Gene Notes

Some random and some not-so-random thoughts on family history.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Part Rant Part Brag!

I hate when you go to a so-called FREE genealogy site, such as FamilySearch.org and search a new database and it takes you to a pay site. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. Today it happened when I searched "Kentucky, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865." I was after a record for my second great granduncle, 2nd Lt. Addison Ball Chinn.  To get to that record, though, you need a subscription to Fold3 (formerly Footnote.com.) Fortunately, I have one -- for now.What really set me off was the number of  times Adobe Flash Player crashed during my research.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, in particular "Thriller Thursday," Addison was the victim of a home invasion in 1902 in Lexington, Kentucky. The first part can be found here.


A. B. Chinn, as he was known enlisted in 1862 as a Sergeant. By the time he was captured on July 19, 1863, he was a 2nd Lieutenant. He served in Company C of the 8th Regiment of Cavalry, CSA under General John Hunt Morgan and was with Morgan at the disastrous raid into Ohio. Per order of General Burnside, the Confederate officers were treated as criminals and sent to prison. Morgan ended up in Columbus from which he escaped. Addison Chinn was not so lucky. According to his records, he went first to Cincinnati on July 28, 1863. Sent on to Sandusky, Ohio he was then sent to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 4, 1863. In fact, he does appear on the January 1, 1864 roll of prisoners of war at Allegheny City. He was sent on March 20, 1864 to Point Lookout, Maryland from where he was sent on June 25, 1864 at Fort Delaware, Delaware. From there he was forwarded to Hilton Head, South Carolina on August 20, 1864. On October 20, 1864 and December 26, 1864 he appears on the roll of Prisoners at Fort Pulaski, Georgia. On March 12, 1865, he again appears on the rolls at Fort Delaware from Hilton Head, South Carolina.  Finally, he signed an Oath of Allegiance and is released from Fort Delaware on June 12, 1865.


Copyright 2011, ACK for Gene Notes

2 comments:

  1. You are not alone with your rant! I completely agree with you!

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  2. Lt. Addison Ball is my second cousin, 4 times removed, and was one of the Immortal 600. These men were used as human shields for over 45 days in an open pen on Morris Island directly in the line of the Union bombardment of Charleston Harbor. Without blankets or shelter of any kind they were exposed to the elements and the blazing sun during the day. The also slowly starved and were barely served a subsistence diet.

    Great job with the storys on the murder of Addison Ball Chinn.

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