Allyn
Corporal
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2024
- Location
- northwestern Pennsylvania
Looking for an answer to a quirkly little problem I have been wrestling with for some time.
Jeremiah A. (aka Jerry or Jared) Fox, b. ca. 1815/17, living with brother Andrew in Rockdale Twp. in 1860; d. Sept. 1870, Crawford Co., PA, buried Yankee Hill Cem., outside of Cambridge Springs, with notation in burial register: "soldier," and "killed on railroad"
"Mr. Jeremiah Fox, of Cambridge, was struck by the Express train on the A. and G.W. [Atlantic and Great Western] Railway about 2 miles below Venango Station on Saturday last and so badly injured as to cause his death 3 hours later. It is supposed he was intoxicated at the time, and he had been to Meadville to get his pension, having been a wounded soldier." [Titusville Herald, Titusville, PA, 9 Sept. 1870]
Did Jeremiah A./Jerry/Jared Fox actually serve in the CW? I've been trying to pin down this man's service record for several years, with limited success. His father was black, Jeremiah and his siblings (including brother Benjamin Fox) were consistently listed as mulatto, so I have been assuming that he served with the USCT. The family had been residing in Crawford Co., PA, since at least 1830, so I tentatively assumed that Jeremiah served with a Pennsylvania unit. Of course, these assumptions might be wrong. The limited data I have been able to find says that he was a soldier, he had been wounded, and he was receiving a pension at the time of his death in 1870.
Now, to muddy the waters a bit, there is a new, government-issued tombstone for Jeremiah's brother Benjamin Fox in Yankee Hill Cemetery, indicating that he was a Civil War veteran, serving in the 111 Reg. PA Inf. However, he died in between 28 Dec. 1855, when he made a will, and 22 Jan. 1856, when it was probated. Duh! Unfortunately, his original tombstone, which might have provided some clarifying information, has been discarded. It seems likely that this burial has been incorrectly identified as a CW veteran. Since Jeremiah Fox supposedly received a pension based on his Civil War service, it is possible that someone confused the two Fox brothers and ascribed Jeremiah's service to Benjamin.
Any thoughts
Jeremiah A. (aka Jerry or Jared) Fox, b. ca. 1815/17, living with brother Andrew in Rockdale Twp. in 1860; d. Sept. 1870, Crawford Co., PA, buried Yankee Hill Cem., outside of Cambridge Springs, with notation in burial register: "soldier," and "killed on railroad"
"Mr. Jeremiah Fox, of Cambridge, was struck by the Express train on the A. and G.W. [Atlantic and Great Western] Railway about 2 miles below Venango Station on Saturday last and so badly injured as to cause his death 3 hours later. It is supposed he was intoxicated at the time, and he had been to Meadville to get his pension, having been a wounded soldier." [Titusville Herald, Titusville, PA, 9 Sept. 1870]
Did Jeremiah A./Jerry/Jared Fox actually serve in the CW? I've been trying to pin down this man's service record for several years, with limited success. His father was black, Jeremiah and his siblings (including brother Benjamin Fox) were consistently listed as mulatto, so I have been assuming that he served with the USCT. The family had been residing in Crawford Co., PA, since at least 1830, so I tentatively assumed that Jeremiah served with a Pennsylvania unit. Of course, these assumptions might be wrong. The limited data I have been able to find says that he was a soldier, he had been wounded, and he was receiving a pension at the time of his death in 1870.
Now, to muddy the waters a bit, there is a new, government-issued tombstone for Jeremiah's brother Benjamin Fox in Yankee Hill Cemetery, indicating that he was a Civil War veteran, serving in the 111 Reg. PA Inf. However, he died in between 28 Dec. 1855, when he made a will, and 22 Jan. 1856, when it was probated. Duh! Unfortunately, his original tombstone, which might have provided some clarifying information, has been discarded. It seems likely that this burial has been incorrectly identified as a CW veteran. Since Jeremiah Fox supposedly received a pension based on his Civil War service, it is possible that someone confused the two Fox brothers and ascribed Jeremiah's service to Benjamin.
Any thoughts
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