Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 7, 2013

(Part 1 of 6).  St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Cemetery is located in Tower City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, at the corner of East Grand Avenue (U.S. Route 209) and North 4th Street.  At the front of the cemetery, along East Grand Avenue, is the Tower City, Porter Township and Rush Township Veterans Memorial, which was previously featured here in a series of posts with each of the name plates of the Civil War veterans from the area.  This is the last of the four major cemeteries in the Tower City area that will be examined for Civil War burials. No doubt there are other cemeteries and family cemeteries in the area where Civil War veterans were buried – some still undiscovered – but for now, the presentation of the St. Paul’s Cemetery will complete the photographic tour and brief description of each of the Tower City area veterans’ war service that began months ago and included the area memorial, Greenwood Cemetery in Tower City (5 parts), St. Peter’s U.C.C. Cemetery in Reinerton (3 parts), and the Grace United Evangelical Cemetery in Muir (2 parts).

Research continues on each of the Tower City area veterans and as a result of the analysis of the tombstone inscriptions at St. Paul’s Cemetery, some new information about them has been added to the Civil War Research Project.  But, much remains to be discovered.  Especially needed are pictures of the veterans and their families, stories, and any other information that would help in an understanding of this generation of Americans who fought to preserve the Union more than 150 years ago.  As always, the Project relies on local researchers and family members who are willing to come forward and share information about these men and their families.  By sharing the information, we increase our knowledge.

Some of the now-known information about the veterans buried at St. Paul’s Cemetery is presented with the grave marker pictures.  Links are provided to where the veteran previously was mentioned in blog post articles, and some of the past-known information is repeated.  In addition, new Project file numbers are added.  When corresponding by e-mail regarding information available on a specific veteran, it is helpful to use the file number (if known), especially in the many cases where there is more than one veteran with the same name.

The first four veterans’ graves are presented today.

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HENRY J. ALSPACH (1837-1892)

Below are three documents on Henry J. Alspach not previously presented on the blog.  The first is the burial record from St. Paul’s Church which indicates that Henry was re-interred in Tower City from his initial burial place of Hampton, Virginia.  The second is the page from the 1890 Veterans’ Census, which erroneously states that Henry was a member of the 32nd Pennsylvania Infantry.  This error is also found on his Pension Index Card (not shown).  The third document is the page from Hampton Soldiers’ Home, which states his service was in the 25th Pennsylvania Infantry, but does not give his rank for the service in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.  Also on the third document is the name of his closest relative, a sister, Barbara Owens of Tower City.

St. Paul’s Burial Record.  Click on document to enlarge.

Census of 1890. Click on document to enlarge.

National Soldiers’ Home record. Click on document to enlarge.

HENRY J. ALSPACH(1837-1892), the brother of David, first served in the 25th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A or Company H, from 18 April 1861 through 27 July 1861, after which he joined Company A, 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.  During this latter service, which was from 9 September 1861 through 14 December 1864, Henry was promoted from 1st Sergeant to 2nd Lieutenant on 17 September 1862, to 1st Lieutenant on 30 September 1864, and then commissioned as Captain on 2 October 1864.  Henry was married to a woman named Lavina, he collected a pension after 1890 and was a resident of the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ Home in Erie (see Census of 1890 above) and afterward at the National Soldiers’ Home in Hampton, Virginia.  When he died 25 October 1892, he was first interred in the Hampton National Cemetery, but later on 13 November 1892 was re-interred in St. Paul’s Cemetery in Tower City.  The grave marker (pictured above) only names his service in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry and gives his rank as 2nd Lieutenant, although the record indicates that he was discharged at the rank of Captain.

See also: Tower City, Porter and Rush Township Civil War Veterans – Part 1  and Tower City – Porter Township Centennial – Civil War Veterans List.

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LINDSEY HUGH “LIN” CAMPBELL (1829-1885)

LINDSEY HUGH “LIN” CAMPBELL (1829-1885) was also known as “L. H. Campbell.”  He was an immigrant from Scotland who was working as a miner when he enrolled in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company E, as a Private, at Pottsville, Schuylkill County. Before the war he married Jeanette “Janet” Hill (1829-?) and in 1870 they were living in Williams Township, Dauphin County, where he was working as a coal miner.  Later, they moved to Porter Township.  His grave marker at St. Paul’s Church Cemetery is “government issue” and notes his regiment and company, but does not have his birth and death years.

The Pension Index Card (above, from Ancestry.com) for Lindsey Campbell shows that he applied for invalid benefits on 28 June 1883 and that he was awarded them.  However, he died on 22 March 1885.  His widow, Janet [Hill] Campbell did not apply for benefits until 1890, and she did so from Illinois, where she apparently had moved after Lindsey’s death.

Headstone application showing death date & service record.

Lindsey H. Campbell‘s death date, according to the headstone application (above, from Ancestry.com), was 22 March 1885.

See also:  Tower City, Porter and Rush Township Civil War Veterans – Part 1.

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ISAIAH J. EISENHOWER (1836-1885).

ISAIAH J. EISENHOWER (1836-1886) is found in Halifax, Dauphin County records as well as Tower City, Schuylkill County records.  His widow, Catherine, was living in Wiconisco in 1890 and reported that he served in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company E, as a Sergeant, and in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, also as a Sergeant.   He was discharged from his first service, that of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability.  Isaiah, who was more commonly known as “I. J. Eisenhower,” is buried at St. Paul’s Church Cemetery, Tower City, Schuylkill County.  His “government-issue” grave marker notes his service in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, but does not indicate his birth and death years or his service in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry.

Headstone application showing death date & service record.

Isaiah J. Eisenhower first applied for a pension in 1863 (see Pension Index Card, above, from Ancestry.com).  The low application number followed by the very high certificate number is an indication that it took long time for the application to be approved and for him to receive benefits.  After his death, which occurred on 12 December 1886, it took more than a year for his widow Catharine Eisenhower to apply for her widow benefits, which she received and collected until her death.  In July 1863, when completing his draft registration, Isaiah noted that he had been disabled as a result of his Civil War service in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry.

See also:  Tower City, Porter and Rush Township Civil War Veterans – Part 2;  Halifax Area Civil War Veterans; Tower City – Porter Township Centennial – Civil War Veterans List and Eisenhower Family Civil War Veterans.

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ISAAC FRANTZ (1843-1885)

ISAAC FRANTZ (1843-1885) served in the 208th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company H, as a Private, from 16 August 1864 through 1 June 1865.   His widow, Kate F. Frantz, was living in Tower City in 1890 (see census record below).  He is buried in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Cemetery, Tower City.

1890 Census. Click on document to enlarge.

Isaac Frantz died in 1885 and to the time of his death had not made application for an invalid pension (see above, Pension Index Card from Ancestry.com).  In 1890, his widow, Catherine “Kate” Frantz, made application and received veterans’ widow benefits until her death.

See also: Tower City, Porter and Rush Township Civil War Veterans – Part 3; Tower City – Porter Township Centennial – Civil War Veterans List and Tower City, Porter, and Rush Township Veterans Memorial.

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Continued tomorrow….

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Civil War Veteran Burials at St. Paul’s Cemetery, Tower City (Part 1 of 6)
Tags: Halifax, Muir, Porter Township, Reinerton, Rush Township, Tower City, Wiconisco, Williams Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 6, 2013

The announcement of the death of Miss Frances Awl at the age of 79 in the Harrisburg Patriot, 19 September 1921, provided information to connect two men of the surname “Awl” to each other as brothers.  Colonel F. Asbury Awl and Colonel J. Wesley Awl were both Civil War veterans from Dauphin County.  The obituary of Frances “Fannie” Awl stated that she was the daughter of the late Jacob M. Awl and Fanny [Horning] Awl.  She was a native of Harrisburg and for many years was a member of the Grace Methodist Church.  Preceding her in death were her brothers, Col. F. Asbury Awl and Col J. Wesley Awl and she was survived by two nephews, Major Frank A. Awl, an army officer stationed at Washington, and J. Wesley Awl, also of Washington.

Francis Asbury Awl is profiled in the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, page 258:

Francis Asbury Awl, son of John Michael Awl, was born at Harrisburg, 8 April 1837, where he resides. At the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 served in the three months’ service as adjutant of the Eleventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers [11th Pennsylvania Infantry]. In 1862 [he] raised for the nine months’ service, Company A of the One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers [127th Pennsylvania Infantry], and participated in the Fredericksburg Campaign. In 1864 he assisted in organizing the Two Hundred and First Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers [201st Pennsylvania Infantry], of which he was commissioned Colonel and served in that capacity until mustered out at the close of the war. He was a clerk in the Harrisburg National Bank prior the war; subsequently cashier of the banking house of Jay Cooke & Co., in New York, for a period of seven years; was a trustee for twelve years of the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital and secretary of the board; and from 1891 to 1896 deputy superintendent of banking. Colonel Awl married, 5 June 1872, Mary Elizabeth Thompson, born 9 August 1847, in New York City. They have two sons, Jay Wesley Awl and Francis Asbury Awl.

A brief sketch of the life of John Wesley Awl is found on page 259 of the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County:

John Wesley Awl, was born at Harrisburg, on 21 November [1832], and died there on 2 March 1894; was educated at Dickinson College, read law with F. K. Boas, Esq., and admitted to the bar in 1856. During the war for the Union he entered the service in 1862 as Captain in the One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers [127th Pennsylvania Infantry]. Upon the organization of the Two Hundred and First, Pennsylvania Volunteers [201st Pennsylvania Infantry], he was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel; in May 1865, was appointed Commandant of the “Soldier’s Rest” at Alexandria, Virginia; mustered out with his regiment 21 June 1865. Upon the organization of the National Guard of Pennsylvania he was Adjutant of the Fifth Division, and subsequently Adjutant of the Third Brigade; as an attorney he was careful, methodical and trustworthy; as a military officer he was highly regarded by his fellow-officers and greatly loved by his men; a life-long member of the church of his father, he was a faithful official. He was unmarried.

One of the confusing factors in tying the two Awl men together was the birth year error in the biographical sketch of John Wesley Awl – which stated that he was born in 1852 instead of 1832.  This would have made it impossible for him to have served in the Civil War as he would have been only ten at the time he first entered the service. The other interesting part of the John Wesley Awl sketch is that his parents’ names were not provided and there was no mention that his brother was F. Asbury Awl.  Initially, it was thought that this latter sketch might be for the son of F. Asbury Awl, “Jay Wesley Awl.”  In researching the two Civil War veterans, it quickly became evident that they were brothers, but no corroborative evidence was found until the obituary of the sister was located.

The two men had similar military careers.

Colonel F. Asbury Awl enlisted on 24 April 1861 as a 1st Lieutenant in Company D of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry at Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, and was mustered into service on 24 April 1861 at Harrisburg.  Just after joining this regiment, he was promoted to the headquarters staff as Adjutant on 26 April 1861.  According to the Union Army, Volume I, “five of the… companies were recruited on the West Branch of the Susquehanna, three on the East Branch, and two in Westmoreland county. A band of music, comprising sixteen pieces, under the leadership of Daniel Repass, was attached to the regiment….”  After three months, the regiment was ordered back to Harrisburg, where it was discharged on 31 July 1861.

Meanwhile, J. Wesley Awl had joined the 1st Pennsylvania Infantry, Company E, as a 2nd Lieutenant, on 18 April 1861.  This regiment “consisted of companies lettered, recruited, and mustered into service…. An excellent band of music, from Lancaster City, numbering sixteen pieces, under the leadership of Daniel Clemens, was also attached to the regiment.”  After its three months service, it was mustered out at Harrisburg on 27 July 1861.

Then, as the 127th Pennsylvania Infantry was formed in August 1862, both men signed up at Harrisburg and began serving there, each as Captain of one of the companies.  F. Asbury Awl was Captain of Company A and J. Wesley Awl was Captain of Company B.  This regiment had in its ranks about 50 men who have now been identified as having some connection to the Lykens Valley area and served until it was discharged in May 1863, prior to the Gettysburg Campaign.

Neither man served in a Pennsylvania regiment until the 201st Pennsylvania Infantry was formed in August 1864.  F. Asbury Awl was commissioned as Colonel of this regiment and his older brother, J. Wesley Awl, as Lieutenant Colonel.  The 201st Pennsylvania Infantry contained more than 20 men who have been connected to the Lykens Valley area.  The regiment was discharged on 21 June 1865 at Harrisburg.

After the war, the paths of the two men seemed to go separate ways.  In addition to the biographical items that have already been stated above, the following should be of interest to those doing further research on the Awl brothers:

In 1867, F. Asbury Awl led an unsuccessful campaign to deny Harrisburg’s African Americans the right to vote.  A copy of a petition was placed in the Patriot which listed the names of the signers, all former Civil War veterans.

In 1891, F. Asbury Awl, while serving on the board of the State Lunatic Asylum at Harrisburg, a scandal occurred regarding the treatment of the inmates, and the director resigned.  An investigation was conducted and F. Asbury Awl was in the center of the politics which involved the governor, an appointed investigative group, and several doctors.  The final conclusion was that there was no wrongdoing, despite the appalling conditions that were discovered.

In 1902, F. Asbury Awl went to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to visit his son Frank Awl, who was stationed there following his return from assignment in Manila, the Philippines.  The next year F. Asbury Awl and wife went to New York for Frank’s wedding to Sadie M. Steinwender.

In February 1904, the Patriot reported that F. Asbury Awl had an attack of chills, and in mid-March 1904, the nature of his illness, cancer of the liver, was disclosed.  On 25 March 1904, Colonel F. Asbury Awl died.  The obituary noted the following:

For many years Colonel Awl was connected with the Old People’s Gas and Gaseous Fuel Company, and was associated with many other local business enterprises.  He was also secretary and treasurer of the State Lunatic Asylum and a trustee of Grace Methodist Church….

Colonel Awl had suffered from cancer of the liver and a gall duct.  He was forced to take to his bed on 1 January, although his illness at that time was not considered alarming….

Colonel F. Asbury Awl is buried in the Harrisburg Cemetery.

In 1886, the Philadelphia Record presented an investigative report that exposed horrible conditions at the Mt. Joy Orphans’ School.  J. Wesley Awl and the governor of Pennsylvania were part of a delegation to investigate the report and found that all of what was written in the Record was true.  The New York Times reported on 6 March 1886:

SOLDIERS’ ORPHANS ABUSED

HOW THE SONS OF HEROES ARE TREATED IN PENNSYLVANIA

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, 5 March 1886 — Today Gov. Pattison, Attorney-General Cassidy, Co. J. Wesley Awl, of this city, and a stenographer visited the Soldiers’ Orphans’ School at Mount Joy, Lancaster County, to investigate charges of neglect and mismanagement, and found a condition of affairs which fully justified the recent charges in the Philadelphia Record.

They found the children huddled together in inadequate, ill-ventilated dormitories, the beds and bedding unclean and foul of smell.  Their clothing was insufficient, some of the boys wearing “cast offs.” None of them were provided with underclothing and all wore clothing of the same weight as that worn in summer….  The effect of poor light and indifferent care was found in sore eyes, many boys being thus afflicted.  One of the boys dispenses medicine in the infirmary…. In the boys’ lavatory four towels did duty for 184 boys, or 46 boys to one towel.  In the boys’ bathroom, a place about 10 feet square, in a bathtub about 18 inches wide and five feet long, 8 boys were allowed at a time, while ten towels were allowed to the 184 bathers….

The investigation concluded that a syndicate of men had pilfered outrageous sums of money from the institution when the money was supposed to be spent on the care of the orphans.  The difference in this case and that of the State Lunatic Asylum, was that J. Wesley Awl had no supervisory authority over the Orphans’ School and was being asked to participate in the investigation as a respected attorney and as Adjutant of the Pennsylvania National Guard, whereas his brother, F. Asbury Awl, was a member of the board of the institution where the abuses were taking place.

J. Wesley Awl dropped dead at his desk in Harrisburg on 2 March 1894, the same day that Confederate General Jubal Early died.  Due to his leadership position in the Pennsylvania National Guard, J. Wesley Awl‘s obituary was reported in newspapers throughout the state.  His place of burial is not known at this time.

Additional information is sought on J. Wesley Awl and F. Asbury Awl, particularly pictures and stories as they relate to their military experiences in the Civil War.  Civil War Research Project file numbers for the collection of this material are as follows:  Francis Asbury Awl [File: CW#A035.2] and John Wesley Awl [File: CW#A035.3].

News clippings are from on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia as well as the newspaper resources found on Ancestry.com.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Regiments

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 5, 2013

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

Looking Ahead in the New Year, 2013

Mahlon Shaaber – Tallest Soldier of the Civil War

White House of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia

John Arnts – Father of Gratz Creamery Owner

December 2012 Posts

The Gettysburg Address

Blog Review: The Civil War Blog

Irving W. Tyson – Postmaster of Schuylkill Haven

Desertions in Company H, 210th Pennsylvania Infantry

They Served Honorably in Company H, 210th Pennsylvania Infantry

More Who Served Honorably in Company H, 210th Pennsylvania Infantry

John W. Hoffman – Teacher, Farmer, and Stockman of Gratz and Lykens Township

Early Postage Stamps Honoring Abraham Lincoln

Antietam

John Peter Crabb – Gratz Native Was Harrisburg G.A.R. Post Commander

Pennsylvania Civil War Veterans Buried in National Cemeteries

Amos Garverich – 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry

Jacob Scheck – German Immigrant in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry

44th Annual G.A.R. Encampment – Atlantic City, 1910

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

The Focus of a Nation

Isaac Hepler – Carpenter and Merchant of Gratz

John C. Herman – Tobacconist and Mayor of Harrisburg

Samuel A. Wesner – Killed at Mines in 1904

There’s Something About Rough and Ready

Michael Haverstick – Died at Chattanooga in 1864 – The Care of War Orphans

John Houser – 46th Pennsylvania Infantry

The Curious Case of Dr. Charles H. Miller

John P. Hocker – 173rd Pennsylvania Infantry

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

Events of the World: January 1863

Category: Overviews | Comments Off on January 2013 Posts
Tags: Table of Contents

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 4, 2013

Rev. Hugh A. Loague (1842-1916) was the Catholic pastor of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, from 1888 to 1901.  When he arrived in America with his family around 1850, he settled in Philadelphia, where he completed his early education.  At the time of the Civil War, he was a student at the Jesuit House in Frederick, Maryland, and upon completion of that course of study, he was engaged as a teacher at Gonzaga College, Washington, D.C., where he worked from 1864 through 1867.  The location of Gonzaga College was adjacent to St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church near 10th and F Street, Northwest – which as previously noted on this blog, was across from the Baptist Alley – the rear access to Ford’s Theatre.

There is no record that Hugh A. Loague ever served in the military.  He was not ordained as a clergyman until Jun 1876 and even after his ordination remained a teacher for several years before assuming responsibilities as a parish priest.  It is not known whether Fr. Loague ever spoke out about his experiences during the Civil War – but certainly, if he did, his comments would have have been quite interesting in that he was in Frederick, Maryland at the time Lee’s army was passing through on the way to Gettysburg and of course, would have been in the midst of all the happenings in Washington, D.C. in the concluding months of the Civil War – including the assassination of Abraham Lincoln within a city block of where he was teaching at Gonzaga College.

The Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County provides the following sketch of Rev. Hugh A. Loague:

Rev. H. A. Loague, pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Williamstown, Pennsylvania, was born in County Donegal, Ireland, 2 June 1842.  He is a son of Francis Loague, a native of Tyrone, Ireland, and his wife, Mary [Gallagher] Loague.  His paternal grandfather, Hugh Loague, was a native of County Tyrone, he was patriotic and took part in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, as did Patrick Gallagher, Rev. Father Loague’s maternal grandfather, and this devotion to their country cost them all the property they had.  Patrick Gallagher, with his family, came to America in 1852.  He had been a farmer in Ireland, but engaged in no active business in America.  He died at the home of his grandson, in Philadelphia.  Hugh Loague and his wife died in Ireland in the late forties.  Besides Francis, father of Rev. H. A. Loague, their children were:  William Loague, a priest, died in Londonderry, Ireland, in 1865; Hugh Loague; John Loague; Rose Loague; Mary Loague; and Ellen Loague, all of whom died in Ireland.

Francis Loague came to this country in 1847 and located in Philadelphia, where he was employed as nurseryman and gardener.  In 1850 he sent for his wife and children who sailed from Londonderry on the sailing vessel, Superior, Captain Moore.  They were on the ocean eight weeks and three days, having been at one time becalmed for three days and at another compelled by a terrible storm to put to see again after sighting land.  They finally reached Philadelphia in May 1850.  The father remained in Philadelphia until his death, which occurred in 1884, at the age of eighty-four.  Mrs. Loague died in Philadelphia, March 8, 1893, aged eighty-three.  Their children were:  William Loague, of the Catholic Church at Centralia, Pennsylvania, died 11 January 1892; Rev. H. A. Loague; Eliza Loague, at home in Philadelphia; Mary Loague, wife of William Murphy, Philadelphia; Patrick Loague, died an infant, in Ireland; Rosanna Loague, born in Philadelphia in 1852, died in 1863; Joseph Loague, born in 1854, died in March 1876.

H. A. Loague attended school for nearly one year in Ireland.  After coming to America he attended the public schools in Philadelphia until 1857 when he entered St. Joseph’s College, Philadelphia, and there remained until he had completed his college course in 1860.  He then studied four years at the Jesuit House, Frederick City, Maryland, after which he taught in the Gonzaga College, Washington, D.C., from 1864 to 1867.  He was subsequently professor in Holy Cross College, Worcester, Massachusetts, until the end of 1869, after which he spent seven years in completing his studies in philosophy and theology at Woodstock College, in Maryland, and from 1876 to 1880 was again professor in the Worcester, Massachusetts, College of the Holy Cross.

In 1880 Father Loague went to St. James, Michigan, to assist his uncle, Rev. F. P. Gallagher, who was out of health.  He remained with his uncle until October 1, 1883.  On 23 December 1883, he came to Harrisburg and took charge of the Steelton Church, where he continued until 9 January 1888.  On that date, he entered upon his duties as rector of the Church of the Sacred Heart [Williamstown].  He was ordained to the priesthood at Woodstock College, in Maryland, 21 June 1876.  In politics Mr. Loague is independent and a firm believer in protection.  He is an affable and agreeable gentleman, of great kindness of heart, ad of very scholarly tastes and attainments. [page 1187-1188].

Th Harrisburg Diocesse history notes that during his time in Williamstown, Fr. Loague made an addition to the rectory and improved the parish property.  The history of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church notes that

Father Loague, a native of Ireland, was an exemplary priest both in word and action.  He labored incessantly, not only for the spiritual, but also for the temporal welfare of his flock.  Father William Loague came as an assistant to his brother in November 1890 and remained until 1891.  Father Loague, as pastor, made improvements to the church property, the chief being an addition to the rectory and a bridge connecting church and rectory.  His departure from Sacred Heart on 7 June 1901 was regretted by the entire congregation.

After Rev. Hugh A. Loague left Williamstown, he served in Shamokin, Northumberland County, as noted in a brief that appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot in 1905.  A history of the Harrisburg Diocese records his death as 11 October 1916.  Nothing much more is known of him or his family.

Fr. William Loague, Brother of Rev. Hugh A. Loague

There are many lost stories of the Civil War.  It seems that someone, someplace, may have recorded something said by Fr. Hugh Loague about the war and his experiences during it.  Perhaps there are news articles or letters yet to be found – or already found but not yet connected with this scholar and priest who served the Williamstown Catholic parish at the end of the 19th century – a parish that included many Civil War veterans, including Capt. Richard Budd. 

Reader comments are invited (attach to this blog entry), or send via e-mail to the Civil War Research Project.

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Photos of Rev. Hugh Loague and his brother Rev. William Loague are from a 1975 published history of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Williamtown, for its centennial.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Rev. Hugh A. Loague – Catholic Priest at Williamstown
Tags: Williamstown

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 3, 2013

Jacob W. Shope (1845-1923) was a physician in Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, who served in the 201st Pennsylvania Infantry, Company C, as a Private, during the Civil War.

The Pension Index Card shown above is from Fold3 and gives the death date of Dr. Shope as 14 June 1923.  He is buried in the Paxtang Cemetery, Paxtang, Dauphin County.

Who was Jacob W. Shope?  A biographical sketch that appeared in the the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County tells a great amount about him:

Jacob W. Shope, physician and surgeon, Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was born in Linglestown, Dauphin County, 22 August 1845.  He is a son of John Shope and Mary [Mason] Shope.  John Shope was born in Linglestown in 1815.  From the date of his marriage, he was a resident of Linglestown and was engaged in the butcher business.  In 1864 he removed to Dauphin, Pennsylvania, where he now resides.  Mrs. John Shope, who was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1816, died 17 January 1885, in the borough of Dauphin.  They had nine children: an infant that died; David Shope, who died from the effects of a fall; Harriet Shope, wife of P. D. Felty; Elizabeth Shope, wife of A. T. Gerberich; Dr. Jacob W. Shope; William Shope; George Shope; John Shope; and Mary Shope, wife of W. Manley, residing at Rockville, Dauphin County.

Jacob W. Shope spent his boyhood in his native town.  After leaving the public schools, in which he was educated, he was for one year a clerk in a dry goods store.  He then learned the trade of shoemaking, at which he worked for some time.  On 22 August 1864, Mr. Shope enlisted in Company C, Two Hundred and First Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers [201st Pennsylvania Infantry], and served until the close of the war, being mustered out at Harrisburg.  He then carried on the retail shoe business at Dauphin, Pennsylvania, for two years.  This business he sold out in 1867, and was for several years engaged in bridge building.  Again he took up the shoe business in Dauphin and carried it on until 1876.  In this year, Mr. Shope began the study of medicine.  In the fall of 1878, he entered Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was graduated in March 1880.  Since that date he has been a continuous resident of Halifax and a successful practitioner in his profession.

Dr. Shope was married in Halifax, 7 January 1870 to Margaretta J. Shope, daughter of John Shope and Elizabeth [Oswald] Shope.  They have three children:  Charles R. Shope, editor of the Halifax Gazette; Minnie O. Shope, and Susan E. Shope.  Dr. Shope is an active worker in the Republican Party.  He has been a member of the school board and its president.  He and his family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.

An additional biographical sketch was found in the History of Dauphin County:

SHOPE FAMILY.  Among the representative of this well-known Dauphin county family are Dr. Jacob W. Shope and his son Charles Reed Shope of Halifax.  The former is a son of John Shope, who was born in 1815, in Linglestown, Dauphin county, where he was engaged in business as a butcher until 1864, when he moved to Dauphin County.  Mr. Shope married Mary Mason, born in 1816 in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, daughter of John Mason, a surgeon in the Swiss army, and they had nine children: David Shope; Harriet Shope, wife of P.D. Felty; Elizabeth Shope, wife of A. T. Gerberich; Jacob W. Shope, of whom later; William Shope, George Shope, John Shope, Mary Shope, wife of W. Manley; and one who died in infancy.  Mrs. Shope died 17 Jul 1885 in the Borough of Dauphin.

Jacob W. Shope, son of John Shope and Mary [Mason] Shope, was born 22 Aug 1845, in Linglestown, where he received his education in the public schools.  He then served for one year as a clerk in a dry goods store, after which he learned the trade of shoemaking, at which he worked for some time.  On 22 Aug 1864, he enlisted on Company C, Two Hundred and First Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served until the close of the war, being mustered out at Harrisburg.  After his return home he was for two years engaged in the retail shoe business at Dauphin, selling out in 1867, and for several years giving his attention to bridge building, after which he again for a time carried on the shoe business at Dauphin.  In 1876 he began the study of medicine, and in the autumn of 1878 entered Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, whence he graduated in March 1880.  Since that time he has continuously practiced his profession in Hailfax.  He has been a member of the school board and has served as its president.  He affiliates with Susquehanna Lodge, No. 364, F. and A. M., of Millersburg, and is an active worker in the Republican Party.  He and his family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Dr. Shope married, 7 Jan 1870, in Halifax, Margaretta J. Oswald, daughter of John Oswald and Elizabeth Oswald, of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, and they have three children:  Charles Reed Shope…;  Minnie O. Shope, and Susan E Shope., wife of Howard Frey of Harrisburg.

The Civil War service of Dr. Shope can best be described in the following passage from the Union Army, Volume I, found on Ancestry.com.

The 201st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, principally from Dauphin County, was mustered into the service at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, 18 to 19 August 1864, for one year. It was the first ready for duty of the ten regiments furnished by the state under the president’s call of 18 July 1864, for 500,000 men, been recruited to the maximum strength in less than 30 days.  All the field officers had served in the 127th regiment and many of the line officers and men had been in the service before. Immediately after its organization it proceeded to Chambersburg, where it was schooled and drilled for a short period. On 17 September, Company H was detailed for special duty at the general hospital in York; Company F and Company G were ordered to Bloody Run, where they reported to Gen. Ferry, commanding the Juniata District; a little later Company F was sent to McConnellsburg, where it was employed during the fall and winter in arresting and forwarding deserters; Company E was detailed on 18 September, for provost duty at Scranton; the main body of the regiment performed guard duty on the Manassas Gap Railroad near Gainesville and Thoroughfare Gap until 13 November, and was then placed in Camp Slough, Alexandria, on guard duty. On 26 May 1865, it was ordered to Fort Delaware, where it remained until the close of its term. It was mustered out at Harrisburg on 21 June 1865.

Only one member of this regiment was killed or mortally wounded in combat, while fifteen died of disease or accident.

Although both published biographical sketches of Dr. Shope indicate that he was married in Halifax, an actual record from 5 January 1870 has been located at the Zion German Lutheran Church in Harrisburg that says he was married in Harrisburg (see above).

Another error occurs on the 1890 census, enumeration of surviving veterans and widows at Halifax, Dauphin County.  Jacob W. Shope is reported to have served in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, not the 201st Pennsylvania Infantry in which he actually served.  Since the dates of service are not given, it is probable that the information was supplied by someone other than Dr. Shope himself.

Dr. Shope is included in the list of Civil War veterans published in the Halifax Bicentennial Book in 1994.  He is named as Dr. J. W. Shope.

By 1900, Dr. Shope had moved to Harrisburg and he appears there in the 1900 census.  It is not known why he moved from Halifax.

Two interesting stories have emerged about Dr. Shope and his activities in Harrisburg.

The first story (above) appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot on 5 November 1904:

DR. SHOPE’S CASE IS CONTINUED

Must Wait Until Quarantine Is Removed From Witnesses to Pro Prolong Hearing

Dr. Jacob W. Shope… was arraigned before the mayor yesterday afternoon for the alleged violation of the sanitary laws of the city, relative to reporting a smallpox case.  J. E. Wagner, chairman of the councilmatic sanitary committee, being the prosecutor.

The information of Mr. Wagner against the physician states that the defendant was negligent in reporting a case of the contagious disease that appeared in the house of John F. Fastnacht, who resides at 1234 Bailey Street, which is in the centre of the smallpox infected district.  The city ordinances call for a fine not more than $100 for the first violation of the health laws in regard to reporting contagious diseases.

The long article then went on to explain that Dr. Shope had attended Fastnacht’s daughter twice and did not detect any symptoms of smallpox.  Witnesses claimed that Dr. Shope had diagnosed the girl’s problem as “stomach trouble,” but another doctor, who visited the girl the day after one of Dr. Shope’s visits, claimed that he saw some scabs on her body, but that in the case of smallpox, it would take from 9 to 31 days for the telltale pustules of smallpox to appear.  He supported Dr. Shope’s lack of reporting at the time, noting how difficult it would be to make an accurate diagnosis in the absence of scabs.  Dr. Shope insisted that he had been told that the child had eaten six bananas which caused her “stomach trouble.”  After Dr. Shope was told that another doctor had seen scabs, he [Dr. Shope] submitted the required postal card report, but indicated that the evidence of smallpox was “hearsay.”  Nevertheless, quarantine was established by the local health officials.  While the final outcome of the case was not reported, it is doubtful if anything more than a fine was given to Dr. Shope, if anything was done at all.  It also seems that somehow politics was involved.

The second story involving Dr. Shope occurred on 24 March 1906 :

RAGGED HALF BLOCK BY TWO FRIGHTENED DELIVERY HORSES

Between 3 and 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon while going out on Vernon Street a team of two horses drawing a delivery wagon became frightened and ran away, infecting painful but not serious injuries upon the driver Joseph Cohen and a boy accompanying him.

Vernon Street is in a bad condition as every inequality in the ground has been hardened by the recent cold weather.  At the corner of Fourteenth Street there is a deep rut.  The wagon rolled into this and one of the single-trees broke under the strain of the horses to extricate it.  They stumbled into another rut, and becoming frightened, got beyond the control of the driver.  The pole broke and Cohen was hurled out of his seat into the mud.  The reins wrapped about his body, and he was dragged about half a square sustaining painful cuts and bruises on the head.

Meanwhile, his companion, while attempting to escape from the wagon, had his foot hurt by being caught in the step.  The horses were stopped by a passerby who released Cohen from his predicament.  Both had their wounds dressed by Dr. Jacob W. Shope and were able to walk home.

From these two stories, it appears that it was the mayor and council who failed to perform their duties rather than the good doctor.

Other information is sought on Dr. Jacob W. Shope, his war service, his time in Halifax, and his family.  Especially sought is a picture of Dr. Shope.  Comments may be added to this blog post and information may be sent by e-mail to the Civil War Research Project.

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News articles are from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.  The Project File for Jacob W. Shope is CW#S163.

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