Details on the death of your Civil War ancestor.

My Confederate ancestors all survived the war and basically died of natural causes. My TN unionist ancestors survived the war but my gg grandfather died in a gunfight with ex rebs. His two older brothers were also killed in fights with former Confederate and killed some of them. They were all in their early and mid twenties. The youngest brother of four became a Primitive Methodist Preacher and lived into his eighties. Proving the pen is mightier than the sword...and a great deal safer. 👍
And also that reality is far more interesting than fantasy. Heck of a story!

Did that post-war violence they took part in have to do with North/South animosity or was it unrelated?
 
It had several components but mainly related to the war. If you lived in Maine and served in the Union Army, more than likely so did your neighbors. Same way in Mississippi if you served in the Confederate Army but in Missouri, East KY and East TN, your neighbors..and relatives might have served on either side..or even both sides. :smile:
 
You're too kind to take this on. I have 37 ancestors that I know of that fought in the war. My fathers side was from MO; mother's from KY. There were 9 Roberts, 5 Cowans, and 9 Stonums. 3 fought for the South; the rest for the North. Here are 3 that I know of who perished during the war. I
William Hind Roberts 7th KY Cav CO G USA killed 3/63 in Mt. Sterling, KY
Milton Young 1st OH Light Artillery CO i drowned in Chattanooga (1/65)
Alexander Young 3rd Iowa Inf Co C died of wounds in Atlanta 7/64
Here's Mr. Roberts.

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Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anyone ever applied for a pension for Alexander Young, so there's no compact recounting of the circumstances of his death like there are for the other two.
 
Here's Mr. Roberts.

View attachment 402729

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anyone ever applied for a pension for Alexander Young, so there's no compact recounting of the circumstances of his death like there are for the other two.
Again, thanks so much for your time and efforts. This is quite a document you found.
 
View attachment 402590
Daniel P. Sturkie (C or H/6th AL) his CMSR reveals no record of his enlistment, but carded hospital records show he was a Private in Company H. He was admitted March 2, 1862 to General Hospital No. 18 (formerly Greaner's Hospital) for Chronic Rheumatism. He remained there 46 days before being returned to duty on April 17, 1862.
View attachment 402589
The only other card in his file is one noting that his name appears on a Register of Claims of deceased Officers and Soldiers from Alabama which were filed for settlement in the Office of the Confederate States Auditor for the War Department. The claim was filed May 18, 1863 by attorney John W Griggs. There is no record of payment, likely because of an inability to verify Sturkie's enlistment.
 
Yes I have both these copies. No one in my family knew which unit he was with and I was determined to find that out. No one knew his middle name either and that made the search even morefrustrating. The name Griggs on the death pension clinched it. That was his father in law. Thanks!
 
View attachment 402590
Daniel P. Sturkie (C or H/6th AL) his CMSR reveals no record of his enlistment, but carded hospital records show he was a Private in Company H. He was admitted March 2, 1862 to General Hospital No. 18 (formerly Greaner's Hospital) for Chronic Rheumatism. He remained there 46 days before being returned to duty on April 17, 1862.
View attachment 402589
The only other card in his file is one noting that his name appears on a Register of Claims of deceased Officers and Soldiers from Alabama which were filed for settlement in the Office of the Confederate States Auditor for the War Department. The claim was filed May 18, 1863 by attorney John W Griggs. There is no record of payment, likely because of an inability to verify Sturkie's enlistment.
I thought my reply was sent but evidently not. No one in my mother's family knew the particulars of his death. No one knew the unit he served in and that was my intent. I have both of those records of his stay in hospital. No one knew his middle name and that made my search even more more frustrating. The name on the pension (Griggs) for death clinched it. That was his father in law.
Thanks, Mike
 
Today was my volunteer morning at the local historical society--2 of the members are from Lowell so I queried them about sources there.

Any one of these 3 is apt to maintain an obituary file. Each site has contact information.

There were 4 men of that name who died in Lowell (1891, 1903, 1907 & 1919). If I had to guess, I'd guess the one who died in 1907--but see below.

Sargent, A. Dean. Grand Army of the Republic: Civil War Veterans, Department of Massachusetts, 1866 to 1947. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 2002. Arranged numerically by post number; entries include member’s name, rank, company, regiment or ship, name and location of post, birth date or death date, and place of residence or birth. Sargent, A. Dean. Grand Army of the Republic: Civil War Veterans, Department of Massachusetts, 1866 to 1947. CD-ROM. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 2002

Lowell Magazine had published the "Edson Books" (names of military veterans buried in Lowell Cemetery and St. Patrick Cemetery: http://www.lowellmagenealogy.com/military.html. I found only one Martin Clark in the Saint Patrick Cemetery--died 1907 but fought in 48th Mass. No Martin Clark in the Lowell Cemetery. However, I had difficulty in navigating the sit and you might want to check for yourself.

If I were you, I'd contact the library first. Libraries often maintain obituary files.
This is great stuff thanks...really...thanks. I think he was 1891 in passing and he fought in a PA unit..
Super
 
This is great stuff thanks...really...thanks. I think he was 1891 in passing and he fought in a PA unit..
Super
There are a number of trees on Ancestry on the man who died in 1891 and, according to them, he didn't arrive in this country until 1874. To be honest, I put no faith in family trees. For one thing, they are apt to copy from each other and--if one person makes a mistake--it is multiplied. Also, according to his death record (I used NEGH's Mass. Vital Records), he died of cancer.

There is also the possibility that Family Lore didn't get the entire story right. Perhaps the unfortunate accident was in some other place while his home was, indeed, in Lowell where he may have been buried. Is it certain that he fought for a PA unit? Wild thought: there is a Lowell in Maine (as well as in Mass.); I think that there is one in Indiana as well.

Do you know his unit in Pennsylvania? Many units have present-day re-enactors and its been my experience that the re-enactor has researched the person he is portraying. Also, the unit may have records or have held reunions (reporting the activities of its members).
 
My ancestor, Private Wiley Brewer of the 3rd North Carolina, was captured at the Battle of Spotsylvania and died at Elmira prison camp in December of 1864.
 
he fought in a PA unit..
http://www.pacivilwar.com/ (Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Civil War-lots of information (searchable) --nb..."Bates" in upper banner will take you to "History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865" by Samuel P. Bates (1869), a 5-volume study)

http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/archive.asp?view=ArchiveIndexes&ArchiveID=17&FL=C (ACW card file, PA State Archives, surname beginning with C)

https://irishamericancivilwar.com/ (on the Irish in ACW general, much to search)
 
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My 1st cousin 3x removed died of typhoid fever at the Stanton Hospital in Washington D.C. on December 19, 1862. He is buried in the Military Asylum Cemetery (now named the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery) in that city. My 3x great grandfather died of kidney disease at the age of 82 in 1924. His father-in-law, my 4x great grandfather also served, but never returned home. The circumstances of his death remain unknown.
 
If you could would you like to have the details on how you Civil War ancestor was killed/died uring the Civil War? It might be interesting but sad. Is it just enough to know where and when they

If you could would you like to have the details on how you Civil War ancestor was killed/died uring the Civil War? It might be interesting but sad. Is it just enough to know where and when they died?
My great, great, great grandfather was Private Archer T. Cohea of Co. F, 4th Texas Infantry, Hood's Texas Brigade. His service record from the National Archives showed that he was killed on May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania, VA. However when I found the Texas Confederate pension application from his wife, one of the witness affidavits was from Joseph Polley, well known as a veteran of, and writer of the Texas Brigade.
Mr. Polley stated that he had been ill and was at the regimental hospital. Knowing that a battle was about to happen, he tried to return to his company, which was also Co. F, 4th Texas. The surgeon commanded him to stay to help the expected influx of wounded. His affidavit states that Cohea, who was in the same company, was wounded on May 6 at the Wilderness, the day of the famous "Lee to the rear" episode. Cohea had been "shot high in the right arm, too high to allow amputation, and died on May 8. Polley relates how he had attended to Cohea, and also relates who he shared a tent with. That gentleman also gave an affidavit attesting the same information. The discrepancy in the death date in his service record I put down no time being available to do a casualty report until the 12th because of the fluid situation and constant marching and fighting.
 
My ancestor, Private Wiley Brewer of the 3rd North Carolina, was captured at the Battle of Spotsylvania and died at Elmira prison camp in December of 1864.
I hope you don't mind that I looked him up - I need more experience with Confederate POW records. It looks like he died a little sooner than you thought, and his personal effects when he died were 1 pair of shoes, 2 jacket, 1 hat, and 1 haversack. From what I understand, there was a black church deacon in charge of the burials, and he would meticulously box up each dead man's belongings and label them with his name so that the family could have them after the war if they came looking for information. I wonder if they ever got hold of Wiley's things.

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I hope you don't mind that I looked him up - I need more experience with Confederate POW records. It looks like he died a little sooner than you thought, and his personal effects when he died were 1 pair of shoes, 2 jacket, 1 hat, and 1 haversack. From what I understand, there was a black church deacon in charge of the burials, and he would meticulously box up each dead man's belongings and label them with his name so that the family could have them after the war if they came looking for information. I wonder if they ever got hold of Wiley's things.

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I don't mind at all. Indeed, I thank you very much, for I had never seen this documentation.
 
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