I have an interest in the Civil War however my strong suit is the CSS Shenandoah which I have edited here anomalously. I have been researching this ship, hunting down primary sources almost obsessively since 2007. It is by far my favorite ship and my favorite subject. Roughly I currently have between 5-6 Gig of material and growing. Many knowledgeable people have been helpful and I hope to complete my research.
Family history with Civil war relevance.
My grandmothers maiden name is Grant. Our family believes there is some relation to Union General U S Grant.[Ulysses Grant] She married my grandfather whos last name was Ronayne. They believe relation to [Ronayne Cleburne] the The Stonewall Jackson of the West.
Between my Shenandoah research, work, and everything else I simply have not had time to trace the lineage.
What I can tell you is
Ronayne is a rare Irish name O'Ronayne. I have an ancestral map placing it in Imokilly Cork. The wiki page currently says he was born in Cork and mother died when he was 18 months. Im betting that's a good bet I am related to Confederate General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne.
General Grant was a Genealogists, so a quick search shows the two do not appear to match up. While both General Grant's lineage goes back to early 1600's to New England where as my immediate family I have only been able to go back to 1860 in Virginia. My bet is that my family is related to General Grant, however probably back in the UK somewhere. My favorite picture of Grant is the one of him leaning against a tree where incedently I think he looks a bit like my father when he was younger and had a full beard. He also has my fathers and brothers Black hair and hairline.
http://www.clangrant-us.org/images/grant_cold_harbor_med.gif
