Seeking file containing a letter RE: Removal of charge of desertion (Civil War) - Record group 94.1

Question

In researching the Civil War military service of Simeon Felix Sears, I found this item: 
 General correspondence with U.S.Military Pension Office https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939X-XVXK-9 
 
 The indexed correspondence is not in his pension application file, which makes no mention of desertion and only notes that Michigan can find no record of him. I note this letter was dated 25 Oct 1890 vs his pension application which was filed 4 Oct 1890. How could I obtain the correspondence related to his request for removal of the charge of desertion? 
 
 I obtained his pension application file. 
 
 https://www.fold3.com/image/2903357/sears-simeon-f-civil-war-pensions-index 
 His pension application includes a card 3-216, which under "other claims" lists No. 470915. 
 
 Included in the pension file materials is his His Soldier's Application 20 Sep 1890 in which he claims he had applied for a pension about 10 years prior. 
 I would like to find more information about his service, or lack thereof. 
 
 TIA

Textual Reference Branch, Archives II · Answer

Zoe Eppley 
 
 Thank you for posting your question on History Hub! 
 
 The record that you located on FamilySearch is from the Index to Document Files and Record Cards, 1889&ndash;1904 in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office (Record Group 94). This series indexes the series Document File, 1889-1904 and the series Record Cards, 1889-1904 in Record Group 94. These records are not available online. 
 
 We searched the Indexes to the Carded Records of Soldiers Who Served in Volunteer Organizations During the Civil War and the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) for Simeon Felix Sears. We could not find a listing with the name &ldquo;Simeon Sears&rdquo; or any likely matches in Michigan units. However, we did locate a CWSS entry for Felix Sears in G Company, 19th Regiment, US Infantry (Regular Army) . 
 
 We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Enlistment Papers, 1798 - October 31, 1912 and Registers of Enlistments in the United States Army, 1798 - 1914 (M233) in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1917 (Record Group 94) that include military service files of the Regular Army. 
 
 The Enlistment Registers have been digitized and are available on Fold3 as Army Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 ; on Ancestry as U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 ; and on FamilySearch as United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914 . We located Felix Sears in the U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 on Ancestry, which says that he enlisted in G Company, 19th Infantry Regiment. The Enlistment Papers have not been digitized, and are not available online. 
 
 We also located a likely match in the 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census. The following is the Ancestry transcription:

Name

Simeon T Sears [looking at the original handwriting, we think this may be an F]

Gender

Male

Rank

Private

Role

Veteran

Residence Date

Jun 1890

Residence Place

South Canaan, Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA

Enumeration District

81

Enlistment Date

Nov 1864

Discharge Date

May 1865

Regiment or vessel

19 USA I.

Company

G.

Source Information 
 Ancestry.com. 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. 
 Original data: Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M123, 118 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives in Washington, D.C. 
 
 Plus, we located Felix Sears in the U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934

Name

Felix Sears

Unit

G 19 US Infantry

Filing Date

24 Dec 1897

Filing Place

Pennsylvania, USA

Relation to Head

Soldier

Source Information 
 National Archives and Records Administration. U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. 
 Original data: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 . Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. T288, 546 rolls. 
 
 We suggest that you request the full pension application file which the above listing indexes and compare it with the one you already have to see if these may be the same person. 
 
 All of the records listed above are in the custody of the National Archives in Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RR1R). For more information about your options for accessing these records, please contact RR1R archives1reference@nara.gov . When you contact them, we suggest that you link a copy of your original inquiry and our reply, so that they know what we already located. 
 
 For those records available on Ancestry, if you do not have a subscription please check for access at your local library as many library systems subscribe to these sites, making them free for their patrons. Ancestry is also available for free at all National Archives locations . Appointments are required to visit these locations. Please see the websites of individual locations for details. 
 
 Finally, we located the following information at Find-A-Grave which may be useful: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56086156/simeon-f.-sears 
 
 We hope this assists you with your research! 
 
 Sincerely, 
 
 Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RA) 
 23-42635-JA

Seeking file containing a letter RE: Removal of charge of desertion (Civil War) - Record group 94.1

Top Replies