Military – On Granny's Trail

Land and property, Military, Research tips

7 Key Pieces of Evidence from John Gooch’s Bounty Land Warrant File

Posted on January 17, 2017February 27, 2017 by Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail"

Back in April of 2016 I wrote about a new discovery I had made in my 30-year search for facts about John Gooch, my 3rd great-grandfather. After all these years, new information rarely surfaces, so I was excited to find him in a new online database for Bounty Land Warrant Applications on Fold.3. John Gooch’s life has been a study in correlation of indirect evidence, and the facts provided in this new record added substantially to the study.

john-gooch-war-of-1812 — John Gooch – War of 1812 Service Record Index (Fold3 database)

Years ago I had found evidence on an index card of a John Gooch who served in the War of 1812 in the North Carolina Militia, but was never quite certain it was my John Gooch, who died in Austin, Texas. I was pleased to see that direct evidence in the Bounty Land Warrant Application file was exactly what I needed to verify this connection. Continue reading “7 Key Pieces of Evidence from John Gooch’s Bounty Land Warrant File” →

Mexican War, Military, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

February 2, 1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Signed

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail"

Churubusco by James Walker 1848 Mexico — “Churubusco” by James Walker, 1848 Mexico

Yes, today is Groundhog Day, but did you know it is also the 158th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo? Of course you did! It is just more fun to have a Groundhog Day party. I understand.

Having had an ancestor who was wounded in the Mexican War (Thomas Gooch had his finger shot off in the battle of Buena Vista according to his pension record), I am particularly interested in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war and enlarged the western frontier of the United states. The Library of Congress website has an excellent guide to the treaty, which gave us the land which became Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. One little treaty is all that came between me and Mexican citizenship, as a matter of fact, having had ancestors who settled in 6 out of 8 of those states–some as early as 1847–the year before the treaty was signed.

Letters, Military, World War 1

“[They] gave thier Lives where we only gave our service. But we were all willing.”

Posted on November 13, 2015December 7, 2015 by Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail"

Pvt. A.L. Gooch on his motorcycle, WWI 89th Div., Military Police

[This is 14h in a series of letters written by Private A.L. Gooch to his family in Duncan Arizona, while a part of the American Occupation Forces in Germany after WWI.

This letter was written 23 Jan 1919, after the end of the war but before Pvt Gooch had returned home. This letter is the last in the series of letters from Pvt Gooch to his family during WWI – at least the last of those I have found. In this letter, Pvt Gooch (known as Nig) was recovering from the Spanish Flu, had returned to his company, and was looking forward to his return home at some point. Original letters are in possession of Dayna Gooch Jacobs, King City, California. Envelope missing. Continue reading ““[They] gave thier Lives where we only gave our service. But we were all willing.”” →

Forts, Indian Wars, Library of Congress, Maps, Military, National Archives

Hold the Fort! …or at least stick around and learn a little more about it

Posted on August 26, 2015September 4, 2015 by Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail"

Out West, early on, it was lawless and rugged and full of guys who wanted land, gold, and water rights, and sometimes did not get along with the Native Americans who came first. So Out West is also where forts and the United States Army Cavalry could be found. Maybe your ancestor lived near a fort, or maybe he lived in one as a soldier.

Walters Art Museum {{Commons:File:Alfred Jacob Miller – Fort Laramie – Walters 37194049.jpg}} at Wikimedia Commons

You will probably be surprised to know how many forts actually existed in the 19th century Out West. I don’t have an exact number, but I have some resources that will help you track them down, and also find the records created by the U.S. Army at those forts. Continue reading “Hold the Fort! …or at least stick around and learn a little more about it” →

Archives and Libraries, Civil War, Family History Library, Indian Wars, Mexican War, Military, National Archives, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Websites, World War 1, World War 2

Looking for military records? You are gonna like this!

Posted on July 30, 2015August 5, 2015 by Dayna Jacobs - "On Granny's Trail"

Want to find your ancestor in military records? Here is an efficient way to identify all military records on FamilySearch, and to narrow your search by collection. It is then easy to search within a single collection.

On the FamilySearch home screen click “Search” and then “Records” in the dropdown menu.