Emery Manville Hamilton

[Stryker65]

This man was a major in the 95th, and later the 87th USCT. @GELongstreet discovered some information about him for one of my projects, namely that he had supposedly been in service in 1861/1862, perhaps at Antietam. However, there are no records of this man in any unit. He was born in Milton, Wisconsin, in 1838, and lived to 1921.

His rank and prior service would be welcome!

 

[lupaglupa]

There is a pension card for Emery M Hamilton with the service in the 95th USCT that states that he served as a major in 1 Louisiana Engineers, Corp D'Afrique. That and another pension card both give his death date as June 2, 1919 at Magnolia, Massachusetts. He's listed in other records for the 87th but not on the pension card.

I found obituaries for him which simply stated that he was "a major in the engineering corps." He working in mining in the West and was living in Northampton, MA when he died.

Interestingly, he seems to have held a patent for an improved typewriter.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Believe Emery Hamilton and his family moved from NY to Milton, WI, in 1842.

Not much found on his CW service.

Could not find his name on any WI regiment's roster at Antietam. (His presumed brother, Cpl. Arthur Hamilton, Co. H, 2 WI, dow received at Antietam, at Keedysville, MD, on Sept. 26, '62).

Seems like Emery might have been connected with engineering, not infantry, type units throughout the war.

Apparently he was promoted to Major in an African-American engineering assigned unit, the '1st Regiment Engineers, Corps D'Afrique' – a unit organized on Apr. 28, '63. This unit was redesignated as the '95th USCT' on Apr. 4, '64, and later was consolidated with the 87th USCT' on Nov. 26, '64.

 

[Stryker65]

Yep, that's right! He is listed in the 1st CDAE (later 95th USCT), and then the 87th USCT. Do the records seem like he was appointed into the USCT directly from civilian life? I ask only since less than 5% of USCT field officers were appointed from civilian life.

 

[lupaglupa]

Emery was born in New York. In 1850 he lived with his family in Lima, Wisconsin. In 1860 he was still living at home at age 22. The family was in Milton, Wisconsin. Emery's occupation in the US Census is a blank. His father was a wagon maker.

Emery's brother Arthur was a corporal with Company H of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry. He was wounded at Antietam and died of his wounds 9 days later in Maryland.

Emery married in New York City in 1867. There appear to have been no children of the marriage.

 

[Stryker65]

When I google Emery M. Hamilton, there appears to be a famous typewriter inventor by that name -- it may be the same guy, as he invented it in 1880s NYC. However, an Emery M. Hamilton from Wisconsin also worked in Kansas in 1860, helping settlers travel westward. Still not sure how he would have ended up in Louisiana, though, since almost all of the Corps d'Afrique officers were from the predominantly-New-England Department of the Gulf.

 

[lupaglupa]

Sadly there seems to be little family research on him, which happens to childless people, I find.

 

[ErnieMac]

Hamilton actually died on June 3, 1919 in Northampton, Massachusetts. His obituary from the Springfield (MA) Daily Republican dated 4 Jun 1919 follows.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Do the records seem like he was appointed into the USCT directly from civilian life?

Thought that's a good bet - that he was appointed directly from civilian life, because of say his engineering skills, to become a major in engineering affiliated colored units (his first unit being the 1st. Regiment Engineers, Corps D'Afrique).'

This might explain why his name does not appear on any regimental rosters, prior to Apr., '63.

After reviewing all of the information presented, also have doubts whether Cpl. Arthur T. Hamilton, who dow after Antietam, was in fact his sibling.

 

[lupaglupa]

@Nathan Stuart Why do you question that Arthur is his brother? It looks very clear to me from Census and military records.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

@Nathan Stuart Why do you question that Arthur is his brother? It looks very clear to me from Census and military records.

lupaglupa. Yes, it was merely a doubt raised, not a conclusive determination, from bits of incomplete and inconsistent information viewed.

From various online sources, like https://www.historytools.org/people/emery-hamilton-biography-history-and-inventions , it's claimed that in Apr. '61, Emery and his brother, Arthur, 'joined the US Army of volunteers to serve in the American Civil War.' Although this is a broad statement, it seems reasonable to therefore believe (if they were brothers), that both would have enrolled and continued together in the same WI unit. But later, none of the rosters of the WI infantry units present at Antietam (i.e. 2, 3, 5, 6 & 7 WI) show Emery's name. Only Cpl. Arthur Hamilton appears in Co. H, 2 WI. If Emery did serve at Antietam, as suggested was a possibility in the OP, could he have belonged to another unit, say a NY unit (he was born in NY), or a non-combat specialist unit, like in engineering or communications, at this time. The first recorded military service found for Emery was as a Major in the 'First Regiment of Engineers Corps D'Afrique', a unit that was not organized until Apr. 28, '63. If Emery did not serve in the same unit as Arthur, and perhaps was not present at Antietam, thought this might cast on these various other online claims made that they were brothers.

Furthermore. In the relevant 'Find-a-Grave' listing for Arthur Hamilton (see https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42294539/arthur-t-hamilton ) it shows his only sibling was "Mary Lavantia Goodrich (nee Hamilton)' – there is no mention of another sibling on this site. However, the Find-a-Grave listing description for Mary (see Mary Lavantia Hamilton Goodrich (1836-1922) - Find a Grave Memorial ), who died in 1922, states, … She had two brothers, one of whom Arthur, was killed in action in the Civil War…….The other brother died in New York City one year ago.'… There is no mention here of the other brother by name, but it's quite possibly Emery.

In view of these findings, and what you say you found from the military and census records, can now accept that it appears likely that Emery and Arthur were in fact brothers, although Emery's service period may not be fully accounted for.

 

[lupaglupa]

They are in the Census together which I always find more reliable than Find a Grave.

 

[ErnieMac]

Bio from the Find A Grave for Horae Green Hamilton, the father of Arthur and Emery Hamilton.

Horace Green Hamilton (1811-1896) - Find a Grave...

Husband of Catherine M. Burdick ************************** The Weekly Telephone, Milton Junction, Wisconsin, Thursday, March 26, 1896, p 4. Horace G. Hamilton, one of Rock county's pioneer settlers, died Tuesday, aged 86. He was born in Brookfield, N. Y., Feb. 18, 1810, and came to Milton, in...

www.findagrave.com

​

"The Weekly Telephone", Milton Junction, Wisconsin, Thursday, March 26, 1896, p 4. Horace G. Hamilton, one of Rock county's pioneer settlers, died Tuesday, aged 86. He was born in Brookfield, N. Y., Feb. 18, 1810, and came to Milton, in 1842. Before coming to Milton, in 1834, he married Miss Catherine M. Burdick. The union was blessed with five children, three of whom, with the wife, are still living - Mary, the wife of Charles Goodrich; Emery M., better known as Major Hamilton, of New York, and Mrs. Goodell Foster of Independence, Kansas. Madeline, the wife of W. H. Coon, died six years ago in Beatrice, Neb. Arthur was the first who enlisted from Milton for service in the late war, and participated in every engagement with his regiment until the battle of Antietam, where he was killed. He was the first one from Milton to lose his life, and in his memory the G. A. R. Post of Milton was named. There are also eleven grand-children and three great-grand children. Mr. Hamilton has filled various local offices, including that of assessor and justice of the peace. He was a member of the S. D. B. Church. For fifty-four years he has witnessed the growth and development of Rock county, and has borne his share in the work of progress. The pioneers are one by one being called from earth, and few now remain to tell the story of pioneer days. The funeral will take place from his late residence to-morrow (Friday) at 10 o'clock, Rev. S. L. Maxson officiating.​

​

Emery Hamilton's obituary indicates he was cremated, and I have not found where his remains were interred. The reason there are no links showing him as a son or sibling is because there is no identified grave site with which to connect.

 

[Library Lady]

There is a pension card for Emery M Hamilton with the service in the 95th USCT that states that he served as a major in 1 Louisiana Engineers, Corp D'Afrique. That and another pension card both give his death date as June 2, 1919 at Magnolia, Massachusetts. He's listed in other records for the 87th but not on the pension card.

I found obituaries for him which simply stated that he was "a major in the engineering corps." He working in mining in the West and was living in Northampton, MA when he died.

Interestingly, he seems to have held a patent for an improved typewriter.

This is his typewriter.

https://www.antiquetypewriters.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Automatic.pdf

This is a wagon road for which he was the engineer in 1872. As the article notes, it is also called Hamilton Pass. It comes out by Silverton, Colorado. I watched the video. It's very cool, but I think I'll stay on the Silverton and Durango train. I trust it not to derail more than I trust me not driving off the edge of this "road."

A rocky, rough and washed out road to Stony Pass in Colorado

Stony Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 3.846m (12,

www.dangerousroads.org