I've just received a compiled military service record for a Civil War soldier that I though might have been my great-great-grandfather William Henry Bohannon. Now that I have examined the file, however, I've about decided that it is not him.

First off, my GGGF was born in 1846, whereas this man's age is given as 23 in 1862, which would make his birth year about 1839. Now I can easily imagine a 16 year old boy saying that he is 18 in order to enlist; but having that same 16 year old give his age as 23 seems a bit odd.

Second, this file shows the soldier's birthplace and place of residence at enlistment as Shelby County, Kentucky, whereas my branch of the Bohannon family had by that time already moved west to McLean County, Kentucky.

So, if this soldier is not my GGGF, who is he? Probably some relation, as the family had lived in the area of Shelby and Oldham counties before moving west. I did a little searching in the 1850 and 1860 census in Shelby County and did not find a match for this man. Can anyone tell me who he is?

Thanks,

Chuck Bennett

PS: I'm cross-posting this to the boards for surnames Bohannon, Bohanon, Bohannan, and Bohanan, because I have often seen the family name spelled in each of these ways with very little consistency.