Civil War Era Records Free Access Week at Ancestry

You may have already heard, but just in case you haven't: Ancestry is offering free access to all of their Civil War era records for one week, beginning today.

Some records they house that may be of interest to Georgia researchers are:

· Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865
· Georgia Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1960
· Confederate Applications for Presidential Pardons, 1865-1867

The last database includes Samuel and Edward Felder's applications for Presidential pardon recently written about on this blog here and here, respectively.

Also included in the free access promotion is their newly launched Military Headstone Collection, described as "the most comprehensive searchable collection of Civil War era gravestones." This database includes the National Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia (1866-2010).

Good Luck in your searches!

Local Soldier Identified 76 Years Later

"76 years after he went missing overseas, a local soldier is coming home. Flying in a C-47A Skytrain, First Lieutenant Robert M. Anderson of Millen, Georgia in Jenkins County, and 6 others, went missing March 23, 1944. The servicemen were resupplying allied forces near Burma, but never returned after leaving India. In 2002 a data plate was discovered from a crash site, and just last week, the 7...including Anderson...were identified." Barclay Bishop reports.