Death of Henry W. Faust, 1899

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 13, 2019

Henry W. Faust died in March 1899 and is buried at the United Methodist Church Cemetery in Tremont, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. During the Civil War he served in the 39th Pennsylvania Infantry Militia (Emergency of 1863), Company H, as a Private from 29 June 1863 to 2 August 1863 when he was discharged at the end of the emergency.

No additional information is provided on the Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card, shown above from the Pennsylvania Archives.

Because his service was so short, he did not qualify for a Civil War pension at least three months being required unless serious injury or death occurred attributed to service. However, he did legitimately claim veteran status at the time of the 1890 census, giving as his only service the aforementioned militia duty.

The West Schuylkill Press and Pine Grove Herald gave a good accounting of his life when they published his obituary on 18 March 1899:

DEATH OF H. W. FAUST – Henry W. Faust, one of Tremont‘s best known citizens, died at his home on West Main Street soon after six o’clock on Wednesday morning, of miners’ asthma, after a long illness. Mr. Faust was born in Ravine, near Pine Grove, 21 August 1840. He was a man of powerful physique in his younger days, tall, heavy-boned and exceedingly strong. He was a miner, and the work, in later years, shattered his health, as in the case with so many who follow the same occupation. For some years he was very feeble. Mr. Faust served in the Union Army during the Civil War and was a gallant soldier. He was a popular citizen and a few years ago he was elected to the office of tax collector, but declined to serve, L. W. Kopp being appointed to fill the vacancy. Mr. Faust was a member of Williams Post 136, G.A.R. and Tremont Lodge, No. 245, I.O.O.F. Both of these organizations will attend the funeral. Survivors are the widow and the following sons and daughters: John H. Faust, borough clerk; Charles Faust and Roy Faust, of town [Tremont], and William Faust, of Philadelphia; and Misses Louisa Faust and Beulah Faust, both at home.
The funeral services will be held at the home of the deceased, tomorrow afternoon at one o’clock. Revs. Lentz and Snyder will officiate.
Interment will be made in the Methodist Episcopal Cemetery. Undertaker Seltzer will have charge.

A more brief notice of his death appeared in the Pine Grove Herald on 17 March 1899:

Henry W. Faust, aged 59 years, died of miners’ asthma at Tremont, Wednesday morning. He is a brother of Israel Faust, of Ravine. Funeral on Sunday afternoon at 1 o’clock.

Henry W. Faust was married to the former Emma L. Fegley, who was born in 1845, daughter of Jonathan Fegley and Mary M. [Bonawitz] Fegley. Emma survived her husband, living to 19 October 1912, when she died in Tremont.

Civil War Blog