Heartland Genealogy

Through a Civil War Pension File When we think about Civil War pension files, we often focus on the veteran. Yet many of these records tell an equally compelling story about the widow who spent years—sometimes decades—proving her husband's service and sacrifice. The pension file of Sarah Jane (Thompson) Briles is one of those stories. While Noah W. Briles' military service fills part of the file, Sarah's determination, resilience, and perseverance become its central theme. Through dozens of affidavits, certified records, and personal statements, we can follow her life from a young bride in Iowa to an elderly widow fighting for the pension she believed her husband had earned. A New Beginning Sarah Jane Thompson was born on 7 August 1843 in Warren County, Indiana. Years later, when she needed proof of her age, she turned to one of the most treasured genealogical records a family can possess—her father's Bible. The entry recording her birth became part of her pension appli...

Have you used family Bibles in your genealogy research? I'm fortunate that my grandmothers and cousins helped me gain a  to several family Bibles over the years. However, I didn't even know a THOMPSON family Bible existed until I transcribed my great-great-grandfather's Civil War pension file. Among the documents was a statement dated 2 October 1916 that reads: Sarah Jane Briles exhibited tome what she claims to be her father's family Bible. That said book bears date on the initial page as follows: "American Bible Society, 1849. That on the page of said book under title of "Family Records" I copied these words: "Sarah Jane Thompson was burned August the 7 in the year of our Lord 1843" While the pension file preserves Sarah's birth entry from the Bible, it contains no information about the rest of the family's Bible record. That raises an intriguing question: What became of the William Thompson family Bible that was in Sarah Jane Briles...

Bringing Noah W. Briles' Story to Life Through Music One of the most rewarding aspects of exploring my family's history is finding new ways to share the stories hidden within old records. While Noah W. Briles' Civil War pension file provided the facts of his life, I wanted to present those facts in a way that would connect with family members who might never read dozens of pages of pension documents. That led to one of my newest experiments with artificial intelligence. From Pension File to Song After transcribing Noah's pension file, I asked ChatGPT to write song lyrics based solely on the documented evidence. Rather than focusing on battlefield heroics, the song tells the story of Noah's service as a  blacksmith in Company I of the 1st Iowa Cavalry . The lyrics follow the evidence found in his military and pension records: his enlistment in 1861 his service as a regimental blacksmith the illness he contracted during the war his return home to Sarah Jane Thompson t...

  As told by his Civil War Pension File Every Civil War pension file tells a story, but some tell much more than the military service of the veteran. They reveal the struggles of the entire family. The pension file of  Noah W. Briles , a private in Company I of the 1st Iowa Cavalry, is one of those records. At first glance, it appears to be a routine widow's pension application. Instead, it spans more than three decades and preserves details of Noah's military service, his family, his declining health, and his widow Sarah's determined effort to secure the benefits she believed her husband had earned. A Young Soldier from Iowa Noah W. Briles enlisted on  13 June 1861  at Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa, shortly after the Civil War began. He served for nearly five years with  Company I, 1st Iowa Volunteer Cavalry , receiving an honorable discharge on  15 February 1866 . Although his rank was listed as  Private , the pension file reveals something not found...

Have you ever looked at your genealogy and wondered, 'How did I get that?' That happened to me recently as I was researching the descendants of William Taylor Thompson of Wapello County, Iowa. William had a daughter, Julia. I had found a Wapello County, Iowa marriage record for Julia S Thompson to Edward Bates in 1868. Thus, I was following shaky leaf hints for Julia Thompson Bates. In the process, I found the Find a Grave memorial for Julia A. Thompson Bates - who died in 1922. But wait, I have Julia Thompson dying before 1887. So, where did I get the death information? And, is it correct? If so, does this mean I've mixed up two different Julia Thompsons?

Have you ever been tempted to pull someone else's family history research into your tree? I know I have. Back in the days of PAF, another RICKETTS researcher shared a gedcom with me. Knowing he was a serious worker and that the file was full of information that could help me on my RICKETTS line, I imported his gedcom file into my file. So, when someone would ask me about a RICKETTS, I would have to confess that I had copied the info into my file and really didn't know much about that particular individual. Over time, I was able to figure out how to selectively weed that RICKETTS data so that I only had families I had researched. From this first hand experience, I know how erroneous information can creep into a tree. I do use other trees - for hints and to check my research. I am currently researching my THOMPSON line. My ancestor, William Taylor Thompson, was born and married in Indiana. After his marriage, he moved to Wapello County, Iowa where he died. Hoping to see what ...