Are you my ancestor?

MT. PLEASANT — This Saturday, the Henry County Heritage Museum will host Michael Huston as he shares his passionate knowledge of Iowa Civil War soldiers through images.

Approximately 1,500 people share in Huston’s passion as they come together in a Facebook group to share images, offer information, and work together to uncover the mysteries of the past.

According to Huston, his purpose in running the group, speaking at events, and writing for publications on the topic is to remember and honor the men that served in Iowa units during the American Civil War.

Growing up, a photo of a soldier was passed down through the generations of Huston’s family.

The man was said to be a family ancestor who had fought in the Civil War.

Through the zealous efforts of Huston to uncover as much of the history as he could, he found that there were far too many inconsistencies for that to be true.

“I have five ancestors that served in Union regiments during the Civil War,” Huston said. “I have been looking for pictures of them, and I have a copy of a picture that has been handed down through the generations. The image didn’t make sense, though, considering the new things I learned about these sort of photos.”

For Huston the most important part of examining and studying these photos is not to find lineage, but to ensure historic accuracy, even if that means sometimes informing people that their photographs are not what they had hoped.

Saturday, July 30 beginning at 2 p.m., Huston will share some of his personal and acquired images of Iowa Unit Civil War soldiers with the goal to educate people.

He hopes that through education on the era and photographs, people might better recognize soldiers in images they previously assumed were civilian photos.

For Huston, this hobby has turned into a community.

“Most of the folks into the hobby are older,” Huston said. “Not that I’m young — I’m 40 years old. The people are willing to take others under their wing and teach them.”

Huston encourages those coming to the event to bring their own photographs.

He would like to help others learn about what is in their photos, and give other history buffs the opportunity to share their treasures, as well.

“I’ll try to keep it fun,” Huston said. “I know sometimes topics like this can be dry, but I’ll try to keep it exciting.”

Huston’s own excitement for the topic will bring a liveliness to the presentation.

If more incentive is needed to come enjoy the event, the museum will provide refreshments, and Huston promises a sneak peek of his next article for Military Images Magazine set to publish this December.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com