Revisiting an old record - deserter? clerical error? both?

[BCS1973]

After seeing a recent post on a VRC record I decided to re-visit a record that some of you that frequent the ancestry portion previously helped on. For reasons still unknown, he was transferred from the 115th PA to company 39 first brigade invalid corps on or about August 16-19 of 1863. No medical record, no reason given, no pension to reference, not on any wounded list that I can find. Co. 39 would become part of Company C of the 12th VRC. It just so happens two other men of the 115th were transferred to the VRC the same day, so perhaps one of their pensions or medical records might give a clue as to what was going on that might have landed him in the VRC. I have those on order, so we'll see.

I've read on this site that it's possible that up to 25% of "deserters" were really just the army not keeping good track of it's soldiers. This soldiers VRC muster record reads as follows:
Aug 31, 1863 Present
Sept and Oct 1863 Absent on detached duty in Albany, NY (The 12th VRC was established in Sept of 63 in Albany, so that makes sense)
Nov. and Dec. 1863 Present
Jan. and Feb 1864 Absent, on detached duty in Kingston, NY (Ulster County I presume, for what reasons I have no Idea)
Mar. And April 1864 Absent, on detached duty in Kingston, NY
May and June 1864 Discharged by reason of re-enlistment June 22 (Accredited to Lawrence Mass. 6th Cong. District, for reasons unknown)
July and Aug. 1864 (Now listed as Cpl.-apparently promoted from private) Deserted Aug 1st 1864 from furlough in Kingston,NY. Not home on subsequent rolls of company (written in different pens)
Aug 31 1864 appears on descriptive list of deserters (Fort Willard, VA) as a private

Then there's this referencing a date of Oct 1864 (last paid June 30 not paid any of his bounty)

On the Back side of that sheet is this stamp. I don't know what the significance of it is:

Then in November, 17 He's listed as Private who was paid $25 of a $100 bounty, but was last paid April 30 on this sheet

And a Corporal who deserted on Aug 1 1864 on this sheet also dated Nov 17 1864 (same Copyiest)

Is it possible he stayed on furlough a little long and came back later (for a little while anyway) or just some clerical errors. There are not any more records past Nov 17 1864.

 

[Gary Morgan]

I'm pretty sure it doesn't apply in this case, but with prisoners of war, a lot of them on both sides are initially listed as "Deserted," sometimes for several months before their side figures out what really happened to them.

 

[lupaglupa]

The Pennsylvania Veterans Card File says he was discharged on "S. C. of D." which means surgeon's certificate of disability. So he was moved to the Veterans Corp for medical reasons, which is what usually happened.

Find a Grave has a long bio with a picture which tells the story of his illness. That bio has no mention of his deserting.

Patrick Sheeron (1842-1883) - Find a Grave...

Patrick Sheren (Sheran), Company B, 115th Pennsylvania Volunteers.Patrick was born in the 1840's in Queens County Ireland (modern day County Laois). At some point in the 1850's Patrick immigrated to the United States and landed in Philadelphia PA. On January 20th 1862, Patrick and his brother...

www.findagrave.com

I think if the desertion charge were false we would find a pension record for him or his wife. I could not find any indication of a pension being applied for or granted.

 

[BCS1973]

The Pennsylvania Veterans Card File says he was discharged on "S. C. of D." which means surgeon's certificate of disability. So he was moved to the Veterans Corp for medical reasons, which is what usually happened.

Find a Grave has a long bio with a picture which tells the story of his illness. That bio has no mention of his deserting.

Patrick Sheeron (1842-1883) - Find a Grave...

Patrick Sheren (Sheran), Company B, 115th Pennsylvania Volunteers.Patrick was born in the 1840's in Queens County Ireland (modern day County Laois). At some point in the 1850's Patrick immigrated to the United States and landed in Philadelphia PA. On January 20th 1862, Patrick and his brother...

www.findagrave.com

I think if the desertion charge were false we would find a pension record for him or his wife. I could not find any indication of a pension being applied for or granted.

Thanks. I actually wrote the find a grave. I may need to make a couple revisions. His last documented illness was about 7 months prior to transfer, so I'm questioning myself on the reason of transfer among a couple other things. Also, trying to find how he met his wife. Their names are common enough that Philly and Kingston, NY are both possibilities of places they could have met. They had a child at the end of '65 but not sure where. They kind of fell off the map until they popped up for sure in Philly in 1871 and are easily tracked after that.

 

[lupaglupa]

I think they moved men to the VRC who fell in a gray area medically. Likely he had a recurrence of whatever lung ailment he had earlier and wasn't able to march long distances, though he was fine for light duty.

 

[Fairfield]

When the records state that a soldier deserted, often all that means is that he didn't show up for a roster--and frequently all that means is that he was injured or sick. Researching all the "deserters" from my town, I found only 2 who truly did desert. A soldier from a neighboring town (ancestor of a friend) was a deserter: at least, desertion is the cause he listed in 1890 (Veterans' Schedule) for the end of service. That he continued living in the same small town and was active in veterans' affairs would indicate that the cause of his desertion was considered as reasonable by his peers.

That your soldier doesn't show up on post-war records isn't unusual. From what I have found, veterans either never moved on from their ACW experiences--or they were so sickened that they never wanted to hear the word "war" again.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

I actually wrote the find a grave

Just want to say thank you for doing this. This is a fantastic contribution to build the knowledge of future generations.

 

[Fairfield]

Thanks. I actually wrote the find a grave.

Just recently I had cause to question the accuracy of the information given on this site. Our historical society has the diary of a man featured on the site and, giving the diary as my source, I wrote with an amendment to something it stated; the site owner declined my addition with a snotty comment that it didn't square with his/her own findings. The deceased was a local man who has been researched extensively here. Unless the information given is on the stone or is sourced, I'm not going to accept it.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

I think they moved men to the VRC who fell in a gray area medically

When the records state that a soldier deserted, often all that means is that he didn't show up for a roster

Absolutely true! He could have been born with a leaky heart valve or some such thing that made extensive strenuous exercise difficult, but wasn't a slacker and wanted to contribute his bit. One of my relations was moved from being in the infantry to being a teamster (and riding in a wagon all day) because of a heart condition.

And I was shocked, and then annoyed, with how often my relatives were marked as deserters when they had been sent on some assignment or were POWs. Really, you would think the person calling the roll would at least ask "What happened to Bill?" …

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Just recently I had cause to question the accuracy of the information given on this site. Our historical society has the diary of a man featured on the site and, giving the diary as my source, I wrote with an amendment to something it stated; the site owner declined my addition with a snotty comment that it didn't square with his/her own findings. The deceased was a local man who has been researched extensively here. Unless the information given is on the stone or is sourced, I'm not going to accept it.

The key (sometimes ) is providing sources. I finally got my great uncle's name corrected by sharing family records with the site owner, but some folks are highly offended in being told they have made a mistake no matter what the evidence says.

 

[Fairfield]

Absolutely true! He could have been born with a leaky heart valve or some such thing that made extensive strenuous exercise difficult, but wasn't a slacker and wanted to contribute his bit. One of my relations was moved from being in the infantry to being a teamster (and riding in a wagon all day) because of a heart condition.

And I was shocked, and then annoyed, with how often my relatives were marked as deserters when they had been sent on some assignment or were POWs. Really, you would think the person calling the roll would at least ask "What happened to Bill?" …

The official record keepers were far removed from the battlefields and were the victims of that removal. The actual information takers (the roll callers) had other priorities than paperwork. Errors resulted that were understandable for the time and circumstance but regrettable for historical accuracy

 

[lupaglupa]

In this case, though, I think he may actually have deserted. Most men who were eligible for pensions made an effort to get them. I don't see Patrick having even tried. Which looks like, to me, he knew he wasn't eligible. Maybe he cut out when his wife got pregnant and they needed money?

There used to be a website with a roster of Pennsylvania deserters. I tried it a few times looking for Patrick and it wouldn't load. It could be the database has moved and the link is bad. Or the professor who put it up has left Penn State (where it was) and it was taken down. I'll dig around and see if I can find it.

 

[Stryker65]

@BCS1973 Here is some information on the VRC that might help:

Veteran Reserve units were shifted all over the place -- I think the 21st regiment, for instance, had its HQ in Nashville, a battalion in Wisconsin, two companies in Pennsylvania, and another in Albany. A "deserter" would probably just mean that the War Dept lost track of one of these detached companies.

 

[Fairfield]

Most men who were eligible for pensions made an effort to get them.

Not necessarily. I've found cases where a widow was tipped off that her late husband had served in the war (and therefore she filed)'

 

[lupaglupa]

I got the deserter lists. The database

Not necessarily. I've found cases where a widow was tipped off that her late husband had served in the war (and filed)'

True. Without absolute proof we can't know either way.

I still cannot access the database of deserters. But I was able to get to the original lists. It's slower but the same information. Under the 115th I have James Sheren listed as deserting November 1, 1862, no location given. Patrick is not there. Which makes sense, since he was not serving in the 115th when he was accused of deserting. But it was worth a look.

 

[Fairfield]

HDS, citing History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865, simply states that there is no information about the time or manner of Sheren's separation from service. If historians find the issue inconclusive, what chance de we history buffs stand?

 

[Stryker65]

My idea: If he was on detached duty in Kingston, away from his regiment, he would have been shown as such on the original muster roll of that regiment. If he reenlisted, possible that he could have been placed on a new muster roll, as he would have been a new soldier, so to speak. Perhaps they forgot, then, to put the fact that he was detached on the new muster roll?

 

[BCS1973]

Under the 115th I have James Sheren listed as deserting November 1, 1862, no location given.

Yes, his brother James did desert about that time. James is a mystery as well. All I know about him is when and where he enlisted, when he deserted and a little of what he did in between. After that I know he appeared in the photo on Find A Grave that I suspect was taken in early to mid 1864, but don't know where. I have no idea if the original exists any more. I'm guessing James never went back to Philly because I all of the James' I found in Phila, are connected to other people's lines, but not this one. It's possible he ended up in NYC, Boston, Kingston, NY, or just about anywhere else.

 

[BCS1973]

In this case, though, I think he may actually have deserted.

I'm leaning that way myself in this case.

 

[lupaglupa]

I did a newspaper search and found another child. Philadelphia Enquirer Monday October 5, 1903:

Sheeron - On October 2, 1903 MARY E., daughter of Catherine and the late Patrick Sheeron. Relatives and Friends, also St Agnes's Ladies B S A are invited to attend the funeral, on Tuesday morning, at 8:30 o'clock, from the residence of her mother, 4656 Edmund st. Frankford. High mass at St Joachim's. Interment at St. Dominic's Cemetery.

Not sure if that interests you.