Looking for some help with a soldier

[rlw254]

Hi, I'm considering ordering pension files from NARA with hopes that it'll help confirm the identity of an ancestor of mine. Thomas Lunney is the name of the soldier. I believe this is the same Thomas Lunney born around 1828 in Cavan, Ireland, who lived in Pennsylvania. His pension card gives two service units: Veterans Reserve Corps 151 company 2nd battalion, and 128th PA infantry Co. G. I can't find a roster for the 128th PA Company G. Can anybody tell me about these units? It looks like the 151 VRC was put together in Tennessee, so perhaps he was lightly injured on the line with the 128th and transferred to reserves. When ordering this pension file, which unit should I supply for the lookup? Will both be compiled, or would separate orders for each unit give additional information?

And one last thing - I'm trying to interpret the dates of filing for the pension supplied on the card (on fold3). The line for his minor was filed in 1869, and for the widow in 1903. My current notes indicate that his wife died in 1898, should I be alarmed by this filing date/death date discrepancy?

Thanks!

 

[Taylin]

https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search...oldierId=9571C2B4-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A

Seems like he was also in the 128th Indiana. Not PA

https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search...oldierId=AB71C2B4-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A

From Indiana archives- https://secure.in.gov/apps/iara/search/Home/Detail?rId=1065421

 

[WJC]

Hi, I'm considering ordering pension files from NARA with hopes that it'll help confirm the identity of an ancestor of mine. Thomas Lunney is the name of the soldier. I believe this is the same Thomas Lunney born around 1828 in Cavan, Ireland, who lived in Pennsylvania. His pension card gives two service units: Veterans Reserve Corps 151 company 2nd battalion, and 128th PA infantry Co. G. I can't find a roster for the 128th PA Company G. Can anybody tell me about these units? It looks like the 151 VRC was put together in Tennessee, so perhaps he was lightly injured on the line with the 128th and transferred to reserves. When ordering this pension file, which unit should I supply for the lookup? Will both be compiled, or would separate orders for each unit give additional information?

And one last thing - I'm trying to interpret the dates of filing for the pension supplied on the card (on fold3). The line for his minor was filed in 1869, and for the widow in 1903. My current notes indicate that his wife died in 1898, should I be alarmed by this filing date/death date discrepancy?

Thanks!

See Samuel P. Bates, History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers 1861-5 (Harrisburg, PA: B. Singerly, 1869), Volume IV, pp. 178-180.
https://archive.org/stream/historyofpenns00bate#page/178/mode/2up

 

[rlw254]

https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search...oldierId=9571C2B4-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A

Seems like he was also in the 128th Indiana. Not PA

https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search...oldierId=AB71C2B4-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A

From Indiana archives- https://secure.in.gov/apps/iara/search/Home/Detail?rId=1065421

Uh oh... maybe then my notes were wrong. If this person was actually from Indiana and not Pennsylvania then it's totally the incorrect person. Could also explain the year discrepancy for the widow/filing date. Looking at the card now it does indeed look like Indiana... no wonder I couldn't find more about what I was looking for since I was searching for PA only. The pension was filed in Pennsylvania however. I have no indication that this family ever was in Indiana though, maybe this is a family from Indiana who moved to PA after the war. The family I'm looking for was at least in PA in the 1860 census.

 

[Taylin]

Also I found an article indicating he shot his wife and himself, I believe it was in Philadelphia.

 

[Taylin]

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/34656019/

Found in this:

I am on my phone so sorry if bad quality.

 

[rlw254]

Thanks for sharing the report, I had not come across that while looking for this man. However this seems to indicate that this soldier isn't the one I'm looking for.

I did come across the news article you posted, and at the time I ruled out that it could be the Thomas Lunney I was looking for due to the age of both individuals at the time of the event. Looks like these are probably the final nails in the coffin. Now to figure out what actually happened to the family...

 

[Belle Montgomery]

Do you have this particular one? To me this says he's an "invalid" in 1869 and his wife filed again in 1903- most likely after his death. No mention of a minor:

 

[Belle Montgomery]

Uh oh... maybe then my notes were wrong. If this person was actually from Indiana and not Pennsylvania then it's totally the incorrect person. Could also explain the year discrepancy for the widow/filing date. Looking at the card now it does indeed look like Indiana... no wonder I couldn't find more about what I was looking for since I was searching for PA only. The pension was filed in Pennsylvania however. I have no indication that this family ever was in Indiana though, maybe this is a family from Indiana who moved to PA after the war. The family I'm looking for was at least in PA in the 1860 census.

I saw them in Pa in the 1860 and 1870 census

 

[rlw254]

Yes I have them in these as well but then nothing else. My notes have the wife dying in 1898 but this could be incorrect. I can only track two, maybe three of the children. The reason this all seems incorrect though is that I have no indication that the family ever left Pennsylvania for Ohio/Indiana. I no longer have a newspapers.com subscription but I recall looking into this article and finding that the ages of those involved did not match up.

 

[Belle Montgomery]

Yes I have them in these as well but then nothing else. My notes have the wife dying in 1898 but this could be incorrect. I can only track two, maybe three of the children. The reason this all seems incorrect though is that I have no indication that the family ever left Pennsylvania for Ohio/Indiana. I no longer have a newspapers.com subscription but I recall looking into this article and finding that the ages of those involved did not match up.

Yes I have them in these as well but then nothing else. My notes have the wife dying in 1898 but this could be incorrect. I can only track two, maybe three of the children. The reason this all seems incorrect though is that I have no indication that the family ever left Pennsylvania for Ohio/Indiana. I no longer have a newspapers.com subscription but I recall looking into this article and finding that the ages of those involved did not match up.

Yes I have them in these as well but then nothing else. My notes have the wife dying in 1898 but this could be incorrect. I can only track two, maybe three of the children. The reason this all seems incorrect though is that I have no indication that the family ever left Pennsylvania for Ohio/Indiana. I no longer have a newspapers.com subscription but I recall looking into this article and finding that the ages of those involved did not match up.

There are 2 family trees on Ancestry...is one yours? It's under "Wallace" - daughter married a Wallace. I see 7 kids in 1870 but they all disappear in 1880...very unusual. Some resurface later but without the siblings etc. it's hard to actually prove it's them. One can only theorize. It's tough because of so many deaths and remarriages back then!

 

[connecticut yankee]

Hi, I'm considering ordering pension files from NARA with hopes that it'll help confirm the identity of an ancestor of mine. Thomas Lunney is the name of the soldier. I believe this is the same Thomas Lunney born around 1828 in Cavan, Ireland, who lived in Pennsylvania. His pension card gives two service units: Veterans Reserve Corps 151 company 2nd battalion, and 128th PA infantry Co. G. I can't find a roster for the 128th PA Company G. Can anybody tell me about these units? It looks like the 151 VRC was put together in Tennessee, so perhaps he was lightly injured on the line with the 128th and transferred to reserves. When ordering this pension file, which unit should I supply for the lookup? Will both be compiled, or would separate orders for each unit give additional information?

And one last thing - I'm trying to interpret the dates of filing for the pension supplied on the card (on fold3). The line for his minor was filed in 1869, and for the widow in 1903. My current notes indicate that his wife died in 1898, should I be alarmed by this filing date/death date discrepancy?

Thanks!

1. BEFORE you order pension papers of any type realize it will cost you good $$$. So I suggest you first convince yourself that your ancestor Thomas Lunney actually was a Civil War soldier. If all your family evidence convinces you he was, then look at the list below from the NPS database that reports all the Thomas Lunneys that served in the Union Army As other forum members have found and you have also found, there is a Thomas Lunney listed below twice as he served in an Indiana Regiment and then the Veterans Reserve Corps. From everything you provided in this thread it appears this is your man. However it is very possible that he may be one of the other 4 Lunneys listed who happen to all have enlisted in the state New York. What I'm saying is your ancester (if he was a soldier) is in all likelihood one of the Lunneys listed below. What you must realize is that a soldier frequently travelled and enlisted in another state for a variety of reasons, even if he or his family never lived there i.e., there was no residency requirement of any sort for a man to enlist in another state.

2. Google "Veterans Reserve Corps"and familiarize yourself with its function. You will find that a soldier placed in the VRC must be incapacitated enough to be unable to serve in the field in an active regiment, but is capable of performing other non combat duties to help the war effort. If you decide your Lunney is the Indiana enlisted man who also served in the VRC, then by all means send for both sets of pension papers. You can expect the VRC papers to define well his medical condition, be it wound, disease, sickness etc. and be of considerable value to you.

3. There is no discrepancy in the pension info for the Indiana Lunney you and other forum members have thusfar gathered. These papers are telling me that Lunney as early as 1869 filed for a pension as an invalid which would provide him a pension monthly which he was entilled to if deemed by doctors to be incapacitated due to the war. His wife without a doubt applied for a widow's pension she was entitiled to in 1903 which means Indiana Lunney died PRIOR to that date. Although most new widows applied as soon as possible after their soldier husband's death some waited years before filing. So your suspected Lunney who you say died in 1898 could very well be this Indiana Lunney who, again, we know died prior to 1903.

Good luck....Hope this helps.

• Lunney , Thomas S. the war effort
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  11th Regiment, New York Infantry
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  128th Regiment, Indiana Infantry
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas H.
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  139th Regiment, New York Infantry
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas W.
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  49th Regiment, New York Infantry
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  2nd Battalion, Veteran Reserve Corps
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  Unidentified New York
  SIDE:
  Union
  ALTERNATE NAME:
  Thomas/Lunny

 

[Belle Montgomery]

This guy enlistment shows on Ancestry the 128th Indiana too...is it all possible that this is your relative and not the one married to the Anna in 1860 & 1870 census in Pa? He's here in Indiana in 1867...the only Lunney I could find in Indiana around the time of the CW or after.

Name: Thomas Lunney
Residence Year: 1867
Street address: below Gieger Martin's Mills
Residence Place: Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Occupation: Cooper
Publication Title: Lafayette, Indiana, City Directory, 1867

 

[Belle Montgomery]

1. BEFORE you order pension papers of any type realize it will cost you good $$$. So I suggest you first convince yourself that your ancestor Thomas Lunney actually was a Civil War soldier. If all your family evidence convinces you he was, then look at the list below from the NPS database that reports all the Thomas Lunneys that served in the Union Army As other forum members have found and you have also found, there is a Thomas Lunney listed below twice as he served in an Indiana Regiment and then the Veterans Reserve Corps. From everything you provided in this thread it appears this is your man. However it is very possible that he may be one of the other 4 Lunneys listed who happen to all have enlisted in the state New York. What I'm saying is your ancester (if he was a soldier) is in all likelihood one of the Lunneys listed below. What you must realize is that a soldier frequently travelled and enlisted in another state for a variety of reasons, even if he or his family never lived there i.e., there was no residency requirement of any sort for a man to enlist in another state.

2. Google "Veterans Reserve Corps"and familiarize yourself with its function. You will find that a soldier placed in the VRC must be incapacitated enough to be unable to serve in the field in an active regiment, but is capable of performing other non combat duties to help the war effort. If you decide your Lunney is the Indiana enlisted man who also served in the VRC, then by all means send for both sets of pension papers. You can expect the VRC papers to define well his medical condition, be it wound, disease, sickness etc. and be of considerable value to you.

3. There is no discrepancy in the pension info for the Indiana Lunney you and other forum members have thusfar gathered. These papers are telling me that Lunney as early as 1869 filed for a pension as an invalid which would provide him a pension monthly which he was entilled to if deemed by doctors to be incapacitated due to the war. His wife without a doubt applied for a widow's pension she was entitiled to in 1903 which means Indiana Lunney died PRIOR to that date. Although most new widows applied as soon as possible after their soldier husband's death some waited years before filing. So your suspected Lunney who you say died in 1898 could very well be this Indiana Lunney who, again, we know died prior to 1903.

Good luck....Hope this helps.

• Lunney , Thomas S. the war effort
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  11th Regiment, New York Infantry
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  128th Regiment, Indiana Infantry
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas H.
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  139th Regiment, New York Infantry
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas W.
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  49th Regiment, New York Infantry
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  2nd Battalion, Veteran Reserve Corps
  SIDE:
  Union
• Lunney , Thomas
  BATTLE UNIT NAME:
  Unidentified New York
  SIDE:
  Union
  ALTERNATE NAME:
  Thomas/Lunny

Problem being...an Anna is listed as his spouse...other Thomas Luney's spouse's have different names as well as finding any Anna or middle name Anna in the census' anywhere after the war or prior to 1903 as a widow. If she remarried would she still be entitled to his pension?

 

[connecticut yankee]

Problem being...an Anna is listed as his spouse...other Thomas Luney's spouse's have different names as well as finding any Anna or middle name Anna in the census' anywhere after the war or prior to 1903 as a widow. If she remarried would she still be entitled to his pension?

WIDOW PENSIONS

Normally pensions were revoked when a deceased veteran's widow remarried, but a March 3, 1901, act allowed a widow who lost her pension to remarriage to start collecting a pension again if she were widowed again following the later marriage or in cases when the later marriage ended in a divorce that was not the widow's fault.

Beginning May 1, 1920, remarried widows of veterans who had served at least 90 days in the Civil War and were honorably discharged or died in service were eligible for a pension. In cases where the veteran served less than 90 days, if he died of a disability incurred in service, the widow would also qualify. The index cards of widows who filed under this statute typically marked have "Act of May 1, 1920" stamped in the remarks field.

 

[Taylin]

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18173511/thomas-lunny Matches the date of the article, also his wife's name is Ann. Not sure if this helps. Also this which seems to add up scroll down the page a bit till you hit:

https://www.ancestry.com/search/?name=Ann_Lunny&pg=2&location=2&name_x=1_1&priority=usa

 

[Belle Montgomery]

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18173511/thomas-lunny Matches the date of the article, also his wife's name is Ann. Not sure if this helps. Also this which seems to add up scroll down the page a bit till you hit: View attachment 166662 https://www.ancestry.com/search/?name=Ann_Lunny&pg=2&location=2&name_x=1_1&priority=usa

Nice find! I was looking for a woman more his age. So this gal would be 30 years his junior. Can u find her in any census' as a widow prior to? The other Thomas Lunney in Pa I was biting on for 1860-1870 census' the original poster concurred with me shows his wife Ann being only 2 years his junior and that was the one looks like died in 1898.

 

[Taylin]

Nice find! I was looking for a woman more his age. So this gal would be 30 years his junior. Can u find her in any census' as a widow prior to? The other Thomas Lunney in Pa I was biting on for 1860-1870 census' the original poster concurred with me shows his wife Ann being only 2 years his junior and that was the one looks like died in 1898.

Unfortunately I don't have any accounts for ancestry and etc, I'll be looking up on this on and off though so we'll see.

 

[rlw254]

a soldier frequently travelled and enlisted in another state for a variety of reasons, even if he or his family never lived there i.e., there was no residency requirement of any sort for a man to enlist in another state.

This might be what's tripping me up then... I have no information that would point towards Indiana as a state that the family lived in but perhaps only the father was there for work or for enlistment.

I appreciate everybody's help with this. This is one of the reasons I wanted to come here first before blindly ordering any forms. What I know for certain is that one of the daughters, Catherine, is a direct relative of mine (as Belle Montgomery pointed out, from my tree). I can only track her and one of the brothers, Thomas, who both stayed in Pennsylvania until their deaths. Maybe also the son James. Catherine's death certificate gives her mother's name as Ann Hesten. I assigned the death date of 19 Feb 1898 to Ann because she is buried in the same cemetery as all of her daughter's family, and was around the correct age at the time of death. Census data gives her birth year as around 1830 in Cavan, Ireland. The age at death is 2 years off but that's not a very dramatic difference for this time frame. If the pension was filed in 1903 by the widow then it can't be this Ann.

I don't actually know that the father Thomas was a soldier but I came across the pension cards with his name and the correct name of a wife so decided to look more into it.

Why I don't think it's the attempted murder/suicide Lunney: I found the death certificate of that specific Thomas Lunney who died 27 Dec 1902 (cause of death suicide by shooting while tempo. insane) and the information seems to say that he was born in Canada around 1845, 17 years after the one I am looking for. So I think most likely the soldier from 128th IN was this one, whose wife died at a later point and filed for the pension in 1903. A transfer to VRC could be due to the blindness incurred in the war. This seems to be NOT the one that I am looking for, whose wife was Ann Hesten who (maybe) died in 1898. The fact remains that I can't find anything else about the correct one's family, but I still have work to do.

 

[Taylin]

Glad we could help. Good luck on sorting everything out!