Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 16, 2018

In August 1925, Harry Lubold was buried at Tower City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in what was said to be “one of the largest and most spectacular funerals ever held in the valley.”  The funeral featured the Ku Klux Klan in full regalia.

This post is a continuation of the reporting on hate groups that were active in the Lykens Valley area in the years following the Civil War.  It was a widely known fact that the Ku Klux Klan had a significant presence in the Lykens Valley and adjacent valleys during the early years of the 20th Century.  This iteration of the Klan was strongly white supremacist and was opposed to equal rights for African Americans, Catholics, Jews, and immigrants.

From West Schuylkill Herald, 28 Aug 1925:

FUNERAL OF HARRY LUBOLD

One of the largest and most spectacular funerals ever held in the valley was held Sunday afternoon at Greenwood Cemetery, south of Tower City.  The mortal remains of Harry R. Lubold were laid to rest.  The young men met his death when he was crushed between a large steam shovel and truck last Thursday morning , while working on the State Highway on the Keffers Mountain.  He was 16 years of age and was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Lubold, residing near Greenwood Cemetery.

To survive he leaved his parents and the following brothers and sisters:  Tillie Lubold of Tower City; Jennie Lubold, at home; Mrs. James Zerbe, of Tower City; Mrs. Leon Strawhecker, of Muir; William Lubold, of Williamstown; Raymond Lubold and Oliver Lubold, at home.  Another brother, James Lubold, as killed in an accident at Brookside Coliery eight years ago.

He was a confirmed member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and was also a member of the Junior order of the Ku Klux Klan.  The Junior Klansmen, the Ku Klux Klan, and the auxiliary of the Klan all turned out in full regalia, forming a double line from the home of the deceased to the cemetery, through which the funeral cortege passed.

Services were conducted at the house by Reverend Wolfe, of Williamstown.  Funeral director Dean O. Snyder had charge.

Category: Research, Stories | Comments Off on The Ku Klux Klan Funeral of Harry Lubold, Tower City, 1925
Tags: Muir, Tower City, Williamstown

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 13, 2018

For the 17 May 1917 edition of the Lykens Standard, Claude Keiser, son of Civil War Veteran Henry Keiser and a member of the local Sons of Veterans, provided a list of soldiers of that war and other wars who were buried in the Lykens cemeteries.

____________________________

I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Lykens

William P. Miller —–Jonathan Hoffman —– Philip Hoffman —– John P. Hoffman —– Isaac Darker —– William Savage —– Samuel Clark —– Emanuel Lehman —– James Thomas —– F. G. F. Feindt —– John Powell —–Peter Lehman —– William Bainbridge —– Thomas H. Mann —– Jacob Martz —– Gottlieb Spoerl —– David Smink —–Frederick Yentsch —– Henry Helt —–Hiram Bueck —–Edward Pugh —– James Pell —– George Waller —– Edward Miller —– Isaac Snyder —– Moses Nutt —– Isaac Finton —– John L. Shaud —– Jacob B. Lehman —– John Snyder —– William Grell —– Oscar Schindler —– John Townsend —– Joseph Way —– William H. Uhler —– William Thomas —– Caleb H. Roe —– William Ferree —– William H. Morgan —– George W. Sheesley —– Richard M. Jones —– John C. Miller —– George W. Bitterman —– John Werner —– Riley Bressler —– George M. McClehnaud —– Daniel Hoffman —– John L. Matter —– F. N. Wise —– Joel B. Myers —– J. H. Spangler —– Harry Fox —– Daniel Messner —– Gustav Martin —– Amos Kuntzleman —– Caleb Parfet —– Levi Workman —– Jacob Alvord —– Josiah Minnich —– John Kissinger —– Lewis Doutrich —– John Wells —– James G. Bateman —– Joseph Klingler —– John Wirt —– George Ely —– Joseph Dunlap —– Henry Feindt —– Philip Hawk —– Cyrus Spangler —– William Matter.

____________________________

Sons of Veterans – I.O.O.F. Cemetery

William Pugh —– John D. Uhler

____________________________

Spanish-American War – I.O.O.F. Cemetery

Joe Minnich —– Harry E. Gratz

____________________________

Union Cemetery, Lykens

John Matter —– Israel Snyder —– Abraham Snyder —– Frederick Bellon —– Emanuel Geiger —– George Schreffler —– Emanuel Matter —– Samuel Mumma —– Henry Matter —– George Keiser —– William Hoover —– Levi Gable —– Daniel Shomper —– Henry Kissinger —– Cornelius Matter —– Absalom Ream —– Daniel Grow —– Isaac Elrich —– William E. Davis —– Uriah D. Ferree —– George Willis —– James Hart —– William Bitterman —– Jere Kerchner —– Nathaniel Woland —– George C. Frost —– Elias Dietrich —– George Knorr —– Andrew Kreiner —– John Hawk —– Peter Lowe —– John Rettinger —– William Kocher —– John Mucher.

____________________________

Old Catholic Cemetery (Church Yard), Lykens

John Haley —– Michael O’Leary

____________________________

P.O.S. of A, Cemetery, Lykens

Henry Miller —– Joseph Fotheringill —– William Wallace —– Beneville Welker

____________________________

Irish Catholic Cemetery, Lykens

Henry A. Higgins —– Thomas Higgins —– John McDermott —– Patrick Flynn —– John O’Brien —– Pat Martin —– John McCarty —– Owen McDermott

____________________________

German Catholic Cemetery, Lykens

Anthony Hawk —– Michael Hoffman —– Bernhardt Platzer —– Carl Miller —– John F. Leichleitner —– John Hoffman —– Jacob Elm —– Karl Miller

____________________________

News clipping from Newspapers.com.

Category: Research, Resources | Comments Off on Civil War Soldiers Buried at Lykens – The Claude Keiser List
Tags: Lykens Borough

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 11, 2018

George N. Wilver is buried at Long’s Cemetery, Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  During the Civil War he served in the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company L, as a Private from 14 February 1865 through his honorable discharge on 14 July 1865.  He was born 22 January 1842, the son of George G. Wilver and his wife Nancy Wilver.  About 1868, he married Catherine A. Getz, and with her had at least seven children.

George N. Wilver died on 23 July 1912 and his obituary appeared in the Harrisburg Telegraph on 24 July 1912:

War Veteran Dies

Millersburg, Pennsylvania, 24 July 1912 — George N. Wilver, aged 70 years, a veteran of the Civil War, died at his home in Lenkerville, yesterday after a few week’s illness.  Mr. Wilver had been in poor health for several weeks and was almost blind.  He was a member of the United Brethren Church and Kilpatrick Post, No. 212, G.A.R., of this place, which will attend the funeral on Friday at 9:30 a.m. in charge of the Rev. A. L. Haesler.

George N. WIlver applied for disability pension on 2 June 1877, which he received and collected until his death, as shown on the Pension Index Card (above) from Fold3.  His widow then applied and collected until her death, which according to death information found on Ancestry.com, occurred in 1921.

For his Civil War service George Wilver was recognized on the Millersburg Soldier Monument.

_____________________________

News clipping is from Newspapers.com.

Category: Research, Stories | Comments Off on Obituary of George N. Wilver
Tags: G.A.R., Halifax, Lenkerville, Millersburg

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 9, 2018

Were there two men named John Wingert in the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency of 1863), Company K, or only one?

The card shown above from the Pennsylvania Archives names a John W. Wingert, age 26 (born about 1837), who enrolled in the militia regiment at Millersburg on 18 June 1863, was mustered in at Harrisburg on 22 June 1863, and was discharged at the end of the emergency on 30 July 1863.

The card shown below from the Pennsylvania Archive names a John Wingert, age 18 (born about 1845), who enrolled in the militia regiment at Millersburg on 18 June 1863, was mustered in at Harrisburg on 20 June 1863, and was discharged at the end of the emergency on 30 July 1863.

In the 1890 Census for Loyalton, Washington, Township, Dauphin County, a John Wingert reported he had serve in the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency of 1863).  The portion of the census report is shown below (click on image to enlarge).

No other John Wingert has been located in the 1890 Census.

In checking the Military Index Cards available at Fold3, two cards were found – one for John Wingert and one for John W. Wingert, both in the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry:

These cards were derived from the actual muster rolls.  What can also be determined from the Fold3 source is that neither John Wingert or John W. Wingert applied for a pension based on service in this militia regiment, as well as service in other Civil War regiments.  A Pension Index Card was located for neither.

One person named John Wingert has been located in the U. S. Civil War Draft Registration of 1863 (shown above from Ancestry.com).  John Wingert, living in Washington Township, Dauphin County, was 25 years old at the time of the draft (born about 1838), was married and was working as a laborer.

At this point in the research, not all the available resources have been examined.  If any blog readers have any helpful information to add to the research on this question, they are urged to do so by continuing the conversation with a comment to this post.

How were these two men related to the Wingert family?  Are there genealogical resources available to determine the names of the parents?  Spouses?  Children and other descendants?

Category: Overviews | Comments Off on Two Militia Men Named John Wingert or One?
Tags: Loyalton, Millersburg, Washington Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on April 6, 2018

A listing of the March 2018 posts on The Civil War Blog with direct links:

Men Named William Williams from the Lykens Valley

February 2018 Posts

Thaddeus S. Williamson – Served in Maryland Regiment, Buried at Killinger

Obituary of Jacob Wilt – Dies from Swallowing Quail Bone

Abel Wise – Surviving Son of Revolutionary War Soldier, 1891

Peter Witmer Died in Nebraska in 1930 – Drank Lye & Survived in 1922

First Public Ku Klux Klan Day Demonstration in Williamstown, 1926

Who Was George T. Willis, Drummer Boy, Buried at Lykens?

Junior Ku Klux Klan Inaugurated at Lykens with Cross Burning, 1924

Rev. John Winebrenner – Uncompromising Opponent of Human Slavery

Emma [Hoffman] Yentch – Lykens Woman’s Relief Corps Member

Obituary of Lazarus Zerbe of Williamstown

Category: Overviews | Comments Off on March 2018 Posts
Tags: