I called the Jefferson Barracks Nat Cemetery and wasn't successful in finding out whether he was buried there or not. Sgt Goodman and the few others with names have stones in Section 45 so I imagine James W would be there too in one marked Unknown. I did ask the contact about getting a marker for him in the Memorial area and found I had to clear the mention of him being buried in Fee Fee before I could continue. I've done that so hopefully my path is open to continue with goal of getting him a Civil War marker like the one the "B***stard" Bloody Bill Anderson has in the cemetery where his unmarked grave is.
The contact kinda hem'd and haw'd when I mentioned that the grave marked for Sgt Thomas M Goodman was an error as Thomas is buried in the Santa Rosa Cemetery in Sonoma County, CA as we know. Since it is a national cemetery, the guy was very hesitant to even discuss an error. Hopefully I piqued his interest to find out. I proposed that James Thomas may actually be the one buried in the grave. Possible I think as the people who exhumed the bodies a couple years later may have found some mention of "Thomas" on the body or a penciled marker and assumed it was Sgt Goodman. Who knows now. I do have family DNA results but will have to probably go congressional to get exhumation for testing.
I also found that James' family "was" notified of his death as I found pension requests filed by his wife Dicy (Ducey) in Ancestry index and on actual record image, in Dec 1864. Her future husband Thomas Saunders filed one on behalf of the "minors" in July 1865. Neither appear to have been approved as only application numbers are written, no certificate number. The applications clearly show Thomas, James W, Company A, 1 MO Eng and Company D, 25 Mo V(ol) Inf. Nice to have copies of the actual record.
I have the application numbers, 75138 for Dicy's request, 163195 for the children. Does anyone know where I can view the applications? Or do I have to now make a request to NARA for them?
Thanx, Tom Thomas