Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 19, 2016

Two men named George Hinkle, both associated with the Lykens Valley area of Pennsylvania, saw Civil War service.  They can be differentiated by their middle initial and regiment/company of service.  It does not appear that they are closely related, although additional research could prove otherwise.

George W. Hinkle (1843-1878)

George W. Hinkle is buried at the Free Grace Brethren in Christ Church Cemetery in Rife, Upper Paxton Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  His grave marker is sunken in the ground so that the inscriptions below his birth date of 6 June 1843 cannot be read.  There is a G.A.R. Star-Flag Holder at his grave, but there is no information available at the cemetery to specifically indicate his Civil War service.

Two emergency regiments have been located for this George W. Hinkle:

The first service was in the 6th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency of 1862), Company E, as a Private.  George W. Hinkle enrolled on 13 September 1862 at Halifax, Dauphin County.  He gave his age as 23 and his residence as Millersburg.  At the end of the emergency, he was discharged on 27 September 1862.

The second service was in the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency of 1863), Company K, as a Private.  George W. Hinkle enrolled at Millersburg on 18 June 1863 at the age of 19.  He was mustered into service on 20 June 1863.  However, his discharge date is in question, since in the “remarks” section, it is noted that he was “missing since 26 June 1863.”

The 26th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency of 1863) served at Gettysburg, having been called into service by Governor Andrew Curtin to assist in repelling the forces of Gen. Robert E. Lee as they invaded Pennsylvania. It is the only one of many 1863 Pennsylvania emergency regiments that is honored on the Pennsylvania Memorial at Gettysburg.

The plaque from the Pennsylvania Memorial is shown above (Company K).  It does not have the name of George W. Hinkle, and this could confirm that he did not go to Gettysburg with his regiment and company. However, these plaques have been shown to be inaccurate, though the fact that his name is not on the plaque does possibly confirm the statement on the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card that he was “missing.”  There are several interpretations of “missing,” including “deserted,” absent due to illness, and/or possibly not properly mustered .

Click on document to enlarge.

Another Civil War era document found for George W. Hinkle is the 1863 United States Civil War Draft record, shown above from Ancestry.com.  On the 3rd line from the bottom, there is a George W. Hinkle who was 20 years old in 1863, was living in Upper Paxton Township, was working as a mason, and was single.  Noteworthy about this record is that George did not report his prior service in the Emergency Force of 1862, nor did he report his service in the 1863 Emergency Force, which should have been occurring at the time of the draft.

No Pension Index Card has been located for George W. Hinkle.  If his only service was with the emergency forces, then he did not meet the 3-month requirement for a pension.  He also died on 9 April 1878, which was well before the rules were relaxed in 1890.

George W. Hinkle is believed to be the son of Dr. George W. Hinkle (1809-1885), who died in Millersburg and is buried at Rife.

Finally, if George W. Hinkle was a Civil War veteran, with service at least in the 1862 Emergency Force, and recognition at graveside as a war veteran, he is not mentioned on the Millersburg Soldier Monument – still another missing soldier who had a connection to Millersburg and/or Upper Paxton Township. Additional research is needed to determine why he was included when the monument was erected just over 100 years ago.

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George H. Hinkle (1834-1913)

George H. Hinkle died on 29 April 1913 in Dauphin Borough, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and is buried there in the Dauphin Cemetery, with his wife Sarah M. Hinkle (1838-1919).  According to his death certificate, he was the son of Jacob Hinkle and Elizabeth [Seidel/Spidel] Hinkle and was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 30 November 1834.

George H. Hinkle‘s first service was with the 136th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company C, as a Private.  He enrolled at Dauphin County (probably Dauphin Borough) on 9 August 1862 and was mustered into service on 27 August 1862 at Harrisburg.  Other than his age of 33, there is no other personal information about him available from the index card available from the Pennsylvania Archives.  He was honorably discharged on 29 May 1863.

The second service of George H. Hinkle was with the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, a company that was heavily composed of members from the Lykens Valley area.  He enrolled at Harrisburg on 29 August 1864 and was mustered into service on the same day at the same place.  There is some personal information about him on the Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card:  (1) he said he was 28 years old; (2) he said his residence was Dauphin County;  (3) he gave his occupation as shoemaker; (4) he was 5 foot, 6 inches tall; (5) he had sandy hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion.

George H. Hinkle does not appear in the book Yankee Cavalrymen by John W. Rowell, a history of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  The only currently available information about his service in the cavalry is found in his own words as given to the 1890 Census taker:  “Badly injured by horse falling.”

Click on document to enlarge.

The U.S. Draft Registration of 1863 (shown above from Ancestry.com) reported him as a resident of Middle Paxton Township (bottom line) and as a 28 year old married shoemaker, but did not report his then-current service in the 136th Pennsylvania Infantry.

George H. Hinkle applied for a pension on 14 July 1890, which he received and collected until his death on 29 April 1913.  His widow, Sarah, then applied for benefits, which she received.  The Pension Index Card shown above is from Ancestry.com.

George and Sarah had at least six children, all of which have been verified in Ancestry.com family trees.  One daughter, Susan Alice Hinkle, born about September 1868, married George Washington Umholtz (1866-1958), the son of John Umholtz of Halifax Township and Mary [Hoffman] Umholtz of Lykens Township.  Thus far, this is the only confirmed connection of George H. Hinkle with the Lykens Valley area, albeit indirect (through his daughter’s marriage).
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Additional information is sought on both George W. Hinkle and George H. Hinkle and readers are invited to submit comments to this post or send an e-mail to the Project.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Two Men Named George Hinkle
Tags: Andrew Curtin, G.A.R., Halifax, Halifax Township, Lykens Township, Millersburg, Rife, Upper Paxton Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 18, 2016

Other than the main railroad stations on the Lykens Valley Railroad at Lykens Borough, Elizabethville, and Millersburg (Lenkerville), there were at least three other smaller stations en route.  Previously on this blog, a post featured the Oak Dale Station and the Civil War.  As mentioned in that post, the stop at Oak Dale later became Loyalton.  There were at least two other known stops which, according to information found in the Interstate Commerce Commission files, had small railroad buildings.  The photographs of these buildings in the files all were taken around the time of World War I and it is not known if those building were from the Civil War era.  They will be pictured in this post, in the hopes that a rail enthusiast can determine their age and report it here in a comment added to this post or by sending an e-mail to the Project.

None of these buildings have survived to the present, but the exact location of the Oakdale, Lenkers and Woodside buildings has been determined as follows:

A Google search for Woodside in Dauphin County produced the following result: Roadside Thoughts. Also:  Dauphin County Railroad Stations.  “This depot was on the east side of Woodside Station Road on the south side of the tracks at approximately GPS: 40.532202, -76.910003.”

A Google search for Lenkers in Dauphin County produced the following result for “Lenker”:  Dauphin County Railroad Stations.  “This station was on the east side of Lenker Station/Mohr Road on the south side of the tracks at approximately GPS: 40.537569, -76.864172.”

The Oakdale Station, according to the Dauphin County Railroad Stations site, “was on the east side of Oakdale Station Road on the north side of the tracks at approximately GPS: 40.556024, -76.759528.”

A map on the Dauphin County Railroad Stations site shows the location of the stations en route on the Lykens Valley Railroad:

Traveling West from Lykens, the first station is Oak Dale (or Oakdale), followed by Elizabethville.  Then follows Lenkers and Woodside, and the railroad merges with the Northern Central Railroad at Millersburg (Lenkerville).

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Oak Dale (Loyalton)

The above damaged photo is from the Interstate Commerce Commission files of 1916.  The role of the individual sitting in the doorway is unknown.

The above standard picture has been around for a while and the owner of the original is unknown.  A few years ago, free copies could be obtained at the restored Lykens station in Lykens Borough.

The above picture of passengers at the Loyalton station is rare – and the original, taken with a box camera, is in a family collection.  William Dietrich (1896-1977) of Specktown Road, Lykens Township, his wife Helen (1895-1977), and children Harold and Kathryn are shown either waiting for a train or just arriving in Loyalton.  The picture can be dated with the ages of the children:  Harold was born in 1919 and Kathryn in 1915.  During World War I the Dietrich family lived in Harrisburg where William worked in the steel mills.  In 1919, Helen’s grandmother, Hannah [Rickert] Riegle died. Her “sale” took place in 1920 and William & Helen purchased Hannah’s home and 6 acre farm in Lykens Township.  Hannah was the Civil War widow of Harrison Riegle who served in the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry.

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Lenkers

One of the only known photos of the Lenkers Station is from the Interstate Commerce Commission files of 1916.

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Woodside

The blurred photo (above) shows a wide view of the Woodside Station and three men, probably workers, and the single track line heading East past the station.

And, the final photo shows four boys, possibly workers at the Woodside Station.  Can anyone identify the contraption on the boy to the right who is standing in front of the window?  The boy on the ladder appears to be changing  the signaling device.

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All of the three station buildings were built in the same style and have a small tool shed on the right side of the building.  The photographs were all taken at a time when the Pennsylvania Railroad operated the line and the town signs are in the Pennsylvania Railroad style (maroon with gold lettering).

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Comments are always welcome!

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Smaller Civil War Railroad Stations En Route on the Lykens Valley Railroad
Tags: Elizabethville, Lenkers, Lenkerville, Lykens Borough, Lykens Township, Millersburg, Oak Dale, Railroad, Woodside

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 15, 2016

The Elias S. Herber who served in the 176th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I, as a Musician, is buried at Allentown’s Fairview Cemetery, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.  Although the grave marker reads “Herbert,” the veteran buried here was actually the one who served in both the 176th Pennsylvania Infantry and the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company E.   Those facts are confirmed by the Military Index Cards available from Fold3, by the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Burial Card, and by Pension Index Cards.

The Pension Index Card (above from Fold3) indicates that Elias S. Herber died on 24 May 1929, at Port Carbon.

However, the Klingerstown Bicentennial Album, page 164, states that there is an Elias Herber buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Red Cross, Northumberland County, and that Elias Herber served in the 176th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I, as a Musician.

Which burial place is correct?  Are there two different men with the same name – one buried in Allentown and one buried in Red Cross?  If there are two different men, both could not have served in the 176th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I, as Musicians.

Perhaps a reader can straighten this out.  Please submit comments to this post or send by e-mail.

Category: Queries, Research | Comments Off on Elias Herber – Buried at Allentown or Red Cross?
Tags: Red Cross

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 14, 2016

Cornelius A. Hochlander is named on the Lykens G.A.R. Memorial as a Private who joined the Heilner Post in Lykens after it was organized.

Hochlander, who is sometimes found in the records as Hocklander, was born in November 1844, the son of George Hochlander, a shoemaker, and Mary Adaline Hochlander.  The family is found in the 1850 and 1860 Census of Wiconisco Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

The only military record found for Cornelius Hochlander is as an “Emergency Militia Man” in 1863.

The record from the Pennsylvania Archives (shown above) indicates that on 15 June 1963, Cornelius, at age 18, enrolled in the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency of 1863), Company D, as a Private, thus answering the call of Governor Andrew Curtin to defend the State from the impending invasion by Gen. Robert E. Lee.  He was mustered into service at Harrisburg and immediately was sent to the area around Gettysburg.  His emergency regiment remained there on the perimeter of the battle, and eventually, by 30 July1863, they were discharged in Harrisburg.

Click on picture to enlarge.

For his role in the Gettysburg Campaign, Cornelius is named on a plaque on the Pennsylvania Memorial.

After the Civil War, Cornelius A. Hochlander remained in the Lykens-Wiconisco area as is evident from both the 1870 and 1880 Censuses where he reported his occupation as an engineer.

However, in 1890, he appears in Plymouth, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

Cornelius died on 3 August 1921, and a brief note appeared in the Wilkes-Barre Record, 6 August 1921:

Under G.A.R. Auspices — The funeral of Cornelius A. Hochlander, which takes place to-day at 2 p.m. from his home on South Main Street, will be under the auspices of Conyngham Post, G.A.R.  It is desired that all members of the post turn out as a tribute to the comrade.

The Death Certificate of Cornelius A. Hochlander (shown above, from Ancestry.com), indicates that he died in Wilkes-Barre of apoplexy.  His occupation at the time of his death was “retired.”

Sometimes a great deal of family information is found in unusual places.  For example, the following article from the Wilkes-Barre Record of 10 March 1900 describes the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius A. Hochlander.  In addition to the guest list, including their residences, the article gives the names of the children.

Guests from Wiconisco included the Hon. H. C. Keen and wife; Mr. and Mrs. John H. Keen; Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Hochlander; Mrs. George Hochlander; and Mrs. Andrew F. Kimmel.  From Tower City, Dr. & Mrs. E. F. Phillips….

The living children named were:  Francis Marion Hochlander, who served on the U.S.S. Samoset under Admiral Sampson during the Spanish-American War, at Key West, Santiago, and Guantanamo; Florence Hochlander, cashier at I. E. Wells’ store; Abbie Hochlander, a student at the Central High School; and Mabel Hochlander, 10 years of age.

And, it also reproduced the wedding announcement as it appeared in the Tamaqua Courier in March 1875.

“On Sunday afternoon, 7 March 1875, at the parsonage of the St. John’s Lutheran Church of Tamaqua by the Pastor J. F. Bayer, C. A. Hochlander of Wiconisco, Pennsylvania, to Miss Lizzie Acker of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania.  We wish our kind friend Conrad a life of the brightest sunshine that falls in the lot of man.  May their larder and their purse be always full, their sleep refreshing, their waking hours made up of moments of satisfaction and pleasure, and may all the little Hochlanders be goodlanders likewise.  Their Ackers accumulate and their stores increase until they and theirs shall pass to a great hereafter.”

The complete article is pictured below.

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News clipping from Newspapers.com.

Category: Overviews, Research, Stories | Comments Off on Cornelius A. Hochlander – Emergency Man from Wiconisco
Tags: Andrew Curtin, G.A.R., Lykens Borough, Tower City, Wiconisco

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 13, 2016

A prior post on this blog, The Lykens Valley Railroad at Millersburg, presented maps showing the location of the Civil War era railroad station at Millersburg, actually located at Lenkerville just south of the Wiconisco Creek.  The 1876 map showed the location of the “Engine House” and “Turntable”.  Today’s post will picture some of the structures at that location, including the station where the Lykens Valley Railroad (also known as the Summit Branch Railroad) joined the Northern Central Railroad.

The Civil War Station

The above picture was taken from a display at the Historical Society of Millersburg and Upper Paxton Township. It shows the Civil War era railroad station in one of its early configurations.  The left side of the photo is the north facing part of the building, while the right side shows the west facing side which was parallel to the Northern Central Railroad tracks.  Note the balcony around the second floor and the absence of a second floor bay window on the west facing side. The photo caption reads:

This our first hotel, and used by the boatmen, was named the Summit Branch Hotel when the Summit Branch Railroad bought the Lykens Valley Railroad in 1866.  It was located at the canal basins where this Railroad meets the Northern Central Railway at Lenkerville.  Part of the building was used as our first passenger depot until our present one was built at Center street in 1898.

The above photo from a private collection is the same building with the balcony removed and a bay window added.  The lower windows have the shutters closed, possibly indicating that this picture was taken after the 1898 station was built.  Note that a rail car is partially visible at the left side of the picture/

The photo above was re-produced in a brochure which described the opening of the 1898 railroad station.  Two tracks are seen in front of the station.  Note that while the lower windows are shuttered, there are people in front of the station, possibly awaiting the arrival of a train.

The south-facing wall of the station is shown in the above 1916 photo from the files of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, D.C.  The freight cars on the right appear to be on the main line of Summit Branch Railroad, just before the the tracks merge with the double track line of the Northern Central Railroad. Note the second floor bay window on the west-facing wall, and the stairway to the second floor and the freight door on the south-facing wall.

The above photo, taken from a stereoscopic view card, shows the station with its second floor balcony prior to the addition of the bay window.  It is probably the earliest available photo of this view of the station.  The photo suggests that the stairway and freight door shown in the previous view were parts of an extension of the building done some time well after the Civil War.  A sign on the end of the balcony notes that this is the “Summit Branch Hotel” and rail cars can be seen at the right on the Summit Branch Railroad line just before it merges with the Northern Central line.

The Engine House, Turntable, and Service Buildings

The Engine House, shown above from a 1916 Interstate Commerce Commission photo, had two bays for engine servicing and repair. In front of the Engine House, but not shown in the picture, was the turntable that appears on the 1876 map.  It is not known at this time whether this is the same Engine House existed at the time of the Civil War, but there is an Engine House noted on the 1858 map. Note also the small shed to the left and rear of the Engine House.

The Tool Shed, noted in Engine House picture, is shown above as it was in 1916 at the time of the Interstate Commerce Commission photo was taken.  The date of its construction is not presently known, but it could have been built around the time of the Civil War.

The Engine House photo shown above also depicts the Turntable.  The engine on the track at left can be used to date the photo.  Note that the doors on the Engine House are different than the doors shown on the first photo.  This is probably a much earlier photo than the first photo above and shows the Engine House more like it may have looked at the time of the Civil War.

An undated photo of the side of the Engine House shows workers sitting on construction materials.

Another undated photo of the Engine House, this time showing some construction in the area of the Turntable.  Note that the Engine House doors are as they appear in the first photo (without rounded tops).

Other Early Millersburg Railroad Structures – Most Likely Post Civil War

A railroad overpass is pictured from a 1916 Interstate Commerce Commission photo.  This overpass may not have been at this location during the Civil War.  The white blocks shown two pictures above this one may have been part of the construction of this overpass.

A Water Tower should have at this location during the Civil War, but the one that was here in 1861-1865 may not have been the one pictured above.  From: the 1916 photo collection of the Interstate Commerce Commission.

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As always, comments are welcome!

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Civil War Railroad Structures of Millersburg
Tags: Lenkerville, Millersburg, Railroad