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Kelly Clarkson

Census records indicated that Kelly Clarkson’s third-great grandfather, Isaiah R. Rose, was just the right age to have served in the Civil War. Because he lived in Ohio, we thought he probably would have served in the Union Army, so that’s where we started looking. We located Isaiah on the 1890 Veterans Schedule of the 1890 U.S. Federal Census, which enumerated Union veterans. There we found that he had served for almost 3 ½ years.

 

Isaiah is also listed twice in U.S. Civil War Soldiers records, which include millions of soldiers from both sides of the conflict. There we learned that he re-enlisted in December 1861 after his initial three-month commitment when it became apparent the war would not be ending soon.

When researching Civil War soldiers, it’s a good idea to check to see if the soldier or his dependents applied for a pension. We found Isaiah listed in the Civil War Pension Index, so we ordered his Civil War pension file, which would tell us more about the story of his service. Throughout our research, the information we found on the Veterans Schedule helped us confirm that we had the right Isaiah Rose in other records.

Search military records at Ancestry.com to find the hero in your family tree.

Learn more about Kelly’s journey or watch the full episode on TLC.com.

Research Manager on Project:

Lorraine Bourne

Project Hours:

240 Hours

Lorraine has been enthusiastically involved in genealogy and family history work for over 18 years. She has conducted professional genealogy research since 2002 and joined ProGen in 2009, working on client research and the Who Do You Think You Are? TV series, researching celebrities such as Tim McGraw, Reba McEntyre, Kelly Clarkson, Chris O'Donnell, Angie Harman, Melissa Etheridge, Lauren Graham, and others. She also worked with episodes of My Family Secrets Revealed a UK television series.

 

She obtained a bachelor's degree from BYU in 2005 with a major in family history and  business management. She continues to attend college courses, institutes, seminars, and conferences with in-depth training on research in several areas of the United States and the British Isles. Her areas of research expertise include the United States (Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, New England, West, Midwest, colonial), Canada (English), England, African-American, Native American, lineage society applications, immigration and naturalization, and military records.