As the Civil War spread through Georgia 150 years ago this summer, the need for hospitals grew. A new book, “The Confederate Hospitals of Madison, Georgia, Their Records & Histories, 1861-1865,” has been written by Bonnie P. “Patsy” Harris.
There were actually four hospitals, and some of the records Harris transcribed were located in Texas.
To understand the composition of the book, all introductory materials are a must, as are descriptions of the sources. This is not a glossary or dictionary of names, but an abstract of documents, lots of background details, footnotes and numerous lists of soldiers as they appear in the originals. Harris includes information about Confederate graves in Madison, as well as a lot of medical statistics.
To find your ancestor, you have to use the 70-page full-name index.
This is a very scholarly work that will be important to historians as much as to genealogists. The author has ferreted out records and details that one would not imagine survived the war.
It is impossible to know how many soldiers are included, but this great sourcebook should be in any library of Southern history because of its incredibly detailed record of this vital chapter of the Civil War.
Published with a grant from the R.J. Taylor Jr. Foundation, the book is available for $45 plus $5 postage and sales tax from Patsy Harris, 1801 Sugar Creek Trail, Buckhead, GA 30625. Her email is patsydudney@yahoo.com.
Celebrating in Augusta
The Augusta Genealogical Society will celebrate its 35th anniversary by holding its annual homecoming genealogy seminar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 23 at the First Baptist Church of Augusta.
Speakers will be Robert Scott Davis and Michele Lewis and the topics covered include: following a 19th century paper trail, especially federal records; solving brick walls; using research libraries in the Southeast; getting the most out of familysearch.org; and using Legacy software.
Cost is $40 for members, $45 for nonmembers. Send to Augusta Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3743, Augusta, GA 30914. Deadline is an Aug. 15 postmark. For more information, go to augustagensociety.org or call 706-722-4073.
Missing any money?
Check missingmoney.com to see if you have lost funds being held by the government. Check the Georgia link.
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