Perrysburg resident Dan Masters, the author of eight books, will be speaking both Saturday and Sunday during Sidney, Ohio’s Civil War Living History Weekend. The event is scheduled to be held in Sidney’s 230 acre Tawawa Park on Sept. 17-18.

Masters’ interest in the Civil War began more than a quarter century ago as he began researching his family’s genealogy.

“One day I sat down with my grandmother,” Masters said in a city of Sidney press release. “We were going through the part of her family who had lived in the Chillicothe area. She had a Civil War discharge certificate belonging to James Morrow of the 1st Ohio Cavalry. She had no idea who he was or how we might be related.”

“That discharge certificate started me beginning the genealogical research, travel, and digging through old records,” Masters continued. “I discovered that James Morrow was her father’s grandfather, and hence my great-great-great grandfather.”

During the 25 years since, Masters has researched and written several books, had several articles published in both regional and national publications, and is one of the most prolific Civil War bloggers in the field today. His website “Dan Masters’ Civil War Chronicles,” ranks as one of the top five Civil War blogs in the country. Much of his work has focused on the contributions Ohioans made during the war, including the members of his family.

“In addition to James Morrow, I found three other direct Civil War ancestors, all of whom served in the Union army,” he noted. “Two of the men served in units raised in Indiana, and two in Ohio units.”

“My genealogical research project led to my discovering these four direct ancestors, but several other uncles and cousins who also fought during the war,” Masters said. “Two of those uncles did not come home and both are buried in national cemeteries located in Tennessee. One of them died of wounds sustained at the Battle of Stones River while the other died of disease in Memphis in 1863.”

“I’ve always had a deep interest in U.S. history and in particular, military history,” Masters said. “When I speak, I like to joke that during the Civil War, the Army of the Cumberland was the family business,” he continued, “and, in a way, it was. All four direct ancestors served in that army during the conflict.”

Masters has direct ancestors who served in the 1st Ohio Cavalry, the 89th Ohio Infantry, the 37th Indiana Infantry, and 140th Indiana…