Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 23, 2014

Daniel Miller (1817-1893) is buried at Fetterhoff’s Cemetery, Halifax Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  Until recently, it was assumed that this was the same Daniel Miller who served in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I, as a Private.  However, there is no G.A.R. star flag holder at the grave site and no actual military or pension records have been located to substantiate this assertion. Daniel’s wife, Catherine [Enders] Miller who died nearly five years after Daniel, never applied for a Civil War pension.

Russ Ottens, one of the two authors of Captain Enders Legion, is now revisiting the biographical and genealogical material on Daniel Miller, and has come to the conclusion that the Daniel Miller who is buried at Fetterhoff’s Cemetery is not the same Daniel Miller who served in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry.  The Daniel Miller who lived in Enders married a direct descendant of Captain Johann Philip Christian Enders (1740-1809), a soldier of the American Raevolution, and therefore is included in the first edition of the Enders Genealogy. Somehow, records of Captain Enders descendant became co-mingled with the records of the man served in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I, resulting in the following incorrect stories of Daniel Miller of Enders (incorrect text is in boldface and underlined):

1. From Findagrave:

Daniel was the son of John Miller and Anna Eva Paul Miller of Enders. He married Catherine Enders (born Aug. 3, 1818), the daughter of John Conrad Enders and Elizabeth Whitman Enders. Daniel was a blacksmith and at age 46, he enlisted in Co. A, 210th Pennsylvania Infantry. 

2. From Captain Enders Legion, pages 140-141:

At age 46, Daniel Miller enlisted 19 September 1864 at Camp Curtin in the 210th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment, Company I.  He fought in various battles such as Hatcher’s Run, Bellefield Raid, Destruction of the Weldon Railroad, Dabney’s Mills, Gravelly Run and the final skirmishes at Appomattox Court House.  At Gravelly Run, they were upon the front line to the last, the flag of truce proclaiming the Confederate surrender, passing through the lines of the Brigade in which it stood….   Daniel marched in the Grand Parade in Washington and was mustered out 30 May 1865, with the rank of Private and resumed his blacksmith trade.

The Daniel Miller who served in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I, enrolled at Harrisburg, 23 September 1864 and was mustered into service on 24 September 1864 at Camp Curtin.  He was 29 years old at the time of enrollment.  He was discharged at Alexandria, Virginia, on 30 May 1865 – reason given, “mustered out with company.”  Shown below are the two records from which this information was obtained, the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card, and the Register of Pennsylvania Volunteers, both available on-line from the Pennsylvania Archives.

Click on document to enlarge.

From the above information, the birth year of this 29-year old Daniel Miller was around 1835.  It is still possible that this Daniel Miller lied about his age making himself younger, so a death date, if found, might help confirm that this is a different person.  Fortunately, a Fold3 Pension Index Card was located which contained a death date:

As can be seen from the above card, this Daniel Miller, who served in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, died on 18 February 1875. He never applied for a pension nor did his widow apply until 41 years after his death!  She did not receive the widow’s pension.  This card confirms that the Daniel Miller of this specific service was not the same Daniel Miller of Captain Enders descent.

So, who was this Daniel Miller who was born about 1835 and died in 1875?  One way to find out is to go to the widow’s pension application file #1082657 at the National Archives.  Another way is to search the Ancestry.com family trees to see if there is a match.  And, another way is to search the Findagrave database, but a preliminary search revealed no one who could possibly be a match.  Perhaps a reader can answer the question.

Turning back to the original question of whether the Daniel Miller of Enders who died in 1893 was a Civil War veteran, we have only concluded from the above exercise that he definitely was the not the one who served in Company I of the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry.

A search of the U.S. Civil War Draft Registration Records of 1863 produced the following:  there was a Daniel Miller, a farmer, age 36, who was living in Mifflin Township, Dauphin County.  Ages in the draft registration records are fairly accurate, and it is unlikely that this is the Daniel Miller of Enders, who would have been 46 years old in 1863.

A search of the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Card File resulted in more than 100 cards for person(s) named Daniel Miller, many not containing an age of enrollment. Every one of that name would have to be researched and eliminated to find the one that may have been the one from Enders who was born in 1817.

Thus, there is one answered question and one unanswered question, and with the answered question, there is still the question of who is the veteran who served in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I.

Anyone who can give information on the Daniel Miller of Enders – whether or not he was a Civil War veteran, and if a veteran, what regiment did he serve in – please add the information to this post or contact Russ Ottens directly by e-mail.

Category: Research | Comments Off on Was Daniel Miller of Enders a Civil War Veteran?
Tags: Enders, Halifax Township, Mifflin Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 22, 2014

The obituary of Rev. Valentine H. Berghaus appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot on 23 March 1910.  Although he did not officially serve in a Civil War regiment, he volunteered as a youth when he believed his home town was in danger.  Later, after receiving his education at Princeton and his ordination, he organized his first parish at Lykens, Dauphin County, and led the campaign to raise the money to build a church building.  He died in Philadelphia on 22 March 1910.

REV. V. H. BERGHAUS

DIES IN PHILADELPHIA

Succumbs to Heart Failure from Which He Suffered Several Years

ORGANIZED HIS FIRST PARISH

Raised Fund With Which Christ Church, Lykens, Was Built

Special Dispatch to the Patriot.

Philadelphia, 22 March 1910 — The Rev. Valentine Hummel Berghaus, of Harrisburg, a retired Episcopal clergyman, died this morning in the private hospital of Dr. P. H. Lane in Chestnut Hill, this city.  Death was due to heart failure brought on by nervous disorders from which he had been suffering for several years.  The Rev. Mr. Berghaus left a widow, Louisa Clayton Berghaus, and four sons, Paul Berghaus, of Austin, Texas; Clayton Berghaus, of Orangeburg, North Carolina; V. Hummel Berghaus Jr., of New York City, and Charles E. Berghaus, of Philadelphia.  He is also survived by three sisters, Mrs. Elbridge McConkey, of Harrisburg; Mrs. J. Lancaster Reppier, of Reading; and Miss Mary Berghaus, of Harrisburg.  Another sister, Mrs. A. S. McCreath, of Harrisburg, died last September.

Born in Harrisburg in 1844

Mr. Berghaus was of an old Pennsylvania family and was born in Harrisburg on 12 June 1844.  He was a pupil in the Harrisburg Academy under Professor Jacob F. Seiler and subsequently went to Princeton where he was graduated in 1864.  When in Princeton he was elected junior orator for his class in the American Whig Society which in those days was regarded as a high mark of undergraduate distinction.

In 1867 a degree of Master of Arts was awarded to him by the college.  In 1869 he was graduated from the Philadelphia Divinity School and he was ordained a priest by Bishop Howe.

Volunteered as Defender

During the Civil War Mr. Beghaus, when still a boy, volunteered as a defender of his home city when it was feared the Confederate forces were planning a raid by coming up the Cumberland Valley.  As a soldier he slept one night on the bare stones of the court house steps in Chambersburg.  It was soon learned, however, that the alarm was a groundless one and he retired from his emergency military service.

Mr. Berghaus’ first parish was one he himself organized among the coal miners in Lykens, Dauphin County.  This is Christ Church and he raised the fund by which the building was obtained.  Mr. Berghaus subsequently was the rector of the following churches:  St. Paul’s, Doylestown, Pennsylvania; Trinity, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; Calvary, Wilmington, Delaware; and Trinity, Athens, Pennsylvania.  His health began to fail when in charge of the Athens Church and he resigned.  After living in Waverly, New York, he went to his hometown of Harrisburg to live.

Health Failed Last April

In April 1909, Mr. Berghaus went to Chestnut Hill to receive treatment from specialists and remained there until his death.

The body will be taken to Harrisburg on Thursday morning.  There will be brief services for the family alone in the home of Mr. Berghaus’ brother-in-law, A. S. McCreath, of 119 South Front Street, the house in which Mr. Berghaus was born.  At 3 o’clock there will be a public funeral service in St. Steven’s Church.  The Rev. Rollin A. Sawyer, the rector, will officiate, and Bishop Darlington also has been asked to participate in the services.  Interment will be in the Harrisburg Cemetery.

His Findagrave Memorial, as of this writing, has very little information about him.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Rev. V. H. Berghaus – Defender of Harrisburg, Builder of Lykens Church
Tags: Lykens Borough

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 21, 2014

The obituary of Erastus B. Hoffman, found in the Harrisburg Patriot of 8 December 1921, has verified another name for the ever-growing list of Civil War veterans with connections to the Lykens Valley area of Pennsylvania.

FUNERAL TODAY FOR ERASTUS HOFFMAN

Alderman of Fifth Ward Died Monday in University of Pennsylvania Hospital Following Operation

Funeral service for Erastus B. Hoffman, alderman of the Fifth Ward, and a retired railroad shopman, who died Monday in the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, following an operation, will be held this afternoon at 2 o’clock from his late residence, 1223 Green Street, with the Rev. Frank E. Jensen, pastor of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, officiating.  Burial will be in the Oberlin Cemetery.

Mr. Hoffman was born at Berrysburg, 1847, and after residing there for a number of years moved to Harrisburg.  He was an employee of the Harrisburg shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad, as a machinist, for forty-seven years, and has been on the retired list for the past seven years.  He also was a member of the Veterans’ Association of the Philadelphia Division of the railroad.

At the call for volunteers during the Civil War, he enlisted in Company M, 201st Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers [201st Pennsylvania Infantry], and at the time of his death was a member of Post No. 58, G.A.R.  He was a prominent member of the Knights of Malta for many years, and also serving as alderman of the Fifth Ward.  Mr. Hoffman was one of Harrisburg’s first policemen, and a member of the Mt. Vernon Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, and of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church.  In addition to his widow Susan, he is survived by three children:  Mrs. John Zimmerman, of New Cumberland; Frank H. Hoffman and Clarence S. Hoffman, of this city; four brothers, Nelson Hoffman, of Philadelphia; Frank C. Hoffman and Charles Hoffman, of this city; and John H. Hoffman, Grantville.

Research into the accuracy of the obituary has resulted in determining that the regiment named was in error.  Instead of the 201st Pennsylvania Infantry, Erastus Hoffman actually served in the 194th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company E.  Proof is found on the Pension Index Card from Fold3:

The death date on the Pension Index Card confirms that this is the same Erastus Hoffman of the obituary, although the card gives the place of death as Harrisburg.  Often the place of death is reported as the last place a pension payment was received rather than the actual place of death.  Erastus Hoffman died at a hospital in Philadelphia as stated on his death certificate as well as in the obituary.

To determine the accuracy of his birthplace (Berrysburg) as given in the obituary, family trees on Ancestry.com are helpful.  These trees have Erastus as a direct descendant of Johann Nicholas Hoffman (1749-1814), the son of Johann Peter Hoffman (1709-1797), a pioneer settler of the Lykens Valley. The parents of Erastus were David Ferree Hoffman (1809-1867) and Lydia Matilda [Gray] Hoffman (1823-1886).  David Ferree Hoffman is buried at the Old Methodist Cemetery in Berrysburg.  In 1850, a 2-year old Erastus was living with his parents in Mifflin Township, Dauphin County.  Berrysburg is located in Mifflin Township.  In 1860, a 12-year old Erastus was living with his parents in the Borough of Millersburg.  In 1850, the father, David, was a carpenter, and by 1860, he was a master chair maker.  By 1870, Erastus had moved to Harrisburg with his widowed mother and siblings and was working as engineer-builder.

A final piece of information that ties all these facts together is the grave marker in Oberlin Cemetery:

The stone notes the dates of birth and death of Erastus and his wife Susan [Attick] Hoffman as well as his Civil War regiment of service – the 194th Pennsylvania Infantry.

Although a great deal of information has been obtained and confirmed from the obituary and supporting documents, there is still much to be learned about this Civil War veteran.  Readers are invited to contribute additional information by posting comments to this blog article or by sending the information by e-mail.  Surely at least one picture of Erastus has survived the years considering his residence in the capital city and his involvement in politics there.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Erastus B. Hoffman – Harrisburg Alderman with Roots in Berrysburg
Tags: Berrysburg, Mifflin Township, Millersburg

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 20, 2014

The 81st Pennsylvania Infantry Monument at Gettysburg is located south of the town of Gettysburg in the wheat field.  It was dedicated in 1889 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  See Steven Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg Web Site which has more information about the monument and the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry.

A full description of the monument, its GPS coordinates, a photograph, and some of the history of the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry also can be found on the Stone Sentinels Web Site.

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On 11 September 1889, the Philadelphia Inquirer included the following information on the regiment:

Where the 81st Fought

On the 1st of July, as the 81st was on its way to Gettysburg, and escort of cavalry was met bearing the body of General Reynolds, who had fallen that morning.  At evening the regiment arrived upon the field and was posted two miles in the rear of the town.  On the 2nd, it moved to a position in the cemetery.  At 11 o’clock in the morning it was ordered forward to the brick kiln near the Emmitsburg Road.  It saw the hardest of the fighting in the wheat field and in the rocky and wooded eminence beyond, where the ground was disputed with stubbornness rarely equaled.

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Henry B. McKean

The commander of the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry was Colonel Henry Benjamin McKean, until the day before the Battle of Gettysburg, when he was transferred to the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry to substitute for its sick commander.  Although McKean saw service with the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry at Gettysburg and did not command the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry in that battle, his name still appears on the plaque for the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry as its commander (see below) and does not appear on the plaque for the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry.

Second in command, 45-year old Lieutenant Colonel Amos Stroh of Carbon County, Pennsylvania, commanded the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry at Gettysburg.  He first enrolled as a Captain of Company G in that regiment on 16 September 1861 at Wilkes-Barre.  On 17 April 1863 he was transferred to headquarters with the promotion to Lieutenant Colonel.  After the Battle of Gettysburg, on 22 July 1863, he resigned.

According to pension records, he first applied on 19 July 1878.  At that time he was about 50 years old.  Pension records also state that he died in 1900, although other records seem to contradict this.  At this time, not much more is known about his personal life – whether he was married or had children.  No widow applied for pension benefits.

According to newspaper accounts, Amos Stroh died in Pittston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in late October 1898.  His obituary in the Wilkes-Barre Times did not mention his Civil War service.

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Around the base of the Pennsylvania Memorial at Gettysburg are a series of plaques which, by regiment and company, note the names of every soldier who was present at the Battle of Gettysburg.  The plaque for the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry is pictured below.  By clicking on the plaque it should enlarge so the names can be more clearly read.  If a name does not appear, it could be that the soldier did serve in the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry, but was not part of the regiment during its days in Gettysburg.  There could also be errors on the plaque.

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

Category: Memorials | 1 Comment »
Tags: Monument

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 19, 2014

Robert H. Sinex Jr. died on 17 November 1910 in Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  A brief obituary of him appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot on 19 November 1910.  It contained the following interesting information:

SAW LINCOLN ASSASSINATED

Robert Sinex Also Took Part in The Capture of Booth.

Haxleton, 18 November 1910 — Robert Sinex, a Civil War veteran, who died at his home here early today, was among those who witnessed the assassination of President Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre, Washington, and later took part in the capture of J. Wilkes Booth. Sinex was a secret service agent of the government at the time.

The following information about Robert H. Sinex Jr. can be confirmed from his veteran’s cards available at the Pennsylvania Archives:

Sinex first entered military service at Philadelphia on 25 April 1861 as a Private in Company D of the 17th Pennsylvania Infantry and served the full term of enlistment of three months.  He was honorably discharged on 2 August 1861.  No personal information is on the index card.

His second term of enlistment also occurred at Philadelphia.  On 24 September 1861, he was mustered into service as a Private in Company D of the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry.  The only personal information appearing on the card is that he claimed he was 20 years old, a fact that can be verified from other sources.  At some unknown date, he was promoted to 1st Sergeant.  While participating in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, 13 December 1862, he was seriously wounded – enough to eventually result in his transfer to the 9th Veteran Reserve Corps, Company C.  Other military records indicate that he was a Sergeant Major in the V.R.C.

No date of discharge is given from the V.R.C., but it is known that these reserve soldiers participated in the security of Washington, D.C., and if he was assigned there, it is possible that he was at or near Ford’s Theatre at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  However, many times the number of people who could have possibly fit into Ford’s Theatre have claimed to have been there and witnessed the assassination, so some other confirmation is needed.  Sinex was not one of the soldiers who claimed to help carry Lincoln across the street and as of this writing, no statement from Sinex has been seen that indicates what he was doing at the theatre and what he actually saw.

As to the claim that he was a “secret service agent of the government” at the time Booth was captured, this is unlikely.  The Secret Service was not officially created until 5 July 1865, and its original mission was to investigate counterfeit currency.  It was not until after the assassination of William McKinley in 1901, that the Secret service was charged with presidential protection.  It is possible though that Sinex was employed in some capacity as as intelligence officer with the government.  As of this writing, no statement has been seen from Sinex indicating specifically in what capacity he was at or near the farm where Booth was killed.

Three additional available documents give some further insight into the life of Robert H. Sinex Jr.  The first is his official Pennsylvania Death Certificate:

The death certificate indicates that his occupation was “inspector” but it appears as if the words “carpenter and” were added later.  He was married at the time of his death.

The second document is the Pension Index Card available from Fold3:

Robert H. Sinex Jr. applied for a invalid pension on 3 January 1873.  The same military regiments and companies are found on this card that have been confirmed through the Pennsylvania Archives (above). The actual pension application file should tell of the nature of his wounds and the reason he applied for a pension in 1873.  The widow applied on 26 November 1910 and collected benefits until her death.

In 1890, Robert H. Sinex Jr. was living in Hazleton and reported his date of discharge from the Veteran Reserve Corps as 17 November 1865, which means that for months following the Lincoln assassination, he was still officially in an army regiment.  The only rank he gave to the census taker was “Sergeant Major” for the time he spent in the V.R.C.  Under Civil War-related injuries, he included two wounds (one by sword, one by gunshot) and “hard of hearing left ear.”

Much more research needs to be done on this veteran.  If any family members know of stories that have been passed down or specific evidence that could confirm his presence at both the Lincoln assassination and the capture of Booth, they are urged to come forward.

Robert H. Sinex Jr. is buried at the Vine Street Cemetery, Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  There are pictures of his grave marker and some of the same information as in the obituary at his Findagrave Memorial.

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The news clipping is from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

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Tags: Abraham Lincoln