The 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter by Confederate troops in South Carolina on April 12, 1861 -- the beginning of the Civil War -- will be marked by a number of events, lectures and seminars.
The most important local event for genealogists will be the Civil War Symposium held April 16 at the National Archives at Atlanta.
The program, "Civil War: America's Long Struggle," will include Shane Bell and Trevor Plante, experts on National Archives holdings on the Civil War in both Washington and Atlanta, who will speak on research sources in each location.
Also participating will be Daniel Stowell from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library; Eric Leonard of the Andersonville National Historic Site; and Kenneth Noe, author of "Reluctant Rebels."
The program will run 9 a.m.-1 p.m. After book signings and lunch, there will be a 2 p.m. program, "Civil War Treasures in Your Nation's Attic," which Georgia Public Broadcasting will film. It will be similar to "Antiques Roadshow," featuring Civil War antiquities. Details will be posted on Facebook at
Registration is $20 per person, payable to the National Archives Trust Fund by April 11. Seating is limited and near capacity. The National Archives is located at 5780 Jonesboro Road, Morrow. For more information, call 770-968-2100 or check www.archives.gov/southeast.
Mystery of the Appling Sword
David Carmicheal, director of the Georgia Archives, will speak at the archives' noon Lunch and Learn Seminar on April 14 about "The Mystery of Daniel Appling's Sword."
Appling was a War of 1812 hero for whom the Georgia Legislature authorized the creation of a ceremonial sword, a rare event in those days. Carmicheal will cover the sword's long journey until it resurfaced, and the campaign to bring it back to Georgia.
The event is free; bring your own lunch. For further information, call 678-364-3700 or check www.georgiaarchives.org. The Georgia Archives is open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays for research.
Alabama Civil War database
The Alabama Department of Archives and History has on its website a Civil War Service Database that provides information on soldiers who enlisted in Alabama or later drew a pension from that state. The service and pension information is listed in one alphabetical listing that is easily searched. Check www.archives.state.al.us and then "Search Our Collections" to reach this database, as well as many others.
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