Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 2019 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
21pp
Context area
Archival history
Printout of a blog post emailed by Damian Shiels to Kerby A. Miller on 3 March 2019. The original post was located at https://irishamericancivilwar.com/2019/03/03/the-nilands-uncovering-a-19th-century-working-class-dublin-family-story-in-the-american-pension-files/.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Two printed copies of a post from the Irish in the American Civil War website entitled 'The Nilands: Uncovering a 19th Century Working Class Dublin Family Story in the American Pension Files' by Damien Shiels. Per Shiels: 'The Widow's and Dependent pension files allow us reconstruct elements of the lives of working class 19th century families in unparalleled detail. In some cases, these individuals had never even set foot in the United States. Such is the case with Ellen Niland. Born in Dublin's Liberties in 1841, Ellen spent her entire life living in and around the city centre. Yet due to her husband's Hugh's wartime service thousands of miles away, we are offered a window into her existence, one that was filled with moments of joy, with desperate poverty, and with extensive hardship.'