Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on May 11, 2014

Jake Wynn, a regular contributor to this blog, launched his own blog on 22 February 2014.  It is entitled Wynning History: The Explorations of a Young Historian – Interpreting the Past with a Youthful Voice.

Jake can be followed regularly on Twitter or by subscribing directly to his blog.  He has just completed his junior year at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, where he is majoring in Public History and Communications.

Direct links to other Civil War-related posts by Jake on Wynning History are given below. The names of Lykens Valley area men mentioned in the posts are provided to assist readers who are researching specific veterans:

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Letter to Simon Cameron, Summit Branch Railroad Company

William Schmoele

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The Upper Dauphin Register on Williamstown

George Washington Fenn

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Williamstown, Pennsylvania in 1864

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So you won’t miss any of the Civil War-related posts, go to Jake’s blog and bookmark it and return often – or subscribe!

Category: Overviews | 2 Comments »
Tags: Table of Contents, Williamstown

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on May 10, 2014

Jake Wynn, a regular contributor to this blog, launched his own blog on 22 February 2014.  It is entitled Wynning History: The Explorations of a Young Historian – Interpreting the Past with a Youthful Voice.

Jake can be followed regularly on Twitter or by subscribing directly to his blog.  He has just completed his junior year at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, where he is majoring in Public History and Communications.

A recent series of posts on the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry is based on the Civil War Diary of Henry Keiser.  Direct links are provided below to the posts that began at the end of April.  The names of Lykens Valley area men mentioned in the posts are provided to assist readers who are researching specific veterans:

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96th Pennsylvania in Grant’s Overland Campaign

Henry Keiser

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Who Was the Diarist, Henry Keiser?

Henry Keiser, James N . Douden, John C. Gratz.

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The 96th Pennsylvania in the Overland Campaign: May 1, 1864

Henry Keiser,

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The 96th Pennsylvania in the Overland Campaign: May 2, 1864

Henry Keiser, Josiah Workman, Franklin Workman

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The 96th Pennsylvania in the Overland Campaign: May 3, 1864

Henry Keiser

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The 96th Pennsylvania in the Overland Campaign: May 4, 1864

Henry Keiser

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The 96th Pennsylvania in the Wilderness: May 5, 1864

Henry Keiser, Peter Lessig, Daniel T. Williams, Edward Pugh

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The 96th Pennsylvania in the Wilderness: May 6, 1864

Henry Keiser, David Williams

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The 96th Pennsylvania in the Overland Campaign: May 7, 1864

Henry Keiser, Christian Kiestling, Charles Woodford

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The 96th Pennsylvania in the Overland Campaign: May 8, 1864

Henry Keiser, Evan M. Geary, Jacob Alvord

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The 96th Pennsylvania in the Overland Campaign: May 9, 1864

Henry Keiser

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To continue following this series of posts, go to Jake’s blog and bookmark it and return often – or subscribe!

Tomorrow:  Direct links to other Civil War-related posts by Jake on Wynning History.

Category: Overviews | Comments Off on Wynning History: The Explorations of a Young Historian (Part 1 of 2)
Tags: Table of Contents

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on May 9, 2014

The Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card for Joshua A. Reed notes that this resident of Barry Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, died at home during May 1865.  Other records indicate that his death was due to “effects of prison.”

Joshua A. Reed was born in Barry Township about 1834, although some records indicate his birth year may have been 1836.  He was the son of Israel Reed (1808-1875) and Louise [Seitzinger] Reed (1814-1865) and was the oldest of at least ten children.  Through his mother’s line, he was the direct descendant of Revolutionary War patriot, Nicholas Seitzinger Jr. (1758-1854).

Sons of the American Revolution Application

In 1850, Joshua was living with his family in Barry Township, where his father was a farmer.  In 1860, Joshua, still living at home, was working as a farm laborer on his father’s farm.

The Veterans’ Index Card from the Pennsylvania Archives (shown at top of this post), notes that Joshua Reed enrolled at Pottsville on 10 February 1862, and was mustered into service the same day and place in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company G, as a Private.  Other records note that he may have been mustered into service on 16 February 1862.  At the time of his enrollment, he declared that he was 27 years old and was employed as a laborer.  He stood 5 foot, 7 inches tall, had dark brown hair, grey eyes, and light complexion.

From various sources, including the Veteran’ Index Card, it is stated that Joshua was wounded at Bull Run, 29 August 1862.  After recovering, he continued to serve with the company and regiment until he was captured at Pegram’s Farm, Virginia, 30 September 1864, and then taken to Salisbury Prison in North Carolina.  After being exchanged on or about 1 March 1865, he was released, probably on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability and sent home.  He also could have been released as a result of completion of his term of service.  The illness or disability that resulted from his confinement as a prisoner of war was a contributing factor to his death, which occurred at home in  Barry Township either on 20 March 1865, 18 March 1865 or 20 March 1865.

No pension application has been located for any of Joshua A. Reed‘s survivors.  His mother, who also died in 1865,was not eligible because she was supported by Joshua’s father, Israel Reed, who did not die until 1875, and he had other male children who could have supported him had he needed it.  No record has been located that Joshua was ever married or had any children.

There are several pictures of the grave stone of Joshua A. Reed on Findagrave with that site stating that burial took place in Bickel’s Cemetery, Ashland, Schuylkill County.  Another source refers to the burial place as Reed’s Family Cemetery. Taylorsville, Barry Township, Schuylkill County.  The grave marker gives the death date as 18 May 1865.

For some additional information about Joshua A. Reed and his activity in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, see John David Hoptak’s Blogspot.

Further information can be found by consulting the military record index cards, found at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., Series M554 (Pennsylvania), microfilm roll 99.

As always, comments are appreciated from blog readers and can either be added to this post or sent to the Project by e-mail.

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The Sons of the American Revolution record is from Ancestry.com.

Category: Queries, Research, Stories | Comments Off on Joshua A. Reed – Released Prisoner Dies at Home in Barry Township
Tags: Barry Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on May 8, 2014

George J. Fluhr

For anyone researching and studying the Civil War Train Wreck at Shohola, one of the best places to begin is to obtain a copy of George J. Fluhr‘s The Civil War Tragedy at Shohola: A Compilation of Details Regarding the Great Prison Train Wreck at Shohola, Pennsylvania.  This publication, by Pike County’s official historian, has been printed in several forms – as a stand-alone booklet or pamphlet and as part of a larger history of Shohola Township (published in 1992).  The various forms are essentially the same and differ only in the section titles and pagination. The easiest ones to obtain would probably be the 1997 edition (22 pages) produced by the Pike County Commissioners as “A Pike County Historical Publication.”  [Note:  There are later editions of this work including a greatly expanded one published in 2011, by the Shohola Railroad and Historical Society and sold by the Wayne County Historical Society, 120 pages.  For further information on the 2011 edition, see end of post].

In the introduction to the 1997 publication, it is stated “that there are more than a few contradictory reports which have posed questions for research…. It will become obvious that much more research remains to be done.  It sometimes seems that each answer to a question raises more questions.  This brochure was prepared more to assist and challenge those who will continue to do research in the future, rather than to provide general information.”

Fluhr’s credentials on this topic are impressive.  By 1997 he had studied the Civil War wreck for more than 25 years and had written many articles and given many talks on aspects of the incident and aftermath – and he continues to do so even to the present day.  Working with the cooperation of his neighbors and the Shohola Railroad Historical Society, he has gathered a significant quantity of resources related to the wreck, has corresponded with individuals seeking information on those killed or injured at the scene, and he has encouraged others, including students (high school through graduate school), to do further research.

I had the privilege of meeting with Fluhr on several occasions in 1999 and 2000 to talk about the train wreck and on each occasion, he willingly shared with me all his files.  The research that I was conducting at the time was for a special exhibit which was supposed to be housed at the Pike County Historical Society in Milford, Pennsylvania, but the exhibit never came about and shortly afterward I left the area and put I aside my Civil War research until I started “The Civil War Blog” in August 2010 as part of the Civil War Research Project of the Lykens Valley Area.  In researching the Civil War veterans for the Project, I quickly came to realize the interconnectedness of the Lykens Valley area with Elmira, New York, and the war effort.  These interconnections were related to the railroad network at wartime, the movement of men and materials through the Susquehanna River Valley, the anthracite coal fields, and the number of Pennsylvanians who moved about all over eastern and central Pennsylvania before, during and after the war.

The sections or areas covered by George J. Fluhr are as follows:

1. The Story of the Great Prison Train Wreck.

2. How Many Soldiers Died as a Result of the Wreck?

3. How was the transfer from New York to the Erie Made?

4. Where was the Exact Site of the Wreck?

5. Where was the Exact Site of the Graves?

6. Who were the Soldiers, Dead as a Result of the Train Wreck?

7. Who were the Wounded Brought to the Village of Shohola?

8. Who Helped the Soldiers After the Accident?

9. What are the Legends Associated with the Wreck?

10. What Locomotives and Cars were on the Trains?

11. Are there Any Pictures of the Wreck?

12. What Other Accidents Occurred at the Site of the Wreck?

13. What Sources Can Be Used for Further Research?

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The most recent edition of Fluhr’s work is entitled The Shohola Civil War Train Wreck: The Great Prison Train Disaster in Pike County, Pennsylvania and was published by the Shohola Railroad and Historical Society in 2011 in commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the accident.  It consists of 124 pages and is a greatly expanded and updated version of Fluhr’s earlier works on the train wreck.  It can be ordered from the Wayne County [Pennsylvania] Historical Society through its web site.

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To see all the posts in this series, click on ShoholaTrainWreck.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on The Great Shohola Train Wreck – Fluhr’s Excellent Guide
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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on May 7, 2014

Today’s post on the Shamokin Cemetery’s Soldiers’ Circle features all the graves in the inner circle, first and second quadrants, beginning with photograph 147.  The photographs in this segment are numbered 147 through 158.  All of the stones in this section are sequenced in the order of the death of the veteran – and some of the graves are for veterans of later wars.  For each of the veterans, the best determination of the name is given and where possible some information about the military record.  Soldiers of later wars will not be discussed int this post.  Some errors may be noted where the information on the stone may not match other records.  Each grave photograph may be enlarged by clicking on it, and in some cases, readers may be able to identify or clarify some of the unknown information.  Comments can be added to this post or sent by e-mail to the Civil War Research Project.  The collected information on soldiers buried in the circle (including some military records, pension files, photographs, etc.) is available free-of-charge to veterans organizations, historical societies, and other non-profit groups.  Inquiries may be sent by e-mail or by regular mail, to the attention of Norman Gasbarro, P.O. Box 523, Gratz, PA  17030.

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#147 – Hugh Boyd

Hugh Boyd was born about 1833 and died in Shamokin on 18 May 1922.  He served in the 8th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a Private, from 22 April 1861 through discharge on 29 July 1861.  At the time of his enrollment in Shamokin, he was residing there and employed as a miner.  He made application for a pension on 17 July 1890.  He was married to the former Elizabeth Allison.

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#148 – William ——–

This difficult to read stone recognizes a soldier named William, with the surname undecipherable.  He died in 1922.

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#149 – John H. Johnson

John H. Johnson, who died in Shamokin on 16 January 1923, was born on 14 August 1845.  He served in the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D or Company F, from 30 August 1864 through 1 June 1865.  There is a possibility that there are two persons of the exact same name whose records may be co-mingled.  The Johnson in Company F was residing in Pine Grove in 1864, and the Johnson in Company D enrolled at Williamsport.  Perhaps it is the same person and the records were erroneously duplicated.  There is also the possibility that he enrolled as a substitute in two companies, but only joined one.  In any event, after the war, he applied for a pension for service in Company F and received the benefits.  John H. Johnson was married to a woman named Hannah.

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#150 – Henry W. Templin

Henry W. Templin enrolled at Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in the 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, as a Private on 27 October 1862 and transferred to Company A, date unknown.  He was mustered out of service on 11 August 1865 and made an application for pension benefits on 28 August 1901.  More information is sought on this soldier.

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#151 – Percival Derk

Percival Derk (or Percival Dirk or Percival Durk) was born on 2 June 1846 and died on either 3 October or 4 November 1926 in Shamokin.  He was a miner whose residence was Northumberland County.  In the Civil War he served in the 46th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company K, as a Private, from 25 February 1864 through 18 May 1865 and applied for a pension on 12 April 1884.

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#152 – Elias Fourl (Fourall)

Elias C. Fourall (or Fourl) was born 1 January 1847 and died on 14 October 1928 in Shamokin.  He is the last Civil War veteran to be buried in the Soldiers’ Circle.  Records indicate that he first served in the 153rd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company G, as a Private, from either 22 September or 10 October 1862 through 24 July 1863.  At this time his residence was in Northumberland County and he had been employed as a laborer.  Later he served in the 214th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company H, as a Private, from 18 March 1865, but he was reported as a deserter on 24 November 1865.  There is an indication that he was married twice with the first wife’s name as Mary and the second wife’s name as Caroline Malick.  The second wife applied for pension benefits on 29 October 1928.

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#153 – George E. Schalick (World War I)

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#154 – William Greager

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#155 – No Stone

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#156 – Stanley E. Olszeski (World War I)

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#157 – Angus Albright (World War)

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#158 – No stone

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For all posts in this series, click on ShamokinSoldCircle.

Category: Queries, Research, Stories | Comments Off on The Shamokin Soldiers’ Circle – Photographs 147 – 158
Tags: Cemetery, Pine Grove