Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 12, 2012

Two unusual circumstances at the time of discharge have been found in the records of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.  George W. Cake, who served as a Corporal in the regiment’s Company C, was “absent in arrest at muster out” in July 1865.   Daniel H. Snyder, who was Sergeant in Company B, was dismissed by court martial on 27 September 1864  There are apparently two different stories here that are in need of further research.

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GEORGE W. CAKE, alias GEORGE W. KAIGE (about 1843-about 1906)

George W. Cake enrolled in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry on 14 August 1861 at Schuylkill Haven, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.  He reported for “muster in” at Harrisburg on 9 September 1861, and was assigned to Company C as a Private.  At the time of his joining the regiment, he was 18 years old, had dark hair, a dark complexion, black eyes, and stood 5′ 8″ in height.  His occupation was boatman and his residence was Schuylkill Haven – which means that he was employed on the Schuylkill Canal.  George served his three year term and at Blaine’s Crossroads, Tennessee, he re-enlisted for another three years or for the duration of the war.  At some point (date unknown) he was promoted to Corporal.

In his book A History of Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Charleston: The History Press, 2006), J. Stuart Richards reports that George was wounded in the campaign of May and June 1864, but nothing much about him is told in the history (p. 181).  Richards also admits not knowing the reason for Cake’s arrest at the time he was to be discharged.

In the records of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Schuylkill Haven, it is documented that George W. Cake married Emma C. Roan on 20 October 1866.  Some time after that George changed his name to “George W. Keage.”  This name change is reported as an “alias” on the Pension Index Card:

The Pension Index Card also notes that the widow’s name was “Louisa.”  Was this the same person George married in 1866?  The 1900 Census for Quincy Township, Franklin County, has a Millwright named “George W. Keagy” with a wife Louisa who claimed that she was married to George since 1864 — possibly indicating that Emma (who married George in 1866) also changed her name.  Why was the name change made?  Did it have something to do with the statement that George was “in arrest” when his company was mustered out?  Louisa Kaige applied for a widow’s pension from Delaware, possibly indicating that the couple moved there – and that the approximate death date of George was 1906.

It is possible that George and Louisa (or George and Emma) had a son named George R. Keagy who was born around 1872, and a daughter named Daisy V. Keagy, who was born around 1880.

At this time, the exact death date, place of death, and place of burial of George W. Cake is not known

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DANIEL H. SNYDER (about 1835- ?)

At age 24, Daniel H. Snyder answered the earliest call for service when he enrolled in the 1st Pennsylvania Infantry on 20 April 1861 at Harrisburg.  He was assigned to Company C as a Musician.  He was the company “fifer.”  On 24 July 1861, he was discharged at the expiration of his three months service.

On 20 August 1861, Daniel reported at a recruitment station in Reading, Berks County, where he was a resident at the time, and enrolled in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company B, as a Sergeant.  Other than his occupation of railroad conductor and his age of 24, no other personal information is given on the Veterans’ Index Card.  Following his “muster in” at Harrisburg, Daniel H. Snyder was with the regiment through 1862 and received a promotion on 17 December 1862 to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.  Then on the 27 September 1864, he was dismissed by court martial.

Strangely, Daniel H. Snyder re-appears in the regiment – this time in Company A.  His enrollment at Pottsville on 6 February 1864 (months before his court martial in Company B) is hard to explain.  The age of “29” is inconsistent with the person who enrolled in the 1st Pennsylvania Infantry and in Company B of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry – but the place of residence and the occupation appear to be the same.  At this enrollment a physical description was recorded:  Daniel was 5′ 9 1/2″ tall, had dark hair, a light complexion and gray eyes.  The “muster out” date of 30 July 1865 is the same date that the company was discharged.

The Pension Index Card (above) is further proof that the person who was dismissed by court martial from the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry in 1864 is the same person who ended his service in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry when it was mustered out of service in 1865. And, for whatever reason, after court martial and dismissal, it apparently didn’t affect his pension, which the Pension Index Card notes that he received.

In 1870, Daniel H. Snyder was living in Reading, Berks County, and working as a Locomotive Engineer.  He was married to a woman named Mary and had children (dates approximate) as follows:  Ellen R. Snyder (1866-?); Minnie V. Snyder (1867-?); Catharine “Kate” Snyder (1868-?); and Daniel E. Snyder (1870-?).

At this time, it is not known when and where Daniel H. Snyder died.  He was still alive in 1890 and living in Berks County when he reported to the census that his hearing was bad as a result of his Civil War service.

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Anyone with additional information on either George W. Cake (alias George W. Kaige and George W. Kaigy) or Daniel H. Snyder is urged to contribute it.   Add the information as a comment to this post or send via e-mail to the Civil War Research Project.

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

Pension Index Cards are from ancestry.com.  Veterans’ Index Cards are from the Pennsylvania Archives.

Category: Queries, Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Court Martial & Arrest – Two Cases in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry
Tags: Cake family, Kaige family, Regiments

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 11, 2012

Azariah Umberger, who died on 15 October 1895, and is buried in Dauphin Cemetery, Dauphin Borough, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was a Civil War veteran of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, who served as Private during the last year of the war.

Not much is known about Azariah’s early background except that he was probably the son of Johannes Umberger (1792-1842) and Catherine Umberger (1802-?) who resided in Dauphin County at the time of his birth 4 February 1828.  If a member of this family, then he had a number of siblings, several of whom may have also served in the war.  Family trees on ancestry.com mention the other children of Johanes Umberger as:  Louisa Umberger, Rebecca Umberger, John B. Umberger, Hiram Umberger, Daniel Umberger, Sarah Umberger, Elizabeth Umberger, Philip Umberger, and Webster Umberger.

In 1860, then about 32 years old, Azariah was living in Dauphin Borough and working as a boat builder. He was probably working in the industry related to the Susquehanna Canal, which was at that time declining due to the emergence of the railroad.  Azariah was married in 1860 to a woman named Caroline and one daughter, Mary C. E. Umberger, born about 1858 was living in the household.

In 1863 Azariah Umberger registered for the Civil War Draft from Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County.  He declared that he was married and working as a boat builder.  On 29 August 1864, he enrolled in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry at Harrisburg, and on the same day was mustered into service in Company B as a Private.  He was 6 foot tall and had dark complexion, dark hair and blue eyes.

Azariah had to travel to join the regiment in the field.  He served in the war without any major incident and was discharged by General Order on 29 May 1865.  Since he was a member of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, he participated in the final skirmishes that took place in North Carolina after the surrender at Appomattox had been signed in April 1865.  After his discharge, he returned to Dauphin County to work at Enterline.

With the decline of the boat building business along the Susquehanna River, Azariah Umberger adapted his skills to general carpentry.  In 1870, he was working as a carpenter in Enterline, Dauphin County, where he lived with wife and daughter Mary Umberger and toddler Alice Umberger who was born after Azariah returned from the war.  In 1880 he was still employed as a carpenter but in Dauphin Borough, both daughters still living in the household and both daughters working as clerks in a confectionery store.   In the Veterans’ Census of 1890, Azariah indicated his service in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and noted no war-related disabilities.

It is not known why Azariah Umberger never applied for a pension.  Perhaps he felt he did not qualify or maybe he wanted to forget about his experiences.  After his death, his widow Caroline Umberger wasted no time in applying for benefits, the application submitted less than a month after his death, and she was awarded a widow’s pension which she received until her death.

Nothing much more is known about Azariah Umberger.  Since he lived and worked in Enterline for a time, and since he served in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, which was heavily composed of members from the Lykens Valley area, he is a subject of study for the Civil War Research Project.  Any readers having further information that can be contributed to his file are urged to contact the project or submit comments to this post.

Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Cards are from the Pennsylvania Archives.  Pension Index Cards are from Ancestry.com.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Enterline, Regimenta, Umberger family

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 10, 2012

William H. Geanslen was born in August 1846 in Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, the son of George L. Genslin (1810-1850) and Mary [Lehr] Genslin (1812-1889).  His father, George, was born in Germany and was a baker and confectioner, who had come to America before 1838 and settled in the Pottville area.  The mother, Mary, was born in Switzerland, and probably worked together with her husband in the baking/confectionery business.  William had several siblings who he never knew because they died young, namely, George L. Genslin (1839-1840), John A. Genslin (1841-1842), and Sarah A. Genslin (1842-1845).  An older sister, Louisa Genslin, was born in 1838, and appears to have survived to adulthood, although not much is known about her.

One of the difficulties in researching this family is the many variations in the spelling of the surname.  The name has been found as Geanslen, Genslin, Gensler, Geanslen, Ganslen, Genslir, Geantsen, and many other ways.  The spelling of the name as “Geanslen” was chosen as the “primary” spelling because that is how William H. Geanslen is listed in business records of Minersville as well as the spelling his children used in their records and the name under which he was buried.

In the records of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company C, there is a William Genslin, who served as a musician.  In A History of Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Charleston: The History Press, 2006), J. Stuart Richards only notes that William was one of three musicians who served in the company and then repeats the information that is found on the Veterans’ File Card from the Pennsylvania Archives:

William H. Geanslen enrolled in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company C, as “William H. Genslin“, as a Musician, on 12 March 1864, at Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and was mustered into the company on the same day.  He was then sent to join the regiment which had a short furlough and then began moving toward Annapolis, Maryland, to re-join the Army of the Potomac.  William was a replacement musician for Jere K. Helms who had been killed at Antietam on 17 September 1862, but much had transpired in the regiment and company since that time, including many of the surviving men who had joined in 1861 re-enlisting at Blaine’s Crossroads, Tennessee, on 1 January 1864.  At the time of his enrollment, William listed his residence as Northampton County, Pennsylvania, but that was not the place of his birth, as previously noted.  William was short in stature, standing less than 5′ 2″ tall, had brown hair, light complexion, and blue eyes.  He gave his occupation as baker.  Since he was too young to have learned his father’s trade from his father, he may have been apprenticing in Northampton County before the war – or may have learned from his mother.

One other musician was enrolled at the same time as William.  His name was Celestine McKibbon (also found as Clestine McKibbons) and he was a laborer from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  It is not known why the company had no official musicians on its rolls from the death of Jere K. Helms in 1862 until the newcomers joined in 1864.  Practically nothing is known about Celestine and he seems to disappear completely from the records after the war.

In researching the military record of William H. Geanslen, a Pension Index Card was located which indicated prior experience as a military musician:

William had previously served in two militia regiments prior to his service in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.  Finding all the records was difficult because of the short service of the militia as well as variations in the spelling of his name.  What was learned was the following:

On 17 September 1862, in response to the Emergency of 1862, William Gensler was mustered into the 17th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency Militia of 1862), Company D, as a Musician.  He was discharged around 28 September 1862 when the emergency was over.

On 19 June 1863, William Gentsen was mustered into the 27th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency Militia of 1863), Company B, as a Musician.  He enrolled at Pottsville and was mustered in at Harrisburg.  When the emergency was over, he was discharged on 31 July 1863.  Although William Geanslen served the state of Pennsylvania during the Gettysburg crisis, he was not sent to Gettysburg for the battle and therefore neither his name, nor his militia regiment, appear on the Pennsylvania Monument tablets.

The two militia duties did not total three months service and alone would not have qualified William for a pension.  His more than one year of service as a Musician in Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, with the discharge date of 30 July 1865, alone would have been enough for a pension, but pension applicants were instructed to include all military service on their applications, which William did as can been seen by the Pension Index Card.

When the war was over, having acquired the skills of a baker prior to the war, William H. Geanslen settled in Minersville, Schuylkill County, and on 9 May 1872, at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, married Mary Oerther (1852-1932).  The children of this couple included:  George Milton Geanslen (1873-1961); Harry H. Geanslen (1878-1954); and Robert R. Geanslen (1882-1895).  The baking business developed into a confectionery, which William established in a commercial area of Minersville at 108 Sunbury Ave.  William operated this business at this location until around 1906, when it appears that he retired and turned the business over to his two sons.  George continued as a confectioner and Harry expanded into ice cream.

George M. Geanslen, who took over the family business around 1906, was probably apprenticing with his father for some years before that.  On 10 April 1907, the Philadelphia Inquirer noted his marriage:

COUPLES STEAL AWAY AND WED

Pottsville, Pennsylvania, 9 April 1907 — …George M. Geanslen, a Minersville business man, and Miss Katharine Bender, a talented musician, of the same place, went to West Philadelphia and were wedded by Rev. Joseph Assman, of Minersville, whom they took with them, the ceremony being performed at St. Ignatius’ Church.

Prior to his marriage, George officiated local sporting events in and around the Pottsville area – some of them at the same time his younger brother Harry was also officiating.  But George was not known as an athlete.   His success in business allowed him to retire early, and in 1930, he was living in Minersville in the household of his mother.  George M. Geanslen died in May 1961 in Minersville.

Harry Geanslen became a well-known athlete in Schuylkill County, particularly with baseball teams that played at a level just below what we would refer to today as “major league.”  Teams were formed in various communities and players were lured to play for places other than their home town.  Baseball in Schuylkill County had developed just after the Civil War and by 1900, Pottsville had become a major center of baseball where only the best players were attracted to play.  Harry Geanslen was among those, who, if he had stayed with it longer, may have made a name for himself in either the National or American Leagues.

One interesting story about a game in which Harry played is given below and is from the Philadelphia Inquirer of 16 August 1900:

PITCHER’S ARM BROKEN

Twirler Bowman Snaps Both Bones in Delivering the Ball

Pottsville, Pennsylvania, 15 August 1900 (Special) — Pottsville won its twentieth consecutive victory here this season by administering to Tremont a crushing defeat this afternoon.  The visiting team was strengthened by Infielder John Smith of last year’s Washington Nations League team; Jake Drauby, of the Eastern League, and Carpenter of Harrisburg, but it was of no use.  Pottsville batted out three pitchers.  Rothermel pitched a magnificent game.  Bowman, for Tremont, of Millersburg, who succeeded Mack in the pitcher’s box in the fifth inning, while drawing back his left arm to deliver a ball, snapped off both bones just above the elbow.  The fractures are bad ones.  The score:… Pottsville 12, Tremont 2….

On 18 January 1906, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Harry’s marriage to Mollie Crone of Minersville, by Rev. D. B. Treibley of the English Lutheran Church.  At about the same time, Harry’s name stopped appearing in the sports pages as an athlete and instead he began to officiate at local football games.  Also, his marriage seemed to coincide with his settling down as a business man.  Minersville business directories, consulted through the year 1915, list him as an ice cream maker working out of his father’s old store.  By 1930, he had moved to Norwegian Township, Schuylkill County, and was retired.  He died in November 1954.

One further note about Harry. At the time of the Spanish American War, he joined a Pennsylvania Regiment that was sent to Puerto Rico and therefore, like his father, had veteran status.

William H. Geanslen died in November 1916.  The old Civil Warrior, who had attended the 35th Pennsylvania Encampment of the G.A.R. as a member and representative of Minersville’s Capt. George J. Lawrence Post was laid to rest in Charles Baber Cemetery, Pottsville.  His widow Mary [Oerther] Geanslen, lived to April 1932 and she was buried in the family plot next to her husband.

The Civil War Research Project is seeking more information about George M. Geanslen including pictures and stories.  Readers are invited to contribute.  We are also attempting to find out the full identity of the pitcher from Millersburg named “Bowman” who played for Tremont and broke his arm in 1900 in the game against Pottsville.

This post is a continuation of the story of the men of Company A and Company C of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on William H. Geanslen, Confectioner of Minersville
Tags: G.A.R., Geanslen family, McKibbon family, Millersburg, Regiments, Tremont

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 9, 2012

On 14 March 1891, an article appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer that reported the abduction of a 16-year old girl from outside her home in Shamokin, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.  Upon closer examination of this incident it became apparent that the father of the girl was Daniel Stoop, who was a veteran of the 50th Pennsyvlania Infantry, Company A, who served from 1 March 1864 through his discharge on 30 July 1865.  In researching Daniel Stoop, he was located in the 1850 census for Lykens Township, Dauphin County, where he was living in the household of Solomon Umholtz, age 36, a farmer, and possibly working there as a farm hand or a servant.  Nothing much else is known about the early life of Daniel Stoop and his Civil War service.  His story is now being researched because of his connection to the 50th Pennsyvlania Infantry, Company A, a majority of whose members were from the Lykens Valley area; because he lived in Lykens Township as a young boy in 1850; and because of the interesting development and possible tragedy resulting from the abduction of his daughter.

STOLEN AT HER GATE

A 16-year-old Girl Abducted in the Evening

BELIEVED TO BE HELD FOR RANSOM

Alice Stoop’s Parents Heard Her Scream, But When They Searched for Her She Had Been Carried Off….

SPECIAL TO THE INQUIRER

Shamokin, 13 march 1891 — Detectives are searching for Alice Stoop, a 16-year old daughter of Daniel Stoop, one of Shamokin’s wealthy residents, who is believed to have been abducted by several men.

Wednesday night he returned home from church with Jennie Haupt, the daughter of a neighbor.  As she was about entering the gate a loud scream was heard, but when her parents went to the door she was missing.

Inquiry was at once made, but nothing concerning her whereabouts was learned.  Home police officers took the case in charge, but to-day the father telegraphed for expert detectives, who arrived this evening and at once began an investigation.  It is believed that the [sic] was abducted in order to secure money from the father.

Three days later, the Harrisburg Patriot picked up the story:

The 16 year-old daughter of Daniel Stoop of Shamokin, was abducted last Wednesday night, and it is believed she was carried off in order to secure money from her father.

Nothing else was reported on this matter by either the Philadelphia Inquirer or the Harrisburg Patriot.  The story probably ended, especially if she returned home.  However, efforts to find an Alice Stoop in the genealogical records beyond 1891 have not been successful to date.  Did she permanently disappear?  Did some tragedy befell her?  Or was this a staged act or hoax designed for publicity or other purposes?

Daniel Stoop‘s brief obituary appeared in the Courier of Connellsville, Pennsylvania around 22 June 1906:

His prominence as a “Grand Army Man” (G.A.R.) should have warranted a more detailed obituary.  The information on his battle wounds at Nye River, Virigina, and the statement that it was his wounds that caused his death (about 40 years after the fact) was interesting, but no mention was made of survivors.  Perhaps a reader of this bog has found a more detailed obituary from a Shamokin-area newspaper – and one that mentions Alice, either in the context of her abduction or as a survivor.

In 1863, Daniel Stoop appeared in the Civil War Draft Registration records for Branch Township, Schuylkill County, as a married man and a laborer.  Other records show that he had married a woman named Amanda Wenrich but didn’t begin having a family until after the Civil War.  Children born of this marriage were as follows (dates approximate):  Isaiah Franklin Stoop (1866-?); Ida S. Stoop (1868-1933); Emma P. Stoop (1870-?); Alice E. Stoop (1872-?); Charles E. Stoop (1874-?); Francis L. Stoop (1876-?); Samuel U. Stoop (1877-?); Gary L. Stoop (1879-?); and Louisa G. Stoop (1880-?).

In 1870, Daniel Stoop and family were living in Coal Township, Schuylkill County, and he was working as a coal miner.  In 1880, the family lived in Shamokin, where Daniel was still working as a coal miner and oldest son Isaiah Stoop was working as a slate picker and living in the household.  No 1890 Veterans’ Census record has yet been located for Daniel but it must be assumed that he was still in Shamokin or the area around Shamokin because of the abduction report in 1891.  In 1900, still in Shamokin, Daniel is working as a coal miner along with his son Samuel Stoop, also working as a coal miner.  It is hard to imagine that this family was considered “wealthy” according to the abduction reports – but with several sons working in the mines and ownership of property, Daniel could have conveyed that impression to outsiders.

The Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card from the Pennsylvania Archives gives Daniel’s physical description as 5′ 7″ tall, 23 years old at enrollment (in 1864), dark complexion, brown hair, and hazel eyes.  His age was probably incorrectly stated at enrollment because other records place his birth year more likely in 1839.  No mention is made of any injuries received or any hospital stays.

A war-related condition must have resulted in Daniel deciding to submit an application for a pension in 1879 which resulted in the granting of a pension from that application.  The widow’s pension application was submitted several days after his death in 1906.  Undertakers and local lawyers were quick to guide widows toward pension applications much as funeral directors today automatically submit Social Security Death Applications for survivors.

In 1883, the government published a list of all those who were receiving pensions, the amount of the pension, the certificate number, and the reason for the issuance of the pension.  Daniel Stoop’s name appeared on that list for Shamokin:

Click on document to enlarge.

The date of the awarding of the pension to Daniel Stoop was March, 1881.  He received a $1 per month amount that was due for a gun shot wound to the left hip.  This is apparently the wound received at the Nye River, Virginia, that resulted in his death in 1906.

One final note in regard to the pension.  It was common for pension increases to be reported in the local newspapers.  On 27 March 1891, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported a list of those who had recently received pension increases and Daniel Stoop was included on that list. While it it highly doubtful that the increase was so significant that it would have placed Daniel Stoop in the “wealthy” category, it is interesting to note that this report occurred 13 days after the same newspaper reported the abduction of Alice Stoop!  It is highly possible that Daniel Stoop found out about the increase weeks before it was published in the newspaper – or it may have been reported in a Shamokin newspaper prior to the date of the abduction, and may have had something to do with the abduction.  All this is speculation.  And, while the true story may never be known, it is possible that someone out there will be able to tell the rest of the story.

Reader comments are invited.

This is a continuation of the posts on the men who served in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.  News clippings are from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.  The Pension Index Card and the 1883 pension list are from ancestry.com.

Category: Overviews | 1 Comment »
Tags: Branch Township, G.A.R., Lykens Township, Stoop family, Umholtz family, Women

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on June 8, 2012

Lewis Zimmerman was born 20 October 1842 in Branch Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, the son of John Zimmerman (1811-?) and Hannah Zimmerman (1814-?).  The 1850 census for Branch Township gives John Zimmerman‘s occupation as laborer.  Lewis had two brother who were of age to have served in the Civil War, but it it not known at this time whether either answered the call: Jacob Zimmerman, who was born around 1836, and Frank Zimmerman, who was born about 1845.

At age 21, Lewis Zimerman went to Pottsville and enrolled in Company A of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry as a Private.  He was mustered in there on 25 February 1864 as a late war replacement for other soldiers who were casualties or who had been taken prisoner.  He had to travel to join the regiment in the field.  It is not clear from the current records available to the project at what point in his tour of duty that he was seriously wounded.  The wound was serious enough to cause the amputation of his left arm about three inches below the elbow.  He also received a wound in his left hip.  His discharge on 13 January 1865 indicates the cause as “for wounds received in action.”  In the 1890 Veterans’ Census, Lewis disclosed the nature of his disability, which included the loss of his left arm.

On 28 June 1865, Lewis Zimmerman applied for a disability pension, which he received as an invalid and amputee.  The complete details of the nature of his injury and where it occurred should be in the pension file which is available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  If anyone is researching Lewis Zimmerman and has obtained a copy of the file, the Civil War Research Project would like to receive the information since Branch Township is included in the geographic area of the Project.  Costs associated with such contributions are usually tax deductible.

After the Civil War, Lewis returned to Branch Township where in the 1870 census his occupation is given as “store keeper” which he supposedly continued doing the rest of his life.   Just before 1879, he married Amelia C. Sponsler who was born about 1856 and with her had two known children:  Minnie A. Zimmerman (1879-?) and Howard Blaine Zimmerman (1882-1954).  Death occurred for Lewis Zimmerman on 4 June 1893 and he was laid to rest in the Reformed Cemetery in Branch Township.  Amelia survived him and continued to collect a widow’s pension until her death.

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The picture at the head of this post was cropped from a photo provided by a member of ancestry.com to a public family tree.  Pension Index Cards are also from ancestry.com.  More information is sought on Lewis Zimmerman and readers are urged to contribute.  Pictures and/or stories about other men who served in Company A or Company C with men from the Lykens Valley area of Pennsylvania are also welcome.

This is a continuation of the series of posts on men who served in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Lewis Zimmerman, Store Keeper of Branch Township – 50th Pennsylvania Infantry
Tags: Branch Township, Regiments, Zimmerman family