Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 26, 2018

A letter sent to the editor of the Lykens Standard by the Ku Klux Klan, dated 20 October 1930, decried those who supported competitive sports events on Sundays, and urged “law abiding citizens” to help in “putting an end to this evil.”

At this writing, it is not known how widespread was the practice of holding sports events on Sundays in 1930 in the Lykens Valley, or if the Klan was referring to a specific organization or event in its letter, other than football.  Nevertheless, Sunday sports events were restricted by law in Pennsylvania and in many other states for many years.  This practice was part of a wider campaign promoting “blue laws,” in which the state, bowing to very conservative religious groups, prohibited on Sunday practices such as buying and selling of goods, traveling, use of alcoholic beverages,  public entertainment and sports.  Today, few of these laws remain and those that do mainly apply to the sale of alcoholic beverages.  Some conservative religious organizations, however, insist on their members following strict practices, but the government is not involved in the enforcement of these religious beliefs.

An interesting story on the role of the Philadelphia Athletics Baseball Club’s efforts to overturn the Pennsylvania restriction against Sunday sports can be found at Wikipedia.  It was not until 1933 that the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a bill allowing local communities to decide whether to allow Sunday sports within their own jurisdictions, that the matter was settled.  The Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies took years to recover financially from the losses incurred by the “blue law” restrictions.

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 third iteration of the Ku Klux Klan had a significant presence in the Lykens Valley and adjacent valleys during the early years of the 20th Century.  This third iteration of the Klan was strongly white supremacist and was opposed to equal rights for African Americans, Catholics, Jews, and immigrants.

From the Lykens Standard, 24 October 1930:

COMMUNICATION

20 October 1930

To Editor of the Lykens Standard:

We the members of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan do hereby publicly protest against the shameful desecration of the Sabbath Day, that has taken place in our communities.

We also condemn the actions of those responsible for the bringing of foot ball or any other competitive sports into our communities on the Lord’s Day.

We also ask the hearty co-operation of all the churches, school boards and Pastime A. A. of our communities.  We also believe that all law abiding citizens should assist in putting an end to this evil.

EXALTED CYCLOPS, KLIGRAPP

Klan No. 284

_______________________________________________

News clipping from Newspapers.com.

Category: Research, Stories | Comments Off on Ku Klux Klan Protests Sunday Sporting Events in Lykens, 1930
Tags: Hate, Lykens Borough

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 23, 2018

The above picture was found in a Schuylkill County history and was captioned “Girardville:  Last Remnant of the Civil War Veterans.”  It was taken in 1913.

Pictured are:

Front Row (seated):  William Williard; Louis Blitz; Patrick Dolan; William K. Moyer.

Back Row (standing):  Albert Bordy; Frank Bensinger; John Butler; Adam Metz; Col. P. H. Monaghan.

The men are posing in their “official” G. A. R. uniforms.

Category: Research | Comments Off on Surviving Civil War Veterans of Girardville
Tags: G.A.R.

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 21, 2018

The obituary of William Whitman, Civil War veteran, appeared in the Elizabethville Echo, 8 April 1915:

DEATHS & FUNERALS

William Whitman

William Whitman, whose death occurred at his son’s home here on 30 March 1915, was born in Jackson Township, Dauphin County, 30 July 1832, bringing his age to 82 years, 8 months, and 27 days.

He was baptized in infancy by the Rev. J. N. Hempling and united with the Reformed Church in his youthful days.  After his marriage to Miss Susan Enders on 5 April 1857 he became a member of the Lutheran Church.  Two sons and three daughters were born to them, but the mother and three daughters preceded the father to the grave.  Two sons, William A. Whitman and Isaac Whitman of this place, and one sister, Mrs. Levi Straw of Matamoras and three grandchildren survive.

Mr. Whitman enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army in September 1864 for the term of one year and saw active service as a member of Company A, Capt. Solomon Bowerman, 210th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers [210th Pennsylvania Infantry], Col. Witman, late of Harrisburg, commanding. The regiment was attached to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 5h Army Corps and was in the engagements at Hatchet Run, Gravel Run, Five Forks, and was resent when Lee surrendered at Richmond in April 1865.

After the war he returned to Jackson Township where he passed a peaceful, honorable life as a farmer where his childhood days were spent until four years ago, since which he lived with his son at this place.

Funeral services were held at his late home at 9:30 on Sunday morning, conducted by Rev. J. F. Stabley, C. C. Baker of Halifax, funeral director.  Upon the casket were the Stars and Stripes – the dear flag of our country – and aged comrades in arms, and former school comrades were there to show their respect to this aged man who lived so nobly, and died with all his faculties unimpaired having been conscious to the very end.

The body was taken to Fisherville, services held in the Lutheran and Reformed Church, which was filled with relatives and former neighbors and friends.  Rev. Stabley preached the Sermon upon the strong text selected by Mr. Witman and found in 2 Timothy 4:7.

Interment in the Fisherville Cemetery.  The pall bearers were:  P. W. G. Raker, D. D. Helt, John Kroah and George Kerstetter.

____________________________________________

Transcribed from article found on Newspapers.com.

Category: Overviews | Comments Off on Obituary of William Whitman of Fisherville
Tags: Fisherville, Halifax, Jackson Township, Matamoras

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 19, 2018

Sarah Jane [Zerby] Machamer died on 16 Jul 1926 in Williamstown, Dauphin County.  Her parents were Henry Zerby (1829-1922) and Sarah S. [Wolf] Zerby (1833-1906).  Her husband was Charles Machamer.  Her funeral was largely attended by members of Ku Klux Klan of Williamstown, of which she and her husband were leaders.

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 third iteration of the Ku Klux Klan had a significant presence in the Lykens Valley and adjacent valleys during the early years of the 20th Century.  This third iteration of the Klan was strongly white supremacist and was opposed to equal rights for African Americans, Catholics, Jews, and immigrants.

From the Lykens Standard, 23 July 1926:

MRS. CHARLES MACHAMER

Mrs. Charles Machamer, died at her home on West Broad Street, Williamstown, Friday, 16 July 1926, aged 72 years.

Mrs. Machamer was born 11 September 1853, in Pauls Valley.  She was a member of the Women’s Relief Corps and of the Women’s Relief Corps and of the Evangelical Church.  Surviving are her husband; a daughter, Mrs. Frank Kauffman, of Harrisburg; six sons, Dubbs Machamer of Harrisburg, and Harper Machamer, George Machamer, Victor Machamer, and Mark Machamer of Williamstown; fourteen grandchildren, and a brother, Oliver Zerby, of Minersville.

George Drum, Milton Paul, Samuel Frye, Allen Ralph, Harry Matter, and George E. Davies were pallbearers.

About two hundred uniformed women, members of the Ku Klux Klan attended the funeral Monday morning at 10 o’clock.  The Rev. Geiseke, of the Williamstown Evangelical Church, conducted the services.  Burial was in Wiconisco Cemetery.

_______________________________________________

News clipping from Newspapers.com.

Category: Research, Stories | Comments Off on Sarah Jane [Zerby] Machamer Buried with Full Ku Klux Klan Rites, 1926
Tags: Hate, Williamstown

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 16, 2018

The 1890 veterans’ census of Hegins Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, shows that a Frederick Summers served in the 3rd Connecticut Infantry, Company K, as a Private, from April 1861 through July 1861.

In searching the Connecticut Civil War records, an excellent resource can be found at the Connecticut State Library, Record of Service of Connecticut Men in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion, a free download of a book published in 1889.  A cut from page 23 of that book, shown above, indicates that an F. B. Summers of Norwich, Connecticut, enlisted on 22 April 1861, was mustered into service on 7 May 1861, and mustered out on 7 August 1861.  That F. B. Summers served in Company C of the 2nd Connecticut Infantry, which was “known in State organization as Rifle Company B.”  Although the information is slightly different than provided in the 1890 census, it’s the closest match.

The two versions of the Pension Index Card for this F. B. Summers are shown above.  In the first, from Ancestry.com, a Fordyce B. Summers who served in the 2nd Connecticut Infantry, Company C, applied for a pension on 2 August 1892 from Connecticut, which he did not receive.  Then on 4 August 1893, the widow, Harriet T. Summers, applied, also from Connecticut, on 4 August 1893.  She received the pension.  The second card, from Fold3, essentially gives the same information but without the widow’s application date and name.  On the second card, the death date of the veteran is left bank, but presumably, Fordyce B. Summers died some time between 2 August 1892 and 4 August 1893.

So, was Fordyce B. Summers the same person as the Frederick Summers who appears in the Hegins Township census of 1890?  Two factors would indicate they are not the same: (1) Frederick and Fordyce are different given names; and (2) the application of Fordyce and his widow were both from Connecticut which means they would have had to return to Connecticut in the period between 1890 and 1892.

In the 1880 census of Hegins Township, there is a Fred Summers, age 52, a farmer, born in Prussia, living with wife Julia Summers, age 48, born in Bavaria, and son Adam Summers, age 6, born in Pennsylvania.

In the 1900 census of Hegins Township, there is a Fred Summers, age 72, a laborer and widower, born in German, living with son Adam Summers, age 26, a farmer.  All the information such as ages, places of birth, and name of son indicates that the 1880 and 1900 census are matches for the same person.  If so, it would be impossible for Frederick and Fordyce to be the same person, since a pension was awarded to a widow after her application in August 1893, presumably because proof existed that Fordyce had died.

Furthermore, Frederick Summers appears again in the 1910 census of Hegins Township where he was enumerated as an 83 years old widower, born in Germany, living alone, who was a farmer-employer by occupation.  If Frederick Summers was still alive in 1910, and still living in Pennsylvania at the time of his death, which had to occur after the 1910 census was taken, then there should be a Pennsylvania Death Certificate for him.  But, as of this writing, no certificate has been located.  Did he leave the state and die elsewhere?  Finally, in the 1910 census, Frederick Summers did report that he was a Union Army veteran!

Perhaps some of the answers can be be found in the pension application file for Fordyce B. Summers.  It was not consulted for this blog post.  If any reader has access to the file, the first question that has to be asked is whether Fordyce and Frederick are the same person?  If they are not, then why would someone 1890 from Hegins Township report service in a Connecticut regiment?  Did Frederick serve under a different name?  And, if they are not the same person, and Frederick did serve, why would someone who was still living in 1910 not apply for a pension? No Pension Index Card has been located for any person specifically named Frederick Summers who served in a Connecticut regiment.

Help in solving this mystery is requested!

Category: Queries, Research, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Hegins Township