"Jine the cavalry!
Jine the cavalry!"

How to Join SCV

Sons of Confederate Veterans was created in 1896 by Confederate veterans concerned that as they aged and passed on, there should be someone to carry on the memory of Confederate soldiers and sailors. To better understand the benevolent, fraternal and heritage mission of SCV, please read the charge of Lt. Gen. Stephen Dill Lee, given to SCV at the New Orleans reunion of United Confederate Veterans in 1906.

Membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces. Membership can be obtained through either direct or collateral family lines, and kinship to a veteran must be documented genealogically. You will need you ancestor's name, unit, state of service, and information as to his honorable service: discharged, captured, wounded, killed. The minimum age for membership is 12.

Proving Ancestry
Many members use family histories, Bibles and oral traditions as a starting point in their search for ancestor information. Proof of kinship to a Confederate soldier or sailor can take many forms. The easiest method is to contact the archives of the state from which the soldier fought and obtain a copy of the veteran's military service record. All Southern state archives have microfilm records of the soldiers who fought from that state, and a copy of the information can be obtained for a nominal fee. In addition, the former Confederate states awarded pensions to veterans and their widows. All of these records contain a wealth of information that can be used to document military service.

Genealogical research help is also available. Our web site offers contact pointers to a number of resources that will help you establish proof of Confederate descent. The national SCV web site provides additional resources.

Joining the Virginia Division
Application for membership is best accomplished through a local SCV "camp" in your area. The Virginia Division consists of over 70 camps located throughout the Old Dominion. TheVirginia Division Camps page lists points of contact, web site URLs, meeting location and time, etc. To request a membership application package and further information about the camp nearest you, please contact the Virginia Division Recruiting Coordinator, see below. Genealogical help for Virginians is also available.

 

Virginia Division Recruiting Coordinator		Virginia Division Genealogist
Brandon Dorsey 95 Boundary Line Lane Lexington, Virginia 24450 540-462-3969 sbcamp1296@adelphia.net		Dexter Oliver 2240 Cardiff Way Richmond, VA 23236 804-745-9441 VABN22@aol.com

If you do not live in Virginia, please contact SCV Headquarters at 1-800-MY SOUTH for assistance.

Benefits of membership include participation in local, state, and national events, a membership certificate, and a subscription to Confederate Veteran magazine, published 6 times a year. Join us in honoring the memory of the Confederate soldier and sailor. Good luck, and we look forward to your compatriotship!

 

 

Genealogy Resources

Contact the following if you have an ancestor's name and regiment:

Sons of Confederate Veterans Genealogy Network
http://www.scv.org/membership/genealogy.asp

Genealogy Resources on the Internet -- Virginia
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/virginia.html
There's a HUGE list of resources available at this link

Library of Virginia: http://www.lva.lib.va.us/dlp/

Library of Virginia Confederate Resources

 

 

VA Historical Society - http://www.vahistorical.org/

United Daughters of the Confederacy - http://www.hqudc.org/
Memorial Building/Libraries - H.W. Brewer Library - Research available

Museum of the Confederacy - http://www.moc.org/

Index of Regimental Histories - http://www.tarleton.edu/~kjones/CSva-wv.html#VA-Gen'l
Artillery, cavalry, infantry and other Virginia units

Free Headstone for Confederate Soldiers - http://www.cem.va.gov/hm.htm

If you want to hire a researcher, write to the following address for a list of qualified individuals:

Board for Certification of Genealogists
1307 New Hampshire Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036

 

 

State and National Archives

National Archives General Reference Branch (NNRG-P)
National Archives & Records Admin.
7th & Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408

Alabama Dept. of Archives & History
624 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36130

Arkansas History Commission
One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201

Florida State Archives
R.A. Gray Bldg, 500 South Bronough St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250

Georgia Dept. of Archives & History
330 Capitol Ave., S.E.
Atlanta, GA 30334

Kentucky Dept. for Library & Archives
P.O. Box 537
Frankfort, KY 40602-0537

Louisiana State Archives
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804

Maryland State Archives
350 Rowe Blvd.
Annapolis, MD 21401

Mississippi Dept of Archives & History
P.O. Box 571
Jackson, Miss. 39205

Missouri State Archives
P.O. Box 778
Jefferson City, MO 65102

North Carolina State Archives
109 East Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27611

Oklahoma Dept of Libraries
Office of Archives & Records
200 Northeast 18th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

South Carolina Dept of Archives & History
8301 Park Lane Road
Columbia, SC 29223

Tennessee State Library & Archives
403 7th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243-0312

Texas State Library
Archives Division
P.O. Box 12927
Austin, TX 78711

Library of Virginia
Archives Research Services
800 East Broad Street
Richmond Virginia 23219-8000

 

Tracing your Confederate Ancestors

Remember, Confederate ancestry can be found on both paternal & maternal sides of your family, so trace as much as possible!

1. Begin by investing in some form of genealogy tools to record your family tree.

There are several books available such as:
Tracing Your Ancestry Logbook by E. Wilbur Helmbold
Unpuzzling Your Past: The Best-Selling Basic Guide to Genealogy and
The Unpuzzling Your Past Workbook both by Emily Croom

There are also a variety of computer programs available such as Ultimate Family Tree or Family Tree Maker www.familytreemaker.com

You can also hire a private genealogist to work on your family tree for you. If you want to hire a researcher, write to the following address for a list of qualified individuals:

Board for Certification of Genealogists, 1307 New Hampshire Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.

2. Gather your family information such as family bibles, deeds, wills, marriage certificates, birth certificates, death certificates, christening records, etc. Talk with members of your family. Take pictures of headstones. Record as much information as possible with as much detail as possible.

3. If you hit dead-ends, don't give up! If you have a surname(s), try posting a message at www.genforum.com or www.ancestry.com or www.rootsweb.com under the list of surnames for more help. You may try signing up for the mailing list(s) for that particular surname or area as well.

4. If you have family that seemed to have stayed in one particular area, try the library/archives for that County/State. In Virginia, you can find a list of public libraries at this link: http://www.publiclibraries.com/virginia.htm or you can contact that particular county for more information.

The Virginia State Library has excellent resources available both via the internet and at their location. Their website can be viewed at this link: http://www.lva.lib.va.us/.

The Library of Virginia is located at 800 East Broad Street in Richmond, VA. Phone Number-(804) 692-3500. The public reading rooms are available from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday-Saturday.

5. Once you have found a Confederate ancestor(s) and have an idea of the unit/regiment in which they served, you will want copies of muster rolls, pension records, etc. If they served in Virginia, you will be able to find most of this information at the Virginia State Library.

Other resources to try are the United Daughters of the Confederacy libraries (www.hqudc.org), the VA Historical Society (www.vahistorical.org) or even the Museum of the Confederacy (www.moc.org). Many researchers do charge fees for their time/service. You may want to try to do this on your own or pay for someone else to do the research if you stumble upon a "brick wall" within your own family tree.

6. If your Confederate ancestor(s) served in Virginia and you know the regiment in which they served, you may also want to look at or even purchase the appropriate Regimental Series for that particular regiment.

The H.E. Howard Co. has commissioned the "Virginia Regimental Histories Series". To see if that regiment is available, please contact H.E. Howard Co. directly at:

H.E. Howard Co.
Rt. 2, Box 496-H
Appomattox, VA 24522

7. Once you have documented your family tree and have found your connection to your Confederate ancestor, remember to share! Share with other family members! Take a copy to that area's library and ask that it be filed for other researchers and/or contact those resources above and ask if they would be interested in copies as well. This preserves your hard work for future generations!

8. Most important tip: NEVER GIVE UP & HAVE FUN!!