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Using the Historical
Registers of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938,
M1749
By Jean Nudd, Archivist
The National
Archives facility in Pittsfield
holds the
microfilm for Bath, New York; Hot Springs, South Dakota; Togus, Maine; and
Leavenworth, Kansas homes. While the microfilm contains only the registers
of members of the homes, some original sample case files and administrative
records for homes are available at the National Archives. Researchers
wanting those records would need to contact the regional office
responsible. For example, the records of the Bath, New York, home would be
in the New York National Archives facility while the records from Togus,
Maine, would be at our Boston facility.
The registers are
organized by member number. Members were given admission numbers in
chronological order as they entered each home. Roll 1 of M1749 is the index
to the Registers of Members for Bath, New York, in alphabetical order by
surname. Researchers can expect to find some interesting information in
these records such as where the man was born, age at admission, physical
description (height, complexion, color of eyes and hair), literacy,
religion, occupation, residence after discharge, marital status, and name
and address of nearest relative. If the member died in the home, date of
death, cause of death, and burial information may also be on the register.
Information on his pension can be found at the bottom of the register page.
Several things
popped out at me when I scanned the registers. I’d always thought of these
as “Civil War” soldiers homes but veterans who enlisted up to the 1920s can
be found in these registers. The Togus, Maine, roll that I looked at
contained a large number of Spanish American War to World War I veterans.
For example, Michael J. McDonnell, #19680, born in Mayo, Ireland, age 54,
enlisted May 4, 1898, at Clinton, Maine, into Company K or the 9th
Massachusetts Infantry as a 1st sergeant. He was a widower who
had lived with his sister, Nellie Kerrigan in Windham, Massachusetts. He
entered the home twice; first on July 11, 1928 and then on June 5, 1930. He
died in the home on January 30, 1931. His effects were his clothes, a razor
and a box of papers.
Genealogists
interested in medical histories could have a lot of fun in these records.
Each member’s page gives information on disabilities when admitted to the
home, as well as causes of death if the man died at the home. Edward C.
Wintrode, born in Pennsylvania, was age 70 when he first entered the Hot
Springs home in 1909. He enlisted on June 18, 1863 at Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania, into Co. B of the 21st Pennyslvania Cavalry as a
private. He’d worked as a farmer at his home in Leavenworth, Kansas, was a
widower who left his son, W.G. in Parker, South Dakota. At admission, his
disabilities included chronic arthritis and rheumatism, myalgia, cardiac
asthma, arteriosclerosis, deafness in both ears, and leg problems. His
cause of death was, surprisingly, senility.
When I first
looked at his card, it appeared that he’d died twice! Two dates appear in
the date of death column, July 4, 1922 and Aug. 7, 1922. Under cause of
death next to July 4 is written senility. Under cause of death on Aug. 7,
is a notation “as Reptd by G.W. Minty, M.D., Rapid City, S.D.” Since he’d
last been admitted to the home on November 8, 1918, with no apparent date of
discharge, it looked like he’d died at the home. The “Reptd” would appear
to be an abbreviation of “reported” so would suggest that he’d actually died
at his son’s home in South Dakota and the death was reported by Dr. Minty to
the Hot Springs home on Aug. 7, a month after his death.
Some homes have
separate registers of deaths and burials (both Bath, New York, and Togus,
Maine, have separate death registers available). These records are easy to
use with an alphabetical surname index for each home and the registers in
order by member number. The registers can assist researchers in locating
men (and other family listed as next of kin), identify places of birth, give
physical descriptions, military service information, and dates and causes of
death. Since they are fully indexed, if researchers are unable to visit our
facility, our volunteer staff will be happy to search the indexes.
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