Hi Jim, Thank you so much for your help! Yes, my Richerson was misspelled Richardson a lot (it is even listed as Richardson on my gggrandmother's marraige liscense!) I will look into the John H. Richardson you mentioned--I know that if my John H. served, he would have been in Missouri....all of his children up until 1870 were born in Missouri (1858, 1860, 1864, 1865--my gggrandmother--and 1869)

I do have one more question--were the units, like the 8th Missouri Infantry, from specific areas in Missouri? Is there somewhere I could look that up? I was going to use the location of the units to possibly locate my John H. Richerson in the 1850 or 1860 census....I have been unable to find him in either (1850 he would have been with or near his parents who were born in KY--1860 census would find him married to a Mary (Polly) with a 2 year old:) It's been frustrating, also, because my gggrandmother's birthplace on her death cert. is listed as "Sharon", MO and her brother's obit lists his birthplace as "Sheridan County" MO. Both sound the same but I can not find either one!!:)

There may be a connection to Muskogee, OK...it is a small world, isn't it:):)
Again, thank you so much!
Alison