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Historian uncovers rebel roots By Sean Wolfe Ashland Daily Tidings Civil War historian Clay Feeter wants to prove that there's a little rebel in at least half of us. According to Feeter, whose traveling road show takes its first national tour at the end of this summer, about half of all Americans can trace their bloodlines back to someone who fought on the losing side of the War Between the States. And to prove that point, Feeter will make a whistle stop on Sunday at one of Ashland's premier used bookstores - the Blue Dragon. "What I do is take the facts about a person's ancestor, and paint a human picture about what was happening to them - why they registered, if they deserted, why so many were killed in battle," Feeter said. "What's most amazing oftentimes is how far they traveled. On foot, many soldiers traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles." Using a variety of computer databases, Feeter attempts to assemble the scraps of family lore and artifacts into a cogent account. "It's often like (the PBS production) Antique Road Show. People bring swords, tintypes or other artifacts sometimes, but always - always they bring letters," Feeter said. "I'm not there to analyze their artifacts. What I'm doing is analyzing their ancestor to get the story behind the static image." Feeter's analysis often has mixed results. People convinced by family lore suggesting their ancestor fell at a famous battle are sometimes disappointed. One Ashland family brought Feeter a bugle, along with other information, convinced their great-great grandfather had fallen at the battle of Shiloh. Feeter's analysis uncovered a widow's pension application which revealed their ancestor had, in fact, died of disease several weeks following the battle. "Usually the family lore is right on, and pretty accurate. But sometimes you have to rewrite the family story a little bit if the documentation doesn't support their claims," Feeter said. Ashlander Mark D'Olivo, a tile-setter, was surprised to learn that a great-great uncle had been a plantation owner in Mississippi, and fought with distinction on the Confederate side. "Most of my heritage is Italian - we've been seamen or yachtsmen for generations. But the other part of my family, now in Oklahoma - I never delved into that branch of my family tree, mostly because I'm not that into the history of the East Coast," D'Olivo said. "That's the problem with living on the West Coast. We're just hanging out, and doing our thing, talking about Indians, the Applegate Trail, and the Gold Rush." The southern branch of D'Olivo's family tree ended up in Oklahoma as part of the fallout of the Confederate defeat. "If you were a white landowner, and you were smart, you got out. There was a huge exodus to Texas, and that led to the Oklahoma land rush, then California. Which is why the south really didn't get integrated with the rest of America until after World War II," D'Olivo said. "I was actually kind of surprised to learn that someone from that deep in Mississippi would wind up in Virginia " D'Olivo said. "That's a long way to travel to fight. I knew there was a rebel in my ancestry, didn't know someone actually fought in that war. It sort of explains how I feel about my differences with the current administration." If an ancestor is found, Feeter makes available a compiled Soldier Report and Regimental History for $30. Feeter asks that people bring, or e-mail the following information ahead of time: first, middle, and last names of the ancestors suspected of serving in the Civil War, birthdates and birthplaces if known, and what state they lived in around 1861. Generally, most Civil War soldiers birthdates were between 1812-1847. Feeter's e-mail address is [email protected], and for information see the Web site www.thehistorycalendar.com. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -