The Last Years of Henry Thompson

It has been a few weeks since we last left the trail of Henry Thompson and his missing years. Honestly, I have been dreading writing about the last chapter of Henry's life. It is the price of digging into family history that sometimes you will unearth things that are wonderful and amazing, but you will also discover things that are dark and disturbing. The truth is the truth though, and if you praise the good then you must also reckon with the bad. I should note a trigger warning regarding elder abuse in the following story.

The Lost Years of Henry Thompson

Part 3 1890-1932 Henry Thompson was a favorite uncle of my husband's grandmother. She told us many times that Henry went to fight in the American Civil War and for some time the rest of his family did not know where he was or even if he survived. A few months ago, I asked Gopher … Continue reading The Lost Years of Henry Thompson →

The Lost Years of Henry Thompson

Civil War pension records can be an invaluable resource when trying to piece together the years between records in a veteran's life. In this case, there is information included that would not likely have been found in any other source. Henry Thompson survived his time in the American Civil War, but then went missing from his family for several years before turning up in a soldier's home in California in the early 1900s. His pension file answers some of the questions about where he was after the war, and as always, raises new questions for further research. This is part 1 of Henry's lost years: 1850 - 1870.