When I was growing up and I was trapped inside during a snow storm, I loved working on Jigsaw puzzles. Something about them always intrigued me and I kept several for just that occasion. This weekend, Dallas was covered by a blanket of ice. I don’t have my jigsaw puzzles anymore, but I decided to work on one of my most difficult puzzles in my genealogy. The story of my Great Great Grandfather on my mother’s side, Charles DeVaney.
So, I joined Fold3 and went to work. It has taken about 4 days to solve the riddle of his service on both sides of the Civil War and end my decade long search for him that started by me simply trying to locate his grave.
Charles fought on both sides of the Civil War, was present at the battles of Petersburg and Five Points. He witnessed Lee’s surrender and 3 days later paraded in front of Abraham Lincoln just 3 days before his assassination. I’ve learned so much and today a cascade of revelations had me obsessed to put it all down on paper before I forgot all that I had learned. I hope you enjoy reading the first biography of Charles Devereux DeVaney! Don’t worry it’s only 8 pages and there are lots of pictures. 🙂
Dan
Repost: Originally posted on Dec 9, 13