry intrigued me because I didn't know that the 1865 New York State census identified where soldiers were serving in the Civil War. So I learned something. Your ancestor appears to have been 40 in the 1865 census and 45 in the 1870 federal census. That is old enough that he would have been on the Class II list, married men over 35, had he registered for the draft, and not likely to be drafted. I see no relevant military records either, but if he was in the Army he wouldn't have been home to "lie", it would have been some one else. I don't think he would have needed to lie to avoid the draft either I just think it likely that it's just a mistake in the 1865 census which appears to be the only record of any kind that attributes this military service to him. They census personnel do make mistakes -- the field notes are transcribed onto the pages we see which does leave room for error. I was frustrated that I couldn't find a subject I was researching with a very common name, Gilbert Smith, in New York City -- he was in the furniture business. I finally realized that I had found him only his occupation was erroneously listed as "auctioneer". When I read down the page, I realized that the transcriber had just recopied the occupation of the head of household before him beside his name -- this was my man and there was no Gilbert Smith auctioneer.

Philip Flynn should have registered for the Draft and I don't see that he did that either, at least under first name Philip, but that doesn't matter, what you want to know is if he served in the Civil War. BTW are you sure the Philip Flynn of the 1865 census is your ancestor? That 1865 census does not show any daughters born in Philadelphia during the War. It shows all children born in Kings, meaning Brooklyn, Kings Co. NY But that could be another error. In these apartment buildings in New York City (actually, Brooklyn wasn't in NYC until 1898, but the situation was the same), you don't know who was giving the information, it could be a landord or landlady or another tenant, not necessarily family, not necessarily anyone who actually knew the information.

I really would not assume that anyone lied when I see mis-information in a census. Errors are just too common to attribute an intent on anyone's part to deceive unless you know you're looking for a scoundrel;-)

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I am certain that's him in the census. Margaret and Mary appear in other census record as having been born in Kings County and sometimes as Brooklyn or NY.

I looked at the Draft Reg in Phikadelphia and didn't find him there either. I know he was in Phikly till about 1862-3. I still wonder if there was another name but I have nothing to indicate that. Oh well, it will remain a mystery, I guess