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The Gruesome Death of Israel B. Morgan of Valley View, 1885
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 28, 2019
In doing further research on Israel B. Morgan (1841-1885), Civil War veteran from Valley View, Hegins Township, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, a small notification was discovered in the Pottsville Republican of 21 July 1885 as part of a general mining report:
General remarks: fatal accidents:
11 June, 1885 – Israel Morgan, a miner at West Brookside Colliery, age 44 years, killed by a fall of top slate, leaving six children to survive him.
This small piece of information led to a further search of newspapers of the time to determine if anything further could be discovered about the mining accident.
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From the Pottsville Republican, 13 June 1885:
While Israel Morgan, of Valley View, was dressing off a shot at Brookside Colliery yesterday he was struck by falling slate, which cut one of his legs totally off, besides injuring him in other parts of his body. This is one of the pleasant [sic] features in connection with coal mining.
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From the Pottsville Republican, 16 June 1885:
Israel Morgan of Valley View, who died from injuries received in the Brookside mines last Thursday, was interred yesterday in the cemetery at that place.
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From the Pottsville Republican, 17 July 1885:
TOWER CITY
Special Correspondence Daily Republican
The remains of Israel Morgan were buried at Valley View last Sunday with military…. The funeral procession was, without exception, the largest ever seen in Pyne Valley.
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The local newspapers also provided information on the accident and gave some information about the survivors.
From the West Schuylkill Press & Pine Grove Herald, 13 June 1885:
FATAL ACCIDENT
On Thursday morning Israel Morgan, a resident of Pyne Valley, was injured in No. 3 slope, Brookside, and died from the effctts of his injuries the following night. Morgan and another man entered their breast to dress a shot when the top fell down, striking Morgan on the leg. The limb was cut off by the fall and the consequent loss of blood was great. He was conveyed to his home, but grew weaker right along and died early in the night. Mrs. Morgan died about three weeks ago. Six children survive.
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And, from the Pine Grove Press Herald, 19 June 1885:
Three accidents occurred at Brookside Colliery last week. James Elliot of Tower City, had his foot hurt, and William Adams of Clark’s Valley, had his head injured on Wednesday by top slate. Israel Morgan of Valley View, was severely injured on Thursday by a fall of top slate. One of his legs was so badly smashed that amputation was necessary. He is otherwise so badly injured about the body and head that his recovery is doubtful. Mr. Morgan lost his wife a few months ago, leaving seven children.
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Israel Morgan‘s Civil War record is given on the above card, from the Pennsylvania Archives. On 19 August 1861, he enlisted at Hegins, Schuylkill County, in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, and on 9 September 1861, he was mustered into Company A, as a Private at Harrisburg. At the time, he was 19 years old, working as a laborer, and living in Hegins. He stood 5 foot 6 inches tall, had light hair, a florid complexion, and blue eyes. The record also shows that he re-enlisted on 1 January 1864 at Blaine’s Crossroads, Tennessee, and, according to Bates was mustered out on 30 July 1865, The card record notes that from 18 May 1865 to the date of his muster out, he was “absent sick.”
Israel Morgan applied from Pennsylvania for an invalid pension on 8 March 1882, according to the Pension Index Card available from Ancestry.com (above)> However, the pension was not granted. The card also indicates that on behalf of the minor children, five years after his death on 20 July 1890, an individual named R. B. Dunkelberger, claiming to be guardian, applied. That pension also was not awarded. Similar information is found on the Pension Index Card from Fold3 (not shown here).
Additional information is sought about Israel Morgan and his family. Is more information available about the mining accident that resulted in his death? Why was he not awarded an invalid pension when he applied in 1882? And, what happened to his minor children after their mother and father died? Was R. B. Dunkelberger a storekeeper in Gratz, and postmaster of that community when he applied as the “guardian” of the minor children in 1890?
Research is ongoing on this veteran.
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News clippings from Newspapers.com.
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