Gettysburg, Where Was Your Ancestor?

Sgt Ephraim C. Grace... 4th Great Uncle with the 139th PA Co. A

Pvt. James Grace..... 3rd Great Grandpa with the 39th PA Co. G

Col. Jason T. Giebner 4th Great Uncle 140th Pa Co. B

139th Soldiers.jpg
39th PA Statue soldiers.jpg
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that is all I know for now.. I think I had 2 Great Uncles.. with same last name in different companies

140PA-Gettysburg-001a.jpg
 
Lewis Steigerwalt, Co G, 116th PVI, grgrgrandfather's brother. Tough invasion for that family too. Brother David died at Goose Creek during the pursuit.

116th was part of the Irish Brigade although anyone named ' Steigerwalt ' demonstrably was not Irish.

Anyone ever muse about family members at Gettysburg, unaware other men fighting on the same field would one day be related to them through children? Between Mom's side and Dad's, have a few.
 
Lewis Steigerwalt, Co G, 116th PVI, grgrgrandfather's brother. Tough invasion for that family too. Brother David died at Goose Creek during the pursuit.

116th was part of the Irish Brigade although anyone named ' Steigerwalt ' demonstrably was not Irish.

Anyone ever muse about family members at Gettysburg, unaware other men fighting on the same field would one day be related to them through children? Between Mom's side and Dad's, have a few.

Of the 13 ancestors at Gettysburg 7 are on my Dad's side and 6 on Mom's. Some became granduncles 86 years after Gettysburg when my brother was born.
 
Still trying to piece together where all of mine were.

One that I'm positive about was, in the 47th VA Inf & captured on the retreat @ falling waters, MD. I have several other ancestors that, I believe took part in the Battle of Gettysburg. Just haven't confirmed it yet.

GG Grandfather was in 1st MD Inf. Uncles in 5th LA Inf, & Washington Artillery. Two Uncles in 30th VA Inf but, they were detached elsewhere during the battle I believe.
 
Still looking will add more later.
SHOCKLEY, William H. Company I, 24th Virginia Infantry. WIA twice. POW twice.

William Shockley Pvt. Co. C 24th Va. Inf. died Nov. 11, 1863 in Carroll County, Va. from wounds received at Gettysburg, Pa. William Shockley was shot in the neck, captured, and sent to New York's DeCamp General Hospital; he was exchanged but succumbed from his wound in Carroll County, Virginia on November 19, 1863.

At Gettysburg, Captain Martin V. B. (Van Buren) Shockley led Company C.

Private Richard Shockley was severely wounded in the left ankle and captured.
 
Remember: 5th generations: 16 ggg gfathers. 4th generation: 8 ggg gfathers. With uncle and cousins added.....great probability you will find ancestors that fought for north and south (a part from ancestors that were not In America yet).
 
Remember: 5th generations: 16 ggg gfathers. 4th generation: 8 ggg gfathers. With uncle and cousins added.....great probability you will find ancestors that fought for north and south (a part from ancestors that were not In America yet).


Depending on your age.... :angel:. It's alllll great greats from where I'm sitting in History. We have members who are one great away, and I know I've seen grandfathers mentioned.
 
Of the 13 ancestors at Gettysburg 7 are on my Dad's side and 6 on Mom's. Some became granduncles 86 years after Gettysburg when my brother was born.


Crazy, isn't it? Two grgr grandfathers , one from Mom's side, one from Dad's crossed paths at Spotsylvania, wounds on the same day. Bet that kind of thing happened a gazillion times, if we but knew.

Here on the forum it's always amazing running into members whose ancestors were shooting at each other one day 150 plus years ago- had someone whose great grandfather could have shot at JPK at Gettysburg. Maybe it's all so fascinating because it illustrates how close we are to the war. Dad always said ' The Civil War was yesterday ' and I never got that until making some of these connections.
 
It's July 2nd. 156 years ago men who woke up to their last morning on the planet at a place called Gettysburg, Adams county, Pennsylvania. James Polk Knox Huson, a law student from Penn Yan, New York was one. 126th New York. He never left, like so many others. Brother Lewis, 120th NY survived.

David Adam, 11th PA lay not far from the men of Iverson's Brigade, unburied.

Trooper George Knarr, 6th US Cavalry, encamped near LRT. He'd go missing after the next day's battle at Fairfield. One brother was there, wounded.

Where were your ancestors?
 
I think I previously posted on this thread that I had a Gr-Gr-Grandfather in the 17th Mississippi. Well I started looking at this extended family---brothers and brothers-in-law---and found two that served in his same company. One was discharged before Gettysburg.
These are my Gr-Gr-Grandfather and my 3rd Gr-Uncle.

Pvt. Stephen T. Musselwhite, Co. H, 17th Mississippi Regiment, General Barksdale's Brigade.
Pvt. William J. Guest (age 25), Co. H, 17th Mississippi Regiment, General Barksdale's Brigade.

They were both present in the roll call so I'm assuming they participated in Barksdale's Charge.
 
July 2nd 5 were in the III Corps. 4 from the 141 PVI placed along the edge of the Peach Orchard and 1, 57 PVI advancing to the Sherfy Farm. Fredrick and Rubin Schrader along with George Strong survived the Peach Orchard and the war. The 4th Silas Gore died and is among the unknown.
At the Sherfy Farm Henry Wells was among the men that did not get the order to retreat and were captured and ended up a POW in Richmond. He would survive the war as well.
John Durst was in the II Corps 148 PVI and was thrown into the wheat field. He would survive the day only to be shot the next day at the angle and die weeks later in Harrisburg from the wound.
2 more Charles Decker and Francis Furman I Corps 143 PVI had seen action the day before at McPherson's farm and were along cemetery ridge near where the PA monument stands today. They would receive cannon fire the next day but were not engaged in the final attack. A brother Granville Furman was at a field hospital for a wound suffered July 1 and after some time in Philadelphia would return to his Regiment. They would all survive the war.
 
I think I previously posted on this thread that I had a Gr-Gr-Grandfather in the 17th Mississippi. Well I started looking at this extended family---brothers and brothers-in-law---and found two that served in his same company. One was discharged before Gettysburg.
These are my Gr-Gr-Grandfather and my 3rd Gr-Uncle.

Pvt. Stephen T. Musselwhite, Co. H, 17th Mississippi Regiment, General Barksdale's Brigade.
Pvt. William J. Guest (age 25), Co. H, 17th Mississippi Regiment, General Barksdale's Brigade.

They were both present in the roll call so I'm assuming they participated in Barksdale's Charge.

They would have been fighting my 4 ancestors that were in the Peach Orchard.
 
Crazy, isn't it? Two grgr grandfathers , one from Mom's side, one from Dad's crossed paths at Spotsylvania, wounds on the same day. Bet that kind of thing happened a gazillion times, if we but knew.

Here on the forum it's always amazing running into members whose ancestors were shooting at each other one day 150 plus years ago- had someone whose great grandfather could have shot at JPK at Gettysburg. Maybe it's all so fascinating because it illustrates how close we are to the war. Dad always said ' The Civil War was yesterday ' and I never got that until making some of these connections.

You hit the nail on the head. That kind of stuff is just fascinating to me!!! During the fight at Brawner's Farm, my wife's side in the Iron Brigade, my side the Stonewall Brigade....my ancestor hit in the belt buckle, my wife's ancestor promoted for bravery....your imagination goes to things like, did they shoot at each other, did they actually see each other on the battlefield....and 6 generations later, their descendants get married...COOL STUFF! It is that kind of thing that really grabs my passion for my Civil War/Family research.
 
Pretty much every Ammerman, Boggs, and Parsons (among others) from Centre County wraps back into my family tree. These are the two I know of where they were at the time.

My 3x's Great Grandfather Joseph Ammerman
via SAC 47532264
Private, Company B, 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry. At war's end, the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry and the 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalry were consolidated to form the 3rd Pennsylvania Provisional Cavalry. Joseph was mustered out with Company B, 3rd PA Provisional Cavalry on October 31, 1865. Born in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Filed for a pension on June 6, 1888, application number 658,527, certificate number 490,093. Wife Jemima Ammerman filed for a widow's pension on June 22, 1897, application number 657,144, certificate 453,952. Disability cited as rheumatism, unable to do manual labor in the 1890 Veteran's Census.

My understanding is this is one of his brothers. His Find A Grave has a picture of a mass grave stone not an individual.
David Ammerman
per Find A Grave:
Residence: Flemming Co, Centre Co,PA.

Enlistment Age-23. Laborer

Enlisted: Aug 11,1862 at Milesburg,PA. Private

Mustered into Co "B" 148th PA Infantry.

Listed, wounded Jul 2,1863 at Gettysburg, PA

Died of wounds at 1st Division,2nd Corps Hospital Gettysburg He was wounded in the fight for the Wheatfield, between 6:50 and 8:00 p.m. he was wounded near the present day Ayres Ave. He died at the 2nd Corps Hospital, and buried on the Jacob Schwartz's Farm. 2nd Corp Hospital was located near the end of the present day Hospital Road
 
My wife's ancestor was Robert Newton Hoffman, who grew up in Gettysburg PA. However, he ended up fighting for the Confederacy in the 2nd Virginia Infantry after relocating to Shepherdstown VA prior to the war. You can read all about the Hoffman family and the other Confederates from Gettysburg (including Wesley Culp who worked for the Hoffman family), in the Tom McMillan's book "Gettysburg Rebels". During the battle the 2nd Virginia was on the extreme left flank of the Confederate line. Hoffman was on detached duty at Gettysburg. Culp was shot in the head. The other Gettysburg Rebels were Robert's two brothers and Henry Wentz who were all involved in the battle.
 
My wife's ancestor was Robert Newton Hoffman, who grew up in Gettysburg PA. However, he ended up fighting for the Confederacy in the 2nd Virginia Infantry after relocating to Shepherdstown VA prior to the war. You can read all about the Hoffman family and the other Confederates from Gettysburg (including Wesley Culp who worked for the Hoffman family), in the Tom McMillan's book "Gettysburg Rebels". During the battle the 2nd Virginia was on the extreme left flank of the Confederate line. Hoffman was on detached duty at Gettysburg. Culp was shot in the head. The other Gettysburg Rebels were Robert's two brothers and Henry Wentz who were all involved in the battle.


Whoa. We mostly hear of Wesley, maybe because he was killed. I ran into another somewhere in an era newspaper, bet he's in that book.
We really can't imagine what it had to have been like marching back into your home town as part of an invading army. Must have been surreal. They wouldn't just know the town, they'd have know their church, their old neighbors, people they were in school with.
 
It's got me thinking how many members of their town were there? David was injured in the Wheatfield. There were 6 brothers. Were they all there? I can't find any of the others graves which is surprising considering the oldest brother was named Ithamer and there's a brother named Hezekiah. I know their father died in Valparaiso, Indiana in 1865 around age 68. Did the brothers run into each other there? Did they know they lost one in the battle? I want to know the story so badly.
 
I have a great-uncle, Pvt. John E. Price that was killed at Culp's Hill. Was in the 6th Alabama. He was a twin to Pvt James H. Price, of the same company. James was wounded at Antietam and sent home to convalesce, and missed Gettysburg. James returned to duty and surrendered at Appomattox.
 
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