GenealogyBlog

My ancestor Patrick Fraher has always intrigued me. There are many brick walls in my genealogy which surround him. He was born, married and had two children in Ireland. He then went to England where he had two more children. Finally he moved to the United States in about 1860 where he had five more children. I’ve been unsuccessful in finding any records about him outside of the United States. I’ve been unsuccessful in finding any exact date of birth, marriage or death. There’s also a black sheep part of him which I find fascinating. There are reports in newspapers about him being arrested for being drunk. There’s also a report in a newspaper about him escaping from an insane asylum. However, that story is for another time.

This blog post mystery is about his time during the civil war. Patrick apparently served during the civil war. The photo below is him in his civil war uniform.

There is no doubt that the photo above is Patrick Fraher. I have in my possession a 19th century photo album known to belong to one of Patrick’s daughters (Mary). Pictured below is Patrick, with presumably his wife Sarah. The head shots of both photos were super imposed on top of one another with different intensities and the facial features are identical. The two photos are of the same man.

With no doubt left that Patrick served in the civil war, there are a number of questions to be answered. When did he serve? What unit did he serve with? The cap in the civil war photo seems to suggest an artillery unit, due to the insignia. I went to the civil war soldiers and sailors system to see if I could find Patrick. There were two Patrick Frahers. One served for a Massachusetts Volunteer Artillery Unit and another which served in the 12th US Regulars. The Massachusetts volunteer was known to have died in Andersonville Prison, so this could not be my Patrick. The other served in an infantry unit, which was not what I expected from the insignia.

A professional genealogist I had contacted about getting some civil war pension and service records was able to find some information about the Patrick Fraher who served in the 12th US Regulars. This Patrick Fraher served for a very short period of time. He enlisted in the upper part of New York State. He was also born in County Waterford, Ireland. This record seems very promising that it could be my Patrick, even though the unit may not be an artillery unit. My Patrick was enumerated in the 1865 New York Census in Essex County New York, which was fairly close to the place where the Patrick Fraher from the 12th US Regular enlisted.

For those professional genealogist veterans would this satisfy the Genealogical Proof Standard? Would this be enough proof to say that the Patrick Fraher who served in the 12th US Regular Army is my Patrick Fraher? I’ve tried finding other Patrick Fraher civil war veterans. Fraher can and has been misspelled many different ways (Fryher, Friher, Friar, and Frier). No other Patrick seems to fit with the known facts. I believe my Patrick was the one who served in the 12th US Regular and it seems more likely than not. I would love to hear feedback regarding this finding and conclusion.

A family group sheet with Patrick, his wife and children can be found in this earlier post for those who are interested.

Prior Post with Fraher Family Group Sheet

The BCG Genealogical Standards Manuel is a must for the professional and amateur genealogist who is striving for research which meets the Genealogical Proof Standard.

The first section of the book defines Research Standards and what it takes to make your research adhere to the Genealogy Proof Standard. It goes through Data Collection Standards, Evidence Evaluation Standards and Compilation Standards. The reading is rather textual as you might find in a college text book or manual. When I was reading and going over the material I found it helpful in my research. It was however a very boring read. It didn’t keep my interest very long and I could only read a little at a time.

The next section of the book deals with teaching standards. Since I am not a professional genealogist, I did not have a whole lot of interest in this section, but still was able to read through the section. It had the same college textbook feeling. It covered Standards for Lecturing, Instructors and Educational Writers. Another small section for continuing Education Standards follows the teaching standards section.

Most of the pages in the book are dedicated to Appendixes. The appendixes include The Genealogists Code, The Board for Certification of Genealogists, and a series or appendixes of examples for specific types of research projects. Since I have recently been contemplating getting into genealogy professionally, I found the appendixes with sample letters particularly interesting. They go through a standard of what a letter would look like to a prospective client.

————-

This photo comes from a 19th century Sanders & Fryher Photo album. If you can identify the date, age of the individual or who the person is, please post a remark about it.

Local historical societies are often a great place to find hidden genealogy nuggets. They work to find and preserve the history and heritage of their local communities. They provide a number of programs to help educate the community about the history of the local area. Below are a few upcoming events from historical societies in Fairfield County, CT.

From the Brookfield Historical Society;
September 19 – Museum Program – The Titanic before the collision…
September 23 – Brookfield Farmfest – Blacksmithing Demonstration and much more!

From the Danbury Museum and Historical Society
September 21-22-23 – Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall: A time to Remember, to Reflect, to Heal
October 28 – Witches in Connecticut

From the Darien Historical Society;
September 21 – Free wine and cheese reception

From the Fairfield Museum and History Center;
September 25 – Connecticut in the Civil War

From the Monroe Historical Society;
October 21 – Haunted Halloween

From the Newtown Historical Society;
September 30 – 5th Annual “CHILDREN’S DAY” at the Little Red School House

From the Rowayton Historical Society;
September 15 – A Rowayton Civil War Encampment

From the Shelton Historical Society;
October 6 – Civil War Living History

From the Trumbull Historical Society;
September 16 – “The Life and Legacy of P.T. Barnum.”
October 21 – “New England’s Other Witch Hunt”
October 27 – “Pequonnock River Valley Hike”
November 4th – “Soldier and Civilian Accounts of Gettysburg”

From the Westport Historical Society;
October 6 – Saugatuck Walking Tour
October 27 – Do You Have a Treasure in Your Attic?

From the Weston Historical Society;
September 24 – Weston House Tour

From the Wilton Historical Society;
September 22 – Lambert House Walking Tour

=========================
Links to Historical Societies in Conneticut