Search for Nebraska women who had served in the Civil War:

This page is under construction and hopefully will be for some time, as more information is being sought. We started with a list from Sarah D. Gillespie Tent No. 7 of Lincoln which included Civil War nurses, and sifted through that information. For where to go next, it was recommended to look through the old annual WRC Journals (more on WRC is below). These journals have been a major source. Searching for further information has not been easy. Even obituaries, if found, did not always mention that the woman had served in the Civil War, and military records seemed to include only men. Tombstones often do not mention it.

Almost all were nurses. When the Civil War started, men were expected to be the doctors and the nurses. As time went on, women proved invaluable. They came in many different ways, most being volunteer. Mrs. Gosper was termed a 'regular'. Juliet Howe and Mrs. Gibson may have gone in through the Sanitary Commission. Mrs. Pratt was sent through the Christian Commission. Mrs. Horton went to nurse her wounded son, then stayed on nursing till the end of the war. Mrs. Gillespie 'enlisted with her husband in the Co. as an Army Nurse'; in fact, it is rather surprising that out of our small number of names the percentage who evidently went with their husbands as a nurse, even some who had young children. Unfortunately, such details are not found on most names. Nevertheless, all came to be termed "Army Nurses" by the WRC.

Not all Civil War women were nurses. Mrs. Painter was was a doctor / surgeon and enlisted as such. Mrs. Shepherd was a spy or scout. An unnamed woman went in disguised as a soldier which in her case did not last long, though it was once estimated that about 400 women passed as men soldiers. Our Bellwood Tent #25 is named after Kady Brownell who was a "Daughter of the Regiment" (this seems to have been an understood term then, as there were other instances) and as such was likely to be an honorary flag bearer; in Kady's case, she picked up the flag in battle also.

Many of the women served in the Civil War from other states and came to Nebraska later. Those already living in Nebraska were usually from Brownville, Peru, Plattsmouth, Omaha, or Nebraska City, as these were the main areas of settlement at that time.

If you have any information to add to the list below, please contact Barbara Dunekacke.

Summary of Search Results

The list below is a brief summary of our efforts to date. It will be updated periodically. All were nurses except three. Click on the names for brief biographical notes. Our search is on-going, as this page has taken on a life of its own, and also to gather enough data for some of the WIMSA registrations.

WIMSA: Department Presidents' Projects

Two recent Department Presidents, M. Lillian Bedell, a World War II veteran, and Vivian Bonham had WIMSA as their Department President Project. Their goal was to raise funds to enter as many Civil War women as could be found in Nebraska into the "Women in Military Service for America" Memorial Register at Arlington. These pages stem from that project.

WIMSA: Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, Inc.

"The Women In Military Service for America Memorial is the nation's first major national memorial honoring all women who have defended America throughout history." This Memorial is located at the entrance of Arlington National Cemetery. It was dedicated Oct. 18, 1997. Features include the Memorial Register, exhibits, Hall of Honor, film and voice presentations, gift shop and more.

The Memorial Register is an interactive computer database of the names, records of service, photographs and memorable military experiences of individual servicewomen who are registered. These registrations can be viewed by Memorial visitors, but are not available on-line.

"History Comes To Life Through Personal Stories Of Servicewomen"

"The history of women serving in defense of our nation began more than
220 years ago with women who served in the American Revolution
and continues with those who serve today."

"What We Don't Record, We Lose!"

The quotes above are from the WIMSA webpages

WRC: Woman's Relief Corps

The Woman's Relief Corps in Nebraska organized with 13 Corps (local chapters) in 1884. This was not long after WRC was organized nationally. According to Dave Wells, membership was originally open to any woman who had served on the home front during the Civil War. Many were wives of the veterans. The Woman's Relief Corps became very large. It lasted in Nebraska until recent years.

It had been organized as the auxiliary to the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic, the oganization of Civil War veterans). This was before Social Security, pensions, or any help for disability. Besides having relief available, their great focuses were on support of the GAR, Memorial Day as a day to remember veterans, and patriotism.

The 1889 and 1890 National WRC Journals listed the known Civil War Army Nurses by State. These may have been the ones who were also members of WRC. Later the WRC seemed to reach out for others also. When pension bills passed for nurses, the WRC worked hard to get pensions for the needy ones.

National Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War

There was an organization of Civil War Army Nurses. This was different from the WRC, although as already mentioned some Army Nurses were also members of WRC. By 1889 the "Army Nurses' Association of the United States" was at the National GAR & WRC Convention. By 1898 at least, the name was the National Association of Army Nurses. Not all of the Army Nurses belonged, and in fact they had hard work trying to locate all those living in the state. This organization like the GAR naturally died out. We have not located any records for the nurses association yet.

In 1889 the national WRC authorized sending souvenir Certificates to the army nurses, or to an heir if deceased, to all those on their authenticated list. Then in 1904 and 1905 the national GAR authorized a special Badge, an oval bronze pin, for the living nurses who were authenticated. If anyone or any museum has one of these Certificates or Badges and can scan a copy, an email copy of it would be appreciated.

The best numerical record seen was in the 1912 National WRC Journal. By that time the count should have been quite accurate. Though a large percentage had already passed away, it gives a relationship of numbers. It reported that "413 of these noble women who were in the service of the United States during the Civil War, still survive. Of this number 64 do not receive any pensions, and only 165 belong to the Army Nurses' Association." In 1930 the nurses association President reported that only 11 were left on their Roster, ages 83 - 100, most in the 90s.

The Sanitary Commission

The Sanitary Commission was a major source for aid: nurses, medical supplies, sanitary inspections, food, warm clothing. There came to be over 7,000 soldiers' aid societies in towns and cities, and organization was needed 'to create order out of chaos.' Donations of food, etc. came from appeals, and funds were raised by large events which came to be termed Sanitary Fairs. This short description includes four of the principal women involved in it. Clara Barton, by the way, did not work within this framework.

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman to earn a medical degree, helped organize the many volunteer groups in New York city into the Women's Central Association for Relief. It was formed April 1861.

June 1861 the government authorized the U. S. Sanitary Commission, and Dorothea Dix was appointed Superintendent of Women Nurses for the Union Army. She was in charge of selecting and assigning women nurses. One of the things she is remembered for was wanting the women to be over 30 and plain looking. Some received brief training from Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. The central office was in Washington DC, with major branches in over ten cities such as Boston, Cincinnati, and New York.

The second large hub was in Chicago. It was first called the Chicago Sanitary Commission and later renamed the Northwestern Sanitary Commission. Mary Livermore, an associate editor for a religious publication, was largely responsible for it being established. Later, in 1880, she would write My Story of the War.

The third large hub was in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the Western Sanitary Commission and more or less independent of the central office in Washington DC. Mary Ann Bickerdyke, a 44 year old widow who started by being selected to deliver a load of supplies to a military hospital, became one of the most colorful and resourceful of champions of the welfare of the common soldier. As field agent of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, she was with Grant's army en route to Vicksburg, and Sherman's army through the Atlanta campaign. A statue to her erected by the State of Illinois at Galesburg, Illinois, carries Gen. Sherman's quote: "She out ranks me."

Overview on sources for the brief biographies

It should be noted that because of time limitations not all sources have been completely searched, such as not all censuses for all names. Some phrases or sentences in the biographies are direct quotes from the old references. Anyone interested in doing research on a specific name should go to the sources. Please be aware that when more than one source was found, a discrepancy in dates or spelling was almost sure to be found. Thus no spelling or date is absolutely certain. The following are some special general notes and credits:

· Sarah D. Gillespie Tent No. 7 for their Lincoln records, provided by Barbara Dunekacke

· Wyuka Cemetery, Lincoln, for their cooperation in helping sort out the initial names.

· Dave Wells, for pointing the way, and lending his collection of WRC Department Journals.

· A Short History of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865 and the Nebraska Department of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865, issued by the Nebraska Department BiCentennial Committee, Cleo Schmidt, Potter, Ne, Clara Barton Tent No. 29, and Hattie Heible, Columbus, Ne., Hettie K. Painter Tent No. 27. A date on one of the pages indicates it was issued in 1978. Information sources were not given; we have found some of them, others would have been word-of-mouth, and we may never find some of them.

· Omaha Public Library, Genealogy Room and History Department, with many resources.

· Nebraska State Historical Society Library and Archives, Lincoln, with many resources, some unavailable elsewhere.

· NEGenWeb, the Nebraska GenWeb Project, hosted by RootsWeb, on the internet. From this page are Counties, Military is through the Resources button, and much more. This is a good place to start looking, thanks to all those who have collected, collated, transcribed, and otherwise contributed to it. Thanks especially to Ted and Carole Miller.

· Andreas, A. T., History of the State of Nebraska; containing a full account of its growth ... of its early settlements ... its counties, cities, towns and villages, their advantages, industries, manufactures and commerce; biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers; views of residences and business blocks, cities and towns, 1882, published by the Western Historical Company, Chicago. This is not the only history and biography book available of course, but it is a vast, early work consisting of 2 volumes, 1,506 pages plus a 423 page index. Pages 230 through 301 cover Nebraskans in the Civil War, with rosters beginning on page 256, and more is covered in a few of the county chapters. Most large libraries in Nebraska will have this work, and it can also be accessed through a link at NEGenWeb.

· Local sources, including helpful persons who have looked up data which turned out not to apply to the Civil War woman in question, and are therefore unnamed, but invaluable nontheless.

If you have knowledge to share on any woman in Nebraska who

had served in the Civil War, please contact Barbara Dunekacke

Related Links: WIMSA Homepage | WIMSA Registry information

Women's Relief Corps | GAR | CJ's Sanitary Commission

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