61Cadillac
Private
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2025
One of the interesting (to me) facts about my hometown of Rochester, NY is that the oldest surviving combat veteran of the Union Army lived here.
From his Wiki page:
"James Albert Hard (July 15, 1843 – March 12, 1953) was the last verified living Union combat veteran of the American Civil War and the third-to-last verified veteran overall; only drummer boys Frank H. Mayer and Albert Woolson post-deceased him. Though he claimed to have been born in 1841, research in 2006 found that the 1850 Census indicated a birthdate of 1843.
He died in Rochester, New York, at the claimed age of 111. Census research indicates, however, that he was probably a year or two younger and may have inflated his age in order to enter the military. He is recorded as having joined the Union Army on May 14, 1861, aged 19. The 1850, 1910, and 1920 censuses,[non-primary source needed] however, suggest that he was born in 1843 and 1842 respectively.[citation needed]
Hard served with the 32nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment as "Albert," participating in the battles of First Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. The regiment's term of service expired before the Gettysburg Campaign. He claimed to have met Abraham Lincoln at a White House reception."
Mr. Hard kept a scrap book though out his later years and the library here in Rochester had the forethought to preserve it. Here is the link for anyone who would like to root through the memories that were important to the man.
I think I'm going to make a trip to visit him in the cemetery next week. Thank him for what he did and went through. and leave a coin on his grave.
mcnygenealogy.com
From his Wiki page:
"James Albert Hard (July 15, 1843 – March 12, 1953) was the last verified living Union combat veteran of the American Civil War and the third-to-last verified veteran overall; only drummer boys Frank H. Mayer and Albert Woolson post-deceased him. Though he claimed to have been born in 1841, research in 2006 found that the 1850 Census indicated a birthdate of 1843.
He died in Rochester, New York, at the claimed age of 111. Census research indicates, however, that he was probably a year or two younger and may have inflated his age in order to enter the military. He is recorded as having joined the Union Army on May 14, 1861, aged 19. The 1850, 1910, and 1920 censuses,[non-primary source needed] however, suggest that he was born in 1843 and 1842 respectively.[citation needed]
Hard served with the 32nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment as "Albert," participating in the battles of First Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. The regiment's term of service expired before the Gettysburg Campaign. He claimed to have met Abraham Lincoln at a White House reception."
Mr. Hard kept a scrap book though out his later years and the library here in Rochester had the forethought to preserve it. Here is the link for anyone who would like to root through the memories that were important to the man.
I think I'm going to make a trip to visit him in the cemetery next week. Thank him for what he did and went through. and leave a coin on his grave.
James Albert Hard - Pictures of Rochester and Monroe County, NY
This is a picture of James Albert Hard the last surviving Union combat veteran of the Civil War, Rochester, New York.
Bringing the