My Great great great grandfather fought in the American Civil War

please helpThank YOU

I Want to ind out more about him I have his Name he fought in the American Civil War that is what I was Told also told he had American army pension plus I was told he was giving Free Land by the American Government for Fighting in Civil War the Land was in LOWER MANHATTAN NEW YORK I Want to find if this is true?

spurious

What is his name and people can look for you?
Many people here have subscriptions to sites which might have the records you want.
Give as much info as you have - date/rough year of birth, where he was from etc..

RobbingBandit

His job before or after the war if you know may help, that would be interesting to read about.

tabbey

please helpThank YOU wrote: »

I was told he was giving Free Land by the American Government for Fighting in Civil War the Land was in LOWER MANHATTAN NEW YORK I Want to find if this is true?

Lots of people hear stories that are far fetched, like this one.
Most stories have a grain of truth about them, but a lot of oral history is not worth the paper it is not written on.

please helpThank YOU

spurious wrote: »

What is his name and people can look for you?
Many people here have subscriptions to sites which might have the records you want.
Give as much info as you have - date/rough year of birth, where he was from etc..

Denis Murphy he was 67 on the 1911 Census and was live in Limerick City

please helpThank YOU

tabbey wrote: »

Lots of people hear stories that are far fetched, like this one.
Most stories have a grain of truth about them, but a lot of oral history is not worth the paper it is not written on.

Hi there Was a Letter my Father seen it in the 1960s my Father told what was on the Letter was about the War how bad it was going to his daughter but now we find that Letter was sold for 300 pound in 1960s by Fathers First Cousin who at the time was mad for money:mad:.

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RobbingBandit wrote: »

His job before or after the war if you know may help, that would be interesting to read about.

in 1911 census his name was Denis Murphy aged 67 he was A general labourer and and was A Widower one of his daughter was Ellen Murphy she was 27 in the 1911 Census. who married Christopher Lane and was living in Limerick City on the 1911 Census

pedroeibar1

please helpThank YOU wrote: »

I Want to ind out more about him I have his Name he fought in the American Civil War that is what I was Told also told he had American army pension plus I was told he was giving Free Land by the American Government for Fighting in Civil War the Land was in LOWER MANHATTAN NEW YORK I Want to find if this is true?

No it definitely is not true.

1. Lower Manhattan was heavily populated long before the end of the Civil War. (Did you ever see 'Gangs of New York'? )Manhattan expanded from the southern tip in a northerly direction from the 1600's.
2. Tens of thousands of Irishmen fought in the civil war; they or their widows were entitled to apply for a pension; those records exist.
3. No soldier got a grant of 'land' in Lower Manhattan for fighting in the Civil War because at that date all of it already was owned and worth a lot of money. Google Jerome Mansion, for example, a house built in the 1850's in 20 something street.

Furthermore it is highly unlikely any Civil War era letter written by an ordinary Irish civil war soldier was sold in the 1960's for £300. They did not achieve that kind of price then (nor do they make that kind of money even today).

The story is nonsense, not genealogy, and Tabbey's post above is 100% right.

KingBrian2

please helpThank YOU wrote: »

I Want to ind out more about him I have his Name he fought in the American Civil War that is what I was Told also told he had American army pension plus I was told he was giving Free Land by the American Government for Fighting in Civil War the Land was in LOWER MANHATTAN NEW YORK I Want to find if this is true?

Best to research the libraries in New York about your grandfather's role during the war, documents and witness accounts will give you some valuable info or contact America's version of a Military History Archives you'll be able to find out more about your ancestry.

please helpThank YOU

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

No it definitely is not true.

1. Lower Manhattan was heavily populated long before the end of the Civil War. (Did you ever see 'Gangs of New York'? )Manhattan expanded from the southern tip in a northerly direction from the 1600's.
2. Tens of thousands of Irishmen fought in the civil war; they or their widows were entitled to apply for a pension; those records exist.
3. No soldier got a grant of 'land' in Lower Manhattan for fighting in the Civil War because at that date all of it already was owned and worth a lot of money. Google Jerome Mansion, for example, a house built in the 1850's in 20 something street.

Furthermore it is highly unlikely any Civil War era letter written by an ordinary Irish civil war soldier was sold in the 1960's for £300. They did not achieve that kind of price then (nor do they make that kind of money even today).

The story is nonsense, not genealogy, and Tabbey's post above is 100% right.

just Rang my Father a he is a 99 per cent sure he was A Sergeant and the Letter was 3 pages there was a lot of Detail in this Letter .

pedroeibar1

please helpThank YOU wrote: »

just Rang my Father a he is a 99 per cent sure he was A Sergeant and the Letter was 3 pages there was a lot of Detail in this Letter .

So? It's still nonsense. A regular letter from a Civil War soldier can be bought today for $1 (one dollar) upwards on eBay - here is one that after weeks has been bid up to a massive $15.
Do you really think that a guy who 'was given land in Lower Manhattan' would have to work as a labourer in Limerick a few decades later? Do some research, look at the pension records, shipping records, etc.

please helpThank YOU

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

No it definitely is not true.

1. Lower Manhattan was heavily populated long before the end of the Civil War. (Did you ever see 'Gangs of New York'? )Manhattan expanded from the southern tip in a northerly direction from the 1600's.
2. Tens of thousands of Irishmen fought in the civil war; they or their widows were entitled to apply for a pension; those records exist.
3. No soldier got a grant of 'land' in Lower Manhattan for fighting in the Civil War because at that date all of it already was owned and worth a lot of money. Google Jerome Mansion, for example, a house built in the 1850's in 20 something street.

Furthermore it is highly unlikely any Civil War era letter written by an ordinary Irish civil war soldier was sold in the 1960's for £300. They did not achieve that kind of price then (nor do they make that kind of money even today).

The story is nonsense, not genealogy, and Tabbey's post above is 100% right.

If He had A Civil War pension and a number I can then Find If this Story is True our Not. I Cant find him in the 1901 census our his daughter Ellen Murphy. But there 1 part this story which is True he did Fight in the American Civil War thats 100 per cent just have to see Civil War documents and War records this part should be easy to find?

please helpThank YOU

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

So? It's still nonsense. A regular letter from a Civil War soldier can be bought today for $1 (one dollar) upwards on eBay - here is one that after weeks has been bid up to a massive $15.
Do you really think that a guy who 'was given land in Lower Manhattan' would have to work as a labourer in Limerick a few decades later? Do some research, look at the pension records, shipping records, etc.[/QUOTE Thats what I am Trying To Find out If its True My Self and If it is True our Half True if its True I Will Give you Half:)

please helpThank YOU

KingBrian2 wrote: »

Best to research the libraries in New York about your grandfather's role during the war, documents and witness accounts will give you some valuable info or contact America's version of a Military History Archives you'll be able to find out more about your ancestry.

Thank You Will Do this Story Has Been our Familes for years well before the internet and the Story Goes was this Land claimed? its Mad Story BUT YOU NEVER KNOW .I Have post Facts Names and Stuff.

please helpThank YOU

My Father Again told ME this Story is True and hes Mother and his aunt all talked about this Story American Civil WAR pension LAND IN LOWER MANHATTAN NEW YORK.My Father Thinks this Man Denis Murphy died in the City Home in Limerick City .Year of birth if he was 67 in the 1911 cenus so he would have born around 1844 so here a start to this journey there must be away to find this man

spurious

Do you have a middle name for him, or the name of his wife, or his mother's name?
There are a number of Denis Murphys from Ireland in the pension records.

OU812

There are hugely accurate military records kept by the US government & accessible through Ancestry.com The US government also has immigration, port & ships documents from the era which would also be available through ancestry.

I'm actually quite jealous of the huge range of information and ease of access some of my American friends have that's not here in a much older & historic country.

Take out a month's subscription (or even a free two-week trial) & do your research. There's probably truth that he did serve but highly unlikely he was granted land in manhattan(NYC), However... there are 8 other places called Manhattan in the US

Coolnabacky1873

The U.S. Govt stopped giving land as a form of payment in return for military service about 1855, which was 6 years before the U.S. Civil War began. There were other types of land grants and acts of government after the civil war to populated the mid-west and western states and having civil war service was beneficial in terms of qualifying for such land grants.

As others have outlined, your ancestor did not received land in Lower Manhattan in return for civil war service. The U.S. government could only give land grants for land that it owned and their focus was the massive tracts of land they owned in the mid-west and western states, not privately owned land in eastern coast cities such as New York.

It is quite possible your ancestor served in the Civil War and returned to Ireland. See the excellent work of Damian Shiels as a great place to learn more. Denis Murphy is a very common name so you will need to locate him in the U.S. to see what state he resided in when the war started, or what state he resided in when he enlisted or was drafted. Try the 1860 U.S. federal census and the 1870 enumeration, in case he was still there afterwards.

Other than that, you can consult the Civil War Soliders and Sailors database; there will likely be many hits for that name.

Subscription genealogy sites have been mentioned and one of those has civil war databases [Mod, a good faith effort to help OP, not promoting ]. In particluar, consult the database U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. He'll definitely be in that if he was getting a pension for civil war service.

pinkypinky

Thanks everyone. OP: plenty of scope for you to get researching here but suspect the story has become twisted over time.

please helpThank YOU

pinkypinky wrote: »

Thanks everyone. OP: plenty of scope for you to get researching here but suspect the story has become twisted over time.

Yes I would say you could be right in what you saying. So I
Called A Relative of my Father who is now over 80 years old and he told a bit more he said he saw this civil war letter as well and he confirmed that his Grandmother who was Denis Murphy daughter Ellen Murphy told him that there was 2 other brother of Denis Murphy who also Fought in the American Civil War but they never returned to Ireland his Grandmother Ellen Murphy did not know if they where Killed in Action but he believes the came from Castleconnell co Limerick and I asked about the free land he was given. and he Confirmed to me also that he was told about land but he but was not sure what part of America this land was in. and his brother over 40 years ago tryed to find more about This Story . SO THIS STORY GOT BIGGER TWO MORE BROTHERS WHO MAY HAVE BEING KILLED IN ACTION

hammy007

Military records and pension documents can be ordered through the National Archives and Records Administration at eservices.archives.gov. Unfortunately, you would need to find more information before ordering records, such as his branch, unit, etc in order for them to find his record. As others suggested, Ancestry might be the best place to start to try to locate that information. Fold3 also has some pension documents, but I don't think it's complete. NY State Archives may also have some documents, and could possibly help direct you in your search.

please helpThank YOU

hammy007 wrote: »

Military records and pension documents can be ordered through the National Archives and Records Administration at eservices.archives.gov. Unfortunately, you would need to find more information before ordering records, such as his branch, unit, etc in order for them to find his record. As others suggested, Ancestry might be the best place to start to try to locate that information. Fold3 also has some pension documents, but I don't think it's complete. NY State Archives may also have some documents, and could possibly help direct you in your search.

Thank You hammy007 I will try the Military and pension documents archives.:)

pinkypinky

Guys, this thread has reached its natural conclusion.

I'm going to close it but if the OP finds something significant to substantiate the original story, feel free to pm and we can chat about reopening it.