Category: Military Service

Men and Women in our family that served this county via their Military Commitment.

Military Service

Veterans Research,The U.S. Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939

| Karen Galloway|4 Comments
Image of USS President Grant Transport Ship
USS President Grant Transport Ship Image of USS President Grant Transport Ship

Recently discovered ship manifests reveal how my maternal grandfather and other troops made their way to Europe and back to the United States while serving in World War I. The late Rev. Albert Nelson of Brooks, Pointe Coupee, Louisiana served in the U.S. Army in France during World War I . His military service is mentioned in a previous post where I share several resources for researching veterans . He enlisted in the army in April 1918 and completed his basic training at Camp Upton on Long Island , NY. Here is his draft registration card dated June 5, 1917. The recent hint was for a document that was part of a record collection called the U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939. There are almost thirteen million records in this collection which consist of passenger lists created between 1910 and 1939 and manifests of the WWI War Dead. The…

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Free Persons of Color

Freedom’s Price, USCT Death During The Civil War

| Karen Galloway|5 Comments
Image of Broadside USCT Recruitment Poster
Broadside USCT Recruitment Poster.Verbiage attributed to Frederick Douglas.

 The fact that many  formerly enslaved United States Colored Troops(USCT) died while serving and fighting in the Civil War is something that has weighed heavily upon my heart for quite sometime.  Sometimes referred to as contraband, many did not survive to experience the freedom that they were fighting for. Consider also the USCT who may have been free prior to the war,  who fought and made the ultimate sacrifice so that others might be free. Several weeks ago while conducting research, I encountered  this database on Ancestry.com. U.S., Register of Colored Troop Deaths During the Civil War, 1861-1865   Those Who Served and Fought “By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men (10% of the Union Army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy. Nearly 40,000 black soldiers died over the course of the war—30,000 of infection or disease. Black soldiers served…

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Military Service

Our Veterans Revealed

| Karen Galloway|5 Comments
Sgt. Walter Grimes, MP
TSgt. Walter Grimes, US Air Force

Like so many so many American families, we have a number of men and women in our family who served this country and we are still discovering who they are! Today, I wanted to honor a few that are known in our family. These are just a few.           James McKee, a free man and eastern Ohio native, served in the Civil War at Port Hudson, LA . Many of his descendants continued the tradition of military service. Those that did not enlist or volunteer supported our service men and women through monetary contributions.  I will blog about them later.   Test you knowledge by taking quiz below. http://www.civilwar.org/education/quizzes/african-american-quiz.html   Learn More about African Americans in Military Service (click/tap title below)

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Free Persons of Color

Their Labor Revealed

| Karen Galloway|14 Comments
Image of The first African-American Women Army Corps unit, the 688th Central Postal Battalion
The first African-American Women Army Corps unit, the 688th Central Postal Battalion

While on my journey of ancestral research and discovery, I have been intrigued by the many occupations in which my ancestors, relatives, and their neighbors  labored in order to earn a living or satisfy their enslavers.  There were those who rotated between several jobs and those changed careers though out the course of their lives. Here are just a few of the occupations in which they worked: Dietitian/Nutritionist, Military Police, Teacher, Principal, Preacher, Homemaker, Seamstress, Food Service Worker, Domestic, Servant, Rice Farmer, Sugar Farmer, Soldier, Mechanic, Technician, Dock Worker, Barber, Carpenter, Laundress, Laborer, and Slave. Here is a sampling of my predecessors and their peers listed along with mention of their primary occupations. More than likely they had legitimate side hustles in order to make ends meets. 1910 Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana , United States Federal Census Oscar St. Louis a rice farmer Auguste Nelson a sugar farmer   1930 New…

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