Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 27, 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.

The original, carved stone inscription is worn to the point where it is almost unreadable.  It has been replaced by a bronze plaque at the base of the monument which replicates the worn wording:

“To our fallen heroes, erected under the auspices of Lincoln Post, G.A.R., 20 May 1871.”

Surrounding the monument are three concentric circles where graves of Civil War soldiers are neatly arranged around the monument.

Panoramic views of Shamokin can be seen from the Soldiers Monument as shown below.

The post tomorrow will feature the Soldiers Circle at the Shamokin Cemetery.

Note:  This cemetery monument should not be confused with the Shamokin Civil War Monument on West Lincoln Street.

Maps of the Shamokin Cemetery showing the location of the Monument and Soldiers Circle are found on the cemetery web site (click here).    The web site is still under construction as can be noted from the search function supposedly capable of identifying the exact location of a burial.  Searches produce the result “burials table goes here” rather than a name or location.  There is no indication given as to when the “burials table” will be added.

A word of advice to those visiting this cemetery:  it is on a steep hill, the access roads are very narrow, and parking is limited on the roads into the cemetery.  If walking up from below, wear shoes with good support.  Parking is easier on the flat sections at the top and the views are spectacular, particularly as noted, from the G.A.R. Soldiers Monument and Circle.

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

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 26, 2012

After the Civil War, the army set about the task of compiling an official military history to include documents from both sides.  Titled, War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (or more simply, Official Records – O.R.).  Every possible kind of document was included – official reports, telegrams, casualty lists, etc. – from all theaters for the entire period of the war.  At some point it was decided that a collection of maps was needed to supplement the Official Records.  For most of the events, maps were already available, but for the events where maps were lacking (or were too inaccurate), cartographers were commissioned to fill in the gaps.  Originally, these maps were published in “folios” and were issued over a period of time.

In recent years, the maps have been re-produced in book form.  One of those reproductions is pictured above and is reviewed below.

Click on map to enlarge.

A major fault in this atlas can be seen from the above cut from Map Number CXXXVI (138), the immediate area surrounding the town of Gettsyburg.  Gettysburg (added in red in the bottom half of the map), appears in the binding area (the seam) and it cannot be easily read.  This occurs on all the pages where a map is too large to fit on one page and as a result, the central feature of the map is obscured by the binding seam.  The above map was chosen because it shows Gratz, Wiconisco, Elizabethville, Berrysburg, and Millersburg, as well as Tremont and Pine Grove (underlined in red near the top of the map cut), all of which are within the study area of the Civil War Research Project.  The map is useful though in that it clearly shows how all the railroad lines converged at or near Harrisburg.  If Robert E. Lee had not been stopped at Gettysburg, it would have been very possible for all these railroads to fall into Confederate hands – as well as the city of Harrisburg – thus dealing a fatal or near fatal blow to the Union war effort.

The atlas is indispensable for a study of the Civil War simply because in some cases, the maps are the actual ones that the commanders had at their disposal at the time of their movement and battles.  The caveat offered though is that the “reprints” presented in this atlas are 10-percent smaller than the originals, so that has to be taken into account when using the scale, which is in “inches.”  In addition to the topographical features that are a dominant feature of most of the maps, there are several groupings of drawings of forts, military uniforms, panorama views of towns, etc. that make this book a very comprehensive guide.

To read reviews by persons who purchased this book, click here.

Finding a good used copy at a reasonable price can be a challenge.  There are several reprint editions.  The one pictured above, published by Grammercy Books (Arno Press) in 1983, was found in a used book store for the amazingly low price of only $3.

For those who wish to find downloadable copies of the maps, one of the best web sources is “ehistory” (click here).   The table of contents pages can be viewed to locate the appropriate map.  The map list can be found by clicking on “View the Plates”.  The example given above, Plate Number 136, is shown below as it appears on the “ehistory” site:

Click on map to enlarge.

Category: Research, Resources | 1 Comment »
Tags: Berrysburg, Elizabethville, Gratz Borough, Halifax, Millersburg, Tremont, Wiconisco

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 25, 2012

Some questions have come to the Civil War Research Project about one of the names on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument.  That individual is a George Samuels, about whom little is known.  Who was George Samuels?  What was his occupation?  Where was he born and where did he live?  Did he have a family?  What was his Civil War service?  Where did he die and where is he buried?

The initial information about George Samuels was that he was not a member of the Heilner Post, G.A.R., of the Lykens-Wiconisco area of Dauphin County.  That is noted on the monument by the fact that he is listed with the non-members.  Also known is that he served at the rank of Private.  But efforts to find him in local records (census, church and cemetery records, etc.) have thus far produced no positive results.  In the Pennsylvania Archives Veterans’ Card File, there is a card (pictured above) for a “George Samuel” who served in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, as a Private.  This particular regiment and company was recruited from Dauphin County and was composed almost completely of men who had some connection to the upper part of the county, the Lykens Valley area that is covered by the Civil War Research Project.  The card notes that the “George Samuel” who served in this company/regiment resided in Dauphin County at the time of his enrollment.  However, the enrollment took place in Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, 14 September 1861.  At the time of enrollment, “George Samuel” was 20 years old (born about 1841), stood 5′ 6″ tall, had dark hair, gray eyes, and dark complexion.  His occupation was “clerk.”  The “muster in” took place in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, on 7 October 1861.  The card also indicates that George Samuel was discharged on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability on 18 December 1862, and at some point in his service, he was “sick in hospital, Camp Denniso [sic], Ohio.”  The camp name was actually “Camp Dennison,” and in checking on the history of that camp, there was a hospital there.  Its location was not too far from the Ohio/Kentucky border where the city of Cincinnati is situated.

Can we assume that this George Samuel is the same person as the George Samuels who is named on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument?  It seems reasonable that in the absence of any other person of the same or similar names in the Lykens Valley area at that time, and the confirmation that George Samuel had residence in Dauphin County (per his Veterans’ Index Card) as well as the knowledge that Company B of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry was a company/regiment company composed heavily of local men, the conclusion can be made that it is the same person.  There is one additional factor that leans toward accepting this conclusion.  William Thomas, the diarist of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and the person upon whose diary the history of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry (Yankee Cavalrymen) was based, was also from Lykens and his information would have been available to those who constructed the monument.  However, there is no mention of a George Samuel or George Samuels in Yankee Cavalryman.  This does not mean that the diary of William Thomas contained no reference to him.  As has been previously noted on this blog, a typescript of that diary existed about 30 years ago when Yankee Cavalrymen was written, but efforts to locate it as well as the original diary itself, have not been successful.

Pursuing the hypothesis that the George Samuel who served in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry is the same person who is named on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument, a search of other records of that regiment could produce additional information.  Fold3 is a resource site for military records.  Whereas the Pension Index Cards that are available through Ancestry.com do not allow searching by regiment and company – only by the name of the veteran – those on Fold3 (actually a different set of the index cards) can be searched by regiment and company.  By looking specifically at the cards for the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, the following card was discovered:

The cards of Fold3 usually contain an additional piece of information not available on those available through Ancestry.com – the actual death date and place of death of the veteran.  This lucky find for George Samuels indicates he died on 24 November 1914 in New York City.  The card also confirms that “George Samuel” and “George Samuels” are the same person – in that the pension records show that “Samuels” was the name under which the pension was applied for – despite the fact that the military records (at the Pennsylvania Archives) show that he was enrolled as “Samuel.”  The piece of information is also good fortune in that if George Samuels can be located in New York City in the 1910 Census, there is the possibility that he may have indicated “Union Army” service (information collected in 1910), and this would further confirm that the person found is the same person who is named on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument.

George Samuels was located in the 1900 Census for New York City (below).  He was living in the household of Benjamin Applebaum, a clerk.  According to the census, Benjamin Applebaum was the son-in-law of George Samuels – married to George’s daughter Minnie.  There were children in the household (grandchildren of George) and the residence appears to be an apartment – location given as 23 West 112th Street, New York City.  George Samuels was working as a post office attendant (a clerical position – consistent with his pre-Civil War occupation).  New information:  he was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1860 and was a naturalized citizen.  His foreign birth and immigration date explain why he was not found in any Lykens Valley census or church records for the Civil War period.

Click on document to enlarge.

George Samuels was located in the 1910 Census (below) for New York City – at the same address – and this time as the head of the household which consisted of his son-in-law and daughter Minnie and their children.  George was working as an Inspector at the Customs House and his son-in-law, Benjamin Applebaum, is a salesman for a gas company.  The key piece of evidence sought from the 1910 Census – that this George Samuel had Civil War service – is found in one of the columns to the right (red circle on census sheet).  “Union Army” is written in the appropriate box!

Click on document to enlarge.

A final piece of confirming evidence is the New York City Census of 1915 (below).  The George Samuels who served in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, died in 1914, so he would not be alive for the New York City Census of 1915.  From the 1915 Census, it is learned that Benjamin Applebaum and family are living at the same address – but there is no George Samuels in the household.

Click on document to enlarge

In looking at the characteristics of the neighborhood in which George Samuels resided in New York, it can be noticed that there were a good number of immigrants from Russia and Germany.  The wife of George Samuels (the mother of Minnie), has not yet been identified but it probably can be assumed that she died before 1900 (George is then a widower).  If a marriage record can be located, it would probably be around or before the year Minnie was born – about 1875.  Were there other children?  Following through by tracing the descendants of Benjamin Applebaum may not produce positive results – he had three daughters – but is still one possible avenue of research.

No good result has been obtained for the Census of 1880 or the Census of 1890 (Veterans and Widows).  Searches have been made in the New York Times Index for a George Samuels’ obituary with no results.  There is no George Samuels currently listed in Findagrave with a death date of 1914 and the approximate birth year of 1841.  The search for answers may have reached a dead end – until someone comes forward with additional information. Much of that information could possibly be found in the actual pension application files and the military record (available from the National Archives and the Pennsylvania Archives).

In writing the history of all those who served in the Civil War who have some connection to the Lykens Valley area, it is important to find out as much as possible about those who moved away as well as those who stayed.  The name of George Samuels is permanently memorialized on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument.  Hopefully, his full story can be revealed and told.

Comments to this blog post can be added (below) and/or submitted directly to the Civil War Research Project (via e-mail – click here) or sent to Sally Reiner, President of the Lykens-Wiconisco Historical Society (click here).

Category: Queries, Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: G.A.R., Lykens Borough, Wiconisco

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 24, 2012

A biographical sketch of Jacob Good (1842-1904) appeared in the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County:

Jacob Good, foreman of the boiler department of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 22 October 1842.  His father died when he was quite young and he removed with his mother to Dauphin County and located in Harrisburg, where he attended the public schools.  He learned boiler making in the shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and was employed by that company for nine years.  He was afterwards several years with Robert Tippett.  In 1876 he was employed at Steelton by the Pennsylvania Steel Company as a journeyman.  In 1877 he was made foreman of the boiler department, which position he has held continuously since that time.

In 1862 he enlisted in Company D, 127th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers [127th Pennsylvania Infantry] and served nine months.  He took part in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.   He re-enlisted in August 1864 in Company D, 201st Regiiment Pennsylvania Volunteers [201st Pennsylvania Infantry], and served five months as orderly to Gen. J. P. Slough.

Mr. Good is a member of State Capital Lodge, No. 70, and Olivet Encampment, No. 56, I.O.O.F.; of Phoenix Lodge, No. 59, K. of P., and of Baldwin Commandery, No. 108, K. of M.  In 1890 he helped to organize the Mechanics’ and Helpers’ Relief Association, and has since been its treasurer.  He has served as a member of the Good Will Fire Company, No. 7, of Harrisburg, for a number of years, and is now president of the Citizen Fire Company, of Steelton.He is past commander of Sgt. Samuel W. Lascomb Post, No. 351, G.A.R.

Mr. Good was married in 1864, to Miss Maggie E. Pipes, daughter of George Pipes of Harrisburg.  They have four children:  George E. Good, roll-turner, of Steelton; Mary Lizzie Good, wife of George H. Yestadt, of Sparrow’s Point, Maryland;  Glenzora Good, wife of Oliver Weigle, of Steelton; and Lawrence J. Good.  Mr. and Mrs. Good are members of St. Paul’s Baptist Church, in which he is trustee, and Superintendent of the Sunday School.  Mr. Good is also a member of the Y.M.C.A.  (page 993)

According to his grave marker, Jacob Good died on 23 January 1904, but his Pension Index Card states his date of death was 20 March 1904.  He is buried in the Baldwin Cemetery, Steelton, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  His grave marker is pictured on Findagrave:

The Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card (above) for the 201st Pennsylvana Infantry, contains very little information about Jacob Good.  The Index Cards shown on this post (above, and at the top of the post) are from the Pennsylvania Archives

The two types of Pension Index Cards are shown above.  The first card is from Fold3 and notes the date of death of Jacob Good, but it does not indicate the widow’s name nor the date she applied for the widow’s pension.  The second card, from Ancestry.com,  notes the widow’s name as Maggie E. Good, and indicates that she made application in 1908, about four years after her husband died.  The application numbers on both cards match, and it is under those numbers that the pension files can be obtained at the National Archives.

The Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County is available as a free download from the Internet Archive (click here).

Additional information is sought on this Jacob Good (1842-1904) who should not be confused with the Jacob Good (1839-1865) who was presented in the post yesterday.  Comments are welcome and can be added to this post or sent as an e-mail.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Jacob Good – Steel Company Foreman of the Boiler Department
Tags: G.A.R.

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 23, 2012

Jacob Good (1839-1865) was born in Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and served in the 46th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, as a Private, from 2 September 1861 through his discharge on 12 October 1864.  According to the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County Pennsylvania, page 957, he was the son of Henry Good and Lydia [Enders] Good and was one of six children, the others being Barbara Good, John Good, Henry Good, Catharine Good, and Christian E. Good.

At the time of his enlistment at Harrisburg, Jacob Good was a carpenter living in Halifax.  He traveled to Muddy Branch, Maryland to be mustered into service.  He stood nearly 5′ 5″ tall, had black hair, hazel eyes, and a ruddy complexion.

Jacob’s brother, John Good was a harness maker who was born in Upper Paxton Township, and educated there in the common schools.  He then went into an apprenticeship with Jonas Schoener at Linglestown, Dauphin County, and after becoming a master craftsman,  set up business for himself in Jackson Township, Dauphin County.  He married Catharine Sheesley in 1868.  There is no record that he served in the Civil War.

Jacob’s brother Henry Good was first a carpenter and later a cabinet maker in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County.  He was born about 1838 in Upper Paxton Township and married  Sarah Ellen Hoon.  Although there are several persons of the name Henry Good who served in Civil War regiments, this Henry Good has not yet been connected to any of them.

In 1865, Henry Good and younger brother Jacob Good traveled to Media, Pennsylvania, to build railroad bridges.

The following information is from Captain Enders Legion:

Jacob Good was born 16 Nov 1839 in Upper Paxton Township, Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania, the son of Henry Good and Lydia [Enders] Good.  He accompanied his brother Henry Good to Media, Delaware Co., Pennsylvania and together they worked at building railroad bridges.  Jacob served in the 46th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment [46th Pennsylvania Infantry], Company D which was recruited in Dauphin County.  He was mustered in 2 September 1861 for three years service and mustered out 12 October 1864 with the rank of Private.  During this time, the 46th Pennsylvania fought in Virginia in battles at Front Royal on 23 May 1862, Winchester on 25 May 1862, and Cedar Mountain on 9 Aug 1862. These were followed by battles at Antietam, Maryland, on 17 Sepember 1862, Chancellorsville, Virginia, 1 May to 4 May 1863, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1 July to 3 Jul 1863.  Beginning in May of 1864, the regiment was involved with the Atlanta Campaign, including battles at New Hope Church and Kennesaw Mountain.

Jacob was wounded three times while serving with the 46th Pennsylvania.  He died 27 Oct 1865 in Media, Pennsylvania.  It’s quite possible his death was related to his war wounds.

A pension record has not been located.  No newspaper stories have been located related to his death.  At this time it is only speculation as to how he died.

Additional information is sought from readers who may have researched this family (Jacob was an Enders family descendant).  Comments may be added to this blog post and/or information can be forwarded by e-mail (click here).

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Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Cards are from the Pennsylvania Archives.  Captain Enders Legion is available for sale through the Enders Family web site (click here).  The Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County is available as a free download from the Internet Archive (click here).

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Enders family, Halifax, Jackson Township, Upper Paxton Township