Thomas Tansey Civil War Soldier

Greendoor

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May 6, 2015
Trying to determine if my GGG Uncle Thomas Tansey was in the Civil War. Only info I have is his wife Bridget Tansey was born in 1840 and died May 6, 1910 and is buried in Mt.Olivet Cemetery Middletown, NJ
She had a son John who was born 1864 and died 1949. She also had a daughter Ellen Tansey Kane born 1882 died 1950.thanks.
 
Possibly New York. Family mostly lived in New Jersey, Monmouth county. Could have enlisted in New York. His wife Bridget is buried in Mt. Oliver Cemetery in Middletown, NJ. She died 1910. Maybe he had a civil war pension.
 
Possible match

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Any mention of his wife name, Bridget Tansey? To verify it is the correct person. Thanks for your help.
 
The NPS site has a couple men with that name who fought. None from New Jersey though. These men fought from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and New York.

The man from New York died in 1913 in the Soldiers' Home in Dayton, Ohio, and his body was returned to Jamestown, New York (indicating that he could have lived there originally). His pension index card makes no mention of a widow's pension that was applied for, so there is no mention of a widow's name. He had a son named Walter.

The New York Thomas Tansey was born 1838, according to his gravestone. His papers at the Dayton Soldier's Home says that he was born in New York. He is accounted for there in 1909, but your Thomas seems to be in New Jersey in 1910.

Your Thomas, according to census records and his draft registration, was born 1833-1835.

I checked the 1890 Veterans' Census for Monmouth County, New Jersey, and there's no one listed with that name.

The 1910 census asked if people were veterans of the Civil War. It looks like Thomas was still alive in 1910, but his entry has no notation that says that he was in the war.


None of this completely rules out that your Thomas was in the war. It's possible that he moved around and that he didn't report his service in the census later in life. However, it seems most likely that he was not in the war, based on all that was found on him.

Did you have something that indicated that he did fight in the war? Or were you thinking it was a possibility based on his age?
 
The NPS site has a couple men with that name who fought. None from New Jersey though. These men fought from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and New York.

The man from New York died in 1913 in the Soldiers' Home in Dayton, Ohio, and his body was returned to Jamestown, New York (indicating that he could have lived there originally). His pension index card makes no mention of a widow's pension that was applied for, so there is no mention of a widow's name. He had a son named Walter.

The New York Thomas Tansey was born 1838, according to his gravestone. His papers at the Dayton Soldier's Home says that he was born in New York. He is accounted for there in 1909, but your Thomas seems to be in New Jersey in 1910.

Your Thomas, according to census records and his draft registration, was born 1833-1835.

I checked the 1890 Veterans' Census for Monmouth County, New Jersey, and there's no one listed with that name.

The 1910 census asked if people were veterans of the Civil War. It looks like Thomas was still alive in 1910, but his entry has no notation that says that he was in the war.


None of this completely rules out that your Thomas was in the war. It's possible that he moved around and that he didn't report his service in the census later in life. However, it seems most likely that he was not in the war, based on all that was found on him.

Did you have something that indicated that he did fight in the war? Or were you thinking it was a possibility based on his age?
Past down in family lore said he fought along side his brother Patrick Tansey, my GGG Grandfather. Patrick’s wife name was Catherine Loftus Tansey and she is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Middletown, NJ. She died in 1881, hit by a trolley car while visiting family in New Rochelle. Unfortunately I have been trying for years to find out any info on Patricks service with no success. Anyone on the forum can figure out where he is buried and his service record? Thanks again.
 
I found Thomas on a 1900 census with his wife Bridget, his birthplace is listed as Ireland, 1839. The Thomas Tansey (Tansley on Tombstone) is on the 1863 draft and his birthplace is listed as New York but they are the same age so maybe the same person.

A Patrick Tansey fought with the 37th NY But it looks like he died during or shortly after the war as a wife, Maria Tansey has applied for a widow's pension in 1866.

I'll add that if you want to dig into your ancestry to look for relatives that fought in the war you could give the name of your GG Grandparents or anyone you know you're related to in the 1800s, just provide spouse / date of birth/death / residence etc etc.
 
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