March 1, 2009
TRACING OUR
ROOTS
TENNESSEE’S QUESTIONNAIRES
Brenda Kellow
Genealogists love to process information—all kinds of
information! However, how many of us find letters or other documents with
personal data about a long departed ancestor in his or her own handwriting?
Certainly some never find anything like that. Recently Tennessee researchers
perked up after the mention of one valuable record in Tennessee that covers the
Civil War period, written by living solders that were alive in the early 1900s.
The process of collecting generational family history prompted the examination
of every extant record available from the states in which the targeted families
lived. The goal was to find the grandchildren of the original couple, in this
case John Burns. His life spanned the 17th and 18th
centuries and culminated in Tennessee. Since many of the family live there
today, the search began with the discovery of the military records for his
grandson, John Hardiman Bruce.
John H. Bruce filled out the questionnaire in his own
handwriting, probably using a pencil. The wording and expressions reflected his
educational background and southern roots. The questionnaire was extensive and
filled with extraordinary information not available anywhere else. On the first
page John listed the names of everyone he could remember who served and who
enlisted with him from Chapel Hill, in Marshall County, Tennessee.
On the second page was, his full name including his middle
name, the county in which he currently lived, and his age. From this, it is easy
to calculate his month and year of birth because of that stamped page with a
“date received” imprint. Other information gave his occupation; parents’ full
name, place of birth; their parents’ full name; the value and amount of real
estate and personal holdings at the beginning of the war and that of his
parents; and, and the name of the female slave owned by his parents. John wrote
that his parents lived in a four-room log cabin. He says he plowed much of the
time or worked with a hoe; cut grain with a scythe; mowed hay with a mowing
blade and picked up the hay with a wood fork
The following pages explain his parents’ occupations and
daily chores necessary for the welfare and livelihood of the family. John said
that honest toil in the fields was considered by the community to be
“respectable and honorable,” regardless of race or social standing. John
attended a free public school located one and one-half miles away. He discussed
his military enlistment information and listed all battles he fought. He also
described his heart rendering experiences while he was in a Union prison in
Louisville, Kentucky, including the terrible disease and medical treatment
available to prisoners of war.
The
extraordinary questionnaires were the brainchild of Tennessee State Archivist
Dr. Gus Dyer who developed the form. He contacted every living Confederate
Veteran in 1914. The questions are specific and relate to the soldier’s
experiences before, during, and after the war. From these one can learn valuable
personal and family information, class and race distinctions, as well as
education and occupations during the soldier’s life.
If you have Tennessee soldiers, check the Tennessee State
Library and Archives’ online index at
http://www.state.tn.us/tsla/ and begin a
search for “Tennessee questionnaires or write to the Tennessee State Library and
Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN
37243-0312. There is a charge and it does take a while to process your order.
If your aging
ancestors lived in Tennessee and fought in the Civil War or World War I, he
might have returned a questionnaire so important for collecting pertinent and
personal information on your family’s history.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history,
teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s
histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a
Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunions announcements, books to review,
and genealogy queries to: TraceRts@verizon.net.
