Finally Found a Civil War Button While Metal Detecting

[bobinwmass]

I know, I know - it's not much compared to what you guys have found living where you can hit Civil War sites on a regular basis. Living in Massachusetts far from such sites, it has been mostly a dream of mine to dig up a Civil War button. So was I ever surprised when this Civil War eagle button came out of the ground of an old farm I was hitting yesterday. I know it's just a common enlisted man's button, but I'm still gonna scratch one off my bucket list.

What's rather cool is that I do have a possible ID on the soldier who wore it. I have an 1870's map that shows the name of the farm owner. Doing a quick search on my CD of Massachusetts soldiers in the Civil War, there is only one soldier from Massachusetts with that last name, and he is from the same town. In July 1861 at age 21 he enlisted in a New York regiment and died of disease in Virginia in September 1862. But could I tie that soldier to this farm? A search of the landowner's name, town, and map date on the internet brought up a woman writing about the entries from her grandmother's diary. The diary was written by the landowner's daughter. Her entries confirmed that the landowner and soldier were twin brothers. The brother traveled to Virginia to get and return his twin's body to the family. While I can't prove the button is his, there's a chance he lost it at home while on furlough, or perhaps the family kept buttons from his uniform as keepsakes. It'll get a special place in my collection.

 

[LoyaltyOfDogs]

Congratulations, @bobinwmass ! Your finding a possible ID for the soldier is the icing on your celebratory cake! I'm eager to share your story with my sister, who is a metal detector hobbyist. Her only Civil War find has been a button in the same condition as yours, and it's from a property in New Jersey that was once in our family. Your story will inspire us to get busy researching!

 

[scooter748driver]

Very nice! Congratulations!

 

[UCVRelics]

Congrats on your first button, hope there are more of them in there and maybe a US plate.

 

[jcs266]

Congrats on your find and how fascinating that you're able to research and find this info. They may indeed have kept his buttons off his uniform or brought back his things and perhaps one of them was a coat. Someone wore it as a memory and eventually buttons do fall off over time...

Very exciting and a thrill to hear about this.

 

[bobinwmass]

Congrats on your first button, hope there are more of them in there and maybe a US plate.

If I ever had a plate pop out the soil up here you'd probably hear me yelling all the way down there.

 

[Joe Whitworth]

Congratulations on finding a relic rare in your area Just proves you never know where and what will turn up if you look

 

[Trooper "D"]

I know, I know - it's not much compared to what you guys have found living where you can hit Civil War sites on a regular basis. Living in Massachusetts far from such sites, it has been mostly a dream of mine to dig up a Civil War button. So was I ever surprised when this Civil War eagle button came out of the ground of an old farm I was hitting yesterday. I know it's just a common enlisted man's button, but I'm still gonna scratch one off my bucket list.
View attachment 551372
View attachment 551374
What's rather cool is that I do have a possible ID on the soldier who wore it. I have an 1870's map that shows the name of the farm owner. Doing a quick search on my CD of Massachusetts soldiers in the Civil War, there is only one soldier from Massachusetts with that last name, and he is from the same town. In July 1861 at age 21 he enlisted in a New York regiment and died of disease in Virginia in September 1862. But could I tie that soldier to this farm? A search of the landowner's name, town, and map date on the internet brought up a woman writing about the entries from her grandmother's diary. The diary was written by the landowner's daughter. Her entries confirmed that the landowner and soldier were twin brothers. The brother traveled to Virginia to get and return his twin's body to the family. While I can't prove the button is his, there's a chance he lost it at home while on furlough, or perhaps the family kept buttons from his uniform as keepsakes. It'll get a special place in my collection.

Congrats! The research is really fun also.

 

[Trooper "D"]

I know, I know - it's not much compared to what you guys have found living where you can hit Civil War sites on a regular basis. Living in Massachusetts far from such sites, it has been mostly a dream of mine to dig up a Civil War button. So was I ever surprised when this Civil War eagle button came out of the ground of an old farm I was hitting yesterday. I know it's just a common enlisted man's button, but I'm still gonna scratch one off my bucket list.
View attachment 551372
View attachment 551374
What's rather cool is that I do have a possible ID on the soldier who wore it. I have an 1870's map that shows the name of the farm owner. Doing a quick search on my CD of Massachusetts soldiers in the Civil War, there is only one soldier from Massachusetts with that last name, and he is from the same town. In July 1861 at age 21 he enlisted in a New York regiment and died of disease in Virginia in September 1862. But could I tie that soldier to this farm? A search of the landowner's name, town, and map date on the internet brought up a woman writing about the entries from her grandmother's diary. The diary was written by the landowner's daughter. Her entries confirmed that the landowner and soldier were twin brothers. The brother traveled to Virginia to get and return his twin's body to the family. While I can't prove the button is his, there's a chance he lost it at home while on furlough, or perhaps the family kept buttons from his uniform as keepsakes. It'll get a special place in my collection.

I worked as an Outdoor Education teacher for Nature's Classroom in 2001. Becker, Mass. Chimney Corners campground. Supposedly the church there has the grave of Johnny Appleseed in it. There is also a headstone of two brothers in a Heavy Artillery Unit that both died on the dates for Cold Harbor. I never got to follow up on them because my photo of the gravemarker is in a camera that got lifted from my person the day I left.
Beautiful country out there and I got to see it in Autumn with all its leafy glory.
Cheers!

 

[bobinwmass]

I worked as an Outdoor Education teacher for Nature's Classroom in 2001. Becker, Mass. Chimney Corners campground. Supposedly the church there has the grave of Johnny Appleseed in it. There is also a headstone of two brothers in a Heavy Artillery Unit that both died on the dates for Cold Harbor. I never got to follow up on them because my photo of the gravemarker is in a camera that got lifted from my person the day I left.
Beautiful country out there and I got to see it in Autumn with all its leafy glory.
Cheers!

I've spent many days fishing, ice fishing and kayaking on the ponds in Becket.

 

[MRB1863]

Nice find! Keep on diggin the beeps!!!

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

I know, I know - it's not much compared to what you guys have found living where you can hit Civil War sites on a regular basis. Living in Massachusetts far from such sites, it has been mostly a dream of mine to dig up a Civil War button. So was I ever surprised when this Civil War eagle button came out of the ground of an old farm I was hitting yesterday. I know it's just a common enlisted man's button, but I'm still gonna scratch one off my bucket list.
View attachment 551372
View attachment 551374
What's rather cool is that I do have a possible ID on the soldier who wore it. I have an 1870's map that shows the name of the farm owner. Doing a quick search on my CD of Massachusetts soldiers in the Civil War, there is only one soldier from Massachusetts with that last name, and he is from the same town. In July 1861 at age 21 he enlisted in a New York regiment and died of disease in Virginia in September 1862. But could I tie that soldier to this farm? A search of the landowner's name, town, and map date on the internet brought up a woman writing about the entries from her grandmother's diary. The diary was written by the landowner's daughter. Her entries confirmed that the landowner and soldier were twin brothers. The brother traveled to Virginia to get and return his twin's body to the family. While I can't prove the button is his, there's a chance he lost it at home while on furlough, or perhaps the family kept buttons from his uniform as keepsakes. It'll get a special place in my collection.

Congratulations.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

There is also a headstone of two brothers in a Heavy Artillery Unit that both died on the dates for Cold Harbor. I never got to follow up on them because my photo of the gravemarker is in a camera that got lifted from my person the day I left.

Do you recall the name of the church or the cemetery? Maybe FindAGrave would have some information available. It should be possible to narrow the search of the graves by the death date.

 

[Trooper "D"]

I've spent many days fishing, ice fishing and kayaking on the ponds in Becket.

How do you prepare Ice Fish? Or is it just for sport, catch and release sort of thing?
Chimney Corners has a pond. Man made with a large earthen dam, concrete spillway. I told the kids of my group that it looked like a fort from the War of Secession. Somehow I got the "late unpleasantness" worked into the curriculum. I did a class on the "Civil War". I would make some points and then get some feedback from the little yankees. Then we played capture the flag. They thought the connection to Cali with the California Five Hundred and the 2nd Mass Cav. was pretty cool. I don't even know if Nature's Classroom even exists anymore. It sure was fun working with the kids. Fellow teachers? Not so much. That is some really amazing country out there. I understand E. Mass. doesn't know W.Mass. exists. Or of they do know they feel it doesn't matter. Sectionalism at its best. Oh yeah, Arlo Guthrie has a bar in Becket where he often played. Never made it there though. Bummer. 9/11 happened right at the start of the season and messed up the schedule from cancellations. Kind of cool to be isolated from everything out there in the woods. The initial hullabaloo died down by the time I left.
Sorry for the walk down memory lane. I saw "inwmass" on your handle and it all came flowing back in my memory. And someone who might know where I have been and relate.
Cheers!

 

[Trooper "D"]

Do you recall the name of the church or the cemetery? Maybe FindAGrave would have some information available. It should be possible to narrow the search of the graves by the death date.

It was the white wooden church with a steeple and the graveyard behind it. 1850s built I think. The only one next to Chimney Corners. I'll have to google map the area and take it from there. The church might know something or have the graves published on line. If the church is actually affiliated with the cemetery. Only one way to find out right? Call! Ill let you know what I find out.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

It was the white wooden church with a steeple and the graveyard behind it. 1850s built I think. The only one next to Chimney Corners. I'll have to google map the area and take it from there. The church might know something or have the graves published on line. If the church is actually affiliated with the cemetery. Only one way to find out right? Call! I'll let you know what I find out.

Yes, please share your findings. Hopefully the church is still there.

 

[bobinwmass]

It was the white wooden church with a steeple and the graveyard behind it. 1850s built I think. The only one next to Chimney Corners. I'll have to google map the area and take it from there. The church might know something or have the graves published on line. If the church is actually affiliated with the cemetery. Only one way to find out right? Call! Ill let you know what I find out.

If the cemetery you're talking about is the Becket Center Cemetery, it is right near the First Congregational Church (still there) on YMCA Road.

 

[Trooper "D"]

If the cemetery you're talking about is the Becket Center Cemetery, it is right near the First Congregational Church (still there) on YMCA Road.

Doesn't Hwy 9 or something like that run past it also?

 

[bobinwmass]

How do you prepare Ice Fish? Or is it just for sport, catch and release sort of thing?
Chimney Corners has a pond. Man made with a large earthen dam, concrete spillway. I told the kids of my group that it looked like a fort from the War of Secession. Somehow I got the "late unpleasantness" worked into the curriculum. I did a class on the "Civil War". I would make some points and then get some feedback from the little yankees. Then we played capture the flag. They thought the connection to Cali with the California Five Hundred and the 2nd Mass Cav. was pretty cool. I don't even know if Nature's Classroom even exists anymore. It sure was fun working with the kids. Fellow teachers? Not so much. That is some really amazing country out there. I understand E. Mass. doesn't know W.Mass. exists. Or of they do know they feel it doesn't matter. Sectionalism at its best. Oh yeah, Arlo Guthrie has a bar in Becket where he often played. Never made it there though. Bummer. 9/11 happened right at the start of the season and messed up the schedule from cancellations. Kind of cool to be isolated from everything out there in the woods. The initial hullabaloo died down by the time I left.
Sorry for the walk down memory lane. I saw "inwmass" on your handle and it all came flowing back in my memory. And someone who might know where I have been and relate.
Cheers!

Many of the ponds out there are man made like that. Pickeral and perch are what we usually pulled up through the ice. Very bony fish, so usually catch and release.

 

[bobinwmass]

Doesn't Hwy 9 or something like that run past it also?

Rt 8.