|
New Jersey State Archives
225 West State Street-Level 2
P.O. Box 307
Trenton, NJ 08625-0307
Contact Information
Email: Feedback@sos.state.nj.us |
| Record
Group: |
Department
of Defense |
| Subgroup: |
Adjutant General's Office (Civil War) |
| Series: |
United
States Colored Troops - Service Files, ca. 1862-1870s |
| Accession
#: |
1968.002 |
| Series
#: |
SDEA4015 |
| Guide
Date: |
5/1997
(JK); rev. 4/1999 (CSM) |
| Volume: |
2.5
c.f. [5 boxes] |
Institutional
History | Box List
Content
Note
This
series contains miscellaneous documents relating to individual soldiers
(both black and white) in the United States Colored Troops who were
credited to New Jersey. A few of the files relate to black soldiers
in other non-New Jersey units (e.g., the Massachusetts Colored Cavalry);
however, information on African-Americans who served in New Jersey
units (as cooks, for example), or black naval recruits who were
credited to the state, can be found with the records for those units.
The files in this series were created from papers contained in the
former Civil War binders #252-255. In all, about 600 soldiers are
documented in these files (as compared to over 2,900 who served
from New Jersey in the United States Colored Troops).
Below are descriptions of the key document types present. These
are followed by an alphabetical list of the files, including: the
name of the soldier, the unit of service, and the locality credited
or otherwise mentioned in the papers. Frequently, the town mentioned
was the location of the recruiting office for the congressional
district credited (e.g. Camden, Trenton, Morristown) and not the
residence of the soldier. Researchers should also note that the
vast majority of files contain only one or two items. |
 |
Muster
certificates: Completed at the time of mustering-in, most of
the muster certificates were issued at Camp "William Penn"
at Chelten Hills, PA. They record the name of the soldier, the company
he was assigned to, and the date of muster. |
| |
Certificates
of service: These were usually prepared to document the eligibility
of a soldier's family for relief pay. They generally include the
name of the soldier, the unit of service, and the signature of the
commanding officer. |
| |
Discharge
certificates and transmittal letters: A few original discharge
certificates are included; more often, there will be simply a cover
letter transmitting the discharge. The few certificates that are
present contain considerable information, including: soldier's name;
date of enrollment; date, place and reason for discharge; place
of birth; age; physical description; and occupation at the time
of enrollment. |
| |
Correspondence
and affidavits: Much of this material relates to individual
soldiers' eligibility for state pay or relief pay for their families. |
Box
List
click on the box number or contents to view the list of soldiers
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