Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 22, 2016

James Kilrain was born about 1839 in Ireland.  At the time of the Civil War, he was living in Minersville, Schuylkill County and working as a coal miner.  He first volunteered for the 16th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company K, as a Private, serving in this 90-day regiment from 8 April 1861 through 10 July 1861.  Later in the war, he joined the 55th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company E, as a Private, serving from 1 March 1864 through his honorable discharge on 30 August 1865.

Kilrain was first discovered as a potential veteran from the Lykens Valley area when the name “James Kelhain” was discovered in the Reilly Township, 1890 Census.  A widow, “Mary Moffat“, reported that her husband had served in Company E of the 16th Pennsylvania Infantry from 8 April 1861 through 25 August 1865.  Two piece of incorrect information were given – the company and the concluding date of service.  Fortunately, there is an easy way to find the correct information.

Steve Maczuga‘s database of Pennsylvania Civil War Soldiers provides a search aid where the entire regiment, in this case the 16th Pennsylvania Infantry, can be brought up on one screen.  Using that aid, the following was discovered:

Click on picture to enlarge.

A “James Killraue” was found in Company K, and his concluding date of service was 10 July 1861.

Using that spelling, the following card was located in the Pennsylvania Archives:

New information found on the “James Killraue” was that he enrolled at Minersville, was mustered into the regiment at Harrisburg, and was 22 years old at the time (born about 1839).

Using the regimental/company Pension Index Card grouping at Fold3, the following card was located in Company K of that regiment:

The above card shows that when the application for a pension was made on 4 November 1881, he used the spelling “Kilrain”. It also shows that he served in the 55th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company E, that he did receive a pension, and that a widow applied and received benefits after he died.

Finding the information on his service in the 55th Pennsylvania Infantry was easy, although the spelling of the surname was slightly different in those military records – “Killrain.”  At the time of enrollment in that regiment/company, he gave his age as 25 (born about 1839), his occupation as a miner, and his residence as Northampton County, Pennsylvania [Note: this latter piece of information may be incorrect since Northumberland and Northampton counties are sometimes confused in the records].   Personal information about him included his height of 5 foot, 5.5 inches, and that his hair was brown, his complexion was florid and his eyes were grey.

What was the name of his widow?

According to the Pension Index Card version available on Ancestry.com, shown above, the widow’s name was Bridget Kilrain.  She applied for widow’s benefits on 28 December 1907.   Now, points of confusion are discovered.  The 1890 Census appears to name a “Mary Moffat” as the widow of James (see below) – both are on the same line (No. 3).  And, the pension application was not made until 1907.

However, a “line number notation” at the left side of the sheet seems to suggest that Mary should be on “line 2 1/2” and therefore was the widow of David Weir, who appears on ‘line 2.”  The pattern of naming the widow after the name of the soldier is more evident on “line 6” of this sheet where William Devine is named and his widow is named on “line 7” with the notation of “line 6 1/2.”  It must be concluded that James Kilrain did not die before the 1890 census!  It is therefore likely that he died closer to the date when the widow, Bridget Kilrain applied for benefits, 28 December 1907.

Proof that James Kilrain was still alive in 1900 was found in that census for Reilly Township where he is found living with his wife Bridget and daughter Lizzie and working as a laborer in a coal mine.  The immigration date of 1854 from Ireland, as well as the marriage date of 1868, is also established from this census, though a question can be asked about the suggested January 1834 birthdate – which conflicts with the approximate date of his two military enlistments.

A search of Pennsylvania Death Certificate, which began being issued in 1906, produced no matching result for James Kilrain.

A search of Findagrave produced the gravestone photo show at the top of this post.  James Kilrain, who served in the 55th Pennsylvania Infantry, is buried at the St. Vincent dePaul Cemetery, Minersville, Schuylkill County.  The stone is of government issue and does not show the date of birth or death.  However, Bridget Kilrain does appear in the Findagrave database.  She died on 14 July 1910 and is buried in the same cemetery.  Her memorial is not linked to her husband’s.

A search of the Ancestry.com database (National Archives), Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903, produced no matching results.  However, if the stone was requested after 1903, it would not appear in this database.

A search of Newspapers.com for the time period 1900 to 1910 resulted in no matching obituary for either James or Bridget, although various spellings of the surname were attempted.

At the time of this writing, the best estimate of the death of James Kilrain would appear to be between the beginning of 1904 (post Headstones database) to about December 1907 (pre widow’s pension application).

Of course, the actual death date as well as proof of death should be in the pension application files, which were not consulted for this blog post.

There are still many unanswered questions about this veteran who was initially assumed to be “James Kelhain” and is now known to be James Kilrain.  However, the research results in this blog post offer a springboard to to learn more about him.

Comments are invited.

Category: Research, Stories | Comments Off on James Kilrain – Irish Immigrant. Coal Miner, and Civil War Veteran
Tags: Reilly Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 20, 2016

George Jury was born on 2 March 1840 in Pennsylvania and died on 19 May 1912 in Halifax Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. During the Civil War he served in the 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a Private.  After the Civil War, he applied for a pension on 25 September 1890.   He is buried at Long’s Cemetery, just outside the Halifax Borough.  After his death, his widow, Mary E. [Baker] Jury applied for benefits.  Both George and his widow received those benefits, which were collected until their respective deaths. Mary died on 30 March 1935 and is buried next to her husband at Long’s Cemetery.

Previously on this blog, it was mentioned that the name of George Jury appears in the Halifax Bicentennial Book as a Civil War soldier from the Halifax area. He also appears in the veterans’ cemetery list for Long’s Cemetery found in that same book.  Another soldier named George W. Jury was previously profiled here.  He served in the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry.  It is possible that that George W. Jury was born in Halifax Township because he was baptized at Fetterhoff’s Church, but the family moved to Perry County by 1850 and after the Civil War, he moved to Kansas where he died.  In the profile of George W. Jury, it was noted that if he was born in Halifax Township, then he too belongs in the Halifax list.  No proof has been seen of his actual place of birth although his obituary which appeared in a Kansas newspaper states that he was born in Perry County.  In any event, the two Georges were very close in age and were descended from the same pioneer settler of the Lykens Valley area, Abraham Jury.

The ancestry of George Jury, 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry:

Parents:  George Bretz Jury (1799-1884) and Anna Marie Shoop (1800-1850)

Grandparents: Abraham Jury (1753, Switzerland – 1805) and Elizabeth Bretz (1763-1829)

The ancestry of George W. Jury, 47th Pennsylvania Infantry:

Parents:  Simon S. Jury (1815-1894) and Juliann Harman (1819-  ?)

Grandparents:  John George Jury (1794-1869) and Susanna Cooper (1800-1836)

Great Grandparents:  Abraham Jury (1753, Switzerland – 1805) and Elizabeth Bretz (1763-1829)

Therefore, George Jury and George W. Jury were 1st cousins, once removed.

Pension Documents

Several selected pages of the pension application of George Jury (1840-1912) of Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, are presented to show what was required of a veteran to prove that his disability was incurred during the Civil War.  However, it should be noted that the original application was submitted after the pension laws were relaxed to allow “old age” be a sufficient reason for a benefit claim.

His Deposition

Four pages of the original deposition follow.  Click on any thumbnail to enlarge the page.

In page 1, George Jury makes the claim that while on march from Yorktown, Virginia, to Hagerstown, Maryland and Warrenton Junction, in July 1863, he got “sore feet” as a result of the “dusty hot weather.”

In page 2, George Jury notes that he has had sore feet ever since his discharge and that the sore feet “has disabled me from the performance of manual labor.”

In page 3, he makes the claim that there is “pain in them that I can’t sleep… [and] can’t walk much.”  He also claims that he does get some relief from “rabbits fat” and other liniments purchased at stores, but the relief is only temporary and that the best remedy “is not to walk at all.”

Finally, in Page 4 of the Deposition, George estimates that the “sore feet” have made him “about one half disabled” and “my sore feet have been about the same each year ever since discharge.”

He signed the Deposition himself.

Throughout the Deposition, George Jury gives the names of others who served with him in the 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry, as well as neighbors in the area of Halifax Township who could testify in support of his claim.

Summary Declaration

On a summary page received by the Pension Office on 23 October 1891, a second disability was given as “diarrhea” which occurred after his return from the army, and although alleviated, he had a “pain across my abdomen” which at times was “so severe I am unable to to do any work.”  On this summary page additional information is given about his military service.

Marriage Information

Mary Jury had to prove that she was married to George Jury when she applied for widow’s benefits.  Although there was no “official” record available, she stated that her maiden name was Mary E. Baker, and she married to George on 19 October 1865 at Millersburg by the Rev. Francis Lahr.

Widow’s Declaration

On the “Declaration for Widow’s Pension,” Mary stated that she had no living children under 16 years of age.  She also had to repeat much of the information about her husband’s military service.  Genealogical records on Ancestry.com show that George and Mary had at least two known children:  William J. Jury (1871-1949) and Harvey Grant Jury (1886-1984).

Pennsylvania Death Certificate

The Pennsylvania Death Certificate of George Jury states that he died of “valvular heart disease.” From:  Ancestry.com.

Pension application papers are from the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  The Pension Index Card is from Ancestry.com.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on George Jury of Halifax – 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry
Tags: Halifax, Halifax Township, Millersburg

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 17, 2016

A blog post here on 16 May 2016, Was Robert Hunter of Tower City a Civil War Veteran?, has received a response from a regular research contributor, Steve Williams, who pointed out that he believes that the same Robert Hunter mentioned in the 1890 Veterans’ Census for Tower City is buried in the Hunter’s Valley Cemetery, Liverpool, Perry County, Pennsylvania as noted in the Findagrave Memorial.  Liverpool is on the western side of the Susquehanna River and across from Millersburg.

The Findagrave Memorial has information contributed by Civil War author and researcher Dennis Brandt, who also is responsible for the York and Adams County Civil War Veterans Data Base, which is found on the website of the York County Heritage Trust. Information from Dennis has helped to uncover much about Civil War soldiers in the Lykens Valley area because of the interconnectedness of the areas surrounding the Susquehanna River.  In addition to his work with the York County Heritage Trust, he supplies much of his research to Findagrave.  And, on numerous occasions he has submitted information directly to this project.

Steve Williams noted that the 1890 Census information was incorrect in that Robert Hunter did not serve in the 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I, during the years indicated, 1862-1863, but rather served in the 173rd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I, from 6 November 1862 to 17 August 1863. It was mentioned in the previously named blog post that he was not found in any 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry records.

Dennis Brandt noted in the Findagrave Memorial that Robert Hunter also served in the 208th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I,as a Private, from 9 September 1864 through 1 June 1865.

As a basis for concluding that the Robert Hunter buried at Liverpool is the same person as the veteran identified in the 1890 Tower City Census, the Pension Index Card from Ancestry.com was referenced:

Susan Hunter, the widow, applied for pension benefits on 22 July 1901.  Susan is also named by Dennis Brandt as the wife of Robert Hunter, but with unknown maiden name.  By checking the census returns from 1860 through 1880, both Robert Hunter and Susan Hunter, with children are in Buffalo Township, Perry County, in 1860 and 1870, where he is working as a blacksmith.  However, in 1880, Robert and Susan are living in Shamokin, Northumberland County, where Robert is working as a coal miner.

Susan was still alive in 1901 when Robert Hunter died.  The Pension Index Card, shown below from Fold3, gives his date of death as 28 June 1901.

Was Susan with Robert Hunter in 1890 when he was enumerated in Tower City?

From the 1890 Census Substitute for Schuylkill County, shown above from Ancestry.com, there is a Robert Hunter, age 53, a blacksmith, living in Tower City.  However, the spouse’s name is given as Amelia, not Susan.  Perhaps Susan’s middle name was Amelia?  The age for Robert Hunter is correct, the occupation is correct, and Tower City is correct.

It is not presently known when Susan died or where she died.  She has no Findagrave Memorial.  No Pennsylvania Death Certificate has been located for her.  Known census returns for her give her birthplace as Maryland, so it is possible that after her husband’s death, she returned to Maryland.  There is a Susan A. Hunter, widow of Robert, named in Baltimore City directories into the early 1940s, but additional information is needed to determine if this is the same person.

In the absence of a maiden name, it will be difficult to trace her.  The maiden name should most likely be found in the widow’s pension application file, available from the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  However, Dennis Brandt, who may have consulted that file, noted that Susan’s maiden name was “unknown.”  Another other possibility in locating her maiden name is to trace the five children of Susan and Robert Hunter to see if any died in Pennsylvania and if their death certificates give a maiden name for their mother.

The five children are:  Charles Wesley Hunter, born about 1859; Valeria Hunter, born about 1861; Harvey M. Hunter, born about 1864; Mary E. Hunter, born about 1867; and Emma C. Hunter, born about 1869.

Harvey M. Hunter died on 14 February 1938 in Newport, Perry County.  Oh his death certificate, his father is Robert Hunter and his mother is Sarah Sheesley.  Sarah’s birthplace is given as Pennsylvania.  Thus far, this is the only Pennsylvania Death Certificate located for one of the children and the information on it is not conclusive.

Susan’s death date could also be in the pension application file, as the time her benefits were terminated.

Perhaps a blog reader of family member can offer additional information?

While it is fairly conclusive that the Robert Hunter found in the 1890 Veterans’ Census is the same person who served in the 173rd Pennsylvania Infantry and is buried at Hunter’s Valley Cemetery in Liverpool, some of the pieces of information cannot be reconciled, leaving some uncertainty, and other information is needed.  If it can be concluded without a doubt, then the current Tower City veterans need to add him to their list of Civil War veterans and honor him by name on their local memorial.

Category: Research, Stories | Comments Off on Tower City Veteran Discovered in Perry County Cemetery
Tags: Millersburg, Tower City

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 16, 2016

The little that was previously known about George Washington Jury was found in a history of the Jury family entitled Portrait of Our Ancestors, pages 86-87:

George Washington Jury was born 29 December 1939, son of Simon Jury and his first wife Julianna/Juliann [__?__] Jury.  He was baptized at Fetterhoff’s Church, Halifax, Dauphin County, on 12 April 1840.  The sponsor of his baptism was Jemima Hermann, single, and whether or not she was related to the mother is not known.

Both parents of George W. Jury were born in Dauphin County, and the 1840 Census of Dauphin shows that Simon was still in his father’s home in that year….  Thus it is remotely possible that this first child was also born in Dauphin County.  We do not have the 1840 Census for Perry County to determine if Simon Jury appears there that year.  He is enumerated in Perry County in the 1850 Census.

George W. Jury married Annie Gish in Liverpool, Perry County, Pennsylvania, but no date of marriage was found.  Annie Gish was born in 1841 at Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania, daughter of Jacob Gish and Salome [Keiffer?] Gish.  She died in 1918 in Holland, Kansas near Abilene and is buried with her husband at Newbern Cemetery, Abilene, Kansas.

George W. Jury died in December of 1918 [sic] at Abilene, Kansas.  He served in the Civil War from 1861 to 1865 per Ruth Russle.  He was a farmer and was affiliated with the River Brethren Church.  He migrated with his family to Kansas between 1876 and 1878 since his daughter Mary [Jury] Nolf was born at Newport, Pennsylvania, in 1876 and the next child was born in Kansas in 1878.

Of the eight children of George Washington Jury and his wife Annie Gish we have descendants for only his daughter Mary.  All the details contributed by Ruth Russell for other children are included below.

*Jacob Jury, born in Pennsylvania in 1866, died in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, date unknown, married Susan Magnum.

*John Jury, born in 1867 in Pennsylvania, died in 1869 in Pennsylvania.

*Benjamin Jury, born in 1869 in Pennsylvania, died in Abilene, Kansas, married Martha Mellinger in Kansas.

*Salome Jury, born in 1871 in Pennsylvania, died in 1921 in Bennington, Kansas, buried in Newbern Cemetery, Abilene, Kansas.  Never married.

*Lizzie Jury, born in 1873 in Pennsylvania, died 1964 at Abilene, Kansas, married Henry Lenhard who died in 1951 in Abilene.  Both are buried at Newbern Cemetery.

*Mary Jury, born 18 March 1876 at Newport, Pennsylvania, died 1 June 1963, at Van Nuys, California, married in December 1898 to Luther Slauson Nolf at Solomon, Kansas.

*Henry Jury, born in Kansas in 1878, died in Kansas in 1880.

*George Jury, born in Kansas in 1886 and died in Abilene, Kansas, married in Abilene to Alice Frymire.

It can be seen from the above biographical sketch, written more than 30 years ago, that with much new information now available on the Internet, corrections and additions are likely possible.

The obituary of George W. Jury, published in the Abilene Daily Reflector (Kansas), 10 September 1914, provides the first major correction.  George died in 1914, not 1918 as previously reported in Portrait of Our Ancestors.

Obituary – G. W. Jury

George Washington Jury was born 29 December 1839 in Perry County, Pennsylvania; died at his home in Holland, Kansas, 28 August 1914.   Mr. Jury served three years in the Civil War in Company D, 47th Pennsylvania Regiment [47th Pennsylvania Infantry].  On 12 September 1865, he was married to Anna Gish; eight children were born to them:

Jacob U. Jury; Johnnie Jury, deceased; Benjamin F. Jury; Salome A. Jury; Lizzie R. Jury; Mary E. Jury; Henry P. Jury, deceased; and George G. Jury.  Five of them were with him at the time of his death.  Mr. Jury united with the Brethren in Christ Church in 1868 and has been a consistent member since.  Mr. and Mrs. Jury came to Kansas in 1878 and have resided here since.  He was a great sufferer for the last few months of his life, but was always kind and patient.  The deceased was highly respected by all who knew him.   The family has the sympathy of a host of friends, as we know Mrs. Jury has lost a devoted husband and the children a loving father.  The remains were laid to rest in the Newbern Cemetery; the services were conducted by Bishop Engle and Elder Cakerice.  A large crowd of friends were present to pay their last respects to a friend whom they will greatly miss.

George W. Jury‘s military record is confirmed by the following documents:

He enrolled in the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry on 20 August 1861 at Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, and was mustered into service in Harrisburg on 31 August 1861 as a Private in Company D.  At the time he gave his age as 21, his occupation as farmer, and his residence at Liverpool, Perry County. He was discharged at Berryville, Virginia, at the expiration of his term of service on 18 September 1864.

The Pension Index Card, shown above from Fold3, states that he applied for a disability pension on 21 November 1865.  This very early application is an indication that he may have obtained a disability during the war and the documentation of that wartime experience would definitely be in the pension application file available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  It is beyond the scope of this Project to obtain those files, so if any reader of this post can shed some light on what is in them and/or provide copies, it would be greatly appreciated!

The above card also confirms the death date of 28 August 1914 and the place of death as Kansas.

The widow applied for benefits on 14 September 1914, which she received and collected until her death.  According to other sources, she died in 1918.

The Pension Index Card, shown above from Ancestry.com, shows that the widow’s name was Anna Jury and that she applied for benefits from Kansas.

Another source of readily available information is Findagrave.

The grave marker at the Newbern Cemetery in Holland, Dickinson County, Kansas, names Company D of the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry as his Civil War service.  Additional information can be found about George and his family at his Findagrave Memorial, including the maiden name of his mother as “Harman.”

The Pennsylvania Death Certificate of one of the siblings of George W. Jury, Hannah Jury, identifies the mother’s maiden name as Juliann Harman.  Harman and Hermann are easily interchanged names, so it is possible that the Jemima Hermann who stood for George’s baptism at Fetterhoff’s Church in Halifax was the mother’s sister – or perhaps the grandmother if the grandmother was not married.

The question of whether the George W. Jury who died in Kansas is the same George Jury who is named in the Halifax Bicentennial list of Civil War soldiers can answered with a “no” since that George Jury is buried at Long’s Cemetery in Halifax.  The question of whether George W. Jury belongs in that Halifax list should be answered with a “yes” since there is documentation that he was baptized at Fetterhoff’s Church.  And, whether or not Simon, the father, moved the family to Perry County before or after George was born, the family was clearly in Halifax in early 1840 for his baptism.  Also, if Simon was in his parents’ home in 1840, where was George, who was born in the last days of 1839?  Only the heads of families are identified in the census returns prior to 1850, so it is possible that the 1840 census was misread by the researcher.

The photograph of George and Annie Jury is from a family collection.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on George W. Jury – Moved to Kansas and Died There in 1914
Tags: Halifax, Halifax Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 15, 2016

As a result of a post here on 18 May 2016, Isaac Houtz – Letters to His Sister Leah, some additional information (as well as a correction) has been received from a regular research contributor Steve Williams.  On 21 May 2016, the following e-mail was received:

I was able to find some information on the Isaac Houtz you profiled in a recent post.

First, I need to correct an error in your post. The 29 February 1864 and 30 April 1864 dates have nothing to do with Houtz’s military record, they’re the dates of the company’s bimonthly muster rolls used to generate the record.  All they mean is that Houtz joined the unit between 1 January and 29 February (it doesn’t say when). It says that he transferred back on 11 April.

[Note:  These dates were referenced to the New York record pictured below.  The correction is acknowledged with thanks].

However, I found Isaac on a list of prisoners of war arriving at Annapolis on a steamer sent from Belle Isle under a flag of truce on 9 March 1864 in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I’ve attached a copy of the article. It says Isaac was admitted to a hospital in Annapolis.

Apparently Isaac was captured as a prisoner of war while with the New York unit but they didn’t record it or seeming even inform his unit about it. So probably the details of his capture have been lost to history. I would recommend checking Isaac Houtz‘s carded medical records for his treatment at Annapolis and to see if he returned to his unit before his June death. Looking at his Pennsylvania muster record, I feel pretty confident the answer will be no, but we won’t know for sure until someone checks the carded medical records.

This record seems to indicate Isaac joined the New York unit on 15 January:

[Note:  The supplied record is from “U.S. Civil War Soldiers Records and Profiles,” a database available on Ancestry.com.  The source of the information is the New York Report of the Adjutant-General].

Thank you for this information, which should help get a clearer understanding of what happened to Isaac Houtz during the Civil War!

Corrections and additions are always welcome and can be sent via e-mail or added as comments to any blog post.

The complete article from the Philadelphia Inquirer is available through the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Category: Research, Stories | Comments Off on Isaac Houtz – Correction and Addition
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