Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 17, 2012

In 1860, the United States conducted the Eighth Census.  The total population of the country was determined to be 31, 443, 321, which represented a 35.4% increase over the Census of 1850.  Included in the total population in 1860 were 3,953,761 slaves.  Pennsylvania’s population in i860 was 2,906,215.

Pennsylvania’s white population in 1860 was 2,849,266.

Pennsylvania had no slaves in 1860.  However, in the category of “Free Colored,” which consisted of two groups – black and mulatto – there were 56,949.  There were 37,807 persons reported as black and 19,142 persons reported as mulatto.  African Americans lived in every county of the state except for Forest County and McKean County.  More than half of all African American living in Pennsylvania lived in the area of Philadelphia.  The second largest group of African Americans was in Allegheny County and the counties surrounding Pittsburgh and the third largest group was in Dauphin County (Harrisburg).

Only one person claiming to be an Indian was enumerated in Pennsylvania, a female between the ages of 30 and 40, who was living in Allegheny County.

In 1860, census enumerators collected personal information on each individual as follows:  (1) name; (2) address; (3) age; (4) sex; (5) color – white, black or mulatto; (6) whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane or idiotic; (7) value of real estate and or personal estate of all free persons; (8) profession, occupation or trade of each person over 15 years of age; (9) place of birth; (10) whether married within the year; (11) whether attended school within the year; (12) whether unable to read or write (for persons over 20); and (13) whether a pauper or convict.

Before the information could be completely tabulated and reported, the country was involved in Civil War.

The Census of 1860 provides a wealth of data on what the country was like at the onset of the war.  This data is published and is available as a free download as “pdf” files in zip format.  Click to download: Population of the United States in 1860; comp. from the original returns of the Eighth Census… – Title Page [PDF], Full Document [ZIP, 113.7 MB].

For the purposes of the Civil War Research Project, the population of the included boroughs and townships in 1860 for the counties of Dauphin, Schuylkill, and Northumberland is summarized in the tables below.

*Census takers confused Lykens Township and Lykens Borough.  Some of the Lykens Borough enumeration sheets are included in Wiconisco Township.

Some of the information for this post was taken from Wikipedia.

Category: Research, Resources | Comments Off on The Census of 1860
Tags: Barry Township, Eldred Township, Foster Township, Frailey Township, Gratz Borough, Halifax, Halifax Township, Hegins Township, Hubley Township, Jackson Township, Jefferson Township, Jordan Township, Little Mahanoy Township, Lower Mahanoy Township, Lykens Borough, Lykens Township, Mifflin Township, Millersburg, Pine Grove Township, Porter Township, Reed Township, Reilly Township, Tremont Township, Upper Mahanoy Township, Upper Mahantongo Township, Upper Paxton Township, Washington Township, Wiconisco Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 16, 2012

Found in the records of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, is Franklin Wiehry, who died of disease during the Civil War and is supposedly buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

Practically nothing is known of the early life of Franklin Wiehry, whose name is spelled several different ways in the records:  Wiehry, Weihry, Wehry, and Wheiry.  It is possible that he was the son of Johannes Wehry (1803-1893) and Lea [Kramer] Wehry (1808-1871) – they had a son who is referred to as Persal Wehry in the records, born about 1837, which could be the same persons or perhaps a twin. This family was from the Donaldson area of Schuylkill County and there was another soldier, Benjamin Wehry, who survived the war who was living in Donaldson in 1890., who could have been a brother, though Benjamin has not been connected to Johannes and Lea Wehry.  However, not much has been confirmed about Franklin and the Veterans’ File Cards at the Pennsylvania Archives point out some of the confusion:

The four cards shown above from the Pennsylvania Archives reveal the name confusion.  The actual record is filed under “Weihry” and begins with the second card.  Franklin Wiehry enrolled at Donaldson (presumably his hometown) on 30 August 1861 and then reported to Harrisburg on 9 September 1861 for “muster in” to Company A of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry as a Private.  As an 1861 enrollee, he was one of the first to sign up for this regiment and he joined for a three year term. At the time of his enlistment, he stated he was 22 years old, but it is believed that he was actually closer to 24. He stood 5′ 4″ tall, had blue eyes, a florid complexion, and brown hair. He gave his occupation as miner.

The regiment was sent into the field and fought in battles at Bull Run, Chantilly, South Mountain, and Antietam, and then moved into Kentucky and to Vicksburg with the regiment.  They were involved in the siege of Knoxville and the pursuit of Longstreet’s army to Blaine’s Crossroads, Tennessee, where they went into winter quarters.  Franklin then re-enlisted as a “veteran” along with most of the surviving members of his company.  This regiment had sustained many losses – wounded, killed and captured – as well as losses to the ravages of disease – but that did not stop Franklin from signing up for another three years (or for the duration of the war).  As it turned out, Franklin Wiehry himself contracted a disease a few months after re-enlistment.  He was sent to the hospital in Washington, D.C., and it was there that he died on 28 September 1864.

According to Bates, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.  However, his grave is not registered in the National Cemetery database, so it is possible that he is one of the many “unknown” soldiers or he could be buried elsewhere.

No one applied for a pension based on Franklin Wiehry‘s service  or perhaps someone did and the file has not yet been located.  There is no record he was ever married.

This mystery is one of many pertaining to Civil War soldiers who went off in service and never returned.  Their remains were never sent home.  Their burial place has been forgotten or lost.  It’s hard to imagine that someone served for more than three years and no one really knows what he did during his service and what happened to him.

Perhaps a reader of this blog knows something more about him and will be willing to share it.

This is a continuation of the story of the men who served in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Companies A and C.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Franklin Wiehry – Donaldson Veteran Buried at Arlington
Tags: Regimenta, Wehry family

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 15, 2012

In researching the veterans of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, it is quickly noted that there are two men named John Seifert.  One served in Company A and one served in Company C.

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JOHN H. SEIFERT (1846-1891) – Company A

John H. Seifert was a miner from Schuylkill County who was 18 years old when he enrolled in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a Private, at Pottsville, on the 29 February 1864.  He was nearly 5′ 4″ tall, had light complexion, brown hair, and gray eyes.  He was mustered into service on the day he enrolled and went sent off to the field to join the regiment as a replacement soldier.  He served until he was discharged with his company on 30 July 1865.

John first applied for a pension on 23 July 1890 when the rules were sufficiently relaxed that his disability did not have to be war related.  His wife, Sarah E. Seifert, applied for a widow’s pension on 10 October 1891, indicating that he died close to that date.  Not much more is know about John H. Seifert.

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JOHN SEIFERT (1846-1922) – Company C

John Seifert resided in Schuykill County when he enrolled in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company C, as a Private, on 6 April 1865, at Pottsville.  He was mustered in there on the same day and sent off to join the regiment in the field.  At the time of his joining the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, he was 19 years old, was about 5′ 6″ tall, had a fair complexion, light hair and hazel eyes.  He was working as a laborer at the time.  He served until his company was discharged on 30 July 1865.  In A History of Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Charleston:  The History Press, 2006), by J. Stuart Richards, no further information is given about him.

John Seifert applied for a pension on 19 April 1890, which he later received. His wife died before him and therefore there was no widow’s pension.

John Seifert died on 15 Jan 1922 and is buried with his wife, Debbacco Seifert, in Salem Evangelical Cemetery, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County. “Company C” is clearly noted on his grave marker.

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This post is a continuation of the series on the men who served in Company A and Company C of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.

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Tags: Regiments, Seifert family

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 14, 2012

Although National Flag Day was not officially recognized by the federal government until Congress established it in 1949, earlier celebrations are worth noting.

June 14, 1777, was the date the Second Continental Congress adopted the flag of the United States.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson, by proclamation, named June 14 as “Flag Day.”

Although the above poster from 1917 states that it was the 140th Anniversary of Flag Day, the reference is to the adoption of the flag, not to the official recognition of the day.

On 14 June 1937, Pennsylvania became the first, and so far the only state, to make Flag Day a state holiday.

One Civil War recognition has been found in the wikipedia article on Flag Day:

The earliest reference to the suggestion of a “Flag Day” is cited in Kansas: a Cyclopedia of State History, published by Standard Publishing Company of Chicago in 1912. It credits George Morris of Hartford, Connecticut:

To George Morris of Hartford, Conn., is popularly given the credit of suggesting “Flag Day,” the occasion being in honor of the adoption of the American flag on June 14, 1777. The city of Hartford observed the day in 1861, carrying out a program of a patriotic order, praying for the success of the Federal arms and the preservation of the Union.

The observance apparently did not become a tradition.

It is also worth noting that June 14 is the official birthday of the army.  On 14 June 1775, the Congress created the Continental Army.

The original law recognizing Flag Day, gave discretion to the President to make an official proclamation recognizing the occasion.  Today, the recognition of the flag and its history has become a week-long event and is supervised by the National Flag Day Foundation.

The week of June 14 is designated as “National Flag Week.” During National Flag Week, the president will issue a proclamation urging U.S. citizens to fly the American flag for the duration of that week. The flag should also be displayed on all government buildings. Some organizations hold parades and events in celebration of America’s national flag and everything it represents.

Philadelphia’s celebration of Flag Day centers around the Betsy Ross House where tradition indicates that she sewed the first American flag.

Flag Day is between Memorial Day and Independence Day.  Graves of veterans in Pennsylvania are decorated with flags just before Memorial Day and the flags are required to remain in place through July 4.  According to an article that appeared in the Patriot-News (Harrisburg) on 28 May 2012, taxpayers usually pay for the flags through their county governments and they are appropriately placed by members of veterans organizations sometimes assisted by scouts.

The picture at the top of this post is of the flag display at one of the war memorials in Shamokin, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.

A previous post on this blog described the American Flags of the Civil War.

Category: Memorials, Stories | Comments Off on Flag Day Has Civil War Roots
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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 13, 2012

There are four men named John Smith who served in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry during the Civil War.  Two of them have a known connection to the Lykens Valley area.   Having such a common name as “John Smith” makes separating them difficult and finding information about them even more difficult.  The information presented in this post is very limited and consist primarily of facts about them that were obtained from the Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Cards at the Pennsylvania Archives.  To date, no Pension Index Cards have matched up with a John Smith who served in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry – but someone who is willing to go through the cards for each of the hundreds of persons named John Smith who applied for Civil War pension may come up with a positive result.  Pension Index Cards reference pension application files that are available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  The cards are available on several internet sites including ancestry.com.

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JOHN SMITH – Company A

John Smith, born about 1837, was mustered into the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a substitute at the rank of Private on 15 March 1865, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and then joined the regiment in the field.  He was mustered out of service with his company on 30 July 1865.  No personal information other than his age is given on the Veterans’ Index Card.  It is possible that this John Smith had some connection to the Lykens Valley area in that he served in the company that originally had a majority from the Lykens Valley area –  but more than likely, because he was a late entry and a substitute, was probably from another area of Pennsylvania.

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JOHN SMITH – Company C

John Smith, born about 1842, joined the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, on 16 January 1865, at Pottsville, Schuylkill County, and was assigned to Company C as a Private. He was nearly 5′ 8″ tall, had dark hair, a light complexion, and gray eyes.  He was a laborer.  His residence was given as Eldred, which is probably the township in Schuylkill County which is located near Upper Mahantongo Township rather than the borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania.  This John Smith was also mustered out of service with his company on 30 July 1865.  In his book, A History of Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry (Charleston:  The History Press, 2006), J. Stuart Richards repeats the same information about this John Smith that is found on the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card with nothing new added.

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JOHN SMITH – Company D

John Smith, born about 1838, enrolled in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, 20 February 1864, at Montrose, a borough in Susquehanna County, near Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.  He reported to be mustered in on 7 March 1864, at Scranton, and was assigned to the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, as a Private, and then joined the regiment in the field.  John was 5′ 6 1/2″ tall, had black hair, a fair complexion, and black eyes.  He indicated that his occupation was moulder and that he resided in Bridgewater, probably the borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.    On 1 July 1865, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal.  On 30 July 1865 he was mustered out of service with his company.

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JOHN SMITH – Company F

John Smith, born about 1832, was the oldest of the four men named John Smith who served in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.  He was drafted and then reported to Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, for muster and was assigned to the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company F, as a Private, on 3 September 1864.  Then he was sent to join the regiment in the field.  He served until he was discharged by General Order #22 on 1 June 1865.  Other than his age, no personal information is given on the Veterans’ Index Card.

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While information is being sought on each of the four men named John Smith who served in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, the Civil War Research Project is mainly interested in the one who served in Company A and the one who served in Company.  Anyone with further information about any of these men is urged to contribute it either by e-mail or by adding a comment to this post.

This post is a continuation of the study of the men who served in Company A and Company C of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.

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Tags: Eldred Township, Smith family