Workshop lets Iowans find info about their Civil War past

Iowans tracing ancestors who fought in the Civil War get to sift through military books, diaries, pictures and other documents as part of a workshop today. Tami Foster, at the State Historical Society’s library and archives, says the workshop is so popular, another one will be held next month.Foster says the workshops are free and are designed to get people familiarized with the wealth of historical information housed at the state archives in Des Moines.Some of the items include: military rosters, grave registrations, volunteer enlistments, letters, oaths of officers and even the personal effects and final inventory statements of Civil War soldiers. Foster says Iowans can learn a great deal about their long-lost relatives.Today’s workshop is booked. The next one is scheduled for March 7th. For information, call (515) 281-5020. It’s free but requires pre-registration. An exhibit on the Grand Army of the Republic, formed in 1866 to preserve wartime memories, is now open at the State Historical Society building. An exhibit of Civil War battle flags opens at the Society tonight.