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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jan. 16, 2008 State Historical Society offers 1885 Civil War Veteran Census online PIERRE, S.D. – In June of 1885, Dakota Territory held a special census of both Union and Confederate Civil War Veterans. The State Archives of the South Dakota State Historical Society, which has the census collection, is in the process of making the census available online. “The 1885 census offers detailed information on South Dakotans who served in either the Union or Confederate armies during the Civil War,” notes Matthew T. Reitzel, manuscript archivist for the State Historical Society. The Civil War Veteran’s Census is found on the following website: http://www.sdhistory.org/arc/civilwar/1885.htm The 1885 census listed 69 Confederate soldiers. Twenty-eight South Dakota counties had Confederate veterans living in their borders, led by Spink County, with nine. Data about veterans 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. Only the list of Confederate Veterans is currently online. Those visiting the website can search by veteran’s names, or search for veterans by county. In contrast, there were nearly 6,000 Union soldiers from 45 counties listed in the 1885 census. Volunteers are currently entering the Union Veteran’s Census data into a computer database. When completed, this database will be made available online so South Dakotans can search for their Civil War ancestors. Anyone interested in volunteering their time to enter Union veteran information into a computer database can contact the State Archives in Pierre. The South Dakota State Historical Society is located in the Cultural Heritage Center. The State Archives is open Monday through Friday and the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Contact the archives by phone at (605) 773-3804 or by e-mail archref@state.sd.us |
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