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Isaac O. Billman – Hotelman of Northumberland County
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on August 7, 2018
The Mount Carmel Item of 6 August 1904 reported the death of Isaac O. Billman, a hotelman of near Herndon, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Death of I. O. Billman
I. O. Billman, the well known resident of Jackson Township [Northumberland County], who keeps a hotel three miles back of Herndon, died on Tuesday night, aged about sixty-three years. For some time he had been troubled with dropsy. He was well and favorably known through the lower end of the county and was a prominent Democrat.
Isaac was the son of Solomon Billman (1812-1891) and his wife, Salmone “Sarah” [Michael] Billman (1813-1875), and was born on 6 Jun 1839.
During the Civil War, Isaac O. Billman saw service in two Pennsylvania regiments:
On 7 August 1862, a 23 year old Isaac O. Billman, enrolled at Northumberland County, in the 136th Pennsylvania Infantry, and was mustered into service in Company C as a Private on 16 August 1862 at Harrisburg. He served in that regiment and company until he was mustered out on 29 May 1863.
On 22 February 1864, a 24 year old Isaac O. Billman, enrolled at Harrisburg, in the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and was mustered into service at the same place on 27 February 1864, as a Private in Company A. At the time, he claimed he was born in Northumberland Counnty and was a laborer. He stood 5 foot 5 inches tall, had light hair, a fair complexion and grey eyes. According to information in Bates, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal on 17 July 1865. He served in that regiment and company until he was mustered out on 23 August 1865.
According to information given to the 1890 census, when he was living near Herndon, he was discharged from the 136th Pennsylvania Infantry on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability, and because he joined the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, he was considered a re-enlisted veteran. Since the actual military record or pension application record was not consulted for this blog post, the nature of any disability for which he was discharged cannot be confirmed, as this information does not appear on the Veterans’ File Cards shown above from the Pennsylvania Archives.
Isaac O. Billman married the former Mary H. Bucher (1848-1923) and with her had at least 8 known children. In the censuses prior to 1900, his occupation is given as laborer. In the 1900 census, he is a landlord at a hotel.
The pension application information for Isaac O. Billman and his widow is found on two available cards:
The above card, from Fold3, shows that the first application made by Billman was on 14 October 1890.
The above card from Ancestry.com shows that the widow, Mary Billman, applied on 11 August 1904, only days after the death of her husband. Both the application of the veteran and widow were made from Pennsylvania.
Isaac O. Billman is buried at the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Cemetery, Red Cross, Northumberland County. His wife was buried with him after her death in 1923. Some additional information is found at his Findagrave Memorial, but as of this writing, other than the picture showing the shadow of a G.A.R. star-flag holder, there is no stated indication that he was a Civil War veteran, as there was also no indication in his death notice (top of post) that he was a Civil War veteran.
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News clipping from Newspapers.com.
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