Whether you’re a history teacher, middle or high school student, university-level researcher, or descendant of a soldier who served with the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War, it may feel like an impossible task to learn more about the life of someone who lived and died more than a century ago.

But it may be much easier for you than you realize.

From finding and confirming a specific soldier’s identity to documenting when and where he served in the military (and what his duties might have been) — to identifying the names of a soldier’s family members from great-grandparents to great-grandchildren, there are multiple tools available that can help you begin and deepen your research. That’s why we’re launching a new feature on our website during Family History Month — a series of periodic “tips and tricks” articles that are designed to help you progress along the way in your journey from preliminary researcher to soldier’s biographer. Look for those articles over the next several months under the heading of “Finding Your 47th Pennsylvanian.”

Welcome to the hunt!