My gg-grandfather Michael Maraghy (Margey/Maragay/Maraghey/Maragey) arrived in Boston 1860 from Ireland with his brother, Bernard. Michael married in Sept 1861.

A family story was told by one of their sisters that after serving a year in the war, one of the brothers was drafted again and could not buy his way out. That brother jumped ship in Boston harbor while deploying and came home with his clothes frozen to him.

My gg-grandfather left the states in time to have a son born in Glasgow, Scotland in July 1864. He had a son born in Ireland 1872. He returned by way of New York in Apr 1873. His missing years might support the desertion theory, but I can find no Civil War records where he was drafted, involved, or deserted.

Any direction or knowledge about searchable databases would be greatly appreciated.