Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 12, 2013

The obituary of William H. Sites appeared in the Elizabethville Echo in 1929:

WILLIAM H. SITES

William H. Sites, age 81 years, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Frank Rissinger, at Bressler, Pennsylvania, Monday evening.  Mr. Sites was one of the few remaining members of the Millersburg G.A.R. Post.

He is survived by one son and one daughter:  David H. Sites of Inglesnook and Mrs. Rissinger of Bressler, also by five grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

The body will be brought to Millersburg Friday, and services will be held in the Grace Evangelical Church of that place, at 2:45 o’clock that afternoon.  The pastor, Rev. H. E. Fasnacht, will officiate and interment will be made at Oak Hill Cemetery.

No record has been found indicating that William H. Sites actually served in the Civil War.  His post-Civil War Regular Army Service was noted in the 1890 Veterans’ Census of Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania:

Click on document to enlarge.

The above document gives the service dates as 19 March 1866 through 14 April 1869, in the 31st United States Reserve, Company H, as a Private.

According to on-line genealogical records William H. Sites was born in April 1848.

His name does appear on the Millersburg G.A.R. Monument as a Civil War veteran and member of the G.A.R.:

A pension application was submitted on 10 June 1878 but the card notes that Sites served in the Indian Wars.  He did not receive a pension for Civil War service.

The grave marker of William H. Sites has not yet been photographed for the Civil War Research Project.

The portrait of William H. Sites shown at the top of this post, was cropped from a G.A.R. group photo of six veterans who were members of the Kilpatrick Post No. 212 of Millersburg.  An original copy of the photograph is on display at the Historical Society of Millersburg and Upper Paxton Township Museum.

Additional information is sought on William H. Sites and his family – particularly stories and other pictures.  Add information in the “Comments” section of this post or submit by e-mail.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Obituary of William H. Sites
Tags: G.A.R., Millersburg, Upper Paxton Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 10, 2013

In the Civil War Exhibit at the Gratz Historical Society there is a framed picture of a soldier in uniform with the caption, “William H. Harman, Zouave Vol Unit, Civil War.”  The origin of the picture is uncertain, but further research has confirmed that the original photograph was taken at the the Smith Photography Studio of Lykens and Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  A photocopy of the original photograph is shown below.

The two-sided photocopy shows the name “William H. Harman” written at the top as it appeared on the original.

The photocopy was probably made from the original and a hand-held camera took a picture of the original and it is the photographic copy of the original that is displayed at the Gratz Historical Society Museum.  This practice of taking photographs of originals was commonplace at the Gratz Historical Society before scanners were readily available and in addition to the photograph of the photograph, a photocopy was made of the front and back of the picture.

The original has not been recently seen and there was no record found indicating who provided the original for copying.

It is not known how this photograph was identified as a “Zouave”.  The uniform is not characteristic of Zouave dress, which usually featured balloon-type pants tied above the ankle.  A typical Zouave uniform, from the 95th Pennsylvania Infantry of the Civil War,  is shown below.

In searching for a William Harman in the Civil War records available on Fold3, three men were found in Pennsylvania regiments:

William Harman, also known as William Herman, served in the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company F.  He died during the Civil War and 65 pages of the widow’s pension application are available on-line.

William Harman served as a Sergeant in Company I of the 49th Pennsylvania Infantry.  He died on 21 November 1927 at Attica, Ohio.  He applied for an invalid pension on 5 March 1869 – which he eventually received and collected until his death.

William Harman, also known as William Herman, served in the 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company B.   He applied for a pension on 16 February 1910, which he received – but his death date is not noted on the Pension Index Card.

In searching for a William Harman in the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Card File, available from the Pennsylvania Archives, several additional persons named William Harman appear – including some with the name William H. Harman.

Examining the records of these various persons named William Harman is time consuming and may not result in the identification of the soldier who had his picture taken at the Smith Studio in Lykens–Williamstown.

A better path to take might be some research on the Smith Studio to determine when it was in business as well as the usage period of this type of carded photo.  Photographs of this type have not been seen during the Civil War period and were generally produced 20 to 30 years afterward.  It is entirely possible that this William H. Harman was a soldier in the army in the post-Civil War period and that the “Civil War” caption on the photograph in the Gratz Historical Society Museum is completely wrong.

Readers are invited to submit ideas about how to correctly identify this soldier.  Comments can be added to this post or an e-mail can be sent to the blog.

Category: Queries, Research | Comments Off on Was William H. Harman a Civil War Soldier?
Tags: Lykens Borough, Williamstown

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 7, 2013

Stamps honoring the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln were issued by the United States Postal Service on 9 February 2009.

The stamps were issued in four designs, each showing a scene from Lincoln’s life and career along with a larger portrait of Lincoln at either the left or right side of the design.  The second design shown above is of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and the third design shows Lincoln as a “rail splitter.”

The stamps were based on works by Canadian artist Mark Summers and bear the then-current rate for first class postage, 42 cents.  They were the first stamps honoring Lincoln to be issued in a self adhesive format, with 20 stamps per post office sheet and five stamps of each design per sheet.

The First Day of Issue ceremonies were held in Springfield, Illinois.

For previous stamp designs honoring Abraham Lincoln, see the following:

Early Postage Stamps Honoring Abraham Lincoln

Postage Stamps Honoring Abraham Lincoln – Bureau of Engraving and Printing to 1909

Abraham Lincoln on Stamps – Regular Issues of the 1920s to the Early 1950s

Abraham Lincoln on Stamps – Regular Issues of the 1950s through the 1960s

Abraham Lincoln on Stamps – Commemorative Issues, 1909-1958

Abraham Lincoln on Stamps – The Sesquicentennial Issues of 1959

Commemorative Postage Stamps for the Civil War Centennial, 1861-1865 to 1961-1965

Abraham Lincoln on Stamps – From the Sesquicentennial to the Bicentennial of His Birth

The Civil War: A Collection of U.S. Commemorative Stamps

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Abraham Lincoln on Stamps – The Bicentennial Issues of 2009
Tags: Abraham Lincoln

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 5, 2013

A listing of the November 2013 posts on The Civil War Blog with direct links:

October 2013 Posts

Jacob L. Weaver – Private in 9th Pennsyvlania Cavalry

John Henry Keen of Williamstown – Civil War Veteran of Infantry and Cavalry

Death and Funeral of Dr. Isaiah S. Schminky

Jonas Hoffman – Veteran of Civil War and Descendant of Pioneer Family

John B. Gise – 210th Pennsylvania Infantry

Two Unknown G.A.R. Burials in Williamstown

Two Civil War Veteran Obituaries from the West Schuylkill Herald of 1904

Obituary of Francis Wyeth of Harrisburg – Hospital Commissioner During Civil War

New Web Site for Pennsylvania Civil War Flags

Capt. Jacob F. Hoffman – Merchant

Over the River and Through the Wood

Theodore Jury – Tool Maker of Millersburg

Category: Overviews | 1 Comment »
Tags: Table of Contents

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 3, 2013

In a shoebox filled with old receipts, letters and other ephemera a rather beat-up Civil War commission for the rank of First Lieutenant was found – for none other than Daniel Chester, believed to be the namesake of the G.A.R. Post at Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  The document was discovered in  four large pieces and several smaller pieces (such as broken corners).  The commission bears appropriate signatures – except that the signature of Gov. Andrew Curtin is nearly faded away.  This document represents the promotion to the highest rank achieved by Daniel Chester.

Daniel Chester was born about 1841 and died about 1873.  Research is still on-going on his life and his military career, although it can be said that he served first with the 5th Pennsylvania Infantry from 21 April 1861 through 25 July 1861 and then with the 55th Pennsylvania Infantry through 30 August 1865.  He was married to Esther A. Garland.  In the 1890 Census his widow reported that he was wounded in the leg at Drury’s Bluff.

No record has been located that indicates Daniel Chester ever applied for a Civil War Pension – but about four years after his death, his widow applied.    She received benefits until her death.  The above Pension Index Card is from Ancestry.com.

The officer’s commission (pictured above at top) is in the process of being restored.  As stated, the pieces have been “rejoined” and the document will next be being mounted and framed with acid-free materials.  At the conclusion of the restoration, it will be formally presented to the Williamstown/Williams Township Historical Society for acquisition and permanent display.  The donor, who discovered the commission, will be formally recognized for her contribution when the museum re-opens in the Spring.  More details will be forthcoming as this event approaches.

In addition to the officer’s commission, the original of the discharge paper of Daniel Chester was also found in the shoebox.  This paper was in much better condition (all in one piece) and will be appropriately preserved – although it is not as decorative as the certificate shown above.  It will also be presented to the Williamstown/Williams Township Historical Society for its collection.

Along with the Officer Commission and discharge, the Williamstown/Williams Township Historical Society will also be featuring the award-winning exhibit, “Women and the Civil War – Portraits and Stories,” which was first presented at the Gratz Fair in September 2013.

Note:  The Chester Post No. 280 of Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was identified only by the surname “Chester”.  In that the only veteran thus far identified with that surname who was living in Williamstown was Daniel Chester, and he was an officer, it can probably be presumed that the post was named after him.  However, there is a John Chester who was living in Wiconisco in 1890 who served as a Private in the 147th Pennsylvania Infantry from 11 August 1862 through 6 Jun 1865.

Category: Museums, Resources | Comments Off on Civil War Officer Commission – Daniel Chester – Discovery and Restoration of a Document
Tags: Andrew Curtin, G.A.R., Gratz Borough, Wiconisco, Williams Township, Williamstown, Women