Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 18, 2012

Information about the life of William Bender, of Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, a Civil War veteran, can be found in the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, published in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in 1910, J. L. Runk and Company, and authored by William Henry Egle. (Click on book title for free download).

William Bender, wheelwright and carpenter, was born in Armstrong Valley, Jackson Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, 17 January 1842.  He is a son of Leonard Bender and Elizabeth [Shoop] Bender.

Adam Bender, his great-grandfather, kept a hotel at Halifax, and later removed to where Elizabethville now stands.  John Bender, grandfather of William Bender, married Elizabeth Gipple.  They had six children:  Leonard Bender; John Bender; Elizabeth Bender; Barbara Bender; Katie Bender; and Nancy Bender.  John Bender laid out the town of Elizabethville and named it for his wife Elizabeth.  Leonard Bender, father of William Bender, was born in 1811, and is living at the time of this writing.  His wife, Elizabeth Shoop, died 2 February 1872, at the age of fifty-four.  They had six children: Samuel Bender, married Barbara Shraeder; William Bender; Susan Bender, wife of Isaac Keiter; Sarah Bender, deceased, wife of Emanuel Hoover; John Bender, married Sarah Snyder, who died, and he married Sarah Warfel, widow of James Warfel; Louisa Bender, deceased, wife of David Griesemer.

William Bender was at school for few months of each year until he was fifteen; but his last periods of attendance of school alternated with seasons of busy employment, and from his sixteenth to his twenty-first year his time was wholly taken up with assisting his father, both on the farm and in the wheelwright shop.  He thus acquired a practical knowledge of both agricultural and mechanical business.  Thinking it well to try work away from home he was for a little less than a year in the employ of the Northern Central Railway Company, after which he worked for a time with Levi Straw at carpentry.

On 6 September 1864, Mr. Bender enlisted at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, in Capt. Solomon B. Bowerman’s Company A, 210^th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers [210^th Pennsylvania Infantry], under Col. William Sargeant.  The regiment was sent to the Army of the Potomac, and assigned to the Third Brigade, Second Division, Fifth Corps.  It was ordered from Baltimore to City Point, and from City Point to the front of Petersburg, where it remained during the operations at that point during 1864 and 1865.  In the following spring the regiment was sent to Fort Stedman, thence to Hatcher’s Run, thence to Gravel Run, where they lost their colonel, William Sargeant, thence to Five Forks, thence to Appomattox, where they remained for three days, thence to Petersburg, thence to Richmond, thence to Fredericksburg, thence to Harper’s Ferry, thence to Arlington Heights, and thence by way of Washington to Harrisburg, where the war having ended, the regiment was honorably discharged.

Mr. Bender, after his discharge, returned to Jackson Township, spent a short time at home, and was then for about six months in the employ of the Northern Central Railway Company.  Then for six months he worked at his trade with George Yeager, at Millersburg, after which he engaged at carpenter work with Theodore Dechant, and remained with him during the summer of 1866.  The next year and up to the spring of 1867 he spent with his father, working on the farm or in the shop, wherever his help was most needed.  After a short visit to Michigan, from which he returned in the following June, he was again engaged in his trade until 1874; in the spring of that year he was occupied throughout the season with the building of a barn on his father-in-law’s farm, in Halifax Township.  In the winter of 1871-1872, Mr. Bender bought a tract of land at Lenkerville, near Millersburg, where he built his present homestead, to which he removed in the spring of 1873, and which has been his residence ever since.

For the next six years Mr. Bender was employed by David Kuhns, in carpenter work, and for three years after that by Mr. Bell, in bridge building.  He then again worked for Mr. Kuhns, as a carpenter, and later did the same kind of work for Benjamin Jury.  For four years he was again employed by the Northern Central Railway Company, and then engaged for the third time by Mr. Kuhns, carpentry; then he worked for John R. Miller, and afterwards engaged in carpentry on his own account.

William Bender was married, 16 September 1866, to Mary E. Hoffman, daughter of Jonathan Hoffman and Joanna Hoffman.  Mr. and Mrs. Bender have five children:

(1) Emma L. Bender, born 19 August 1867, wife of Clinton Tobias, has five children, two of whom are now deceased; Ralph Lester Tobias, born 3 September 1886, died 3 September 1890, and Mary Edna Tobias, born 27 February 1888, died 24 June 1888, also Anna Dora Tobias, born 18 November 1887, Harry Edwin Tobias, 28 August 1890, and Mark Tobias, 1 June 1895;

(2) Charles Irwin Bender, born 14 July 1869, married Lizzie Bilger;

(3) Annie Dora Bender, born 6 May 1871, wife of Ramsey Beller, has two children, Rose M. Beller, born 29 September 1890 and Esther May Beller, 24 May 1891;

(4) Harry Edwin Bender, born 3 April 1875;

(5) and Sarah Florence Bender, born 13 February 1885.

Mr. Bender is a member of Kilpatrick Post, No. 212, G.A.R., at Millersburg, and is a pensioner of the late war.  He is a Republican.  The family attend the Lutheran Church.

Jonathan Hoffman, father of Mrs. Bender, died 29 June 1884, aged seventy-two; his wife died 30 December 1893, aged sixty-nine years, six months and two days.  They had twelve children:  Nicholas Hoffman; Mary E. Hoffman; James Hoffman; Charles Hoffman; Isaac Hoffman; Daniel Hoffman; Samuel Hoffman; Jacob Hoffman; Sarah Hoffman; Susan Hoffman; John Hoffman; and Wellington Hoffman. (p. 1083+).

The Pension Index Card shown at the top of this post notes that William Bender did not apply for benefits until 1891 and that no widow’s benefits were provided. The 1890 Census for Upper Paxton Township and Millersburg provided no information on a disability that resulted from his Civil War service.  Pension Index Cards are available through Ancestry.com and reference records available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

William’s wife, Mary Elizabeth Hoffman, was a direct descendant of Johann Peter Hoffman (1709-1797), pioneer settler of the Lykens Valley.  This is one of many genealogical connections to Johann Peter Hoffman in the Civil War era.  For other posts on the Hoffman family, click here.

The regimental flag of the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry (above) notes the battles in which William Bender participated.  These flags are preserved at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, and pictures of them are available from the web site of the Capitol Preservation Committee.

By the Census of 1920, William Bender was no longer working.  Living in his household, in addition to his wife, were his youngest daughter Sarah “Sadie” [Bender] Cromley and son-in-law, Clyde Cromley.  Clyde had learned the trade of house carpenter (he was an odd jobs laborer in 1910), and Sadie was working in a shoe factory as a finishing soler.  Their child, Mary Cromley, was then 18 years old and was working as a polisher in a reamer shop.

Mary Elizabeth [Hoffman] Bender died in December 1922 and William Bender died on 28 September 1923.  They are buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery, Millersburg.

For his part in the Civil War, William Bender is recognized on the Millersburg Soldier Monument (as “W. H. Bender”).

More information is sought on William Bender – particularly pictures and stories.  It is possible that he is pictured in the G.A.R. photo at the Millersburg Soldier Monument, but no identification has been made at this time.

Click on photo to enlarge.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on William Bender – Farmer, Carpenter and Wheelwright of Millersburg
Tags: Elizabethville, G.A.R., Halifax, Halifax Township, Jackson Township, Lenkerville, Millersburg, Railroad

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 17, 2012

Amos Kuntzelman (1833-1905) was born in Dauphin County and died in Lykens.  He was a Civil War veteran and a founding member of the G.A.R. Heilner Post, No. 232, of Lykens and Wiconisco.  His name appears near the top of the Lykens G.A.R. Monument as a founding member:

The following biographical sketch of Amos Kuntzelman is from the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County (click on title for free download).

Amos Kuntzelman, sewing machine agent, Lykens, [Dauphin County] Pennsylvania, was born in Lykens Valley, 20 March 1833.  Henry Kuntzelman Jr., his father was born in Pine Valley, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in 1779, and was a son of Henry Kuntzelman Sr., a native of Pennsylvania and a farmer.  Henry Kuntzelman Jr. was also a farmer, both in Pine Valley, and also in Washington Township, Dauphin County.  He married Elizabeth McLean, of Irish descent, born in Millersburg, Pennsylvania.  They had four children:  Josiah Kuntzelman, died in the army; Elisha Kuntzelman, residing in Illinois; Amos Kuntzelman; and Moses Kuntzelman, resides in Nebraska.

The father, Henry Kuntzelman Jr., died in Lykens, 19 January 1880.  He was a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  His wife, Elizabeth [McLean] Kuntzelman, died in Lykens Valley in 1859.

Amos Kuntzelman attended the Valley public schools and worked on the farm until he was fourteen years old.  He then left home, learned tailoring in Lykens, and worked four years at that trade.  In 1854 he began business for himself as a merchant tailor, first for three years at Fisherville, afterwards at Lykens, continuing until the breaking out of the war.

Mr. Kuntzelman enlisted at Pottsville, Pennsylvania, 23 September 1861, in Company G, 96^th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers [96th Pennsylvania Infantry], Capt. J. B. Haas and Colonel Cake.  He took part in the battles of West Point and Cumberland Landing.  He was taken sick from the effects of cold and exposure, and was confined to the hospital for two months.  He was discharged from the service at Philadelphia in June 1862, returned to Lykens, and for a time took up the sewing machine business.  He enlisted at Harrisburg, 6 September 1864, in Company B, 9^th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  He was in the Atlanta Campaign, and went with Sherman to the sea, under Gen. Kilpatrick, who appointed him division tailor.  He was discharged at Lexington, North Carolina, 29 May 1865.  Returning to Lykens he resumed the sewing machine business.  He handled the Singer machine for twenty-seven years, has sold the Standard for the past three, and has managed the business successfully.

Amos Kuntzelman was married in 1851, to Sarah Hoffman, born in Lykens Valley.  They have four children:  William H. Kuntzelman, miner, of Lykens; Isaiah Kuntzelman, tailor, Bainbridge, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; Mary E. Kuntzelman, wife of H. E. Rumlinger, manufacturer, Philadelphia; and Clara Kuntzelman, wife of Charles Foster, railroad man of Bradford County, Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Kuntzelman died 13 January 1865.  Mr. Kuntzelman was married again 23 October 1865, to Sarah C.  Ersenhower [Eisenhower], native of Halifax, Pennsylvania, by whom he had one child, Robert A. Kuntzelman, a miner of Lykens Valley.  His second wife died 5 May 1882.

Mr. Kuntzelman is a Republican.  He is a member of Heilner Post, No. 232, G.A.R., at Lykens, and of Wiconisco Lodge, No. 533, I.O.O.F.,Lykens.  He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is a teacher in the Sunday School.  He is a diligent worker and an upright man, genial and popular, has a good family, and enjoys the respect and good will of all his neighbors.

As stated in the biography and on the Pension Index Card at the top of this post, Amos served in the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company G, rank in as Private and rank out as Corporal, and in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, as a Private.

After Amos Kuntzelman‘s second wife died in 1882, he again married.  His third wife, Rachel, survived him and she applied for widow’s benefits, but as can be seen from the Pension Index Card at the top of this post, she was not awarded a pension.

Josiah Kuntzelman (1827-1864), brother of Amos, was a farmer who served in the 188th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company C, as a Private, and possibly also in the 3rd Pennsylvania Artillery (Heavy). He was wounded at Cold Harbor, Virginia, 3 June 1864.  Some records say that he was carried off the field, believed to be dead, but there is no record of his burial.  Some records say that he was absent and in the hospital when the regiment was mustered out, but no proof has been found of that.  There are even records that indicate that he may have died as a prisoner at Andersonville, Georgia.   Josiah’s widow, Sarah A. [Miller] Kuntzelman, applied for a widow’s pension after the news of Josiah’s death reached her.

As shown by the Pension Index Card, Sarah’s application was accepted and she was awarded benefits.  The complete pension file shows the difficulty she had to go through to receive the pension with the complicated procedure of not only proving she was married to him, but also that he had died in the war.  Josiah’s name does not appear on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument.

More information is sought on both Amos Kuntzelman and Josiah Kuntzelman.

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The history of the sewing machine can be found at Wikipedia, click here.  Before the Civil War, the sewing machine probably didn’t look much different that the one shown below:

A web site which pictures early sewing machine models is Sewalot, by Alex I. Askaroff.  To see the history of the 1865 Singer models, click here.

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Pension Index Cards reference records available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and are from Ancestry.com.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Fisherville, Halifax, Lykens Borough, Lykens Township, Millersburg, Washington Township, Wiconisco

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 16, 2012

Rev. Daniel Kendig of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was the Chaplain at the Presidio of San Francisco, California, from 19 December 1859 through 27 May 1867.  According to Wikipedia:

1861–1865 — The American Civil War involved the Presidio. Colonel Albert Sydney Johnston protected Union weapons from being taken by Southern sympathizers in San Francisco. Later, he resigned from the Union Army and became a general in the Confederate Army. He was killed at the Battle of Shiloh. The Presidio organized regiments of volunteers for the Civil War and to control Indians in California and Oregon during the absence of federal troops.

A California Registered Historical Landmark plaque explains its significance:

PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO

Formally established on 17 September 1776 the San Francisco Presidio has been administered successively as a military headquarters by Spain, Mexico and the United States.  A major command post during the Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and Korean War, it remains a symbol of United States authority in the Pacific.

The drawing shown above is of the Presidio at the time of the Civil War.  In the many views available (photographs, engravings, prints, architectural drawings, etc.) none show precisely where the chaplain’s headquarters were located.  However, it is believed that the chaplain worked within the area designated as the hospital.

Rev. Daniel Kendig merits only a brief mention in the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County which contains a history of his family:

Rev. Daniel Kendig… was born in September 1824.  He is a chaplain in the United States Army and was stationed at the posts of Fort Stallacoom in Washington [State] and the Presidio, San Francisco, from 19 December 1859 to 27 May 1867; post chaplain, 31 April 1867; on the retired list United States Army, 1891.

Other sources indicate that he was chaplain during the Civil War.

The portion of the post report (shown above) indicates that Daniel Kendig was officially the chaplain at the Presidio as early as January 1863.  The complete set of Presidio post reports for the Civil War years is available on Ancestry.com.

Daniel’s father, Martin Kendig (1797-1850), was born at Sunbury, Northumberland County, later settled at Middletown, Dauphin County, and was involved in the lumber trade.  From 1826 too 1828, he was one of the Dauphin County auditors and served in the state legislature representing the county from 1837-1839.  He was married three times and the Rev. Daniel Kendig (1824-1911) was a child of the first marriage.  Daniel’s brother (with the same mother), Walter Henry Kendig (1830-1904), was also involved in the lumber business.

Rev. Daniel Kendig spent nearly his entire post-Civil War career as a military chaplain, although prior to the Civil War he was involved in the lumber business with both his father and his brother.  In 1880, he and his wife, Josephine M. Kendig, are located at the Presidio Barracks.  Two male Chinese servants are part of their household.  By 1891, Daniel Kendig had retired from the army and at some point before the 1900 census, he moved to Philadelphia where he was enumerated as a “clergyman.”  In 1910, still living in Philadelphia, he stated that he was a “U. S. Army Chaplain.”

On 31 July 1911, Rev. Daniel Kendig died in Philadelphia, as indicated by the obituary (above) which appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer.  He was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia.

Not much is known about his time as army chaplain at the Presidio.  Further research may reveal some heretofore untold stories about this Dauphin County native who served in an unusual capacity during the Civil War.

Comments are welcome, and additional information can be sent to the Civil War Research Project via e-mail.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Rev. Daniel Kendig – Army Chaplain at Presidio During Civil War
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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 15, 2012

On 23 February 1904, the Harrisburg Patriot reported the following death:

John G. Killinger

The death of John G. Killinger who was well known in Northern Dauphin County, occurred Saturday morning at his home in Fisherville.  For twenty years he had been Justice of the Peace in Jackson Township.  Mr. Killinger had also been a school teacher, and was a Civil War veteran.  He was a Democrat in politics and always stood for the welfare of the party’s best interests.  Mr. Killinger was born in 1846 and is survived by a wife and the following children:  Hiram W. Killinger, of Philadelphia; H. Frank Killinger, of Philadelphia;  James L. Kissinger, Rosa Killinger, and Mary P. Killinger, at home.

From the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, pages 739-740, we learn more about John G. Killinger:

John G. Killinger, Justice of the Peace and implement dealer, Fisherville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was born 10 November 1846.  He is a son of Jacob Killinger and Maria Killinger.  Jacob Killinger was born in South Hanover Township, 3 November 1811.  He attended the township school, and worked on the farm until he was of age, and left home to seek employment.  His wife accompanied him.  Their only capital was five dollars in cash, and the sum of their goods was the clothing tied up in a red bandanna handkerchief.  They located in Halifax Township.  Mr. Killinger had learned shoemaking, so he opened a small shoe shop.  They set up housekeeping with two chairs and an empty dry goods box for a table which latter gave place to a tool chest.

Mr. Jacob Killinger invested first in twelve acres of land, on which he built a house and shoe shop.  Trade prospered, and frugality ruled the household.  In consequence, accumulations furnished means for adding to their holding.  In course of time they had eighty-eight acres of land and all the equipment and surroundings of a comfortable home.  In this home Mr. Killinger died 1 April 1876 and his wife on 23 August of the same year.  Their children were: Jacob Killinger, accidentally drowned in a mill pond; Susan Kissinger, widow of John Novinger, Tiffin, Ohio; Lydia Killinger, wife of Jacob Zimmerman of Halifax Township; Rebecca Killinger, died young; Mary Killinger, widow of Peter Klinger of Fisherville [Dauphin County]; John G. Killinger; and William Killinger, carpenter, Dauphin County.  Mr. Killinger was a Democrat.  He was a substantial and popular man.

John G. Killinger was educated in the common schools of his township and at Truly’s Academy, in Snyder County, and Berrysburg Seminary.

On 1 September 1864, he enlisted, at Harrisburg, in Company A, 210^th Pennsylvania Volunteers [210^th Pennsylvania Infantry], under Capt. Bowerman, and served until the close of the war.  He was honorably discharged at Arlington Heights [Virginia], 31 May 1865, and returned home.

In June 1868, Mr. Killinger took up carpentry, at which he worked for fourteen summers, and taught school twenty-one terms during the winter months.  The confinement of the school room proved detrimental to his health, and compelled him to abandon the work of teaching.  He next tried work on the railroad, but this was too arduous.  In the fall of 1887 he began butchering, and has since followed that business.  He is also agent for all kinds of agricultural implements.  He has been very successful in this line.  He also superintends a farm of twenty-two acres.

Mr. Killinger was married, in Jackson Township, 3 June 1869, to Anna M. Whitman, born in Halifax Township, 22 October 1846, daughter of Philip Whitman and Susan [Fetterhoff] Whitman.  Their children were:  Laura A. Killinger, died when three years old; Hiram W. Killinger, in business in Philadelphia; Thomas J. Killinger, died at four years of age; John Killinger, died aged three years; H. Frank Killinger, James LaRoss Killinger, and Maggie P. Killinger, at home.

Mr. Killinger is a member of Enders Lodge, No. 359, K. of P., Fisherville; and of B. F. Miller Post, No. 393, G.A.R.; he is Adjutant of the Post.

The grandfather of Mrs. Killinger, Col. Fetterhoff, was in the war of 1812.  The great-grandmother of Mrs. Killinger (McFrederick Fetterhoff) was blind for thirty years previous to her death.

The Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card at the Pennsylvania Archives references the Civil War service of John G. Killinger:

There is very little information on the index card, other than the Bates page reference (upper right corner).  Consultation of the various databases available with military records information makes note of the fact that John G. Killinger was mustered into service in the 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a Private, on 7 September 1864 and mustered out with his company on 30 May 1865.  His military experiences probably parallel those reported in the regimental history.

The information on the Pension Index Card, which references files available at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., notes that John applied for an invalid pension in December 1882, which he was awarded, and his widow Annie, applied for and received those benefits after his death in 1904.

The 1890 Veterans’ Census for Fisherville, notes the actual disability of John G. Killinger:

Click on document to enlarge.

“This man is troubled badly with hemorrhoids causing him great trouble.”

Many of the legal matters decided by John G. Killinger made the local newspapers, including the following one which appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot of 18 August 1884:

Arrested on a Serious Charge

John W. Stine was committed to prison yesterday forenoon upon the serious charge of horse stealing on a warrant issued by Squire John G. Killinger of Washington Township.  Stine avers that he traded horses with a man named Enders in the presence of several witnesses.  Afterwards Enders complained that the horse he traded from Stine did not suit him and he desired to re-exchange.  Stine refused to comply with his request and hence the suit was brought against him.

In 1888, John G. Killinger‘s involvement in Democratic Party politics was mentioned in a Harrisburg Patriot article appearing on 24 August:

Jackson Township Democrats

JACKSON TOWNSHIP, DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pennsylvania, 22 August 1888. — Editor Patriot: The democratic citizens of this township met on last Saturday evening, 18 August, at the Jacksonville School House to organize a Cleveland Democratic Club.  G. W. D. Enders was called to preside and the following were chosen as officers:  President, J. W. Knouff; Vice Presidents (one of each school district in the township), John G. Killinger, George N. Fetterhoff, Ira M. Welt, James D. Miller, Joseph N. Frank, George Grim, A. M. Lyter, Simon Snyder, John W. Wise; Treasurer, George W. Frank; Secretary, James Sweigard; and Assistant Secretary, F. C. Ender.  About thirty-five members signed the roll.  Another meeting of the club will be held on Saturday, 1 September, at Frank’s School House, so that the Democrats of the township will have a better opportunity to place their names on the roll.  The democrats of this township are becoming thoroughly aroused.  DEMOCRAT.

The object of support of this Cleveland Democratic Club was the then President of the United States, Grover Cleveland, who was the only Democrat elected to the presidency in the post-Civil War years of the nineteenth century.  However, Cleveland was not re-elected in 1888, so the local support for him in which John G. Killinger participated was not successful on a national level.  However, Cleveland was elected to a second term in 1892.  Cleveland was very pro-business and strongly opposed to subsidies to business, farmers and veterans.  He was against imperialism and supported low tariffs and a sound currency.

More information is sought on John G. Killinger and his political views in the post-Civil War period.  Comments can be added to this post or sent the the Civil War Research Project via e-mail.

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News articles are from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.  Census records are from Ancestry.com.  The Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County is available on-line as a free download.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on John G. Killinger – Agricultural Implement Agent & Justice of the Peace
Tags: Berrysburg, Fisherville, G.A.R., Halifax Township, Jackson Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 14, 2012

A recent book written by Steve E. Troutman and Jeanne J. Adams and published in July 2012 sheds new light on the struggles of a Civil War era family.  The Rambergers of Rough and Ready traces the history of one family who lived in Rough and Ready, Upper Mahantongo Township, Schuylkill County, from the pre-Civil War era to the present and shows some of the difficulties faced, particularly by women, and how the families worked to survive.

Fromena [Brown] Erdman Ramberger

Fromena Brown, who was born on 1 August 1829, was first married to Elias Erdman, a farmer.  With him she had four children between 1848 and 1856, but while she was pregnant with her fifth child, Elias died suddenly at the age of 32.   The widow Fromena then gave birth to a son, whom she named after his deceased father.  In one sense, Fromena was lucky in that she met and married Daniel Klinger Ramberger (also known as Romberger) around 1858 and he took in Fromena and her young children and raised them as his own.  Fromena continued to have children with Daniel and in the ensuing years, covered by the Civil War, she would be pregnant six more times.  Unfortunately, many of the children would not survive, and the hardships and tragedies faced by Fromena continued through the years.

Daniel Klinger Ramberger

Daniel Klinger Ramberger was drafted in 1862 and had to report to Harrisburg where he was mustered into service in the 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company K, as a Private.  The readily available military record summaries do not indicate the date of his discharge.  The register at the Pennsylvania Archives simply indicates he was “discharged at Harrisburg.”  The actual information as to whether he served (or was immediately discharged) might be found in the muster rolls, which were usually compiled every two months for both payroll and accountability purposes, and until these are consulted, all conclusions are only speculation.  The other place where this information might be found is in the pension application files.

An index card has been located which shows that Daniel applied for and received a pension, but that application was not made until 1899.  The fact that the pension was received is some indication that he proved actual military service of three months or more.  After Daniel’s death in 1901, Fromena applied for a widow’s pension – but did not receive one.  The difficulty for women was that they had to prove that they were legally married to the veteran and had no other living husbands.  Again, without consulting the actual pension application files (available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.), any conclusion would just be speculation.  Also, Fromena died not long after she applied for the widow’s pension.

The authors do speculate that Daniel may have received a discharge because two of his young children were gravely ill and eventually died within a week of each other in 1863.

This book is filled with pictures and family stories, some of which have been seen before, but are now placed together in print form in a family souvenir album.  Although it begins in the Civil War era, it fills in the family history up to the present day.

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Pension Index Cards are from Ancestry. com and reference materials available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  The portraits of Fromena Ramberger and Daniel K. Ramberger were cropped from a photo probably taken in the 1880s and available on public family trees on Ancestry. com.

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Tags: Klingerstown, Rough and Ready, Upper Mahantongo Township, Women