Dry Tortugas National Park Histories Project

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Dry Tortugas National Park Histories Project
Before its designation as a National Park, Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson already had a long history of occupation and abandonment. Construction of the fort began in 1846 and by the time the Civil War broke out, the fort was only halfway done. During the Civil War, Union forces were stationed at Fort Jefferson to prevent it from falling into the hands of rebel forces. Within a year, the first soldier prisoners appeared. Soldier prisoners were those who had been court-martialed to imprisonment and manual labor for various offenses. At its peak, Fort Jefferson housed approximately 650 soldiers and 750 convicts, though this number was constantly in flux. A majority of the documents related to this project are records, logs, and correspondence associated with the Civil War era and the documentation of soldiers and prisoners stationed/imprisoned at Fort Jefferson, as well as the labor they did. A small portion of the materials in this collection are from the Carnegie Institution of Washington. From 1903 until 1939 the Carnegie Institution of Washington operated the Marine Biology Laboratory on Loggerhead Key (a key making up the Dry Tortugas). This lab was considered one of the most advanced and well-equipped laboratories in the tropics. Additional records related to different histories and eras of Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas may be added at a later time.
82nd USCT Infantry Order Book Companies A-E

82nd USCT Infantry Order Book Companies A-E

During and shortly after the Civil War, many different regiments were stationed at Fort Jefferson, one of which was the 82nd USCT (United States Colored Troops) Regiment. They were stationed at Fort Jefferson after the Civil War. They relieved the 161st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment on 25...

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93 pages: 4% complete (10% transcribed, 6% needs review)
Angle, George - Pension Records

Angle, George - Pension Records

Angle, George W. PVT Co. D, 90th NY Inf.- September 26, 1862

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39 pages: 7% complete (39% transcribed, 31% needs review)
Benway, Joseph - Pension Records

Benway, Joseph - Pension Records

Benway, Joseph, PVT Co. G, 110th NY Vol.-April 5, 1865

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20 pages: 5% complete (5% transcribed)
Boyden, Richard - Pension Records

Boyden, Richard - Pension Records

Boyden, Richard PVT Co. F, 82nd USCT-November 7, 1865

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13 pages: 23% complete (38% transcribed, 15% needs review)
Bray, Houston - Pension Records

Bray, Houston - Pension Records

Bray, Houston PVT Co. C, 82nd USCT-November 20, 1865

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207 pages: 0% complete (40% transcribed, 40% needs review)
Brownell, Abel - Pension Records

Brownell, Abel - Pension Records

Brownell, Abel PVT Co. D, 90th NY Inf.-October 10, 1862.zip

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156 pages: 1% complete (3% transcribed, 1% needs review)
Carrol, Polk - Pension Records

Carrol, Polk - Pension Records

Carrol, Polk PVT AA 19th LA (98 USCT)-May 11, 1865 PRISONER

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23 pages: 4% complete (34% transcribed, 30% needs review)
Colbath, George - Pension Records

Colbath, George - Pension Records

Colbath, George W. PVT Co. G, 7th NH Vol.-March 21, 1862

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38 pages: 2% complete (3% transcribed)
Ferguson, Peter - Pension Records

Ferguson, Peter - Pension Records

Ferguson, Peter PVT Co. A, 110th NY Regiment, December 14, 1864

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91 pages: 0% complete (0% transcribed)
Green, James - Pension Records

Green, James - Pension Records

Green, James PVT, Co. D, 110th NY Vols.-March 20, 1864

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21 pages: 4% complete (10% transcribed, 5% needs review)
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