My great-grandfather was in the Civil War, and it's 2002.

Really…my dad’s grandfather fought with the Ohio Regiment in the Civil War, and my dad is still walking the earth today. Well, OK, he’s walking with some difficulty, but the point is that he’s still here.

This doesn’t mean anything, other than that we have some LONG generations in my family…either they waited a very long time to have children, or they were the last in a long line of siblings, meaning that their parents were quite mature when they were born.

So my question is, does anyone else out there have this situation in their family, where they can go back only three generations and be in the middle of the 19th century?

Ok, that’s cool and all but you can’t really brag unless you are one of the 12 people still drawing benefits from the VA as a surviving child of a Civil War veteran :eek: Hard to believe isn’t it.

What’s amazing is the surviving spouse!!!

One of my great-grandfathers was born in 1865 and died in 1964 (so frustrating, only making it to 99!). I met him once or twice—he could conceivably have met someone who knew Geo. Washington! Not bloody likely, since great-granddad lived most of his life in Transylvania, but still . . .

I also had a good friend who lived from 1893–1993 (also died JUST short of her 100th b’day!). When she was in her 20s, she met and interviewed people who were in Ford’s Theater the night Lincoln was shot.

The surviving spouse is Mrs. Alberta Martin who married William Jasper Martin, a confederate veteran on December 10, 1927, when he was 82 and she had just turned 21. The marriage lasted until his death 4 1/2 years later.

Zev Steinhardt

It’s 2002, I’m 36, and my grandfather fought in WWI (world war ONE), but he’s not alive anymore. Still, pretty cool.

We have an oh-so-close link like javaman’s. My mom’s older brothers (my mom’s memory is bad) remember their great-grandmother whose great-grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War. But he died before she was born, else my uncles could have heard stories about the War just one step removed.

PS He was a Hessian but he deserted.

The closest Civil War link was my great-great-grandpa, who was captured when Vicksburg fell and died shortly thereafter, before my great-grandpa was born. G-G-P was in trail drives from Texas to Kansas though, amazing stories. People, go out there and preserve those old family stories. Right now!

I was born in 1965, and all my grandparents were born in the 1800’s. The oldest, my maternal grandfather, was born in 1881.

I know I have ancestors that fought in the Civil War - I believe my maternal grandfather’s father did.

So, in answer to your question, yeah.

On the other hand, all my grandparents died before I was born. Can’t have it both ways.

My great-grandfather was born in Ireland about 1849 and emigrated to the U.S. about 1870.

My Civil war ancestors were either my great-great or great-great-great-grandfathers. However, my great-aunt is still alive and her grandfather was in the Civil War, though he died 46 years before she was born. (Second Bull Run, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor; captured at Petersburg and starved to death in Andersonville.)

Hmm, all my Civil War vets (on the South’s side) are 3rd greats. But when I was born my grandmother still had a grandmother. She was 102 years old.

That is probably one of the best and funniest websites that I have ever seen. I cannot believe that a spouse of a Civil War Verteran set that up on her own. Makes you think about the pace of technological progress doesn’t it?

If you marry her you can tell people your wife’s first husband was a Civil War vet. Anybody?

My Dad was born in 1907 - Died in 1985
My Mom was born in 1918 - Died in 2001
They married in 1955
I was born in 1963

These people didn’t like to get in a big hurry.:smiley:

Well, my Grandfather’s Uncle was a Two Star General in the Civil War, but on the Union side! :eek:

Others of the same generation fought for the South. If not brother against brother as has often been said about that war, we have some certain cousin vs. cousin situations that existed. (Confused in Kentucky, ya’ know…)

My Civil War ancestors were not great-grandparents but great-great, both the grandfathers of my maternal grandmother. Grandma is still alive, born in 1904, so I can talk to someone who has living memory of a Civil War veteran. One of her grandfathers was in the notorious Andersonville prison. He told my grandmother that ever since his incarceration there he had stomach troubles, off and on, for the rest of his life, due to beatings and the problems of filth and disease in the camp.

My father once told me that his grandmother told him that she could remember as a little girl watching soldiers coming home from the Civil War.

My paternal grandfather was born in 1860 and his father was in an Illinois volunteer regiment.

One of my cousin’s daughters was into geneology and discovered that my great-grandfater was AWOL for a period of about two months. She discovered this when she came across an application of his for a pension (he had lost part of one arm in a grain elevator accident) based on his Civil War service. And the strange thing is he got a small pension in spite of the AWOL.

Apparently AWOL wasn’t all that uncommon. Most of the soldiers were farmers and when time came to plant, or harvest many of them took off and went home. As long as they came back there wasn’t a lot said, I guess.

Uh, ??? Did you miss this note on the page:

Also a parent of a WWI vet!

Haj

I’m 26 and my mother’s grandfather was born in 1858. She was the last child of my grandfather, who was the last child of his father.

That sort of sounds biblical.

Anyway, since her older sisters were already over 20 when she was born, she has nephews and nieces older than her. I guess that’s a sign of long generations.