# My great-grandfather was in the Civil War, and it's 2002. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 26, 2002, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223 "2002-03-26T19:46:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/21 "2002-03-27T07:27:18Z")
I’m only 29, and my great-grandmother rode into Indian Territory on a covered wagon in the late 1890s. She was just a baby. Supposedly they encountered some Indians who offered to trade a blanket for her, but I have a feeling that this story was either made up or the Indians were playing a joke on them. ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/22 "2002-03-27T08:52:57Z")
As far as I know, my great-grandparents on my dad’s side were at least born in the 1850s. I think my grandmother was born in 1875, but I’m not sure, as all my grandparents died before my birth. So, in terms of having been born, my great-grandparents were around in the Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/23 "2002-03-27T09:09:07Z")
Thought more about this and here’s another line great grandpa Michael Korzeniewski born c. 1862 in Poland. His son born 1902 in Baltimore, he was 40. His daughter was born 1955, he was 53 I was born 1974, she was 19. Which gives a good 37 1/3 years per generation. ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/24 "2002-03-27T12:24:37Z")
Lessee, my dad was born in 1926. He’s still spry and active at 75. And he was the youngest child. He has a brother born in 1915. So my grandparents were adults during the Great War. Which means they were born in the late 1800s sometime. Thus, their parents could conceivable have been around during the Civil War. Maybe not old enough to enlist, but someone from my great-parents generation was from that era. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/25 "2002-03-27T13:35:36Z")
My mother’s grandfather was a Civil War veteran. He was a native of Tennessee who immigrated to Texas at the end of the war. He was deafened by cannon fire, but I no longer remember in what battle. My mother told me that he carried a speaking horn and that it was necessary to shout into it to make him hear. I find it particularly interesting that his discharge papers (my father still has them) from the Confederate Army were signed by a Colonel whose last name is the same as mine. ---
**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/26 "2002-03-27T14:02:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shagnasty \* > \*\* > > 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? \*\* I think I may have found my new sig: “It’s better to be an old man’s darlin’ than a young man’s slave!” That is, until he died and she married his grandson. Whew! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/27 "2002-03-27T14:54:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by waterj2 \* > \*\* > Uh, ??? Did you miss this note on the page: > \*\* What is that wooshing sound waterj? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/28 "2002-03-27T15:06:52Z")
Thank you, all, for making me feel young as my great-grandfather (the one I knew) wasn’t born until '63. ---
**Author:** ![Payne\_N.Diaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Payne\_N.Diaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payne_N.Diaz)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/29 "2002-03-27T15:22:53Z")
My mother’s grandfather was born in 1842, but didn’t fight in the Civil War as far as anyone knows–there is a big gap in his life story about that time. He died in the 1880s, but my great-grandma lived until 1953. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/30 "2002-03-27T15:28:53Z")
All the Civil War vets in my family (Union soldiers to a man) were at least great-great-great grandparents. Dad’s side had a father-son team from Massachusetts (both direct ancestors) and Mom’s side a father-son team from Connecticut, but the son there was my great-great-great-great-uncle. Kinda cool to see other descendants of Andersonville prisoners on the board - Uncle William Rogers of the 16th CT, Co. H managed to survive Andersonville (he was one of the “Plymouth Pilgrims”) but died in Florence, SC after being transferred there. Only big battle I know for a fact he was in was Antietam, where he was involved in the Burnside’s Bridge maneuver. Two of my great-grandfathers, however, were born in the 1860s - one in 1864 in Sweden (my grandfather was born in 1912) and the other in 1866 in Massachusetts (my grandfather on that side was born in 1906). So I have the same number of generations between me and the 1860s as Javaman, just not reaching as far back. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/31 "2002-03-27T15:57:32Z")
Ok, my line Me - 1976 Dad - 1953 Grandfather - 1918 Great Grandfather - 1883 Great Great Grandfather - 1808 Three generations in the 20th century, two in the 19th. For contrast, my mother’s line dating back to a similar time Me - 1976 Mum - 1953 Nan - 1931 Great Grandmother - 1910 Great Great Grandfather - 1882 Great Great Great Grandfather - 1858 Great Great Great Great Grandmother - 1833 Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather - 1805 Four generations in each century. I had to swap between grandmothers and grandfathers on Mums line or I ran out of ancestors with known birthdates! ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/32 "2002-03-27T16:01:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dropzone \* > \*\*Thank you, all, for making me feel young as my great-grandfather (the one I knew) wasn’t born until '63. \*\* Uhhhh… Your Grand Grandfather is 39 years old? Or 139 years old? Please explain! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/33 "2002-03-27T16:32:23Z")
Sorry, Cazzle, it’s a problem with people who pay way too much attention to history—we speak of the past as if it were recent and expect others to pick up which century we’re talking about from context. As it is pretty far-fetched, though not impossible (Miz Alberta probably had great grandchildren as soon as she married), to assume that my great-grandfather is 39, using the context of a discussion of GGFs in the US Civil War (The Congregationalist Jihad) it is a leap in the wrong direction. I regret my lack of clarity and will happily knock you upside the head for your confusion. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jmpride62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@jmpride62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmpride62)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/34 "2002-03-27T16:38:39Z")
Sort of the blows a major hole in the argument of some people that slavery, the civil war, reconstruction, Jim Crow, were all ancient history and that folks should just get over it, doesn’t it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/35 "2002-03-27T16:59:53Z")
Me-1961 Mom-1943 Grandmother-1910 Great-grandmother-1886 Great-great grandmother-1859 Great-great-great grandmother-1830 She married a Presbyterian minister who fought for the Confederacy in the 5th Tennesse infantry and was injured at the Battle of Chicamauga; and yes, they owned slaves. I have no info on my dad’s side,but since they got kicked across the Mississippi by Andrew Jackson in the 1830s, I doubt they saw much Civil War action. Something I also find interesting is the possiblity that many of us might be related. After all, as you go further back in time the number of saperate family lines shrink, so go back a thousand years, and some of our ancestral lines must stem from the same individual or family. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/36 "2002-03-27T17:04:39Z")
My wife’s great-grandfather was in the civil war. He was from around Abbeville, Alabama, which is very close to both Opp and Elba, Alabama and just north of Dothan. The story about Mrs. Alberta sure brought back memories of the times I’ve spent in that neck of the woods. Everyone goes to Panama City for their vacations and a trip to the big city means you went to Montgomery or all the way to Birmingham. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/37 "2002-03-27T18:54:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bluethree \* > \*\*It’s 2002, I’m 36, and my grandfather fought in WWI (world war ONE), but he’s not alive anymore. Still, pretty cool. \*\* So did my grandfather, who’s also gone. As a medical officer, though, he was years older than your typical doughboy. He’d be 112 if he were alive now, but he died before I was born. FTR I’m 44. ---
**Author:** ![BGo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@BGo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BGo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/38 "2002-03-27T19:54:02Z")
me: 1953 mom & dad: 1919 for both grandfather: 1878 grandmother: 1890 great-grandfather:1834 great-grandmother:1836 (I think) ---
**Author:** ![Deadly\_Nightlight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Deadly\_Nightlight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deadly_Nightlight)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/39 "2002-03-28T07:29:47Z")
me-1980 mom-1940 Gran-1904 Frank(grandpa insisted we call him this) 1878 G.Gran-1870?somewhere in there, can’t remember xactly To listen to Gran is amazing somedays- she still uses herbal remedies as opposed to the doctor, grows most of her own food and cans it(remembers being hungry on a reservation) Frank was great-he died when I was still a mini kid- but I remember alot of his stories. Mom is cool too 😃 I am the coolest 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223/40 "2002-03-28T07:46:57Z")
Hm… Me: 1983 Parents: 1952/1947 Grandparents: 1921-1928 Great grandparents: 1863-1895 I _do_ think it’s kinda cool that my grandma’s daddy was alive during the civil war (albeit in Canada). Then I think about the fact that he was 65 when she was born. And that my great-grandma was…significantly younger than that, and forced into the marriage by the convent she grew up in. It kind of disturbs me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-great-grandfather-was-in-the-civil-war-and-its-2002/100223.md?page=3)