Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 18, 2012

The memorial for Pennsylvania recipients of the Medal of Honor is located in Harrisburg, Dauphin County on the east side of the Capitol Building.  A grove of trees (Soldiers and Sailors Grove) flanks the grounds where the name of each individual with the date and place of service is noted on a stone in the ground.

The Medal of Honor is awarded by the president on behalf of Congress to a person who distinguishes himself by gallantry at the risk of his or her own life above or beyond the call of duty while engaged in a military operation.  The individual who is awarded the medal must have performed an act that is clearly above any act performed by his or her comrades.  The medal signifies extraordinary merit and there is no higher military honor than can be given.

The Medal of Honor was created during the Civil War and its first recipients were men who served the Union cause in the Civil War.  A total of 1522 medals were awarded for service in the Civil War, with approximately one-fifth of those going to persons with a connection to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  For a complete list of the Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor, see List of American Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients.

Click on any picture to enlarge it.

St. Clair A. Mulholland —— James Kephart —— Charles C. Davis

Joseph Wortick —– Henry T. Johns

Edward L. Gilligan ——Henry S. Huidekoper —— J. Monroe Reisinger

Reuben S. Smalley —— George Crawford Platt —— Charles E. Capehart

Alfred J. Sellers —— James M. Rutter —– Harvey M. Munsell

Casper R. Carlisle —— John B.Fassett —— Chester S. Furman

George W. Mears —— James Pipes —— James J. Purman

J. Levi Roush —— Thaddeus S. Smith ——- James B. Thompson

John E. Clopp —— William E. Miller —— Robert T. Clifford

William J. Carson

Continued tomorrow.

Category: Memorials | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Medal of Honor Memorial – Part 4
Tags: Monument

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 17, 2012

The house which stood on Lot #22, next to the Gratz National Bank, no longer exists.  Its last owner and occupant, Guy Snyder, is remember by a plaque and a gazebo which were placed there by the bank after it acquired the property.  During Civil War times, the owner of this lot and building was Dr. Isaiah Schminky (1832-1900), who arrived in Gratz around 1854 and purchased it in 1855.

Prior to Dr. Schminky’s ownership, the property was owned and occupied by the Baddorf (Battorf or Bardorf) family and the Dubendorf family.  Jacob Ritzman  and his wife also owned the property for a short time from 1853 to 1855.  The Civil War era house was built in 1853 by David Dubendorf and was the dwelling that was on this lot when Dr. Schminky purchased it.

The earliest picture of the house available at the Gratz Historical Society is shown above and was probably taken in the late 20th century after many renovations were made.  The Gratz Post Office was housed here for a time and the Snyder family ran an antique business from the premises, but for the purposes of this study of Civil War era Gratz, the primary use of the property was as the residence and medical office of Dr. Isaiah Schminky.

Dr. Isaiah Schminky

Dr. Schminky was a graduate of Pennsylvania Medical College in 1854.  He set up practice in this house and performed surgical operations here.  He was believed to be the first doctor in the area to use chloroform as an anesthetic.  His practice also became a place where young men could come to “read” medicine and learn the skills of being a doctor.  One such person was William Lebo who studied with Dr. Schminky and later set up a practice in Valley View.

In addition to being a lieutenant in the Gratztown Militia, Dr. Schminky played a vital role in the health care of the Gratz community.  As stated in A Comprehensive History of the Town of Gratz Pennsylvania:

The post Civil War period was a morbid era, and the residents of Gratz shared in that gloomy time.  Many men from Gratz and vicinity had served with area units during the war.  Some of them never returned, and many more of them came home with very distressful conditions.  A large percentage of them were both physically and financially poor.  Dr. Schminky, with the help of a few other doctors in Gratz, had their work cut out for them.  They spent much time attending to the diseases of the veterans.  In many cases the service was gratis, because the patients were poor.  In addition to the ailing veterans, there were many elderly widows to care for and numerous maladies of everyday life.

For more information on Dr. Schminky, see Gratztown Militia and Home Guards.

The account books of Dr. Isaiah Schminky are available at the Gratz Historical Society and list all of the patients he treated during his long career.  There is also a record of a partnership with a “Dr. Buehler” which was formed in 1861, with no mention of length or when it was dissolved.

In politics, Dr. Schminky was a Republican and even served a term in the Pennsylvania Legislature representing Dauphin County from 1871-1873.  Later, he joined the Prohibition Party and served as a Burgess of Gratz and a school director.  His land ownership was also widely known  including the area south of town where Fort Jackson was located as well as the entirety of what is now the Gratz Fair Grounds.

Dr. Schminky died in February 1900 and is buried in Gratz Union Cemetery.

It is unfortunate that there are no pictures available of the house and office of Dr. Schminky as it looked during the Civil War period. The plaque and gazebo that are presently on this property are in recognition of its last resident, Guy Snyder.  But those familiar with Gratz history known that the Civil War associations of this property properly lie in the life and deeds of the man who owned it as his main place of operation for more than forty-five years – Dr. Isaiah Schminky.

This is part 31 of an ongoing series on Gratz during the Civil War.  Some of the information for this post was taken from the book A Comprehensive History of the Town of Gratz Pennsylvania.  

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 17 Comments »
Tags: Baddorf family, Dubendorf family, Gratz Borough, Lebo family, Ritzman family, Schminky family, Snyder family, Valley View, Walking Tour

Posted By Brian Tomlin on January 16, 2012

Blogger Norm Gasbarro had this picture taken in a Civil War uniform by a vintage photographer

With interest in the Civil War growing each week, it is only natural that we are all developing a natural curiosity for what life was like in the 1860s. Today marks the first in a regular series of posts on this blog about the culture and daily life of Americans during the Civil War. The topics below will be discussed further in future posts, but for today we are listing some popular ways that enthusiasts explore the Civil War period.

A list of ways to immerse yourself in the 1860s:

• Battle Reenactment.
• Overview of battle reenactment
• Gettysburg reenactment, July 6-8, 2012
• Calendar of upcoming reenactments
• Sewing and Crafts.
• Book: Civil War Sewing Circle by Kathleen Tracy
• Find civil war era patterns for sewing
• Painting scenes
• Read novels from the period.
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriett Beecher Stowe
• Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
• The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins (one of the first ever mystery novels)
• the novels written by Charles Dickens
• George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss about a brother and sister who grow up in a milling town
• Anthony Trollope wrote a series of comical novels about rural life in England, the first being The Warden
• Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret is a sensational novel about “accidental bigamy” a popular literary subject in the 1860s
• Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
• Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters is an interesting look at how women were viewed in novels
• George Meredith’s The Ordeal of RIchard Feverel shows how children were thought of and what education was like
• Emily Eden wrote two entertaining novels called The semi-detached house and The semi-attached couple
• Explore how to run a home in the 1860s
• Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management
• Decorating your home in Victorian style.
• Charles Eastlake’s  Hints on Household Taste
• Stay at a period bed and breakfast or inn.
• Stay at bed and breakfasts near the actual battle sites
• Civil War gaming.
• Model Railroading of the Civil War Era
• Trace your own ancestry and try to learn stories from  your own family members that lived during the Civil War.

Category: Culture, Overviews, Resources | 2 Comments »
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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 15, 2012

Peter Low (also spelled Lowe) died on 20 December 1906 in Lykens, Pennsylvania.  His obituary was contributed by Sally Reiner of the newly formed Lykens-Wiconisco Historical Society:

PETER LOWE

LYKENS — After an illness of paralysis dating back nearly a year, since which time he was quite helpless, Peter Lowe of North street, an old resident of this place and a veteran of the Civil War, died Thursday of last week, aged 7 years, 1 month and 9 days.  Deceased was born at Cornwall, Lebanon county, and married Rebecca Hawk of Elizabethville, in the early ’60s.  The marriage was without issue.

He enlisted in Capt. A. Gruber‘s Co. (K) 93rd Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Infantry Colunteers on 17 September 1861 and discharged on the 27th day of June 1865 at the defences at Washington, D.C.  Re-enlisted in same Company under Capt. David C. Keller and was discharged 31 December 1865, at Brady [sic] Station, Virginia.  During part of his enlistment he served as a corporal of his company.

During his residence here he was employed at Short Mountain Colliery as a miner and in the prime of manhood was a giant in strength.

The funeral was held at 2 p.m. Sunday.  The services were conducted in the Reformed church by the pastor, Rev. L. M. Fetterolf, and interment was made in Citizens’ cemetery.

Heilner Post, No. 232, G.A.R. of this place which deceased was a member, and M. M. Hoffman Camp, Sons of Veterans, attended the funeral, and paid the last tribute of respect to a departed comrade.

At the time of Peter’s enlistment in the 93rd Pennsylvania Infantry, he was residing in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, and was working as a laborer.  The Veterans’ File Card confirms that his height was nearly six feet (much taller than the average) – and supports the statement in the obituary that he was “a giant” among the miners.

Click on document to enlarge.

There is some confusion in the reporting of Peter’s military service to the 1890 Veterans’ Census.  It appears from the above record that he served in two regiments concurrently – the 63rd Pennsylvania Infantry and the 93rd Pennsylvania Infantry.  Likewise, whoever gave the information for his obituary indicated that he re-enlisted in the 93rd Pennsylvania Infantry on 27 June 1865, the date he was discharged, and that his final discharge was on 31 December 1865 at Brady [sic] Station, Virginia.  The Veterans’ Card File notes that he re-enlisted in the 93rd Pennsylvania Infantry on 1 January 1864 at Brandy Station, Virginia.

Another point of contention in the military record is that the Pennsylvania Volunteer Register for the 93rd Pennsylvania Infantry reports Peter Low as a deserter.

The four documents shown above are (click on any document to enlarge):  (1) the first line of the Pennsylvania Register of Volunteers for the 93rd Pennsylvania Infantry showing the enlistment and muster dates.  (2) the second line of the Pennsylvania Register of Volunteers for the 93rd Pennsylvania Infantry reporting the desertion and return.  (3) the enlargement of the portion of the second line dealing with the return from desertion – “returned under presidential pardon 19 March 1865.”  (4) the line from Bates as reported in State Maczuga’s Pennsylvania Civil War database.

For his length of service, reported in both the records of the Pennsylvania Archives and self-reported to the 1890 census enumerators, he should have been entitled to a pension.  But no Pension Index Card has yet been located.  Perhaps one of the conditions of his pardon was that he could not apply for a pension – or the fact that he deserted in the first place made him ineligible.  In any event, the discharge was apparently “honorable” as it was reported that he was mustered out with his company.

Peter Lowe was accepted as member of the G.A.R.  And, as a member of the Heilner Post No. 232 of Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, he was entitled to have his name listed on the Lykens G.A.R. monument.  Peter’s last name is spelled “Lowe” on the monument, but in the cemetery, the name on his grave marker is spelled “Low.”

Peter’s wife, Rebecca [Hawk] Lowe (1841-1931) survived him by about 25 years.  She too is buried in a Lykens cemetery.

More information is sought on Peter Low, including the names of his parents.  Contributions from readers are welcome!

A complete copy of the obituary is available from the Civil War Research Project or the Lykens-Wiconisco Historical Society.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Death and Funeral of Peter Low
Tags: Elizabethville, G.A.R., Hawk family, Lowe family, Lykens Borough

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 14, 2012

On 21 July 1860, Gideon S. Stare of Mahantongo Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, applied for admission to the Gratz chapter of the International Order of Odd Fellows(I.O.O.F.).  He signed the application indicating that the information he provided was truthful.  At the time, he declared that he was an “M.D.” (a physician), and was 28 years old.

A “Gideon S. Stair” is found in the records of the 147th Pennsylvania Infantry, enlisting in Company F, as a 2nd Lieutenant on 29 August 1862 at Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  His residence was recorded as Seybertsville, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, but his occupation was given was merchant.  Regimental records note a promotion to 1st Lieutenant on 12 September 1863 and a discharge on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability on 13 January 1865.

A widow’s pension application was made by Sophia [Pettit] Stare in the 1870s and a widow’s pension was received.  Burial records at the Brainard Presbyterian Cemetery, Conygham, Luzerne County, indicate that Gideon Stare died on 13 August 1867.  These burial records also delare that Gideon Stare was born in 1834, not 1832 as would have been calculated by his declared age of 28 on the Gratz I.O.O.F. application.

In the Census of 1860, there are two entries for Gideon Stare.  The first entry is in Sugarloaf Township (where Seybertsville is located), Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  Gideon Stare is a medical doctor living with wife, Sophia Stare, and young children Millard Stare (born about 1854), Clara Stare (born about 1856), and Jacob Stare (born about 1859).  The second entry for Gideon Stare, medical doctor, is in Upper Mahantongo Township, Schuylkill County, where Gideon Stare is living in the household of Daniel Herb, whose occupation is “landlord.”

By the 1870 Census, Sophia Stare is listed as a widow with the same young children as in 1860 and with the addition of William (born about 1862).  Sophia died in November 1906 and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, West Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

It is not known why Gideon Stare was living both with his family in 1860 as well as apart from it.  Of the several pages of medical doctors who have been associated with the Borough of Gratz and vicinity (see A Comprehensive History of the Town of Gratz Pennsylvania, p. 742-757), Gideon Stare is not mentioned.  In fact, the only place his name appears in the volume is in the list of I.O.O.F. applicants.

Also not known at this time was why Gideon Stare died so young – at about age 33.  Perhaps this information is in the pension application file of his widow.  His discharge from the military, accomplished with a surgeon’s certificate, must not have been serious enough for him to have received an immediate pension because there seems to be no record that he applied.  It is also not known whether upon discharge from the service he was able to continue the practice of medicine.  Curiously, when he enlisted in the 147th Pennsylvania Infantry, he chose to say that he was a merchant rather than a physician, and served as an officer not as a “surgeon” as would have probably been the case if he had indicated that he had been a physician.

Two of his four children lived into the 20th century.  Clara Stare died in 1902.  Jacob Stare, also known as “Jay,” died in 1929.

More information is sought on Gideon Stare.  His application for admission to the Gratz I.O.O.F and his Mahantongo residence in 1860 qualify him for inclusion in the Civil War Research Project.  Anyone with information can either send it by e-mail or attach a comment to this post.

Category: Queries, Research, Resources, Stories | 3 Comments »
Tags: Gratz Borough, Herb family, Regiments, Stare family, Upper Mahantongo Township