Taking a Chance Follow Up

On my Blog there is a tab for Article 2007.  It is an article I wrote that was published in Ancestry Magazine.  I was so happy my story made it (and I got paid for it!).  I want to follow up on that, so please first read that article, then continue with this blog post!!

.....now that you read it, I want to be able to talk more about this discovery because if I had a top ten find list, this would be one of them!

Great Great Grandma Julie (Campbell) Stripes with her daughters Eva and my Great Grandma Olive Stripes (Appleby) 

I have wanted to find out about my Great-Great-Grandmother Julie’s Father. All I had was a very common last name of Campbell. I had a possible first initials, but I was not even sure of that. I found a basic record on Ancestry.com for Civil War Veterans, and it had a C. Campbell in a nearby town in Iowa, with dates close to his age. I knew he was of age to be in the Civil War. I had ordered civil war records before but it is not cheap and I was not sure if I should or not on this find, because I didn’t know if it was even my person. But I did take the chance and ordered them.   When I received them, there was not as many papers enclosed as I had received with past records, but it gave me enough information to move forward! I knew this was my GGG Grandfather and I could look for further information.

I discovered that it was the right C.B. Campbell most importantly. The pension papers listed his wife and children’s names, as well as his. I now had a first name—Claridon—the same name as my Grandpa. My Grandpa Appleby didn’t even know he was named after his Great Grandfather. I always wondered where that “different” name came from, and now I knew.

I began to research Claridon’s 20th Regiment Infantry Co. F and found a descendants group from Iowa. This group helped me by sending photos of his grave stone; confirming further his name and military service. While writing with this group, I was given a persons name at the soldiers’ home where Claridon spent time, who may be able to help me with further information;  I sent off a letter. It isn’t known why he was in the home specifically, but he endured terrible hardship while serving.  He had "heart problems from hard marching".  One would also wonder since he was discharged in Alabama when the war ended, but he lived in Iowa -- how did he get home? Did he walk the whole way or have a horse? I’m sure that didn’t help his condition after the war either to travel that far to get to his family.

Soon after sending the letter, I received a wonderful phone call. I was told that since I was the first of C.B.Campbell’s descendants to contact the home, they’d send me all of his records. The home was releasing the records from this time period and she was given permission to take care of them until an inquiry was requested. Some records I could only get copies and some I received the originals!

I received an envelope full of information. I received his original discharge papers from the civil war and his personal letters that described our family. Other notes indicated C.B. wanted no association with his wife; apparently she was unfaithful while he was away at war. But arguing that point, were letters from his children saying that he was out of his mind and their mother was not like that. One will never know.  An exciting part of having these notes is that they are signed by my GG-Grandmother and her brother and sister. There was another letter with my Great Grandma Olives signiture as well; an extra find!  After talking to my Grandpa  about this, he showed me an old photo watch holder, and by the age and looks, it would be a photo of Claridon Campbell.  I wonder too if it is part of the watch he was giving his daughter in one of his letters that I received.  Wouldn't that top it all off, course we'll never know.

The story doesn't stop there!  The war documents also gave me insight to his birth. I learned that he came from New York. I began tracing his ancestors and discovered not only his war record but his Grandfater fought in the Revolutionary War as well, then traces back to England (even to Kings and Queens!).

If I hadn’t taken that chance and ordered the documents I was unsure about, I would have never received the treasure of information that I did. So take that chance if you come across one.

I'll be sure to write about my other finds from this line later!