George Hills Starr
1st cousin 4x removed of husband
b. Jan 08, 1840
Rochester, New York
d. Jul 1916
Yonkers, New York
Free book sites have become some of my favorite genealogy resources. Checking databases in hopes of discovering a new ancestor, unearthing family history and trying to place events in context.
Last year I found an obituary for George Hills Starr, 1st cousin 4x removed of my husband. In the article we learn of George's involvement in an elaborate escape from Libby Prison during the Civil War.
Excerpt from obituary - New York Times, July 31, 1916
"Colonel Starr was sent to Libby Prison, from which he escaped, being one of the 105 men who got out through a tunnel. After being recaptured he was sent to Macon, Ga., where he again escaped. On being captured a third time, Colonel Starr was sent to "Old Camp Sorghum", in Columbia, S.C."
I decided to search Google Books for resources about the Libby Prison Escape.
Discovered The Photographic History of the Civil War...: Prisons and hospitals. by. Francis Trevelyn Miller - Editor-In-Chief. Roberts Sampson Lanier - Managing Editor. Published by The Review of Reviews Co., 1911. This volume gives further details about this historical event.
In the book we learn "about a hundred Union officers escaped from Libby Prison, chiefly by crawling through a tunnel bored under the street."
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes Of The Civil War. Published by The Century Co., 1911.
Here we are told "The Richmond papers having announced the "miraculous" escape of 109 Yankee officers from Libby, curious crowds flocked thither for several days, until some one, happening to remove the plank in the yard, revealed the tunnel."
Also, with Google search found escape diagram on the Civil War Richmond website.
Even though George is not mentioned, we gather important facts to complete his story. You might not discover your ancestor on the pages of a book, but you may uncover events that directly influenced their lives.
Even though George is not mentioned, we gather important facts to complete his story. You might not discover your ancestor on the pages of a book, but you may uncover events that directly influenced their lives.
I agree. I watched a webinar recently about digital libraries which reminded me to check Family Search's library and I found a great book about the place where my husband's ancestors came from before they moved to Australia. It gave me such an insight into what life was like in their town. Truly a rich resource.
ReplyDeleteAlex, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Great suggestion about FamilySearch library! I haven't really used that resource. Have to check. Again, thanks.
DeleteThis is a great approach to research. Most historical coverage doesn't mention individuals by name, but you were still able to find information that supported what you found in the obituary. And the diagram of the tunnel is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteJanice, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I really had fun with this post. Amazing how much information is out there surrounding our ancestors lives. As you said, most of the time our ancestor's name isn't listed, but we can still fill in the story.
DeleteI've enjoyed reading this - great research ideas
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. It was so fun to find this unknown piece of family history.
DeleteWow, great history. There were many Union soldiers who were miners in their civilian life, with knowledge of tunneling. I wonder if any of them were imprisoned with your ancestor and helped with his escape?
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting. Yes, loved finding this history. Might have to do more research to see about the miners you referenced!
DeleteGoogle and Internet Archive are two of my favorite resources for old books. I've found death places for several ancestors in the Civil War by researching battles that took place on or just before the days they died.
ReplyDeleteLinda, thanks for reading the post and leaving a comment. Yes, those are both wonderful resources to discover information surrounding our Civil War ancestors. Does give us a better understanding.
ReplyDeleteMy ancestor was in Andersonville. Terrible times.
ReplyDeleteI'm sharing your link in The Civil War group on Facebook.
enjoyed the info and the story. As always you are great.
ReplyDelete