MVGS 2023 Conference: Serving Our Nation: Our Military, Families, and Communities [25 Mar]

Join the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society for four informative lectures presented live, in-person at the Hollin Hall Senior Center.

Rebecca Whitman Koford

Missing—Presumed Dead: A Case Study of Civil War Records

This presentation focuses on the life of a Union soldier in the Civil War, his family, and the experiences that lead to his death at Cold Harbor, Virginia.  We will examine records to pull out the details of his war service with federal records, newspapers, maps, and a Confederate pension.  With the application of social history to contextualize these records, his story can be told.

Claire Kluskens
Civilians at War:  Records of Participation in U.S. Military Conflicts

This presentation will focus ways that civilians participated in efforts to support a war – or were directly affected by it – from the American Revolution to World War I.  War provided opportunities for employment by civilian or military agencies.  Individuals provided goods, services, or loans.  They suffered property losses and sought reimbursement.  We’ll focus on examples of online records that document these relationships with the Federal Government (ca. 1776-1918) and Confederate States Government (1861-65). 

Olivia Millunzi

Contested Ground: Research in Areas of Divided Loyalty

This talk will give a brief overview of some of the divided geographic areas and social groups in conflicts ranging from the Colonial Wars to the Civil War.  Then, we’ll dive into Long Island during the American Revolution, specifically the Dutcher family, to explore the challenges and rewards of dealing with families- and individuals- with shifting allegiances during periods of conflict.  The Dutcher family straddled the line during the American Revolution, featuring members pensioned for Revolutionary service in support of the Patriots, members who fled north to Canada after the war, and some members whose loyalties are harder to define.  Given their divided loyalties, the Dutchers are a great example to show the records available for families of all walks of life in areas of contested ground.

Mary K. Mannix, MA, MLS

How I Learned to Appreciate Fold3

Fold3, an Ancestry product available at many public libraries, and includes remote access, is a major electronic resource for locating American military records.  It can, however, be awkward to use for the uninitiated. The speaker will help us all to maneuver through Fold3 more confidently and break down any doubts about including it in our regularly on-line genealogy toolbox.