Wordless Wednesday: Campfires of The Boys of '61 in 1894

I never thought much about the sheer numbers of American men who wore either the Blue or the Grey back during the Civil War.  All I thought of while researching my genealogy roots is why did they have to be injured or die.  What about their poor widows?  And the children they left behind as they marched off to fight for their beliefs.

It also really didn't occur to me why I couldn't find my Yanks in the GAR post near the little town in which so many lived.

Today, I stumbled across a souvenir edition of the Pittsburgh Press from September 9, 1894.  The number of stories, posts, and regimental histories combined with poetry and drawings is enough to have me reading for days.  The men had all come to Pittsburgh for a grand reunion from many states.  There's ton of history and names in these pages.

How many of my loving names which are only a memory will I find?

How many families suffered from the war?  How many hearts were broken?

I submit to you the poem "For Freedom Died" found on pg 33 with the notation it was from the New York Evening Post.

"Forward!" was the word when day
Dawned upon the armed array.


"Fallen!" was the word when night
Closed upon the field of fight.


"Hurt, my boy?" "Oh, no! Not much!"
"Only got a little touch!"


"Forward!" was the word that flashed
Homeward, when the cannon crashed.


"Missing!" was the word sent home
When the shades of night had come.


"Fallen?"  "Yes; he fell, they say,
In the fiercest of the fray!"

"Died last night!" the message said,
Thus the morrow's papers read.


One young heart that heard the word,
Fluttered like a wounded bird.


One was broken! Bowed her head
"Mother! Mother! Mother's dead!"


Two green graves we'll deck to day,
Son's and mother's side by side,
None will dare to tell us "Nay!"
Both for right and freedom died.


While we honor him who fell
In the fiercest of the fray,
We will honor her as well
Lying by his side today.


Let the flowers forever fair,
Bloom above our fallen braves,
While the angels guard them there,
Glory lingers o'er their graves.


Long ago one sweet soul
Entered her Gethsemane,
Death to her the greatest goal,
As it must to many be!


But life lingers   Oh! so long!
And the years so weary grow!
Tears have choked her heart's sweet song,
Dimmed those eyes that used to glow!


Oh! the bleeding, broken hearts,
Living long their lingering death,
Pierced by countless cruel darts,
Smothered sobs beneath each breath.


Comrades! Call the roll again!
Write their name on glory's page!
Whose who bore the grief and pain,
Fiercer far than battle's rage!


When they lie there side by side,
Dearer to him than his life,
Mother, sister, sweetheart, bride,
Or his dear, devoted wife.


And you deck his grave again,
Write her name- but not beneath!
By her agony and pain
Crown her grave with fairest wreath!


Angels called the roll again,
Wrote her name above the stars
For her patient faith in pain,
Deeper far than battle scars.


Three green graves we deck today,
This the third, where lies his bride-
None will dare to tell us "Nay!"
For these three for freedom died!


Take some time to dig through these pages.  It's a tear jerker you don't want to miss.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=djft3U1LymYC&dat=18940909&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

Oh- and here's a picture of cousin William James GLENN.  You can read more about him on an earlier blog: I am Simply a Survivor.

Below the drawing of GLENN is William H H LEA, the brother of my 2g-uncle, Cassius LEA.

Sources: 

Pittsburgh Press
Sept 9, 1894
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=djft3U1LymYC&dat=18940909&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

Tip of the hat to cousin David for sending me to this newspaper date to find the drawing of WJ GLENN.

Ahh, genealogy.  Tis grand to find the family history so intertwined with that of our great country.  Tis humbling to know my kin have fought for this country since its beginning.  My thoughts and prayers go to all veterans and the ones they leave behind.  Thank you.

©2011 AS Eldredge

Treasure Chest Thursday: Whirlwind of Treasure in Carnegie

In the last week or so, there has been a flurry of activity on the DOOLITTLE family of Carnegie, Allegheny, PA.  It all started when I wrote a post on August 3 about cousin William James GLENN.  Little did I know finding the Civil War personal war sketch at the  CarnegieCarnegie site of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, Allegheny, PA, could make me so happy.

Emails have been flying around since then from a descendant of Jacob DOOLITTLE (1809-1891) asking if I could assist with more documentation about his wife, Sarah CUBBAGE, and her family.

Sarah CUBBAGE was the daughter of Irishman George CUBBAGE and his wife, Nancy CALDWELL.  I have not yet been able to find evidence that Nancy is one of my CALDWELL clan, but her 1791 birth in the same general neighborhood as my documented 1830ish births make it likely.  To read more on CUBBAGE family, go to St Clair Cemetery.

The cool find for me in the email was the noting of the final resting place of Nancy CALDWELL CUBBAGE. She is listed at Venice Presbyterian Church Cemetery in McDonald, Washington, PA.  Of more interest was noting Nancy's final resting spot uses the surname of her first husband, George CUBBAGE.  My notes and research indicate she married Alexander EWING after the 1826 death of George.

A quick check with the descendant of George and Nancy confirmed what I thought I knew on the marriage to EWING.

To my knowledge, Jacob DOOLITTLE and Sarah CUBBAGE had five daughters.  Two of them are of special interest to me.

Susan Belinda DOOLITTLE married into the LEA family--  that is, J W LEA of Carnegie.  The LEA family was the neighbors, friends, and sometimes, spouses of my blood line.  See a recent posting on Cassius M LEA, the husband of my 2g aunt. 

The other daughter of Jacob and Sarah who married into my family was Martha E DOOLITTLE (1842-1907.)  Martha was the wife of William James GLENN (1839-9018.)

Maggie (ah, how I love THAT name) of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie also contacted me to see if I could identify any of the gents in the picture they have of the Thomas Espy GAR Post as I have several cousins in that group.  I took a quick look at the photo and realized that the odds of me recognizing the older men in full beards was basically little to none.

So, I started on a new journey of looking through old files and records to see if I could locate any pictures of some of these men when they were younger.  I guess the folks at the library have most likely identified cousin George B FORSYTHE as my dearest cousin, his granddaughter, (yes, I know her) recently donated some more Civil War relics to the post. 

I've also seen pictures of some of the GLENN men when they were younger.  Could I see enough family resemblences in the pictures as they aged?  I think not.

BUT-

I dug around and found some living descendants of William James GLENN!  After making a phone call and leaving a message, it was now time to wait.

Today, I got the phone call.  After speaking with the gentleman who confirmed his identity and his love of genealogy, my heart experienced a whirlwind of activity.  Another connection to the past established!  He has pictures!  He has stories!  And he has a cousin that he works with to research the past!  Oh, glorious day!

Click to read the post that is causing such a whirlwind of activity:  http://genitalesga.blogspot.com/2010/08/tombstone-tuesday-simply-i-am-survivor.html

Special note to Maggie at the library--  I hope to have some photo ids for you soon.

Ahh, genealogy.  What treasures a whirlwind of new finds can be!  Sometimes, it takes just a nudge from someone new to bring new energy to the hunt. 



©2010 AS Eldredge

Wordless Wednesday: TNT Chemical Blast in Aetna and an Old Headstone Found

"Probing Fatal Blast at Aetna Chemical Plant" is declared in bold print on the front page of the December 6, 1917, Pittsburgh Press.

The article hints of German or Austrian agents "doping" the tanks of the TNT.  The Secret Service was suspicious of the blast.  The world was at war and now, a huge explosion in Heidelberg, Allegheny Co, PA, struck fear and despair into the local residents.

The plant manager thinks it was only an accident.  What caused it?  I don't know, but the list of the dead includes an extended family member.

The dead listed in the article include:

SPROULS, E age 28
MENTE, Andrew age 25
MENTE, Steve
unidentified white man, abt 25
LEA, Ellis  age 28
PORTONA, Tony age 28
PETER, Steve, age 36
MONTAGUE, Chester, age 20
KALE, J B
four unidentified men

I became interested in the LEA family while looking deep in early Allegheny Co, PA.  We were friends.  We were neighbors.  We attended church together.  We married.

I have an old picture from 1871 on which the name of the young man is written. Also written is to whom the picture was given.  This was my first clue over a decade ago as I searched for more genealogy finds.

The picture was Cassius Monroe LEA and he gave the picture to his mother-in-law, Margaret Henry SIMMONS.  The young bride of Cassius died in late 1872 as a result of childbirth complications.  Her obit is interesting as it details she died of a "broken heart" after the death of her newborn daughter.  Click here to read more on Maggie's story.

The young Ellis LEA who died in the TNT blast was the son of Cassius LEA and his second wife, Mary HICKEY.  Cassius is buried at St. Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny, PA, with both his wives and his infant daughter.

We knew where the plot was thanks to an old map, but had not located any headstone.  We knew Cassius was there thanks to a really old cemetery census published by a genealogy society.


Two events happened yesterday to render me speechless, or rather, wordless.

1- I stumbled across the marriage of the Ellis's widow, Beatrice H, to Cloud BRYAN.  A quick look at ancestry has now led me to send an email to a descendant of his.

2- Another email arrived yesterday asking if I was sitting down.  And it was from the Historical Society of Mount Lebanon's Margaret Jackson. I became friends with Margaret when I assisted her in writing a booklet on the cemetery and its inhabitants back in 2004.  You can see this great booklet  now at www.stclaircemetery.com.

They uncovered the headstone for Cassius and his second wife, Mary!  And it was exactly where I had said it should be!!!!  So cool!!  

I am guessing this was found as they are preparing for some new gravestones for Civil War vets to be installed.  And yes, Cassius is getting a new veteran headstone, along with my Uncle Henry.  Wonder where they will place it now?

I am just so thrilled to see his gravestone!  Will they find one for Maggie and their infant daughter right next to it?  Can't wait to hear!

Update 10 Aug 2010:  The middle name for Cassius has now been confirmed as "Monroe" by an article in the Sept 24, 1905 "Leader" and was sent to me by the g-granddaughter of Mansfield B Lea (brother of Cassius.)


©2010 AS Eldredge