Would the soldier in the attached tin type photo be a Corporal (2 stripes)? Any way he could have been a Private based on the uniform?
I believe this person to be my 2nd Great Grandfather Jeremiah J Sparks (1839-1917) of Lynn Grove Township, Jasper County, Iowa. He served in Company E, 4th Regiment of the Iowa Volunteer Calvary from July 5, 1861 to Jan. 1865.
The problem is that every document or record I've come across on Ancestry.com says Jeremiah was a Private. I also have his discharge papers stating he was a Private. I don't know where to look for official records beyond Ancestry for his full service record. Would it have been possible for him to be a Corporal at some point but not all? He mustered out in 1863 and then transferred or re-upped and mustered out again in 1864 according to an Iowa history document transcribed below.
4th Calvary Regiment
Rank In: Private
Rank Out: Private
Service Record
Enlisted in Company E, Iowa 4th Cavalry Regiment on 23 Nov 1861.
Mustered out on 28 Jun 1863.
Transferred to ??? on 28 Jun 1863.
Mustered out on 04 Dec 1864 at Memphis, TN.
The reasons I WANT TO BELIEVE this to be a photo of Jeremiah are:
-- It was found in a keepsake purse of my Great Grandmother Maude Sparks Newell (Jeremiah's daughter). The purse also contained a few other historical documents of Jeremiah's such as post Civil War land loan documents from the late 1860s.
-- The eyes, nose and facial structure of this man 'matches' my known pictures of Jeremiah in later life (age 40s and beyond).
-- I have Jeremiah's original Civil War discharge papers and it confirms rank of Private.
-- A 1st cousin had the purse and only now made me aware of it so it has been in the family.
-- My great grandmother, the owner of the keepsake purse containing the photo had some uncles who served in the Civil War but their photos look nothing like this person.
Your thoughts on all this and expertise appreciated.
I believe this person to be my 2nd Great Grandfather Jeremiah J Sparks (1839-1917) of Lynn Grove Township, Jasper County, Iowa. He served in Company E, 4th Regiment of the Iowa Volunteer Calvary from July 5, 1861 to Jan. 1865.
The problem is that every document or record I've come across on Ancestry.com says Jeremiah was a Private. I also have his discharge papers stating he was a Private. I don't know where to look for official records beyond Ancestry for his full service record. Would it have been possible for him to be a Corporal at some point but not all? He mustered out in 1863 and then transferred or re-upped and mustered out again in 1864 according to an Iowa history document transcribed below.
4th Calvary Regiment
Rank In: Private
Rank Out: Private
Service Record
Enlisted in Company E, Iowa 4th Cavalry Regiment on 23 Nov 1861.
Mustered out on 28 Jun 1863.
Transferred to ??? on 28 Jun 1863.
Mustered out on 04 Dec 1864 at Memphis, TN.
The reasons I WANT TO BELIEVE this to be a photo of Jeremiah are:
-- It was found in a keepsake purse of my Great Grandmother Maude Sparks Newell (Jeremiah's daughter). The purse also contained a few other historical documents of Jeremiah's such as post Civil War land loan documents from the late 1860s.
-- The eyes, nose and facial structure of this man 'matches' my known pictures of Jeremiah in later life (age 40s and beyond).
-- I have Jeremiah's original Civil War discharge papers and it confirms rank of Private.
-- A 1st cousin had the purse and only now made me aware of it so it has been in the family.
-- My great grandmother, the owner of the keepsake purse containing the photo had some uncles who served in the Civil War but their photos look nothing like this person.
Your thoughts on all this and expertise appreciated.