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Contact Us About Membership in the John T. Coffee Camp.
Printer Friendly Application (PDF Version).
Please Mail Application to:
Gary Ayres
3615 S. 70th Road
Humansville, Missouri 65674
The Sons of Confederate Veterans was created in 1896 by Confederate veterans concerned that as they aged and passed on, there should be someone to carry on the memory of Confederate soldiers and sailors. To better understand the benevolent, fraternal and heritage mission of SCV, please read the charge of Lt. Gen. Stephen Dill Lee, given to SCV at the New Orleans reunion of United Confederate Veterans in 1906:
"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we submit vindication of the Cause for which we fought. To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved and which made him glorious and which you also cherish. Remember, it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations."
Membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces. Membership can be obtained through either direct or collateral family lines, and kinship to a veteran must be documented genealogically. You will need you ancestor's name, unit, state of service, and information as to his honorable service: discharged, captured, wounded, killed. The minimum age for membership is 12.
Proving Ancestry
Many members use family histories, Bibles and oral traditions as a starting point in their search for ancestor information. Proof of kinship to a Confederate soldier or sailor can take many forms. The easiest method is to contact the
archives
of the state from which the soldier fought and obtain a copy of the veteran's military service record. All Southern state archives have microfilm records of the soldiers who fought from that state, and a copy of the information can be obtained for a nominal fee. In addition, the former Confederate states awarded pensions to veterans and their widows. All of these records contain a wealth of information that can be used to document military service.
The Coffee Camp would be pleased to get you started off in the right direction in your research. Please
contact
our camp about your interest in joining the SCV and any questions you may have. Also check out these tips for Tracing your Confederate Ancestors.
Benefits of membership include participation in local, state, and national events, a membership certificate, and a subscription to Confederate Veteran magazine, published 6 times a year. Join us in honoring the memory of the Confederate soldier and sailor. Good luck, and we look forward to your compatriotship!
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State
and National Archives |
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National Archives General ReferenceBranch(NNRG-P)
National Archives & Records Admin.
7th & Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408 |
Alabama Dept. of Archives & History
624 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36130 |
Arkansas History Commission
One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201 |
Florida State Archives
R.A. Gray Bldg, 500 S. Bronough St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250 |
Georgia Dept. of Archives & History
330 Capitol Ave., S.E.
Atlanta, GA 30334 |
Kentucky Dept. for Library & Archives
P.O. Box 537
Frankfort, KY 40602-0537 |
Louisiana State Archives
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804 |
Maryland State Archives
350 Rowe Blvd.
Annapolis, MD 21401 |
Mississippi Dept of Archives & History
P.O. Box 571
Jackson, Miss. 39205
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Missouri State Archives
P.O. Box 778
Jefferson City, MO 65102 |
North Carolina State Archives
109 East Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27611 |
Oklahoma Dept of Libraries
Office of Archives & Records
200 Northeast 18th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105 |
South Carolina Dept of Archives & History
8301 Park Lane Road
Columbia, SC 29223 |
Tennessee State Library & Archives
403 7th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243-0312 |
Texas State Library
Archives Division
P.O. Box 12927
Austin, TX 78711 |
Library of Virginia
Archives Research Services
800 East Broad Street
Richmond Virginia 23219-8000 |
Tracing your Confederate Ancestors
Remember, Confederate ancestry can be found on both paternal & maternal sides of your family, so trace as much as possible!
1. Begin by investing in some form of genealogy tools to record your family tree.
There are several books available such as:
Tracing Your Ancestry Logbook
by E. Wilbur Helmbold
Unpuzzling Your Past
: The Best-Selling Basic Guide to Genealogy
The Unpuzzling Your Past Workbook both by Emily Croom
There are also a variety of computer programs available such as Ultimate Family Tree or
Family Tree Maker
You can also hire a private genealogist to work on your family tree for you.
If you want to hire a researcher, write to the following address for a list of qualified individuals:
Board for Certification of Genealogists,
1307 New Hampshire Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
2. Gather your family information such as family bibles, deeds, wills, marriage certificates, birth certificates, death certificates, christening records, etc. Talk with members of your family. Take pictures of headstones. Record as much information as possible with as much detail as possible.
3. If you hit dead-ends, don't give up! If you have a surname(s), try posting a message at
www.genforum.com
or
www.ancestry.com
or
www.rootsweb.com
under the list of surnames for more help. You may try signing up for the mailing
list(s) for that particular surname or area as well.
4. If you have family that seemed to have stayed in one particular area, try the library/archives for that County/State. In Missouri, you can find a list of public libraries at
this link
or you can contact that particular county for more information.
5. Once you have found a Confederate ancestor(s) and have an idea of the unit/regiment in which they served, you will want copies of muster rolls, pension records, etc.
Other resources to try are the United Daughters of the Confederacy libraries ( www.hqudc.org), or even the Museum of the Confederacy (www.moc.org).
Many researchers do charge fees for their time/service. You may want to try to do this on your own or pay for someone else to do the research if you stumble upon a "brick wall" within your own family tree.
6. Once you have documented your family tree and have found your connection to your Confederate ancestor, remember to share! Share with other family members! Take a copy to that area's library and ask that it be filed for other researchers and/or contact those resources above and ask if they would be interested in copies as well. This preserves your hard work for future generations!
7. Most important tip: NEVER GIVE UP & HAVE FUN!!
Take A Look At Our Online Library!
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