The Civil War Descendant Certificate Project awards a handsomely designed Certificate to applicants who either Honor-a-Soldier, or provide sufficient documentation as a Descendant of a Civil War soldier or his sibling in several eligibility categories. Twenty-five dollars of the application fee goes toward the renovation of Gustave Koerner's House in Belleville which will serve as an educational and interpretive facility upon completion. An accomplished, well-respected lawyer and ardent opponent of slavery, Koerner became the first German immigrant elected to the Illinois State Legislature and offered to raise two German regiments for the Civil War effort. A friend of Abraham Lincoln, Koerner was given much credit for Lincoln's nomination and served as pallbearer at his funeral. In addition to the renovation, funds raised will support documentation of these and other aspects of Koerner's life and preserve the Civil War Descendant Application files for use by the public at the Koerner Home.

Print out any of the pages below, or, request a Civil War Descendant Packet from the St. Clair County Historical Society (618) 234-0600. CW Descendant Application or Honor-a-Soldier Application Disposition of Applications and Documentation Help! Locate documents, search Civil War databases online, ask and get answers to questions, read basic genealogy search stategies. Acceptable Documentation and Substitute Sources when you can't find a birth, or marriage, or death certificate. Learn more about Gustave Koerner on the official Web site! Learn more about the 22nd and 43rd Regiments. See their national and regimental flags. St. Clair County (IL) Genealogical Society (SCCGS) Home where many more databases are online for county research. For questions about this project not answered on this web site, e-mail Diane Walsh, the Project Director. Please type "CW Descendant Application" in the Subject line.

Sponsors St. Clair County Genealogical Society and the St. Clair County Historical Society, a cooperative project. Purpose: To honor the memory of the men who served in the Civil War. To raise awareness of the roll Gustave Koerner played in the lives of area German immigrants leading up to, and during the conflict. To serve as a source of funds for renovation and preservation of the Gustave Koerner House in Belleville, Illinois. To preserve for posterity all applications and documents generated by the certificate program. Process 1. If you want to Honor-a-Soldier, fill out the Honor-a-Soldier Application and skip to step 3. 2. To apply in the Descendant Category, complete the a.) Descendant Application, and b.) Ascent and Documentation pages using black ink or type. If your ancestor was the soldier's sibling, also include any style c.) family group sheet which shows the soldier, his parents, and his brothers and sisters. If you descend from more than one soldier or his/her collateral line, copy all forms and submit each entry separately. Provide photocopies of documents which support birth, marriage, and death events for each generation, plus military service for the veteran. Please do not use a "highlighter" on these photocopies. See types of Acceptable Documentation and special treatment of sensitive information for living persons. Assign a number to each document collected. 3. Make photocopies of all submitted materials and keep the copies for your files. Submit the application, appropriate document photocopies, and $35.00 by check or money order (no cash), to: SCCHS - Koerner Fund 701 East Washington Street Belleville, Illinois 62220 Do not send originals as all papers become the property of the Historical Society and will not be returned.

Eligibility Three categories-- 1) The applicant may descend directly from a Civil War soldier in any regiment (or one of the soldier’s siblings) whose military service was between 12 April 1861 and 18 April 1865 . If descended from a soldier who served in the 22nd or 43rd Regiments, your certificate will bear its regimental flag. Search the list of soldiers who served in The 43rd (Koerner’s Regiment) and The 22nd Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, 2) The applicant may descend from any St. Clair County Civil War soldier (or one of his siblings). Search a list of many (but not all) men who indicated a St. Clair County residence or town at the time of enlistment. 3) The Honor-a-Soldier category is available for those who want to support the Koerner House Renovation, or share letters, stories, or some, but not all, documentation showing descendancy from a soldier, bypassing the full lineage process. Any Civil War soldier may be selected for this category. May we suggest you select a soldier from either of these lists on our site: 1. 43rd Regiment (Koerner’s Regiment), or the 22nd Regiment, or choose 2. a soldier who lived in St. Clair when mustered in. Soldiers may appear more than once in these databases, usually because they re-enlisted.