Ashland’s Civil War Service: A History and Roster
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Tom’s attention and care to researching and preserving the history of the men and women of Ashland who fought and sacrificed in the Civil War went above and beyond! Remarkably written and a great addition to the history of the town.
Cindy Livingstone
Town Clerk, Town of Ashland, Massachusetts.
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Tom Ellis has provided an invaluable asset to Ashland’s history with his book, Ashland’s Civil War Service. His extensive research provides us with a one-stop resource for learning about the men who served in the field and the women who supported their effort from home. Tom takes us through several battles, has us slogging through the muddy terrain, hungry, tired, and waiting to get paid, in order to send some money home to our loved ones. His genealogical files on the men who served is a must read for anyone wishing to know more about their forebears. Thank you, Tom.
Cliff Wilson
President, Ashland Historical Society, Inc.
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Mr. Ellis’ engaging and comprehensive coverage of Ashland’s participation offers something for everyone from the casual history buff to the Civil War, or genealogy scholar. The book reads like a story. This story is woven together with information culled from historical accounts to paint a full picture of the life of a soldier, and the lives of the families and citizens of Ashland. He gives a complete accounting of all of the soldiers, including the terms of their enlistment and what became of them during and after the war. You could pick this book up to understand how the war took shape, or you may want to follow the story of a particular Ashland regiment or soldier. Regardless, you will learn more than you asked for in this very readable book.
Janet Platt
Ashland Historical Society
Upton’s Civil War Service: A History and Roster
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I am grateful for Tom Ellis’s work in producing this book – a thoughtful, careful, and thorough chronicle of the Civil War service of the men from Upton. He has successfully captured the spirit of the people of Upton. From the American Revolution to the recent past, the citizens of this small town have let their beliefs, guided by the Creator, gauge their response to the Nation’s call. There is no better example than that shown by Tom Ellis’s telling of how Upton’s citizens’ hatred of the slavery of human beings was proved by their sending so many of their sons, 233 men, to fight in the Civil War.
When the foliage is down in the winter until spring, I can look out my front window and see the grave markers in Upton’s Lakeview Cemetery. Many of these mark the graves of Upton’s men who fought in the Civil War. A close inspection of the markers reveals the depth and breadth of their service: the various regiments in which they served, the great battles in which they fought, and the innocence of youth they sacrificed. It is a legacy of which Upton can be proud and that must be preserved. Tom Ellis has done just that. Bravo!
Steven N. Wickstrom
Major General (Retired), US Army and Upton Resident
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Tom A.C. Ellis has brought together for the first time a comprehensive list and brief biography of the men who rose to Lincoln’s call to defend the nation in April 1861 for the Town of Upton. Tom has compiled a a list of the shoemakers, straw hatters, farmers, mechanics, teamsters and others who served their country, and discussed the contribution of women who supported the Sanitary Commission, made clothing, and worked as nurses during the four years of war. Each man who enlisted has a biographical story that will greatly enhance those researching their Upton ancestors. Tom has intertwined the various Companies and Regiments in which Upton men served along with a brief but comprehensive history of the War. I particularly related to the men who were imprisoned at Andersonville as my own gr-grandfather spent nine months in that awful encampment. Genealogists will be well served to have a copy of this book to support their research on Civil War ancestors.
Edward Wallace Phillips
Upton Cemetery Commission Chairman, professional genealogist, veteran
Wakefield’s Civil War Service: A History and Roster
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We appreciate Tom Ellis’ work in bringing together “Wakefield’s Civil War Service, A History and Roster.” This compilation of records, photographs and statistics helps to document the history of South Reading’s soldiers and seamen. Mr. Ellis has combined his own great knowledge of “the Rebellion” with town, state and federal military records. We especially appreciate his efforts to personalize the shoemakers, farmers, laborers, moulders, tinsmiths and rattan workers who left their homes and their families to take up arms to protect the Union and the nation they loved. A welcome addition to our resource library.
Nancy Bertrand
President, Wakefield Historical Society; Chair, Wakefield Historical Commission
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Thomas A.C. Ellis has written a new, comprehensive history of Wakefield’s role in the Civil War. It is a worthy companion to other volumes written on the history of the town. But Ellis’s book will also be of interest to Civil War buffs regardless of their geographical affiliation. Included is a thorough and exhaustive history of the war, focusing on military strategy and accounts of battles.
Mark Sardella
Wakefield Daily Item
Bellingham’s Civil War Service: A History and Roster
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Tom Ellis’ most recent work, Bellingham’s Civil War Service, provides an in depth history of Bellingham’s involvement in the Civil War. Ellis has completed a thorough investigation into the role that the town and its inhabitants played in the Civil War. The text intimately guides readers through the many tumultuous years that helped to form this great nation. This is a tremendous resource for the town.
Michael J. Soter
State Representative
Marlborough/Hudson’s Civil War Service Reviews
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On behalf of the City of Marlborough, I am expressing our sincere gratitude to Tom Ellis who has meticulously researched Marlborough’s rich Civil War era history. It is important to document the role that Marlborough residents played to preserve the Union and end slavery. Thanks to his efforts, we now have a first-class publication which preserves our local history, honors our Veterans and can be shared with generations to come.
Arthur G. Vigeant
Mayor
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This supreme effort by Tom Ellis helps us to recognize the great sacrifice that the people of Marlborough/Hudson made to preserve our nation. The comprehensive nature of his presentation shows how and why the Civil War completely reshaped America. It is impossible to imagine a better or more faithful rendering of what it was like to live in that era. Each and every black and white photo is an image of someone who experienced in depth those most trying of times. Tom writes about the very real men and women and the epic event that has shaped our country to this day. All of this is what Abraham Lincoln spoke about in November of 1863 at Gettysburg. As we now know, Lincoln’s words were not mere words and this book by Tom Ellis is a vital and final testament to those times for the Marlborough/Hudson community.
Richard Harrity
President, Hudson Historical Society
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Elegantly written, thoroughly researched, and fascinating to read are some of the terms that come to mind when looking through Tom A. C. Ellis’s Marlborough & Hudson’s Civil War Service. This compendium is comprehensive in its scope yet exact in detail. Recommended for all Civil War and history buffs.
Julia Altshuler
Marlborough Historical Society
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Once again, Tom Ellis has written a remarkable history of the residents of a community who sacrificed so greatly for saving the Union. Marlborough & Hudson Civil War Service: A History and Roster not only covers the details of each individual enlisted in the services during the great conflict, it also fills in important historical events on a much broader scale. The many large and small battles of the Civil War are related with as much care as the specific details of the 1,031 Marlborough and Hudson residents who fleshed out those details. This history is a valuable tool for any resident who wants to uncover specifics of a particular family member, or for any history buff who knows that, to paraphrase the late Tip O’Neil, all history is local history. Tom Ellis is a master of accumulating valuable detail and presenting it in a readable and personal manner.
Robert Fagone
Trustee Marlborough Historical Society
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Tom A. C. Ellis Jr. has done it again with another outstanding effort in presenting real history, not the customary kind found in a school text book! From the home front to the front lines, Mr. Ellis leads the reader to view the names, faces, and personalities of the Marlborough / Hudson populace that were the pieces to the puzzle that was the local contribution to the Union effort.
His superb organizational skills … i.e. Biographical Roster … Regimental Histories … Cemeteries … Peoples’ Contributions … do much to grab the reader’s attention and make this an easy read. Another splendid contribution are hundreds of national and local Civil war photos. Stare at the eyes of Marshall and Nellie Inman … the cover photo … amazing!
Woven throughout this book are anecdotal stories, background information, and primary sources that vividly bring the reader back to a very difficult period in our history. The tragic story of two soldiers shot for desertion will leave you mesmerized!
This is a must read for all genealogists, researchers, history enthusiasts, and lifelong learners!
Bill Tate
Marlborough Historical Society, Trustee
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I thoroughly enjoyed Tom’s captivating book. Of particular interest was the chapter about the John Brown Bell. It is rare indeed to find an individual willing to do the research required to produce a volume of such excellence. It has to be “In your blood” so to speak. It is certainly in Toms. Future historians will applaud this work. I do so today. Bravo Tom and Thank you.
David Bonazzoli
Historian Hudson Historical Society
Natick’s Civil War Service Reviews
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“Mr. Ellis has done a great amount of research and has written a very detailed book on Natick’s service during The Civil War. Mr. Ellis’ book is a welcome addition to Natick’s local history.”
Cary Holmes Reference Department, Local History & Veterans History Specialist
Morse Institute Library. Natick, Mass.
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“While many Civil War authors focus on the major battles and issues, Natick’s Civil War Service brings the war to Natick’s doorstep. Tom Ellis’ thorough research provides a comprehensive document of Natick’s contribution to our country’s most terrible conflict. Tying local, individual and regimental histories together, it is a must read for anyone interested in the Civil War sacrifices made by Natick citizens. Bravo Zulu to Tom for a job well done.”
Donald Clark, relative of Natick Civil War Veterans
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“This is a comprehensive history and a welcome resource work on Natick’s substantial contribution to the Union cause in the Civil War. Tom Ellis has done the hard work of compiling details on the wartime service of 493 men and uncounted women of Natick, and researchers and genealogists alike will find it useful. It is copiously documented, clearly organized with lots of pictures and written in a comfortable style that makes it fully accessible. At 472 pages, there’s a lot to like in this tribute to Natick’s sons and daughters who put their lives on the line to support the war. Of particular interest is a complete roster (with bio and family details) of Natick soldiers including black men who served, compact histories of the Massachusetts units that had Natick men on their rosters, a compilation of the town’s veterans interred in seven cemeteries, an expanded glossary of terms and an impressive bibliography.”
Richard C. Subber Natick Historical Society
Hopkintons’ Civil War Service Reviews
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“Tom A.C. Ellis continues to lead the charge chronicling the service and sacrifices of soldiers from local communities during the Civil War. His fourth book, “Hopkinton’s Civil War Service: A History and Roster,’’ documents the occupations, service, wounds and deaths of all 478 Hopkinton men who served in the Civil War.
A dogged researcher, he has rescued from obscurity the lives and deaths of men. With a fine eye for detail, Ellis has documented “essential categories’’ of the Hopkinton men’s service such as former occupations, casualties, wounds, disease, and disabilities.
Ellis is a “boots on the ground historian’’ who carries readers into the field with Hopkinton’s citizen-soldiers who fought and died to preserve the Union. He has provided a genuine act of remembrance for an entire community.”
Chris Bergeron, reporter
Metro West Daily News Framingham, MA
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“I thoroughly enjoyed going over Tom’s very fine book. It is so wonderful to have all of this specific information on our Hopkinton veterans available in one place. It is a great resource. The book provides a very interesting & easy to read overview of many aspects of the war, and it is organized in a useful way, such as places of burial, those killed in action, wounded, died of disease, etc. Combined with the individual listings and the regimental histories, it is easy to reference back & forth when seeking the details of a particular soldier.”
Clair Wright, Hopkinton Historical Commission, Hopkinton Cemetery Commission
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“Tom’s book will be extremely useful for family historians, genealogists and Civil War researchers or enthusiasts. It’s loaded with detailed information about each and every soldier from our town and describes their role in the complicated war, making Hopkinton’s part in this era of history very real. As a former history teacher, I can only imagine what a local educator could do with this information! It is terrific and reflects an incredible amount of work.
Linda Connelly, Archives Management
Hopkinton Public Library
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“I am writing to congratulate you on your latest accomplishment of “Hopkinton’s Civil War Service: A History and Roster”, Tercentennial Edition. Your nearly completed creation has been presented to us at a very integral time in Hopkinton’s history as we are excitedly approaching the Town’s 300th anniversary celebration. On behalf of the Town, the Board of Selectmen and all of the Hopkinton residents, I commend you on a job well done. Thank you for your interest and commitment to the Town of Hopkinton’s history.”
Norman Khumalo, Hopkinton Town Manager
Hopkinton, MA
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“Tom Ellis has done a meticulous job of researching the proud history of Hopkinton’s service in the Civil War. His book will serve as a tremendous resource to history enthusiasts and genealogical researchers alike. In particular, the primary source materials from the front lines of battle are fascinating.”
Jean Bertschmann, Chair
Hopkinton 300th Anniversary Celebration Committee
Framingham’s Civil War Service Reviews
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“Local historians regard Ellis’ manuscript a remarkable achievement that preserves and honors the memory of the 530 men and -women who served their country. “Along the way, Ellis made discoveries that would forever alter the records of service of Framingham residents in the War Between the States.”
Chris Bergeron
News Staff Writer
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“Ellis’ clear unpretentious prose reads like an eyewitness account. ” “I almost feel Tom was there on the battleground with these men and women he is writing about.” “Tom Ellis has written a labor of love on the Civil War. His book reads like it is fiction. But it isn’t ‘t fiction. He’s got the sources right. ”
Mary Murphy
Framingham State University
English Professor, Emerita
Framingham History Center
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“It ‘s clear that Tom has done his research and identified anyone ever connected to Framingham who served in this war. ”
Stephen Herring
Historian and Author
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“This publication by the author is an in-depth study of the role played by the Town of Framingham, during the War Of The Rebellion, 1861-1865. The contents of this report have been meticulously gleaned from the chronicles, journals, State papers and archives. It has revealed Framingham’s rightful place in the history of our Nation. ”
James E. Fahey
Military Archivist
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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Tom Ellis has produced the definitive work on Framingham’s Civil War service. Exhaustedly
researched, well written and beautifully illustrated, it is a priceless contribution to the historical record of our town.”
Fred Wallace
Framingham Town Historian, and Author
Medway’s Civil War Service Reviews
[ Article] 9/23/2013 – Medway author tells story of town’s Civil War heroes
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“Tom A.C. Ellis, Jr. records the history of the Civil War through the service and eyewitness experiences of the small town Union troops who fought it. In his third book, “Medway & Millis’ Civil War Service A History and Roster,” the self-taught historian has provided the invaluable and definitive accounting of the contributions and sacrifices of every Medway citizen who answered the call of duty 150 years ago. But more than that, Ellis has documented an entire community’s service from the town of Medway itself to its women and black residents. The result is a comprehensive portrait of how a small Massachusetts town was affected by a national cataclysm. A prodigious researcher, Ellis follows Medway’s soldiers into battle, back home and, in many cases, into the grave.
Through his painstaking research and accurate and exciting descriptions, Ellis has given the town of Medway, where he lives, a worthy history of the service of its men and women throughout the War Between the States. Like those who served during that terrible ordeal, Ellis has provided honorable service to Medway.”
Chris Bergeron, reporter
Metro West Daily News Framingham, MA
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“An enlightening history of Medway’s gallant men who participated in the Great War of the Rebellion. The concise and detailed events are a tribute to the author who spent countless hours researching the Massachusetts Adjutant General’s reports, and walking the rows of the town’s four cemeteries. This work clearly defines Medway’s rightful place in the history of our nation. It is precisely written and well indexed.”
Colonel Michael F. Matondi
(Retired)
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“In this superbly crafted history, Ellis recounts those brave men and women of the town of Medway who contributed and sacrificed during that ordeal.
Lest we forget.”
Mark Wilcox President
Medway Historical Society
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“In this year when we are celebrating Medway’s 300th birthday, it is amazing to read Tom Ellis’ book and be transported back 150 years. Though very detailed and well researched, this history book is also very readable. He makes the period come to life.”
Linda Reynolds
Medway 300 committees
The Massachusetts Andrew Sharpshooters
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“I heartily recommend Alden (Tom) Ellis’ Massachusetts (Andrew) Sharpshooters to all scholars of the civil war. It is an eminently educational and enjoyable book that relates on a personal level the trials, tribulations and courage of the sharpshooters of the 1st & 2nd Co.’s of Massachusetts Sharpshooters, organized at the behest of Gov. John Andrews by Cpt. Jack Saunders in 1861. The book and Tom’s presentation to our Civil War Roundtable of Central Massachusetts were fascinating.”
Bob Carlson
President of Civil War Roundtable Central MA