Hello! I'm currently researching my 3rd great grandfather, John "Jack" J Kurtz, farrier in Company F of the 7th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. He was captured near Columbia/Spring Hill, TN, around Nov 28, 1864, from what I can gather. He was then taken to a Confederate POW camp, then traveled north on the Sultana until its demise on April 27, 1865. He miraculously survived the explosion and sinking of the ship and eventually made his way back to Ohio.
I have been unable to pinpoint in which prison he was housed. Records seem to indicate that he was released from Andersonville, but family oral history points to Libby prison. After reading that Libby mainly housed officers, I am wondering if maybe he had been at both at some point. Possibly inprocessing at Libby then shipped to Andersonville? It seems that you have to either write the prisons to request records or have to show up to do the research in person. Please advise.
Another conundrum I'm having is that it appears I may have a distant relative on ancestry.com (dbailey1982) who may have an album with JJ Kurtz and his last wife, Mary Elizabeth Unger, on the cover. I cannot tell from the one photo if it's a solitary page or an album; however, I'm dying to find out if the ancestry member may have more pictures of him. I would love to get a digital copy if they do possess more. I do not have an ancestry account and am not sure if I'd even be able to contact the person if I did have an account. What have your experiences been?
Another question I have is regarding unit records. According to the account given by RC Rankin in History of the 7th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, the unit's paperwork was seized by the Confederates. What are the chances that it still exists? Where on earth would I begin looking for it?
I have been unable to pinpoint in which prison he was housed. Records seem to indicate that he was released from Andersonville, but family oral history points to Libby prison. After reading that Libby mainly housed officers, I am wondering if maybe he had been at both at some point. Possibly inprocessing at Libby then shipped to Andersonville? It seems that you have to either write the prisons to request records or have to show up to do the research in person. Please advise.
Another conundrum I'm having is that it appears I may have a distant relative on ancestry.com (dbailey1982) who may have an album with JJ Kurtz and his last wife, Mary Elizabeth Unger, on the cover. I cannot tell from the one photo if it's a solitary page or an album; however, I'm dying to find out if the ancestry member may have more pictures of him. I would love to get a digital copy if they do possess more. I do not have an ancestry account and am not sure if I'd even be able to contact the person if I did have an account. What have your experiences been?
Another question I have is regarding unit records. According to the account given by RC Rankin in History of the 7th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, the unit's paperwork was seized by the Confederates. What are the chances that it still exists? Where on earth would I begin looking for it?