16th Massachusetts infantry

I just discovered that Captain Edward Rowe (shown in a post above) was my great-great uncle, the brother-in-law of my g-g-grandfather, Captain Matthew Donovan, who led the regiment at Gettysburg after Lt. Col. Merriam was wounded (Donovan was married to his sister, my great-great grandmother).

I found this sword, sold at auction in 2008, which was presented to Capt. Donovan by the regiment during the war.

https://historical.ha.com/itm/milit...-massachusetts-infant-total-2/a/6015-57519.s#
 
Last edited:
Wow! That's a fantastic sword @cvalin Do you have a diary or any letters or anything else from your 2x great grandfather or from Capt. Rowe?
 
Wow! That's a fantastic sword @cvalin Do you have a diary or any letters or anything else from your 2x great grandfather or from Capt. Rowe?
Unfortunately, I didn't inherit anything like that, but I did come across this letter that he wrote that's in a digital archive:
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth-oai:br86bv07b

Also, someone from my family sent me this picture of a monument in Lowell, Mass. that Donovan's wife (Rowe's sister) erected in his memory.
DONOVAN,_Matthew_T,_Ellen_Rowe(wife),Catherine,_Anne,_Frank,St_Patricks_Cemetery,_Lowell,_MA_Y...jpg
 
Tainter, George W. - CWTIColl (Enlisted man's letter, Apr 16, 1929; Personal reminiscences)
George Washington Tainter was, as far as I know, the last living survivor of the 16th Massachusetts. He was wounded at Second Bull Run, and was honorably discharged after a stay in the hospital. He then enlisted in the Navy, rising to the rank of Acting Ensign. He was born on July 26, 1841 in Boston, Massachusetts and died on March 26, 1943, in St. Charles, Missouri, aged 101. He lived a long and fulfilling life, his postwar career being that of a dentist.

Here is his obituary.

img.jpeg
 
I just discovered that Captain Edward Rowe (shown in a post above) was my great-great uncle, the brother-in-law of my g-g-grandfather, Captain Matthew Donovan, who led the regiment at Gettysburg after Lt. Col. Merriam was wounded (Donovan was married to his sister, my great-great grandmother).

I found this sword, sold at auction in 2008, which was presented to Capt. Donovan by the regiment during the war.

https://historical.ha.com/itm/milit...-massachusetts-infant-total-2/a/6015-57519.s#
 
Back
Top