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William Morris, Buried at Williamstown – Possibly Wrong Regiment Credited on Stone
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 26, 2019
According to his grave marker in Seybert’s Cemetery, Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, William Morris was a Civil War veteran who died on 23 September 1890. He is buried there with his wife who was the former Mary Elizabeth Shissler, who died on 19 January 1901.
In reading the grave marker which notes a regiment of service as the 128th Pennsylvania Infantry, a search was made of the records to determine whether this is accurate.
According to the information found on the 1890 veterans’ census for Williamstown, which was taken just before the death of William Morris in 1890, he served in the 208th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I (shown above), and declared that as a result of that service he developed “rheumatism [that was] caused by [a] spent ball” (not shown). No other regiment is mentioned in the census.
Information from Civil War records indicates that William Morris served in Company I of the 208th Pennsylvania Infantry as a Private from 30 October 1864 through discharge on 1 June 1865.
A Pension Index Card from Fold3 confirms that a William Morris applied for benefits on 18 March 1882, which he received. Note that regiment is given as 208th Pennsylvania Infantry. No death date is given on the card and no other war service is given.
Finally, in relation to service in the 208th Pennsylvania Infantry, the Pension Index Card from Ancestry.com gives similar information as the Fold3 card, but adds the name of the widow, Mary E. Morris, who applied on 16 October 1890. She received benefits which she collected until her death, which as noted on the grave marker, occurred in 1910.
To the date of this writing, no evidence has been seen that William Morris served in the 128th Pennsylvania Infantry.
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