FOR RELEASE:  Oct. 15, 2008
CONTACT:  Chelle Somsen, (605) 773-5521, Chelle.Somsen@state.sd.us

State Historical Society offers 1885 Civil War Veterans Census online

PIERRE, S.D. – In June of 1885, Dakota Territory held a special census of both Union and Confederate Civil War veterans. The South Dakota State Historical Society, which has the census collection in the State Archives at the Cultural Heritage Center, has made the index of the census searchable online.

The Civil War Veterans Census is found at www.sdhistory.org/arc/civilwar/1885.htm.

“The 1885 census offers detailed information on those who served in either the Union or Confederate armies during the Civil War,” said Matthew T. Reitzel, manuscript archivist for the South Dakota State Historical Society.

The 1885 census listed 69 Confederate soldiers and nearly 6,000 Union soldiers. State Historical Society volunteers entered the census data into a computer database. 

Data found in the census includes:  first and last name, county, regiment and company, enrollment date, termination of service, rank, the month and year they arrived in Dakota Territory, and other remarks concerning their service.

The completion of the Civil War Veterans Census project is being announced in October during Archives Month in South Dakota, declared by Gov. Mike Rounds as a time to recognize the collaborative efforts of professional organizations and repositories around the state and nation to highlight the importance of records of enduring value.

The South Dakota State Archives, a program of the State Historical Society, is open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and the first Saturday of each month. Contact the archives by phone at (605) 773-3804 or by e-mail at archref@state.sd.us.