Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 3, 2012

DR. NAYLOR, CIVIL WAR VETERAN, DIES

Retired Dentist of Elizabethville, Served Four Years With Pennsylvania Units in Union Army

Dr. Wilson E. Naylor, a retired dentist of Elizabethville and veteran of the Civil War died at his home yesterday, aged 77 years and 11 months.

Dr. Naylor served with Company K, 1st Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry and the 30th Pennsylvania Volunteers [30th Pennsylvania Infantry] for three years and later with Company A, 190th Pennsylvania Veteran Rifles [190th Pennsylvania Infantry] for over a year.

Following the war he practiced dentistry at Gettysburg and Bendersville from 1866 until 1914 when he retired from his profession.  He received his college training at the New Berlin College.

He is survived by his widow, Margaret A. Naylor; sons, Galen L. Naylor and Edward G. Naylor of Camp Hill; Joseph W. Naylor, Harrisburg; and John R. Naylor, Akron, Ohio.  Burial will be made at Bendersville Thursday.  He was the grandson of Jacob Benders, founded of Bendersville and was member of the old Union Veteran’s Legion of Dauphin County.

The above obituary appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot on 6 May 1919.  Similar obituaries appeared in the Gettysburg Times of 7 May 1919, with the headline, “Dr. Naylor is Dead, Veteran of Civil War Lived in Adams County Fifty Years,” and adding that the funeral would be “at 1:30 o’clock, Rev. W. D. E. Scott officiating;” in the Gettysburg Compiler of 10 May 1919, with the headline, “Dr. Naylor, Formerly of Gettysburg, Dies at Elizabethville, Civil War Veteran;” and in other Pennsylvania newspaper such as the New Oxford Item, 15 May 1919.

The Union Veteran Legion, an organization of soldiers who served in the Civil War,  to which Dr. Naylor belonged, was founded in 1884 and had much stricter requirements for service than did the G.A.R.  The badge of the U.V.L, shown below, is from the U.S. Militaria Forum, a web site devoted to collectors preserving military memorabilia.

Dr. Naylor met the strict membership requirements by having enlisted prior to Gettysburg for a period of three years duration.  The web site references a book by George G. Kane, The Union Veteran Legion, 1884-1939, as a good source for information on this group.  A search of old Pennsylvania newspapers (on line) produced only 77 hits for “Union Veterans Legion,” with only one for the geographical area covered by the Civil War Research Project – a brief notice of the installation of a command at Tremont, reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 22 May 1892.  Several of the hits, for Harrisburg Patriot articles, were for the encampment at Steelton, Dauphin County.

In the post of yesterday, Elizabethville Civil War Veterans List, it was mentioned that Dr. Wilson E. Naylor had not been previously included in the Veterans List for this Civil War Research Project and that research would be done to determine if he belongs.  That research, now partially completed, began with discovery of the obituary of Dr. Naylor which appears at the top of this post.  Clearly, his association with Elizabethville, makes him a prime candidate for inclusion!

Wilson E. Naylor enrolled in the 30th Pennsylvania Infantry (designated the 1st Pennsylvania Reserves) on 8 June 1861 at Camp Wayne (probably Chester County, Pennsylvania).  At the time of his enrollment, he stood nearly 5′ 10″ tall, said he was 20 years old, had brown hair, grey eyes, and a dark complextion.  He was a student in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.  According to census and other information, he had been born in Bendersville, Adams County, and was the grandson (through his mother, Catherine [Bender] Naylor) of the founder of that town.  The term of service of his enlistment was three years and he reported for duty at Baltimore, Maryland.   His rank was that of Musician.  In some military records, he is found as “Wilson E. Nailor” or “Wilson E. Nailer.”

At Gettysburg, while serving with the 30th Pennsylvania Infantry, he was wounded in the left shoulder.

His wound healed and he returned to the regiment, and on 10 February 1864, he re-enlisted at Bristoe, Virgina.  The re-enlisted men of the 1st Pennsylvania Reserves transferred to the 190th Pennsylvania Infantry and Wilson E. Naylor joined Company A, continuing to serve as a Musician.  His discharge was received from the 190th Pennsylvania Infantry on 28 June 1865.

After the war, Dr.  Naylor married Mary J. Wert and with her had four children:  Galen Lutz Naylor, who was born about 1869; George Naylor, born about 1871; Joseph W. Naylor, born about 1874; Edward G. Naylor, born about 1877; and John Reynolds Naylor.  Two other children, Stella Naylor and Wert Naylor, died in infancy.  After the death of Mary [Wert] Naylor in about 1889, Dr. Naylor re-married to Margaret Asper, some sources giving this second marriage date as 1881 while others give 1885.  After spending about 50 years in the Bendersville area in the practice of dentistry, Dr. Naylor moved to Elizabethville, where he died on 5 May 1919.

In the 1910 Census for Elizabethville, Dr. Naylor declared that his occupation was dentist – which means that he was probably practicing dentistry in Elizabethville in the later years of his life.  Interestingly, his second wife Margaret [Asper] Naylor was recorded in the census with an occupation.  She was a “merchant – store keeper.”  This was unusual for a woman at this early part of the 20th century.  As of this writing, the nature of her business enterprise is not known.  It is also not known why Dr. Naylor chose to move to Elizabethville.  Perhaps it had something to do with either his family background or his second wife’s background.

Dr. Naylor’s mother’s maiden name was “Bender” and the original name of Elizabethville was Benderstettle.  The original owner of the land on which the west end of Elizabethville is situated was Adam Bender, an immigrant from Bohemia, Germany.  He left the land to his son, John Bender, who when he laid out the town building lots and sold them in 1817, changed the name to Elizabethville, in honor of his wife Elizabeth [Gipple] Bender.  If there is a genealogical connection with the Jacob Bender, said to be the maternal grandfather of Wilson E. Naylor, it is not made clear by the biographies in the Elizabethville Sesquicentennial History.

Click on picture to enlarge.

For his service at Gettysburg, Dr. Naylor’s name appears on the Pennsylvania Memorial (above).

Dr. Naylor applied for an received a pension for his Civil War service.  At his death, his second wife Margaret, who survived him, collected the widow’s pension.  Wilson E. Naylor is buried in the Bendersville Cemetery, Adams County, Pennsylvania.  His grave marker is pictured on Findagrave.

A biographical sketch of Dr. Naylor appears in the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County Pennsylvania, page 1124.

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Dr. Wilson E. Naylor will be added to the Veterans List of this project at the next update, which will occur in April 2013.

Anyone with further information on Dr. Naylor – his family, his practice of dentistry, or his Civil War service – is urged to contribute it.  Especially needed are pictures and stories!  Add comments to this post or click here to e-mail.

Pension Index Cards are from Ancestry.com.  The news clipping at the top of this post is from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.  References to other newspapers were obtained from the newspaper resources available on Ancestry.com.  Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Cards are from the Pennsylvania Archives.  To search the York County Heritage Trust Database of Civil War Soldiers which was created by Dennis W. Brandt, click here.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Dr. Wilson E. Naylor – Elizabethville Dentist
Tags: Elizabethville, Tremont

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 2, 2012

In 1967, Elizabethville, Dauphin County. Pennsylvania, celebrated its 150th anniversary and published a souvenir book.  The book was appropriately called, History of Elizabethville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, 1817-1967.  The foreword of the book explained the objectives of the Historical Committee:

This is the history of a town – Elizabethville, Pennsylvania – and in it we have tried to record not only how it began as a mere settlement and developed into a neighborhood, into a tow, into a borough, but also, whenever possible, to record present events within its borders, and the art its present inhabitants are playing in those events.  We hoped, thereby, to produce a reference book not only for our present generations but also for future generations.

During 1916 committees were formulated to observe the centennial anniversary of Elizabethville the following year – 1917 – but the plans were abandoned when the town had to forego a commemorative celebration because of the First World War.  Any omissions from this book have not been intentional, but are due entirely to the lack of a previous history of the town.  This made it necessary for the writers to do a large amount of research n order to uncover data that had remained hidden for 150 years. 

In addition to its purpose, namely to make this a reference book, another objective of the committee was to make the contents of this book as accurate as possible, for without accuracy, a history loses value.  To accomplish this we relied not on hearsay information, but resorted to authentic records whenever they were available….

No specific section of the book deals with the Civil War.  However, throughout the book – whether in sections on biographies, business, industries, communication, religion, etc. – the period of the Civil War, 1861-1865, is “covered”.

The closest the book comes to specifically focusing on the Civil War is in the section on “Organizations.”  As part of this section, the “Armed Forces” are presented, first in relation to the Draft Board that was established for World War I, and then in relation to the establishment of the American Legion Post in 1919.  The American Legion Home, at 7 South Market Street, was previously mentioned on this blog (click here).  In 1940, Draft Boards were established for World War II, and following the conclusion of the war in 1946, the Paul I. Spicher Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars was established.  The All Wars Memorial in front of the Elizabethville V.F.W. Home was also previously pictured on this blog (click here), but since that time, the building was sold and the memorial was dismantled and partially moved across the street to the park.

Though not stated in the book, Elizabethville did not have a G.A.R. Post.  Men from Elizabethville who served in the Civil War could join the G.A.R. Post in Lykens, in Millersburg, or in Halifax.

In a final part in the “organizations” section, an attempt is made to list the names of the veterans:

War Veterans

As nearly as can be ascertained at least three hundred men and women of Elizabethville served their Country in her wars.  The number of those who served in the early wars is a small percentage of those who served in all the wars in which America was involved, and their names are given here, although even this small number should not be considered to be complete.  A roster of those who served in the First and Second World Wars, in the Korean War, and who are serving in Viet Nam, would contain several hundred names, and, for fear of many omissions, no attempt was made to publish these names.  We hope that some local organization will endeavor to compile such a list at some future time.

If such an attempt to publish a complete (or more complete) list than was published in the sesquicentennial history has already been done, it has not been seen by the Civil War Research Project. The Civil War Research Project Veterans List of now more than 2200 names is a regional list, put together from many sources.  Those from Elizabethville, according to the criteria established by the Project, could have had only a passing connection with Elizabethville – or could have lived there their entire lives.

The Civil War Veterans List for Elizabethville, as published on page 58 of the sesquicentennial book is as follows:

Capt. J. A. Ettinger ——– Elias Etzweiler ——- Aaron Evitts ——- Henry Evitts ——- Jacob Forney ——- John C. Harman ——- George E. Hoover ——- John A. Hoover ——- John Keiper ——- Jacob Klinger ——- Jonathan Klinger ——- J. M. Koppenheffer ——- Michael Matter ——- Amos McColley ——- Alexander McLaughlin ——- Dr. Wilson E. Naylor ——- John Ritz ——- John Romberger ——- Jonas Row ——– J. Sallada ——- Amos Schoffstall ——- Hiram Schram ——- Rev. James Shoop ——-James Snyder ——- John Snyder ——- Rufus Snyder ——- Jacob Swab ——- Jonas Swab ——- Philip Swab ——- John Sweesy ——- George W. Uhler ——- Jacob Warfield ——- Jacob L. Weaver ——- Adam Wert ——- Samuel Wert ——- Jacob Zerby

Two persons on this list will require further research – Dr. Wilson E. Naylor and Rufus Snyder.  Preliminary searches in the Veterans List indicate that they were not previously included.  There is also a question about Jacob Warfield – whether this is the same person as the Jacob Warfel, previously included.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Elizabethville, Halifax, Lykens Borough, Millersburg

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 30, 2012

Due to the weather emergency, new posts to The Civil War Blog will be postponed, and barring any unforeseen problems, the regular schedule of new, daily posts will resume on Friday, 2 November 2012.

The post scheduled for Tuesday, 30 October 2012, “Elizabethville Civil War Veterans List,” will appear on Friday, 2 November 2012.

The post scheduled for Wednesday, 31 October 2012, “Dr. William E. Naylor, Elizabethville Dentist,” will appear on Saturday, 3 November 2012.

The post scheduled for Thursday, 1 November 2012, “Amos Kuntzelman, Sewing Machine Agent,” will appear on Saturday, 17 November 2012.

Stay safe!

Category: Reflections | Comments Off on Postponement of New Posts Due to Weather Emergency
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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 29, 2012

The first name listed on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument is that of Capt. James L. Pell, a founding member of the Heilner Post No. 232, G.A.R. of Lykens and Wiconisco, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

Who was James L. Pell other than being the highest ranking former officer involved in the creation of the Heilner Post at Lykens?

A newspaper search produced the following results for “James L. Pell”

THE GREAT ZINGARI BITTERS

The component parts of this remarkable preparation were first discovered and compounded some twenty years ago by Dr. Cheopsus, a celebrated Egyptian physician.  Thousands of his suffering countrymen were restored to health, as well as great numbers of the inhabitants of Nubia and Abyssinia and of the countries bordering on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.  Indeed the fame of the ZINGARI BITTERS soon spread over Europe and was adopted by the principal physicians in charge of the hospitals of the old world, in which it is still used with pre-eminent success.  The Viceroy of Egypt placed the name of Dr. Cheopsus upon the “Roll of Nobles” and presented to him a medal bearing the following inscription: “Dr. Cheopsus, the Public Benefactor.” This bitters is now offered to the Public of America with the full assurance that it wil be found, upon a fair trial, to act as a specific for the cure of Dyspepsia Fever and Ague, Bilious Fever, Colic, Colds, Bronchitis, Consumption in the First Stage, Flatulency, Nervous Debility, Female Comlaints, Rheumatism, Dysentery, acute and chronic Diarrhea, Cholera, Morbus, Cholera, Typhoid and Typhus Fever, Yellow Fever, Scrofula, Diseases of the Kidneys and Habitual Costiveness.

Remarkable cures of the above diseases have been effected by its use, as numerous certificates, many from regular physicians, fully attest; and it is destined to supercede any preparation extant.  As an agreeable tonic, and an invigorating beverage, it has no equal.  Thus the ZINGARI BITTERS has SOUL as well as BODY, and as a preventive DISEASES has no SUPERIOR.

A FEW WORDS TO LADIES. – The use of the ZINGARI BITTERS will give you that soft, semi-transparent complexion which the God of nature (designing women to be the loveliest of his works), fully intended that you should have  for it is nature’s own powder and paint combined.  By purifying the blood, stimulating the pigmentary cells of the dermis, or true skin, and imparting health and life throughout the entire system, it gives that smooth clearness and beauty to the complexion so much to be desired – removing all roughness, blotches, freckles and that yellow, sickly look so common in our day; and what is even better than this, it cures every species of female irregularities and disease.

Price $1 per bottle.

Principal Depot, Harrisburg, Pa.

RAHTER & HAUSE, Sole Proprietors.

This advertisement appeared nearly every week in the Harrisburg Patriot in the several years following the conclusion of the Civil War.  Zingari Bitters was a tonic which claimed to cure nearly every malady known to man.  Since this product was not regulated by any government agency, the manufacturers of the bitters relied on “testimonials” from well-known citizens as to the effectiveness.  Among the many who endorsed the bitters was one “James L. Pell.”

Pell wrote from his Lykenstown home, 19 December 1866:

Mr. F. Rahter… Dear Sir:  This is to certify that I was cured of the Dyspepsia by your Zingari Bitters.  I suffered so much that I could hardly attend to my business – that of Engineer on the Lykens Valley Railroad, and after having tried all kinds of remedies I could hear of, without doing me any good, I was advised to try your BITTERS, and am happy to state that I am as well as I ever was, and I am certain that I own my cure to your great ZINGARI BITTERS.  Yours respectfully, James L. Pell Jr.

The testimonial came complete with a sworn affidavit via the local Justice of the Peace.

Capt. Pell’s statement was one of many supporting this potion.  The first statement was from former Pennsyvlania Governor David R. Porter who claimed it cured him of bowel trouble.  This was followed by one from David Wills, the President of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, by another from a well known minister of the Gospel living in Carroll County, Maryland, and by others who were lawyers, doctors, and ordinary citizens.  Each named the disease that was miraculously cured by this Dauphin County product.

According to Wikipedia, a “bitters’ is “an alcoholic beverage flavored with herbal essences and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Numerous brands of bitters were formerly marketed as patent medicines, but are now considered to be digestifs, rather than medicines. They commonly have an alcoholic strength of 45% ABV and are used as digestifs and as flavoring in cocktails.

The bottles in which bitters were sold in the 19th century have become collectors items.  The one shown above, is from a web site which is hosted by Antique Bottle Collectors Haven.  It’s an actual Zingari Bitters bottle, the neck of which was in the form of a woman’s leg.

Of course, James L. Pell had no medical training nor did his occupation qualify him as a credible endorser of the Zingari Bitters.  His local popularity -because of the role he played in the Civil War  – and, as is now being discovered, his family connections with many others from the Lykens Valley who served in the war – undoubtedly made his testimonial more believable.

In 1850, James L. Pell was living in Wiconisco, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and working as a sawyer.  He was married to Mary Wareham and had two small children, William Pell, age 4, and Catherine Pell, an infant.  By 1860, still living in Wiconisco, he was working as a railroad engineer on the Lykens Valley Railroad – a position he would hold for the remainder of his working years.  Three new children appear in the 1860 census – Mary Pell, age 8; Samuel Pell, age 5; and Thomas Pell, age 4.

After the Civil War started, James L. Pell enlisted in the 127th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, as a Corporal, at Harrisburg, 9 August 1862, and served until 29 May 1863.  He was older than most in his company, volunteering at the age of 39.

The Civil War Draft of 1863 saw him declare his prior service in the 127th Pennsylvania Infantry for 9 months – with residence in Wiconisco Township, and still working as an engineer.

Then, at age 41, James L. Pell again was called to service – this time to meet the Emergency of 1863. As the Captain of the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry Militia [26th Pennsylvania Infantry], Company D, he served from 19 June 1863 through discharge on 30 July 1863.  His service during this time period earned him recognition on the Pennsylvania Memorial at Gettysburg (see below).

Click on plaque to enlarge.

Following the Civil War, James L. Pell remarried (his first wife Mary died) and he moved to Millersburg, the other terminus of the Lykens Valley Railroad where he spent a great deal of time during his working years (his locomotive was turned around at the Millersburg roundhouse/turntable).  As a resident of Millersburg (at least in 1870), Capt. Pell should have also been recognized by the Kilpatrick G.A.R. Post there when the Millersburg G.A.R. Soldier Monument was created – but his name does not appear on that plaque.  Additional children born during this period include Emma Drucilla Pell, who later married George D. Dietrich, son of Civil War soldier Elias Dietrich.  Other children of James L. Pell born to the second wife are still being researched.

As for the children born of the first wife, one of the grandchildren the son Thomas Pell, Karl Pell, married a direct descendant of Harrison Riegle of Lykens Township.  There are many other inter-relationships waiting to be discovered.

There is no record that James L. Pell ever applied for a Civil War pension.  Perhaps the Zingari Bitters actually cured him of all his ailments – including any that he may have obtained as a result of his Civil War service.  He died 28 September 1889, and is buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Lykens Borough.

The Pension Index Card indicates that his second wife was the widow claimant for the Civil War benefits that James never applied for or received.

James L. Pell‘s surviving widow was the former Elizabeth Romberger (1829-1914), daughter of Solomon Romberger.  Elizabeth [Romberger] Pell died in Lykens and her obituary from the Lykens Standard of 2 October 1914 states that she was born on the Sheafer Farm, Wiconisco Township, 18 November 1829.  Surviving Mrs. Pell were two sisters and two brothers.  One surviving sister, Catherine [Romberger] Myers, of Lykens, was married to George W. Myers, a Civil War veteran who is named on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument.  The other surviving sister, Mary [Romberger] Fuller or Fulmer, of Potter County, Pennsylvania, was married to Augustus George Walborn Fowler (or Fuller), who served in the army at the end of the Civil War.  Simon Romberger, a brother of Mrs. Pell, was residing in the Veterans’ Home in Dayton, Ohio; his name appears on the Lykens G.A.R Monument.  Finally, John Romberger, a brother living in Small Valley, Jackson Township, Dauphin County, was another Civil War veteran and is also named on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument.  The process of checking Mrs. Pell’s other siblings who died before 1914 is ongoing and it is possible that more links to Civil War service may be revealed soon!

Elizabeth [Romberger] Pell is buried in Union Cemetery in Lykens Borough.

The only mention of Capt. James L. Pell in the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County appears in the biographical sketch of Col. William W. Jones, train dispatcher and yardmaster of the Lykens Valley Railroad (also called the Summit Branch Railroad) – who served under Capt. Pell in the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency of 1863).  Because Capt. Pell died in 1889, he probably was missed by the authors and editors of the encyclopedia.  For a free download of this work, click here.

This post is an initial response to a comment made to another post on this blog – that of the Muir All Wars Memorial – by Betty Pell who is seeking information on Capt. James L. Pell, an ancestor of her husband.  Mrs. Pell also made an inquiry indirectly through Sally Reiner, President of the Lykens-Wiconisco Historical Society.  Any readers who can supply more information on Capt. Pell are urged to do so either by commenting on this post, submitting an e-mail to the blog, or by submitting an e-mail to Sally Reiner.  Expecially needed are family pictures and stories!

Some of the information for this post was taken from a genealogy of the Welker family recently provided by Larry Welker.  The newspaper articles on Zingari Bitters were obtained through the online resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.  Pension Index Cards are from Ancestry.com and Fold3 and reference materials available in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  Civil War Draft Registration lists are from Ancestry.com.  Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Cards are from the Pennsylvania Archives.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Jackson Township, Lykens Borough, Railroad, Wiconisco, Wiconisco Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 28, 2012

The Shamokin Cemetery is located at the intersection of South Anthracite Street and West High Street in Shamokin, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.  Within the cemetery there is a monument to the men who died in the Civil War.  There is no direct path or road to the monument from South Anthracite Street and West High Street, but it can be easily be seen from most points in the cemetery, and on many days from many parts of Shamokin.

Surrounding the G.A.R. Soldiers Monument is the Soldiers Circle, containing the graves of 148 men who served in the Civil War.

The Soldiers Circle is actually three circles within each other surrounding the Soldiers Monument.  The outer circle contains 72 graves.  The middle circle contains 65 graves.  The inner circle (actually an “arc” or incomplete circle), contains 11 graves.  There are at least 25 more grave sites that could be placed in this inner circle should families choose to have a veteran re-interred here.  However, it is not known at this time if these additional plots are available nor is it known under what conditions or requirements the original burials were made here.

One unusual aspect of this burial area is that there are no wives or other family members also interred here.  It is not known why this was done and whether it was standard practice in other cemeteries at the time.

The biggest problem with this section is that it seems to have been exposed to the elements more than other parts of the cemetery and as a result about half of the stones are worn or broken and virtually unreadable.  The cemetery web site intends to provide an alphabetical list of burials at some point in the future.  Hopefully, the cemetery records will shed light on who is buried in each of the plots.

All the stones in the three circles have been photographed by the Civil War Research Project in clockwise sequence in the hopes that this alphabetical list will be able to identify the sites of those buried where there are unreadable or missing stones.  At some point, these photographs will be posted here on the blog, but it would be helpful to know who is buried in each plot.

A few of the stones appear to be recent replacements.  Perhaps someone will take this area as a project to replace or repair the damaged and missing stones.

Other views of the Soldiers Circle are shown below:

Category: Memorials | Comments Off on G.A.R. Soldiers Circle at Shamokin Cemetery
Tags: Cemetery, G.A.R.