The Drum Beat of History
Butler County residents interested in researching the Civil War are fortunate to have two well equipped resources: the Butler County Library and the Butler County Historical Society.
The historical society has a collection of histories in print and online as well as photographs, newspapers and memorabilia.
“We have an extensive collection. Most of them have to do with the regiments that came out of Butler County, and of course, out of Pennsylvania,” said Pat Collins, administrative director.
Resources also include letters and journals like one from William Lowry, which details daily life during the war.
“Cold and cloudy all day. Regiment out working on railroad,” Collins read from the journal, which looked to be dated Feb. 20, 1862.
“So he goes in every day with what the weather was and what they did,” she said of the small details preserved as part of the larger history.
The historical society's treasures also include a recently discovered muster out roll for Company H of the 78th Pennsylvania Infantry, made up almost entirely of Butler County soldiers.
“It tells every man's name from Butler in this list. It tells if they went home, if they had been wounded, if they died, if they had deserted. It's all been categorized out,” Collins said.
The historical society and the library both have cemetery inventories and burial records for the county. Researchers can visit the library for a binder of burial records.
They can choose a specific cemetery and see a list of soldiers buried there and what regiment they served with, or begin with a master list of soldiers and find where they are buried.
The library's resources also include photocopies of newspaper articles published in the early 20th century that highlight many county residents who served in the war.
“This is a little fascinating series that was published in 1915. These are veterans from Butler County and the unit in which they served and the Butler Citizen published a little biographical sketch/memoir for each of these fellows,” said Luanne Eisler, the library's genealogist.
The library also possesses a microfilm copy of the 1890 military census. The regular census, which is still conducted every 10 years, is not available for 1890.“It is absolutely fascinating. This census was designed to capture information about Civil War veterans and/or their widows, even if the widow had remarried,” Eisler said.Information also can be gained by reading handwritten comments of those filling out the census. Sometimes, the notations indicate whether the soldier was wounded or how he died. In one such case, a widow noted “My husband died of Lues” — a term for venereal disease.Also available through the library is a pensioner's list for the county. The list features names of soldiers or their widows, any injuries sustained, and the monetary compensation they received. Widows typically received $8, whereas an amputated leg could net a soldier $24.Both Collins and Eisler have a selection of books and online resources they recommend.One is a five-volume compilation, available online and in print, called “History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers 1861-1865,” written in the 1800s for the government by Samuel P. Bates.“It gives you the entire history of (each) regiment: who was in charge, everything they did. It goes into great depth. Bates did this for the entire state,” Collins said.Collins and Eisler also both suggest “Butler County in the Civil War,” by local author and Knoch High School teacher Brad Pflugh. A historical society board member, Pflugh finished the book in 2003 as a thesis project for his master's degree in history. Proceeds from its sale benefit the society.Collins is the county coordinator for the Butler County page at The U.S. GenWeb Project at www.rootsweb.com/~pabutler. The site offers a histories link that takes browsers to a selection of Butler County histories, two of which are provided in their entirety.Eisler recommended Ancestry.com and noted the popular genealogical site does require a subscription but occasionally offers a free trial.The ladies also recommended the National Archives and the Pennsylvania Archives.“Butler County is very fortunate in that we have a lot of very good historical and genealogical resources. Some places just have nothing, which is really a shame,” Eisler said.
