Among the historical records that are included in the archives of Cumberland County, are those of the Civil War Board of Relief. These records provide an opportunity to learn how the war affected the day to day lives of military families in Cumberland County during this tumultuous period of our history.
In a law enacted May 15, 1861, by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, it states that " ... the county commissioners of the several counties of this commonwealth shall constitute a board of relief to meet monthly, or as often as they find necessary ... for the support of the families of the volunteers mustered into service .... " Although this law was for the state of Pennsylvania, there is evidence that there were other Civil War relief boards around the country, including the states of Georgia, Illinois, and Iowa. The Cumberland County Board of Relief records are organized by the dates the board met and list the names of the soldiers' families receiving aid for that particular month. They are further organized by the name of the local representative and the municipality they represented. These papers help researchers understand how families were impacted by the Civil War and sheds light on the experiences of those living in Cumberland County. We are now marking the150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, and these documents provide us an opportunity to reflect on this time in our history.
Who could receive aid?
Although there are no records found to date giving the exact criteria used for determining which families received aid, certain commonalities are present in the surviving records. Family members that could be supported under the Board of Relief included wives, parents, siblings, children, and in some cases, grandparents. To receive aid, children had to be under the age of twelve to receive the tvvo dollars per month stipend. Wives could receive up to six dollars, although that amount decreased significantly during the war, as available funds dwindled. Officers, such as Lieutenant H. J. Zinn, were ineligible to receive aid because they were already given salaries, but some could get temporary aid for one or two months. In some cases, families continued to receive aid even after a soldier died. The Haverstick family of Carlisle is one example of this situation. D. Haverstick died in 1863 according to Veterans' Cemetery Records yet the family received aid until 1865.
How did the families apply for aid?
A representative from each municipality or township was appointed to handle all applications for relief. Only one actual application survives in the county records, that of Mrs. Mary Shingler. It is unclear if this official form was available to all applicants in Cumberland County. It provides a lot of information about the applicant including his or her residence, occupation, date of the soldier's muster into service, his company, and the number of family members. The law required a written request for relief from every applicant. If other applications like this one had survived, they would provide a wonderful source of additional information about local families impacted by the war.
Who advocated for the relief of families?
The township representatives played a major role in the relief process by helping the families apply for aid, physically withdrawing the funds from the bank, personally handling any problems, and serving as intermediaries between applicants and the county government. Correspondence between municipal and township representatives and the Board of Relief, illustrates the personal relationship many representatives had with the families they served. In a letter to the board dated February 28, 1862, Mr. John Clendenin, the representative for Silver Spring Township, lamented the situation of Mrs. Ludich. He writes, "She said that she could not get any work and that her father was not able to buy her shoes ... I told her to get shoes, and I thought the board would allow it. If you can- please do so .... " In another letter, Newville representative John McClandish intervened on behalf of the Myers family, which had not received the proper amount of funds: "Would they not be entitled to eight dollars per month? My opinion is that they would." These are two examples of the efforts that these men took to assist the families receiving aid and their involvement in the relief process.
John Keegan, The American Civil War: A Military History (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009), 416 pp.; index, photographs, maps. Hardcover, $35.00; ISBN: 978-0-307-26343-8; Paperback, $16.95; ISBN: 978-0-307-27493-9