Tracing history to Clinton Co.'s Civil War soldiers

PLATTSBURGH | Many Clinton County residents are descended from the more than 5,000 men who enlisted here for the Civil War. On May 3, the Clinton County Historical Association (CCHA) will be hosting the presentation, "How To Find Your Civil War Ancestors," with Civil War Historian Julie Dowd and Civil War veteran descendant Jacob Woodward. Jacob will share the story of his third great grandfather, Peter Dubray, who was wounded within two months of his enlistment in the 91st NY Infantry. Some Civil War artifacts from CCHA's Permanent Collection will be on display. The 6 p.m. talk is free and open to the public. It will be held at the House of Prayer at 63 Broad St. Organizers said it is hard to believe now that over 5,000 men enlisted for the Civil War in Clinton County which had a population of about 45,000 at that time. In 2011, as part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, CCHA formed a committee to study how Clinton County was affected during the Civil War. The committee organized events in the next four years including, talks, the selling of first day covers, Eagle Scout projects, Civil War Days, and the most enduring project, the publication of the book Clinton County Civil War Record,1861-1865 and the companion Facebook page. When the CCHA Civil War Commemoration Committee first met, they decided to honor the men who went to war and not simply give the details of their regiments and battles. It took three years to do the research and, finally in September 2014, there was the first proof to show for all the hard work. Thanks to a grant from the United States National Parks Service (NPS) and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) in partnership with the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, CCHA published 100 copies of the two-volume 600-page book entitled the Clinton County Civil War Record, 1861-1865. Copies of the books were given to the County Historian, and every Town Historian and have proven to be a one-of-a-kind resource. During the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, several towns in the North Country asked for CCHA to give presentations and host authors to talk about the Civil War era. One memorable talk was by James Carson who brought his book, "Chasing Mosby, Killing Booth: The 16th New York Volunteer Cavalry," to illustrate how several local men were at the capture of John Wilkes Booth. The Saranac Town Historian later arranged a tour of the Independence Cemetery where Lincoln's Avengers are buried and commemorated. Two Eagle Scouts took on, as their project, the marking of headstones of the Civil War soldiers in Clinton County with a specially designed sticker. To date, more than 1,000 such headstones have been located. In January 2015, CCHA initiated a Facebook page, "Clinton County, NY – Civil War Record – 1861-1865" which is researched and published by Civil War Historian Julie Dowd. Every day one of the county Civil War veterans is highlighted. To date, over 2,200 men have been recognized, often with photos of the men, their headstones, or the places they travelled. Maps and descriptions of the battles add to these stories. The CCHA Museum opens for the season May 4. Hours of operations will be Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.clintoncountyhistorical.org or call 518-561-0340. Museum admission is free and donations are accepted.

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Tracing history to Clinton Co.'s Civil War soldiers

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