Letter stating Benjamin's full name

Mary Hobbs, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Curtis wrote a letter to the National Archives in 1938. She wanted to find out if her father's Civil War military records contained information about the names of her grandparents. Today, we might assume that everyone knows who their grandparents are, but such is not the case. I feel very blessed to have spent lots of time with my grandparents when I was a child. I knew them. I knew their names, where they lived, and I know where they are buried. I can't imagine what it would be like to not know anything about my grandparents. In this letter that Mary wrote, we have the only record known to exist that is at least partially official that states Benjamin's full name. Some descendants have questioned his middle name, thinking the wrong name had been recorded in our family records. I am glad that I found this letter, because if anyone would have known what was Benjamin's full name, it would have been his wife or his children. Thank you Mary for writing this letter to ask if the military service records had record of the parent's names for "Benjamin Kingman Curtis," your father.

Military Service in the US Civil War

I visited the National Archives in Washington D.C. and conducted original research on Benjamin's Civil War service. Every record about his service and pension that was available at the National Archives was searched. Several records were restricted from being photocopied due to record deterioration. When photocopies were not permitted, every detail was hand-copied. Two different places of birth were recorded on two different documents among his files. No document in either the military service file or the military pension file recorded the names of his parents or siblings.