Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 21, 2015

A few years back it was suggested here on this blog that the 126 Civil War veterans who are named on the Millersburg Soldier Monument represent only a small fraction of those having a connection to Millersburg and Upper Paxton Township who actually served honorably in the Civil War.  As new names are discovered of veterans who should have been named on the monument, it is bewildering that no one has taken up the cause of identifying all who were omitted, discovering why they were omitted, and suggesting ways that these omitted veterans can be recognized in Millersburg‘s central square.  “Official” representations continue to convey the impression that only 126 men from Millersburg and Upper Paxton Township served in the Civil War.

At the Historical Society of Millersburg and Upper Paxton Township, the Charter of the Kilpatrick Post, G.A.R. is kept preserved in the Civil War Display.  On that Charter is the name of “C. T. Dechant,” (2nd column, 4th row – shown above) one of the founding members.

Charles Theodore Dechant, born in February 1825 in Pennsylvania, was the son of Rev. Heinrich Jacob Wilhelm Dechant (1784-1832), a German immigrant who became a prominent minister in the area of Berks and Lancaster Counties.

During the Civil War, Charles T. Dechant, also known as Theodore C. Dechant, enrolled in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, as a Private on 16 September 1861 – at Berrysburg, Dauphin County.  This company of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry was composed almost entirely of men from the Lykens Valley area.  Berrysburg is located only a few miles from Millersburg, so Charles had to know men from that town who served with him in the regiment.  He was mustered into service on 7 October 1861 at Harrisburg, and then, it is assumed that his military record followed closely the history of the regiment – all of which is documented in Yankee Cavalrymen, a history based on the Diary of William Thomas of Lykens.  At some point in his service, C. T. Dechant was transferred to Company K of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  At 6 foot, 1 inches tall, it would have been hard to miss him or overlook him in the regiment.  His age of 35 years and his occupation of carpenter also made him stand out and prior to his muster out on 24 December 1964, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal only to be reduced in rank to Private as of his honorable discharge (reason and date not given in the available on-line records).

Shown above is the Military Index Card available from Fold3 which confirms that Charles T. Dechant and Theodore C. Dechant are the same person.

The above Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card (from the Pennsylvania Archives) confirms that he was a resident of Dauphin County in 1861 when he joined the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  After the Civil War, he settled in Millersburg.

A portion of the 1870 Census for Millersburg Borough is shown above.  Theodore C. Dechant was a carpenter in the borough in 1870 – living with his wife Hannah E. Dechant and six children.

On 27 October 1873, the above brief article appeared in the Harrisburg Telegraph:

The new Lutheran church at Millersburg is rapidly approaching completion.  The scaffolding used in finishing the steeple was taken down today.  Mr. C. T. Dechant, the contractor, has furnished us a few leading particulars concerning the dimensions, etc., of the building.  The length of the church is 76 feet, width on North Street 45 feet.  The height of the steeple from the ground is 126 feet – from the peak of the roof 78 feet.  It contains 173,000 brick, and 26 windows.  The spire and the roof are slated.  It will cost when finished nearly $12,000.  The time for the dedication of the structure has not yet been fixed.

A portion of the 1880 Census for Upper Paxton Township is shown below:

Charles T. Dechant was a carpenter living with his wife Hannah E. Dechant and their five children in Upper Paxton Township in 1880.

In the 1890 Veterans’ Census, Charles appears in Mount Carmel, Northumberland County, and is still in Mount Carmel at the time of the 1900 Census where he was employed as a home carpenter.  From a series of articles that appeared in the Mount Carmel Item, that Charles T. Dechant moved to Mount Carmel because a number of members of his family were located there, including his brother who was a prominent minister of the Reformed Church.

Charles T. Dechant died on 23 October 1902 and his obituary appeared in the Mount Carmel Item on 25 October 1902:

Wednesday morning, at eight o’clock, Charles T. Dechant, an aged and honored resident of this city, died at the home of his daughter Ella, now Mrs. A. D. Keiser, in Mahanoy City.  He had attended the G.A.R. Encampment Washington, and had stopped off at Mahanoy City on his way home.

Mr. Dechant was 77 years of age.  He was born in Sanatogo, berks County, and lived in Mt. Carmel about twenty years.  He served all through the Civil War and had a honorable record as a soldier.  He was a member of Company B, Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry [9th Pennsylvania Cavalry] and participated in Sherman’s famous march to the sea.  He was connected with Burnside Post No. 92, G.A.R., and the Millersburg lodge of Masons.  Mr. Dechant was a useful citizen, and was held in highest regard by all who knew him.  He was a thorough Christian and an active member of the Grace Reformed Church.

The deceased is survived by five sons:  Robert T. Dechant, Albert H. Dechant, and Charles G. Dechant, of town; Frederick W. Dechant, of Mahanoy Plane; and George B. Dechant of Renovo;  and three daughters, Mrs. A. D. Keiser, of Mahanoy City; and Mary A. Dechant and Ada A. Dechant, of town.

Funeral services will be held at the house on South Chestnut Street at 1 o’clock this afternoon.  The cortege will leave on the 2:37 Pennsylvania and Reading train for interment at Alaska.  The G.A.R. will conduct the burial and Rev. Albert Gonsar will officiate.

So, why was the name of Charles T. Dechant omitted from the Millersburg Soldier Monument?  He lived in Millersburg or UpperPaxton Township for more years than he lived anywhere else.  He served in a regiment and company that was composed of men primarily from the Lykens Valley.  He was a Charter Member of the Millersburg G.A.R. Post.  He was the contractor who built the Lutheran Church in Millersburg.  He was a lifelong member of the Masons Lodge of Millersburg.  While it is true that he moved away from Millersburg and spent the last 20 years of his life in Mount Carmel where he participated in the activities of the G.A.R. Post there – that should not be a sufficient reason to ignore him as a Civil War veteran with connections to Millersburg.

The monument does not clearly state that the names on the plaque are those who were members of the Kilpatrick Post at the time it was erected or had to live in Millersburg-Upper Paxton Township for their entire lives to be included – but over the years it has been represented that it was only these 126 men who served from the Millersburg-Upper Paxton Township area.  It’s time to correct that by discovering why there were so many names omitted and finding a way to honor those men as well as the 126 who are already named on the plaque.

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News clippings are from Newspapers.com.  Croppings from the census returns are from Ancestry.com.

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The following information was received from Robert McMurray on 16 October 2015:

I just read your article titled “Charles T. Dechant – Post Charter Member Not Named on Millersburg G.A.R. Monument?” The article was fascinating for me, because I am one of Charles Dechant’s descendants.

As such, I have a few articles which might be of interest to you: I posses the originals for two letters which Charles Dechant wrote to his family at home during the Civil War, in which he describes the reason for his demotion, which you mentioned in your article.

Please see the Civil War letters which are listed on the page at http://dechantweb.net/genealogy/ for the details; I have both scanned images of the original letters and re-typed text (which is considerably easier to read).

Thanks again for a great article.

Category: Queries, Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Charles T. Dechant – Post Charter Member Not Named on Millersburg G.A.R. Monument?
Tags: G.A.R., Lykens Borough, Millersburg, Upper Paxton Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 18, 2015

The above obituary, announcing the death of William Orth, appeared in the Harrisburg Telegraph on 17 July 1917:

WAR VETERAN DIES

Blain, Pennsylvania, 17 July 1917 – William Orth, a veteran of the Civil War and a well known music teacher of the old school, died last night at his home in Jackson Township, aged 83 years.  His wife died a few months ago.  He is survived by several children.

The Harrisburg Patriot of 18 July 1917 also noted his death in its reporting of “News of Blain.”

William Orth, a veteran of the Civil War, died at his home in Jackson Township yesterday at the age of 83 years.  Funeral will take place this afternoon at 2 o’clock.  Burial will be in the Union Cemetery.

William Orth was born on 24 January 1836 in  Ayr Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania, the son of Conrad Orth, a farmer, and Katherine Orth.

On 5 August 1862, William Orth was mustered into service in the 126th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company B, as  a Private at Harrisburg.  He gave his age as 27, which would be consistent with information from other sources indicating he was born in 1836.  There is very little information available about him in the Registers of Pennsylvania Volunteers (Pennsylvania Archives) other than his muster out date, with his company, of 20 May 1863.  However, in the Pennsylvanians in the Civil War Database, it is stated that he deserted on 21 October 1862 and then returned on 1 April 1863.

A second enlistment occurred on 4 March 1865, in which he is noted as a draftee.  On that date he was mustered into service as a Private in Company H of the 97th Pennsylvania Infantry, at Chambersburg.  At the time he said he was 31 years old.  Some other difficult-to-read information is written on the Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card (shown above from the Pennsylvania Archives).  For the muster out information, occurring 28 August 1865, the place appears to be added, as well as the words “with company.” His residence is Franklin County, Pennsylvania.  And, following the typed information that he was “arrested as a deserter – date unknown” are the words “returned – no date.”  His desertion is confirmed in the Pennsylvanian in the Civil War Database with the words, “drafted, deserted, returned, mustered out with company.”

Thus, in the two terms of service, William Orth was said to be twice a deserter and twice a returnee.

On 10 March 1870, William Orth married Elizabeth Ann Thomas (1847-1917).  They are found in the 1870 Census of McConnellsburg, Fulton County, Pennsylvania, where he is working as a farm laborer.  But by 1880, the family had moved to Blain, Perry County, where William was working as a laborer and the couple was raising four children.

In the Veterans’ Census of 1890, still in Blain, William only reported his service in the 97th Pennsylvania Infantry and stated that he was disabled with “lumbago” as a result of that service.

The Pension Index Card (shown above from Fold3) indicates that William Orth applied for a disability pension in May 1887 and that he gave both regiments of service.  He did receive the pension.  Because the actual pension application file was not consulted for this blog post, it is not possible to tell if the desertions played any part in the evaluation of his service.  Perhaps a reader of this post has seen the application file and can explain how William was “excused” from the desertions and “proved” he received an honorable discharge (a requirement for the pension).

The death date of 16 July 1917 and place, Blain, Pennsylvania, is consistent with other sources.  He is buried at Blain Union Cemetery in Perry County.

In examining the census records of 1900 and 1910, William reported that he was a laborer (1900) and living on his “own income” (1910).  His Pennsylvania Death Certificate from 1917, gives his occupation as laborer and broom maker.  Other than the obituary found in the Harrisburg Telegraph (see top of post), no other confirmation has been found that he was a music teacher of “the old school.”

As with most research on Civil War soldiers, a combination of official records and family records must be consulted to fill in gaps.  The skeletal outline given above of the life of William Orth needs much more research to fully understand this veteran.  Comments are welcome and can be added to this post or sent by e-mail.

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News clippings are from Chronicling America or the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Category: Research, Stories | Comments Off on William Orth of Perry County
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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 16, 2015

CIVIL WAR VETERAN DIES AT HALIFAX; 78 YEARS OLD

Halifax, 22 June 1919 — Samuel B. Pottiger, a veteran of the Civil War, died here yesterday in his seventy-eighth year, following a brief illness caused by paralysis.  He was for the greater part of his life a prominent citizen of this place and for forty-four years acted as secretary of the local lodge of Odd Fellows.

He is survived by his widow and three sons: Warren Pottiger and Harry Pottiger, of Penbrook; and Frank Pottiger, of Harisburg.  Funeral services will be held from the Armstrong Street residence on Tuesday afternoon at 3 o’clck, the Rev. J. C. Pease, pastor of the Trinity Reformed Church, and the Rev. Ira B. Lowers, of the United Brethren Church, officiating.  Burial will be made in the Methodist Cemetery.  [Harrisburg Patriot, 23 June 1919].

Samuel B. Pottiger, also found in the records as Poteiger and Pottieger, was listed in the Halifax Area 175th Anniversary Book as a Civil War veteran.  The obituary of him, transcribed above, gave his cause of death as “paralysis” and indicated the survivors in his family.

The Pennsylvania Death Certificate (shown below from Ancestry.com) provides additional information:

Additional information provided in the Death Certificate: (1) Names of his parents – John Pottiger and Susan [Witman] Pottiger, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania; (2) Cause of Death – Cerebral Apoplexy; (3) His Occupation -Retired Carpenter; (4) Place of Burial – Halifax (although a specific cemetery is not given); (5) He was born in Pennsylvania on 3 August 1840 and died in Halifax on 21 June 1919.

The military service of Samuel B. Pottiger is noted on the Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card, available from the Pennsylvania Archives:

Samuel enrolled in the 46th Pennsylvania Infantry at Harrisburg, on 2 September 1861.  On 31 October 1861 he was mustered into Company D as a Private at Muddy Branch, Maryland.  On the same day, he was promoted to Sergeant.  He served until 10 November 1862, when he was discharged on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability.  This record does not indicate the disability for which he was discharged.

At the time of his enrollment, Samuel B. Pottiger was a wagon maker; he claimed to be 20 years old; he stood 5 foot-6 inches tall, had black hair, a fair complexion, and brown eyes; and he gave his residence as Halifax.

The Pension Index Card from Fold3 (shown below) confirms that Samuel only served in the 46th Pennsylvania Infantry.

Additional information given on the Pension Index Card:  (1) The dates of service in the 46th Pennsylvania Infantry are 2 September 1861, which begins at his enlistment rather than his muster date, and end on 10 November 1862 (consistent with the dates on the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card); (2) He applied for a disability pension on 6 January 1863, an indication he was disabled in the war; (3) He received the pension, which he collected until his death, whereupon his widow, Mary J. [Boyer] Potteiger, applied and collected until her death; (4) Samuel B. Potteiger died on 21 June 1919 (which is consistent with date on his Pennsylvania Death Certificate.

The final document examined for this blog post is the 1890 Veterans’ Census for Halifax (not shown) which is available through Ancestry.com.  That document notes his service in the 46th Pennsylvania Infantry, with rank and dates of service consistent with the other records, but also gives the nature of his disability:  “Wounded in right foot.”

Samuel B. Pottiger and his two wives are buried at Halifax United Methodist Cemetery.

The first wife of Samuel was Lavinia L. Lortz (1839-1872) and the second wife was Mary J. Boyer (1848-1925).

Additional information is sought on Samuel B. Pottiger – his Civil War service and his family.  Stories and pictures are particularly appreciated!  Add comments to this blog post or send via e-mail.

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The news clipping was obtained through the on-line service of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

1890V-wounded in right foot

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Samuel B. Pottiger of Halifax
Tags: Halifax

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 14, 2015

In January 2013, in a post entitled They Served Honorably in Company H, 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, it was incorrectly reported that Daniel W. Tobias moved to Illinois after the war.  It is now known that the man who served in Company H was most commonly known as Daniel Tobias and the man who served in Company A of the same regiment was most commonly known as Daniel Wiest Tobias – clearly two different people!  The man who served in Company H, Daniel Tobias, did move to Illinois after the war and died in Forreston, Illinois, on 20 February 1922.  The one from Company A, Daniel Wiest Tobias, died on 22 September 1906, in Pennsylvania, and is buried in Messiah Lutheran Church Cemetery, Fisherville, Dauphin County.

As can be seen from the above photograph from the Messiah Cemetery (found on Findagrave), the Tobias stone is broken and lies upside down on the family plot.

A wider view of the stone with G.A.R. star and marker (also from Findagrave), shows the extent of the damage.

An examination of some of the pension application papers available to the Civil War Research Project shows that when Daniel Wiest Tobias applied for a pension on 4 September 1883 he reported the following:

I was drafted once. I did not claim exemption. I furnished a substitute. I did not wish to go in service then.  Afterwards my neighbor formed a company and expecting to be drafted again, I enlisted in the 210^th Pennsylvania Volunteers [210th Pennsylvania Infantry].

His reason for applying for a pension was as follows:

I claim pension for loss of hearing in right ear which I lost in Chester Hospital near Philadelphia about June 1865. I contracted a severe cold just after the surrender of General Lee in April 1865… It settled in my head and affected my hearing but after I got to Washington it got better until I got to Chester Hospital and there my ear became affected again worse. It would buzz and bing and I had pain on that side of head and before I left hospital I could not hear out of that ear at all.

And in testimony for him, Cornelius Bixler, the county commissioner stated the following:

I remember the claimant was broken down and debilitated about the time of Gen. Lee’s surrender and was sent to hospital. I did not know what ailed him and did not see him until he returned home when he looked like a skeleton.

He complained of his hearing as soon as he was able to get about – said he lost one ear – that is the hearing in hospital. I cannot say how soon after discharge – whether within a month, a year or longer. He would kind of turn his head to one side when listening and that lead me to believe his hearing was bad. He was badly used up when he came home but I cannot describe what particular disability ailed him. I should judge that he has complained of defective hearing….

The Pension Index Card (above, from Fold3) confirms Daniel W. Tobias‘s term of service as 7 September 1864 through 12 July 1865, his initial pension application date of 4 September 1883, and his death date of 1906.  Daniel was married to Mary A. Klinger who died Christmas Eve, 1898.  He did not re-marry, so no widow survived him to collect pension benefits.

One of the papers in the pension application file lists the number of witnesses who testified for Daniel and gives the reliability of each.  Cornelius Bixler‘s testimony (given above) was deemed to be “Good” as was the testimony of Levi Straw, John G. Killinger, Samuel Meckley, Peter Klinger, and Emanuel Forney.  Testimony that was considered “Doubtful” was given by Christian Zimmerman, Jacob Zimmerman, and Isaac Hoffman.  “Fair” testimony was given by John F. Bowman and James Snyder.  The weight of the evidence was in favor of granting the pension, which Daniel W. Tobias received shortly after his application and collected until his death in 1906.

Daniel W. Tobias was a farmer most of his life, but in the 1900 Census for Jackson Township, Dauphin County, his occupation is given as “shopkeeper.”

Also recently discovered is that Daniel W. Tobias was appointed Postmaster of Enders, Dauphin County, on 1 November 1865.  The partial document shown below is from the collection entitled “U.S. Appointments of Postmasters” and is available on-line through Ancestry.com.

Click on document to enlarge.

The document also shows that he was replaced on 25 April 1867 by Christian B. Miller.  There is no explanation given for the replacement.

Finally, in a new collection of documents available on Ancestry.com, “Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records,” information was given about the location of the records of the Estate of Daniel W. Tobias, which was probated in 1907 in Dauphin County Orphans Court.

This post is a good example of how researching a Civil War soldier is never complete.  There are always mistakes made, so it is always best to present findings for critical review and follow all suggested leads – and, as in this case and in many other cases, new information is constantly made available on-line.

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Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Daniel W. Tobias – Corrections and Additions
Tags: Enders, Fisherville, G.A.R., Jackson Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 11, 2015

An obituary of William H. Crook, who was born in Clark’s Ferry, appeared in the Harrisburg Telegraph on 17 January 1914:

CAPTAIN CROOK, WAR VETERAN AND FORMER CITY OFFICIAL, DIES

Taken Ill During Intense Heat of Gettysburg Encampment in July

BIRTHDAY EVERY FOUR YEARS

Captain William H. Crook, well-known Republican, a prominent Civil War veteran and a former city official, died at 5:05 o’clock this morning at his home, 1403 North Third Street after an illness of five weeks.

Captain Crook had been a policeman for the past thirteen years at the State Capitol.  While on duty there five weeks ago Captain Crook became ill and had to be taken to his home.  He had been gradually sinking since that time. His illness really dated from last summer, when he attended the encampment at Gettysburg.  The heat weakened his formerly rigorous constitution.

The Captain was known to every Republican in the city.  For years he had marched at the head of the West End Republican Club in all political parades.  He was a member of the Harrisburg Republican Club as well.

Born at Clark’s Ferry

Captain Crook was born at Clark’s Ferry, 29 February 1844, being one of those whose birthday anniversaries come but once in four years. He came of old English stock, his grandfather having come from England to Cumberland County before the Revolution.

In 186 he enlisted in Company C, Seventy-Seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers [77th Pennsylvania Infantry] and fought throughout the war, re-enlisting in Company K, Two-Hundred and Third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers [203rd Pennsylvania Infantry].  He participated in some of the stiffest engagements of the war and was twice wounded.  He was discharged in August, 1865.

After the war, Mr. Crook became a contractor in this city and in this business helped to build the Phoenixville and West Chester Railroad, the Schuylkill Valley, and the Baltimore and Ohio through Delaware.  He then engaged in the sand business.

In 1889 he was elected supervisor for the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Wards, and served for nine years consecutively except for one year.

Prominent in G.A.R.

As a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Captain Crook was active and prominent.  He was a member of Post 58 and was appointed to the staff of General Adams, Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1894.  This gave him the rank of Post Commander.  He was a delegate to the State Convention of the Grand Army of the Republic several times and went as a representative of this state to the national convention in 1895.

The Captain was one of the oldest members of the Mount Vernon Hook and Ladder Company and belonged to the Firemen’s Beneficial Association.

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary Whippo Crook, to whom he was married in 1890; two brothers, Samuel A. Crook, of Rockaway, New Jersey; and J. Wesley Crook of this city; and two sisters, Mrs. Harry Shellenberger and Mrs. Clara Frantz, both of Milton.

The funeral arrangements have not been fully completed but it is probable the services will be held Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock.  The Rev. B. H. Hart, pastor of the Fifth Street Methodist Episcopal Church, will officiate.  Burial will be made in the Harrisburg Cemetery.

Previously, Capt. Crook was profiled here in the blog post entitled The Crook Family of Clark’s Ferry.

A biographical sketch of Capt. Crook was also found in the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, page 317.

Captain William H. Crook was born at Clark’s Ferry, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, February 29, 1844. He is a son of Gabriel Crook and Catherine [Dale] Crook. His grandfather, William Crook, was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and was one of the prominent farmers of that county. He was the son of James Crook, a native of England, who was the first of the family to settle in this country.

Gabriel Crook, Captain Crook’s father, was born in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, and came to Dauphin County in 1842. He located on the Pennsylvania Canal, in Reed Township, and was lock tender at Clark’s Ferry until the breaking out of the war. He enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers [136th Pennsylvania Infantry], for nine months; at the expiration of that term he re-enlisted in the Fourth regiment, United States Regulars. He lost an arm at North Anna River, immediately after the Battle of the Wilderness; this was the ground of his honorable discharge from the service. He had been a soldier in the Florida War and the Mexican War also, and died at Steelton, Pennsylvania, 29 December 1892. He was a member of the G. A. R., and of the United Brethren Church. His wife died in 1876. They had six children: William H. Crook, Samuel A. Crook, of Rockaway, New Jersey, served one year in company H, Thirty-third regiment, Pennsylvania volunteers [33rd Pennsylvania Infantry]; David R. Crook, deceased, enlisted in the Forty-seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers [47th Pennsylvania Infantry], was transferred to the Twenty-seventh Regiment [27th Pennsylvania Infantry], and was ordered on the staff of General Miles; Wesley Crook, of Harrisburg; Hannah Crook (Mrs. William Leply), of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and Margaret Ethel Crook.

Capt. William H. Crook was brought up in Reed Township, and educated in the township schools, and was also at school six months at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  On 27 August 1861, he enlisted in Company C, Seventy-Seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers [77th Pennsylvania Infantry], as a private, and served three years. He was wounded at the battle of Camp Nevin, Kentucky. He re-enlisted in Company K, Two Hundred and Third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers [203rd Pennsylvania Infantry], and was commissioned captain of his company. He was finally discharged, 29 August 1865. He participated in the battles at Mill Springs, Kentucky, Shiloh, Chickamauga, Deep Bottom, Virginia, Bentonville, North Carolina, and many other important engagements. He was wounded while on picket duty at the New Market Road, Virginia, and again at Folsom’s Station, Virginia.   He was confined in the David Island Hospital. After the war closed he engaged in contract work in Harrisburg. He helped to build the Phoenixville and West Chester Railroad, the Schuylkill Valley Railroad, and the Baltimore and Ohio railroad through Delaware. He has also been engaged in the sand business for a number of years.

He is a Republican, and was elected supervisor of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Wards in 1889, and has filled that position ever since, with the exception of one year. He was re-elected in 1896. He is a member of Post No. 58, G. A. R., and was appointed on the staff of General Adams, Commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1894, which gave him the rank of post commander. In 1895 he was delegate to the State Convention of the G. A. R., in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and was elected by the State convention a delegate to the National Convention, held in Louisville, Kentucky, September, 1895. Captain Crook is a member of the Mt. Vernon Hook and Ladder Company, and the Firemen’s Beneficial Association of Harrisburg. He was married, in 1890, to Miss Mary E. Whippo, daughter of Levi Whippo, of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The family are members of the Bethel Lutheran Church.

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The portrait of Capt. Crook at the top of this post is from the Harrisburg Telegraph obituary of 17 January 1914.  The obituary was obtained through Newspapers.com.

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Tags: Clarks Ferry, G.A.R., Reed Township