Strange when I type this, but I feel like I am just looking for myself back then. I had over 200 family members fight in the Civil War, they cover all Union states, except three, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Delaware.
My mother's side (Prouty's) (National Archives soldier and sailor website) It is free, but missing more Prouty's not put in the system yet.
Massachusetts=57 family members
Connecticut=2
Illinois=13
California=1
Colorado=1
Iowa=13
Indiana=6
Kentucky=1
Kansas=1
Maryland=1
Maine=2
Michigan=8
Minnesota=1
Missouri=1
Nebraska=1
New York=20
Ohio=13
Oregon=1
Pennsylvania=3
Rhode Island=2
US. Regulars=8
US Colored=1
Union Volunteers=1 (US Corps of Engineers)
Veteran Reserve Corps=4 (Soldiers wounded from above states)
Vermont=11
Wisconsin=8
Texas=2
Georgia=1
There are many more that have not been added, as I am very busy with the flags. My mother works on her side of the genealogy, which goes as far back with William the Conqueror at the battle of Hastings, England, 1066AD. There Jean Proud or Proute fought and was given lands in what is now considered the border of Welsh/Shropshire. Our family last name is in the "Doomsday" book (Actually there are two books). Back in 1910 our genealogy book was done by Charles Henry Pope, who back then had to take a boat to England and find the old graves on church grounds and ancient paperwork. Before that my family were Vikings that were about to sack Paris. Thus my mother's side all have blond hair and blue eyes, as I do. My great-grandfather looks like "Indiana Jones".
The Proud, Proute, Prouty family crest and arms are all the same, as you will see if you go to a website and type in those three last names. The last name has changed over the last millennium. Richard Proute was 14 years old when he sailed out of England and landed at Plymouth County, Massachusetts in 1667.. He fought in the King James War and was given money for being a soldier. I had many family members fight in the French and Indian War, Americans Revolution, a few in the War of 1812 and many in the Civil War. I have never found any family members in the Mexican War nor the Spanish American War. My father served in Vietnam, my great uncles in Korea, my grandfathers in WW2 and only one of my grandfather's in WW1. My grandmothers, one worked in a ammunition depot and my other in a parachute factory, during WW2. My mother joined the Army in the "Woman's Army Corps" her boot camp was three weeks and they did not fire any weapons. Just because she could type, she came in with a high rank and retired after thirty years (Same as my father). I have a year and eight months left till I can retire and my oldest son is 17 and getting ready to join the US.Army. So it does not begin or end with the Proud-Proute-Prouty family, we will always fight for freedom and this soil we call America.
During the Civil War, one of my family members were hung. When Mosby retaliated and hung some of Custer's men, William Wallace Prouty (5th Michigan Cavalry, Company E, Private) was hung with the sign "Measure for Measure" around his neck. Historians have claimed it was "George Prouty" who was in the 5th US Regular Cavalry. But it was William Wallace Prouty who was hung, he had a small pocket bible on him and thus how they identified him. It took me many decades to find who ordered the hangings and it turned out to be MG. Merritt. Mosby wrote to Sheridan to put an end to the brutal killings and it stopped.
Well I better stop there,
Have a good night,
Shawn Prouty