How to tell if your relative served in the Civil War

[Formernewyorker]

Hi,

My great grandfather Thomas Nevin was born in Ireland possibly around 1840 and cannot find any birth or death records in Ireland. Many of his children immigrated to the US, New York area. His wife Ellen Nevin (nee Shruffin or Shruhan was on the 1892 New York census with her son. Her son Thomas Nevin was on 1900 US census NY and he was back in Ireland on 1911 census. Ellen his mother was also back in Ireland on the 1901 Irish census living with her sister and widowed. She died in Roscommon Ireland in 1909.

I do not know if my great grandfather Thomas was also in the US in the 1800’s. There were two Thomas Nevin that served in NY regiment Civil War and there is a pension for a Ellen Nevin for one of them. How do I know if my Thomas and Ellen are the civil war pensionaire?

Thank you for any help.
 

[Kiltaglassan]

Just linking to the long thread about Thomas Nevin and his ancestors, for anyone helping.

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=857274.0

[oldohiohome]

I see a pension application for a Thomas Nevin with widow Ellen J. He served in B 11 NY Inf.
it is an invalid's application filed Jan 27, 1902 and then a widow's pension filed Feb 5, 1910.
Did your Thomas die soon before Feb 5, 1910?

There is a Thomas Joseph Nevin who died 13 Jan 1910 in the Bronx. His death record doesn't give his wife's name, but he was born in NY, son of Daniel Nevin and Margaret __.
My guess is that this pension was his and his wife filed for her widow's pension right after he died.

You will need to look into this couple further to eliminate them. If his wife's name was Ellen, it would be more evidence that this pension is his.

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As for the other pension, I didn't see it. Can you provide more details on when it was filed and from what state. Does it say what unit the man fought with, etc?
It might just be that your Ellen didn't file for a widow's pension.
It would help a lot if you could figure out where and when your Thomas Nevin died. Do you have any trace of him in NY? Where and when? Where was Ellen in 1880? Were the children born in the US, when and where? That might help confirm or eliminate him as the pensioner.

I will confess that I did not look through 9 pages of the other thread. Maybe the information is there.

[oldohiohome]

There is a Thomas Nevens in the Bronx in 1900, occupation: superintendent. This was the same occupation as on the index to the death record I posted above. His wife's name is Helen. Close enough to Helen to be the same woman as on the widow's pension application.

[oldohiohome]

on the other thread you ID'd this tree on familysearch as yours:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/9679-8R2
in this message:
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=857274.msg7259143#msg7259143

the tree says that Thomas and Ellen married in Roscommon in 1859 and had children there through the 1860's. Doesn't that eliminate him from being a US Civil War soldier?
It could be that Thomas died before 1892 and Ellen came to the US to be with her children. Thomas may never have been in the US.

[aghadowey]

To answer a few of your questions, oldohiohome.

No sign of Thomas Nevin except marriage (1859 Ireland) & births of children, all born Ireland, Thomas (c1862), James (1864), Michael Joseph (1869), Stephen Joseph (c1864?), Margaret (c1875?), Mary J. (c1874?). In Ireland he was a herd/sheperd so family might have moved abut a bit but no death found in Ireland so far. Most of the children ended up in N.Y. City although Thomas (c1862) & his mother Ellen did return to Roscommon.

Wife Ellen (nee Shrahan- lots of surname variations) died in Ireland in 1909. She was in N.Y.C. in 1892 census with son Stephen (Ellen Nevins, age 52) but living with her sister in Ireland by 31 Mar.1901 where she's listed as a widow. In June 1909, shortly before she died, there was a newspaper report that she was not eligible for the newly introduced State pension (one reason being "she was not qualified on the grounds of residence, having spent a number of years in America." although since pension age was 70 and means tested there were other grounds).

[oldohiohome]

To answer a few of your questions, oldohiohome.

Thanks, I've started filling in the blanks.
It also could be that Thomas walked out on the family before 1892.

[aghadowey]

A few dates when children went to U.S. from later records (may not be 100% accurate)-
1. Thomas Nevin to US in 1887 (passenger manifest)
2. James Nevin (died young)
3. Michael Joseph Nevin to US 1884 (1930 census)
4. Stephen Joseph Nevin to US 1882 (1910 census) or 1883 (1920 census)
5. Margaret Nevin to US 1900 (1930 census)
6. Mary J. Nevin to US 1886? (1902 death record)

My gut feeling is that Thomas Nevin died in Ireland when (between birth of youngest child* & 1892 when wife appears in N.Y.).
*difficult to pin down when youngest child was born as birth registrations haven't been found for all of them (civil registration of births started 1864 in Ireland)

[Formernewyorker]

Thanks everyone