As the United States reflects on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and our history as a nation, join genealogy expert Bill Eddleman for the 19th episode of the Basic Genealogy series produced the State Historical Society of Missouri. Eddleman examines the roles our ancestors might have played in the beginning period of the United States. Material available at SHSMO and other archives can help citizens document their ancestors’ revolutionary service to gain entry to lineage societies such as the Daughters of the American Revolution or the Sons of the American Revolution. This presentation will focus on documenting an ancestor’s military service or patriotic service to the cause of independence. The session will include information on finding service records, bounty land (state and federal), pension files, published sources, civil records, selected state-level records, and some “beyond the basics” research.
Click and download: Documenting Your Revolutionary War Ancestor handout that accompanies this webinar.
About the Presenter
Bill Eddleman has been with the State Historical Society of Missouri since 2017 overseeing the Cape Girardeau Research Center. He served as a professor at Southeast Missouri State University for 22 years and also served as provost before his retirement in 2016. Long interested in local and regional history, Bill was the president of the Cape County Genealogical Society for 14 years and edited the society's quarterly publication for 20 years. He’s also served in leadership roles with the Missouri State Genealogical Association. He is the host of the popular Basic Genealogy online series available through the State Historical Society of Missouri and often presents on this topic to groups throughout the state. Bill writes a regular column on history in the Southeast Missourian and hosts a monthly history program on the public radio station in Cape Girardeau. As an eighth-generation Missourian, Bill has uncovered much of his own family's history with deep roots in the state.