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Jewish Confederate Soldier - Omaha #general
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Marian Merritt <mmerritt@...>
I'm researching my husband's great-grandfather, John Merritt (London,
England > Louisiana > Omaha). He was a Confederate Soldier who moved to Omaha right after the war. I'm curious to know why a Jewish person >from the "wrong side of the war" would choose to move west, unless he was rejoining family. I'm interested to hear suggestions that might indicate new research paths for me. You've already helped me enormously! As I've learned, Omaha was mostly a Union area during and after the Civil War. John Merritt moved there sometime between his surrender at the Battle of Vicksburg (July 4th, 1863) and his marriage to Caroline Rosenthal of Omaha in November, 1874. (According to the marriage license, the witnesses were Samuel and Fanny REICHENBERG, in case any of you are related to them.) One theory put forth >from the historian with the US Park Service at the Vicksburg Battle museum,..."it is possible that rather than return to Confederate service following his exchange, he opted to sign an Oath of Allegiance and served in U.S. forces on the frontier for the duration of the war. Confederate soldiers who later served on the frontier in Union blue are referred to as "galvanized Yankees." I've not found any proof of that, so far, however. Thank you, Marian Merritt Los Angeles, CA |
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Celia Male <celiamale@...>
Marian Merritt wrote: <I'm researching my husband's
great-grandfather, John Merritt (London, England > Louisiana > Omaha). He was a Confederate Soldier who moved to Omaha right after the war. I'm curious to know why a Jewish person >from the "wrong side of the war" would choose to move west, unless he was rejoining family. I'm interested to hear suggestions that might indicate new research paths for me. ....> I cannot comment about the military aspect, but I do wonder whether John was really Jewish, as all the MERRITT I have looked at in the 1851 census of England and Wales appear really English to me! In the 1841 census, there is a handful apparently not born in England - who could be Irish. Their professions are very non-Jewish Perhaps John had changed his name on arrival in the US - or did he convert on marriage to Caroline Rosenthal? As John may not have had any close relatives in the US unless they emigrated with him, it is natural that his wife Caroline would like to be near her family in Omaha, Nebraska. Caroline's father, or the wedding witnesses {REICHENBERG} may even have offered John a job in the family business in Omaha. Celia Male [U.K.] |
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Roger Lustig <julierog@...>
Given that JGFF lists *two* researchers interested in MERRITT/Omaha, I'd
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reserve judgment on whether John M was Jewish. (There are five other MERRITT researchers.) As to why a Confederate soldier (Jewish or otherwise) would move west: why *wouldn't* one? The post-war South wasn't exactly a hotbed of economic growth, whereas the western states offered all manner of opportunity. Quite a few of my (incredibly distant) Jebenhausen cousins (SONTHEIMER, ROSENHEIM, etc.) were in Iowa or Missouri by then. Roger Lustig Princeton, NJ Celia Male wrote: Marian Merritt wrote: <I'm researching my husband's |
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Ann Rabinowitz <annrab@...>
It was not unusual at all for former Confederate soldiers to leave the south
after the Civil War for better opportunities further west. Remember, much of the south was devastated and under Union control during the Reconstruction period which followed the end of the war. Alternatively, the "west" was open for development and free of some of the restrictions which might have hampered individuals who served on the "losing" side of the conflict between the states. A good instance was Nebraska which was still a territory until it became the 37th state on March 1, 1867 and was therefore wide open for settlement. The state also had a further draw in that the Union Pacific Railroad began building rail lines westward >from Omaha in 1865 and then later other railroads companies began construction of other lines throughout the state. The railroads were given land grants and they sold these, in turn, to settlers through large scale advertising campaigns. These advertisements lured many discharged Civil War veterans to the state to take advantage of a new start in life. Jews too were often drawn to the new territories and assisted in the commercial development of the towns and villages and even farmed as well. They joined Jewish families who had earlier made the trek to these new areas prior to the Civil War as pioneer traders and settlers. This period is rich in the development of many of the vibrant Jewish communities which later came to make up the mid-west and west in the America. Ann Rabinowitz annrab@... |
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L. Altman <fusgeyer@...>
Marian:
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Why Nebraska? Several reasons - starting in 1864 there were the * Indian insurrections * and soldiers were needed to protect the interests of the settlers and the US government. You are correct about the term Galvanized Yankee. There was another reason to go to Nebraska - GOLD! Nebraska was a cross road for those going to and returning >from the CA gold rush. In 1874 the Black Hills had their own gold rush. You should try to locate the military files for John Merritt. This will have great information in it. If he went to NE as a soldier in the Indian wars he will have a US military record as well as a Confederate one. He may have recieved a pension, of if he did not then his wife or children may have applied for one after he died. These files are a great resource. Don't just stop with a pension file, get the records from the adjutant general, and get the records for his unit. Also if a pension was denied get the records if they appealed (and the families almost always appealed). Is he listed on the 1890 Veterans Schedule? Hope this helps. Linda Altman 1st Vice President - North Carolina Genealogy Society Raleigh NC --- Marian Merritt <mmerritt@...> wrote: I'm researching my husband's great-grandfather, John Merritt (London, |
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Marian Merritt <mmerritt@...>
Hi Linda,
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Thank you for the excellent advice. I've ordered John Merritt's service record but I would imagine it will take at least 6 weeks for it to arrive. I haven't found evidence of any pensions but I will try the adjutant general. Since I'm not familiar with this term (a.g.) where do I find this office? Is it a State office, Federal? If you have a website, that would be wonderful. Many thanks! Marian Merritt -----Original Message-----
Why Nebraska? Several reasons - starting in 1864 there were the * Indian insurrections * and soldiers were needed to protect the interests of the settlers and the US government. You are correct about the term Galvanized Yankee. There was another reason to go to Nebraska - GOLD! Nebraska was a cross road for those going to and returning >from the CA gold rush. In 1874 the Black Hills had their own gold rush.=20 You should try to locate the military files for John Merritt. This will have great information in it. If he went to NE as a soldier in the Indian wars he will have a US military record as well as a Confederate one. He may have recieved a pension, of if he did not then his wife or children may have applied for one after he died. These files are a great resource. Don't just stop with a pension file, get the records from the adjutant general, and get the records for his unit. Also if a pension was denied get the records if they appealed (and the families almost always appealed). Is he listed on the 1890 Veterans Schedule? Hope this helps. Linda Altman 1st Vice President - North Carolina Genealogy Society Raleigh NC --- Marian Merritt <mmerritt@...> wrote: I'm researching my husband's great-grandfather, John |
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David Phillips <ganeff@...>
An adjutant general is the military chief administrative officer. There areMarian Merritt asked: Since I'm not familiar with this term adjutant three defintions in the USA. 1. The chief administrative officer of the Army of the United States with the rank of Lieutenant General. 2, The chief administrative officer of a major military unit. 3. The senior military officer and actual commander of a State's Military Forces, including the National Guard, the Naval Militia, and any State Defense Forces. They are State and national offices. For Omaha try http://www.rootsweb.com/~neresour/NSHS/1890Gaz/gaz90p0337.html, or http://www.omahapubliclibrary.org/genealogy/gennebhisprint.html David Phillips London, UK |
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