In this second part of the missing years of Henry Thompson covering the years 1870 - 1890, I try to follow him as he moves to Chicago and Michigan. By using clues he left in his depositions for his military pension applications I find more previously unknown family members.
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.
Henry Thompson Henry Thompson was born 28 December 1843 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. He was the third of four children born to Henry Thompson Sr., a cordwainer, and Ann McCabe Thompson in Liverpool. Henry was an American Civil War veteran. According to his obituary, Henry spent time trying to homestead in Michigan after the war … Continue reading Portraits
WitzEnd Family History 