Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 11, 2017

Women and the Civil War” is an exhibit of photographs and stories of women who had family connections with soldiers of that war.  It was first displayed at the Gratz Fair in September 2013, where it received “first place” in a non-profit division.  Afterward, it was displayed in 2014 at the Williamtown-Williams Township Historical Society; in 2015 at the Pillow Historical Society; and in 2016 at the Elizabethville Area Historical Society.  With the “retiring” of the actual exhibit, the photographs and stories are now presented here on The Civil War Blog in a thirteen part series.

For each of the thirteen series parts, one woman is featured first along with a brief description of her connection to a Civil War soldier.  For the other women who are pictured in each part, a brief story is not provided, but blog readers are invited to add their own stories as comments to the blog post.  In some cases, the women or the soldiers have been previously featured on this blog and links are provided to those posts.

EXHIBIT DESCRIPTION

Portraits and Stories.  This portrait gallery is of women from the Lykens Valley and beyond who were influenced by or had an influence on the Civil War.  It includes mothers, wives and daughters of men of the Civil War generation.  A few of their stories have been briefly told here [in the exhibit].  As part of the Civil War Research Project, photographs and stories of these remarkable women are being collected and preserved for future generations.  Over time, much of this history has been lost because it has not been recorded and saved.  For the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, it has been a priority to collect, record and preserve this valuable part of our heritage.

Sallie [Workman] Keiser

wife of

Henry Keiser

THE WAR BRIDE.  During the war, “Miss Sallie” corresponded regularly with Henry Keiser who was born in Gratz.  After he re-enlisted in 1864, and while he was home of furlough, she became a war-time bride in Harrisburg.  After the war the couple settled in Lykens.  They both were active in the G.A.R.

Mary Ellen [Bowman] Enders

wife of

Isaiah T. Enders

Amanda [Buffington] Lehman

wife of

Jacob B. Lehman

Emilie [Todd] Helm

wife of

Benjamin Hardin Helm

Maggie Welker

daughter of

Benjamin Welker

Vergie [Sheetz] Acker

daughter of

Peter Sheetz

Lydia Kembel

daughter of

Isaac Kembel

Ann Marie [Todd] Smith

wife of

Clark Moulton Smith

Lizzie [Klinger] Maurer

daughter of

Israel Klinger

Lina Keiper

niece of

John Keiper Jr.

Eliza [Music] Stroup

wife of

Joseph Stroup

All currently posted parts of this series may be accessed by clicking on Women&CivilWar.  Photographs are scaled for printing on 4 x 6 photo paper without further adjustment.

Category: Stories | Comments Off on Women and the Civil War (Part 13)
Tags: Elizabethville, G.A.R., Gratz Borough, Lykens Borough, Pillow, Williams Township, Williamstown, Women

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 9, 2017

John McCollum is buried in the United Methodist Church Cemetery in Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  Previously on the Civil War Blog, he was featured with the following information:

John McCollum (1833-1901). He is buried in the McCollum family plot and a ground marker notes his name as “John.”  Census records indicate he was born at sea while his parents were emigrating to America.  A G.A.R. star is mounted next to his stone.  John McCollum served in the 1st Pennsylvania Infantry from 20 April 1861 to 24 Jul 1861.  He and his wife Priscilla lived in Berrysburg and Williamstown where he worked as a stone cutter.  In 1900 he was a widower, living a hotel in Williamstown operated by Solomon Hess.

The Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card, shown above from the Pennsylvania Archives, gives no new information about him or his service.

On 1 September 1890, John McCollum applied for a pension, which he received and collected until his death.  No widow applied, since John’s wife Priscilla had preceded him in death.  The Pension Index Card, shown above, is from Fold3.  Cemetery records at Sweitzer’s Memorial in Berrysburg confirm that Priscilla [Roop] McCollum died in 1871.  She is buried with her parents, Jonathan Roop (1812-1880) and Sarah [Bordner] Roop (1811-1888).  Priscilla’s grave marker notes that she was the wife of John McCollum (shown below).

It is possible that Priscilla died in complications from childbirth from a second or third child, but there is no record of this.  Priscilla and John McCollum had at least one child who lived to adulthood. He first appeared in the 1870 Census for Berrysburg – Harry B. McCollum, who was born 2 September 1867 in Berrysburg, and died on 25 April 1927 of prostate cancer in Wilmington, Delaware.  Harry is buried in the United Methodist Church Cemetery in Williamstown.

In 1870, the family was living in Berrysburg, where John was working as a stone cutter.

At this time, it is not clear where John or his son Harry were living in 1880.

When the 1890 Veterans’ Census was compiled, John was living in Williamstown, and he reported no Civil War-related disabilities.

Much more information is needed about John McCollum, particularly about his Civil War service and his years after his wife died.  Anyone who can add to this story can do so by commenting below.

Category: Research, Stories | Comments Off on John McCollum – First Defender, Buried at Williamstown
Tags: Berrysburg, G.A.R., Williamstown

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 6, 2017

A listing of the December 2016 posts on The Civil War Blog with direct links:

Introducing the “Lykens Valley Blog”

November 2016 Posts

Women and the Civil War (Part 4)

Who Was W. H. McDonald? – Named on Millersburg Soldier Monument

Women and the Civil War (Part 5)

Rev. Joel Light – Served in Valley View-Hegins Area

Women and the Civil War (Part 6)

Women and the Civil War (Part 7)

Jonathan Miller – Recognized on Tower City Memorial

Women and the Civil War (Part 8)

Women and the Civil War (Part 9)

Women and the Civil War (Part 10)

William T. McLane – Born in Millersburg, Died in Iowa, Ignored on Millersburg Monument

Category: Overviews | Comments Off on December 2016 Posts
Tags: Table of Contents

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 4, 2017

Women and the Civil War” is an exhibit of photographs and stories of women who had family connections with soldiers of that war.  It was first displayed at the Gratz Fair in September 2013, where it received “first place” in a non-profit division.  Afterward, it was displayed in 2014 at the Williamtown-Williams Township Historical Society; in 2015 at the Pillow Historical Society; and in 2016 at the Elizabethville Area Historical Society.  With the “retiring” of the actual exhibit, the photographs and stories are now presented here on The Civil War Blog in a thirteen part series.

For each of the thirteen series parts, one woman is featured first along with a brief description of her connection to a Civil War soldier.  For the other women who are pictured in each part, a brief story is not provided, but blog readers are invited to add their own stories as comments to the blog post.  In some cases, the women or the soldiers have been previously featured on this blog and links are provided to those posts.

EXHIBIT DESCRIPTION

Portraits and Stories.  This portrait gallery is of women from the Lykens Valley and beyond who were influenced by or had an influence on the Civil War.  It includes mothers, wives and daughters of men of the Civil War generation.  A few of their stories have been briefly told here [in the exhibit].  As part of the Civil War Research Project, photographs and stories of these remarkable women are being collected and preserved for future generations.  Over time, much of this history has been lost because it has not been recorded and saved.  For the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, it has been a priority to collect, record and preserve this valuable part of our heritage.

Hannah [Rickert] Riegle

wife of

Harrison Riegle

A WIDOW’S PENSION.  Hannah lived for 20 years after the death of her husband in 1899. She collected his Civil War pension which helped her purchase a small farm in Lykens Township and send two sons to college – one to become an undertaker and another to become a teacher.  The youngest daughter married the grandson of Capt. Benjamin J. Evitts, a neighbor.

Lizzie [Wood] Tobias

wife of

Thomas J. Tobias

Mary Jane [Romberger] Henninger

wife of

Henry W. Henninger

Dena [Koppenhoffer] Lehman

wife of

John Lehman

Elizabeth [Wiest] Schminky

wife of

Isaiah S. Schminky

Mercy Cordelia [Moody] Clark

wife of

Valentine F. Clark

Sarah Ann [Schaffer] Rothermel

wife of

William Rothermel

Cassie [Schreffler] Good

wife of

John L. Good

Mary Edna [Sheetz] Beard

daughter of

Peter Sheetz

Emma Jane Minnich

daughter of

Cyrus Minnich

Ella [Roadbach] Hess

wife of

Jacob Hess

All currently posted parts of this series may be accessed by clicking on Women&CivilWar.  Photographs are scaled for printing on 4 x 6 photo paper without further adjustment.

Category: Stories | Comments Off on Women and the Civil War (Part 12)
Tags: Elizabethville, Lykens Township, Pillow, Williams Township, Williamstown, Women

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 2, 2017

Women and the Civil War” is an exhibit of photographs and stories of women who had family connections with soldiers of that war.  It was first displayed at the Gratz Fair in September 2013, where it received “first place” in a non-profit division.  Afterward, it was displayed in 2014 at the Williamtown-Williams Township Historical Society; in 2015 at the Pillow Historical Society; and in 2016 at the Elizabethville Area Historical Society.  With the “retiring” of the actual exhibit, the photographs and stories are now presented here on The Civil War Blog in a thirteen part series.

For each of the thirteen series parts, one woman is featured first along with a brief description of her connection to a Civil War soldier.  For the other women who are pictured in each part, a brief story is not provided, but blog readers are invited to add their own stories as comments to the blog post.  In some cases, the women or the soldiers have been previously featured on this blog and links are provided to those posts.

EXHIBIT DESCRIPTION

Portraits and Stories.  This portrait gallery is of women from the Lykens Valley and beyond who were influenced by or had an influence on the Civil War.  It includes mothers, wives and daughters of men of the Civil War generation.  A few of their stories have been briefly told here [in the exhibit].  As part of the Civil War Research Project, photographs and stories of these remarkable women are being collected and preserved for future generations.  Over time, much of this history has been lost because it has not been recorded and saved.  For the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, it has been a priority to collect, record and preserve this valuable part of our heritage.

Laura Keene

THE ACTRESS.   She was one of the most famous actresses in America at the time of the Civil War, but had the misfortune of performing at Ford’s Theatre the night of the Lincoln assassination.  All of the members of the cast were suspected of taking part in a conspiracy and were detained.  Two days later she managed to flee Washington by train and was arrested in Harrisburg, but was released the next day by order of the Secretary of War. Her career never recovered.  In her waning days she played theatres in small Pennsylvania towns.

Caroline [Foedere] Artman

wife of

Charles Artman

Barbara [Klinger] Underkoffer

daughter of

Israel Klinger

Mary Eckert

wife of

John N. Eckert

Dora [Niver] McDonald

wife of

Timothy McDonald

Rebecca E. [Frank] Bowman

wife of

Henry Bowman

Grace [Wright] Schminky

daughter-in-law of

Isaiah S. Schminky

Elizabeth [Hoffman] Keiser

mother of

Jacob Keiser

Susannah [Row] Keiper

sister-in-law of

John Keiper Jr.

Ellen V. [Keiser] Dilfield

wife of

Elias Dilfield

Louisa [Zimmerman] Hoover

wife of

Henry Hoover

 All currently posted parts of this series may be accessed by clicking on Women&CivilWar.  Photographs are scaled for printing on 4 x 6 photo paper without further adjustment.

Category: Stories | Comments Off on Women and the Civil War (Part 11)
Tags: Elizabethville, Pillow, Williams Township, Williamstown, Women