Thank you

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

As January comes to a close, I've been thinking a great deal about the past year. Perhaps it's been all the cold and snow or just planning the next year. Either way, here are a few things I thought I'd share.

As I researched the Civil War Veterans and Wives series, I was able to delve deeper into the complexity of the war and how it affected the men, women, and their families. While I didn't always share my thoughts in the posts, it has given me much to think about.

I have also skimmed or read some great books, both old and new, about the conflict. I shared those in the appropriate posts. I'm finishing "The Unvanquished" and will be starting "Lincoln vs. Davis: The War of the Presidents." Having grown up in Illinois, Lincoln was a large part of my history; he even spent time in my part of the state. Davis, or his wife, has always fascinated me, and there is a possible relationship by marriage. Additionally, one of their daughters moved to Colorado, where I currently reside, and is buried in the local cemetery.

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

Finally, I want to say Thank You to all who read and commented on my posts and the posts of others on this site. The comments help us connect and focus on what is of interest to you, the readers.

Finally, it has been an honor to be a part of Western Fictioneers and as the President for the past two years. This is a wonderful and supportive group of writers, and I consider myself lucky to be a member. Thank you for being you.

Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines.

Some may not care - but

Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Image (C) Doris McCraw

November has Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. In honor of those two Holidays, I dedicate this post to all the veterans and am thankful for all they have done.

This whole year has been dedicated to finding and sharing the stories of the soldiers who served in the Civil War. This next to last post is about George Washington Castile (Casteel, Casteele). 

Castile was born November 15, 1845, in Buchanan County, Missouri. If you look at a map, Buchanon County is close to Clay County, the home of Frank and Jesse James. George, however, served with the Union Forces in Kansas with the 14th Kansas Calvary. He mustered out with the rank of Corporal.

That unit was formed on April 1, 1863, and continued until June 25, 1865. Records show the 14th was involved in Battles in Lawrence, Kansas but the brunt of their service was in Arkansas working primarily out of Fort Smith, Arkansas.

After the war, George returned to Buchanan County. He later married Mary Jane Marion in Douglas, Kansas in 1870. Mary died sometime around 1874 leaving behind George and 3-4 children. George then moved to Douglas County, Colorado. In August of 1879, he married Euphrama Gillman, who was thirteen years his junior. He brought his three sons into the marriage. George and Euphrama had four children. 

By 1900 the couple were living in Colorado Springs where George was a Veterinary Surgeon. 

George died in 1918 at the age of 72. Although his wife is buried in another section of Evergreen Cemetery, George is buried in the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) section. 

Headstone image taken from
Find A Grave

For those who want to dig deeper into Buchanan County, Missouri, here is a link to the history published in 1881: Missouri Digital Collection - Buchanan County

Until Next Time: Stay safe, Stay happy, and Stay healthy. 

Doris

Illinois 114th Volunteer - Civil War - William T. Douglass

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Image (C) Doris McCraw

So which William T Douglass is the one I'm looking for? A William T. Douglass with the Ohio Cavalry was a prisoner of war in Kentucky. He had been born in Ohio in  1841. A William T. Douglass was with the Illinois 114th Volunteer, also born in Ohio in 1841. Hence the joy of history and research.

So, how do you find the one you're looking for? It came down to his wife and an obituary for his father. According to the father's obituary, James R. Douglass had left Ohio and moved to Indiana where he met his wife then moved to Illinois, then Kansas. What makes the story interesting is they don't mention James returning to Ohio, but William's census records show his birth in Ohio. However, the obituary mentions William living in Colorado Springs in 1898 when the obituary was published.

Following the above information this William Douglass was with the 114th Illinois volunteers from Menard County, Illinois.

Photograph of Camp Butler 1862
from Illinois History

In the 1860 census, he is listed as the eldest of seven children living in Illinois. William was working on his father's farm. In 1862, on August 4, he enlisted as a private and his muster date is the same. His regiment, like many others, trained in Camp Butler, Illinois.

From May 1863 through 1864 the 114th saw action in the south, primarily in Jackson, Vicksburg, and Tupelo, Mississippi. In December of 1864, they saw action in Nashville, Tennessee.

William T. Douglass mustered out as a corporal on August 3, 1865, in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He returned to Illinois and married Martha J. Hurd, from the same county he enlisted from.

By 1879 the couple were living in Colorado Springs where William, according to the city directory of that year, was the sexton at the city cemetery. In the 1885 census, he was listed as a laborer. By 1900 he was listed as a landlord. William died in 1909 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, CO. 

For more on this series of Civil War Veterans and their wives:

Private John H. Long - Western Fictioneers

Isabella Long - Prairie Rose Publications 

Until Next Time: Stay safe, Stay happy, and Stay healthy. 

Doris

Private John H. Long of the 73rd Illinois Infantry - Civil War

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

March 10, 1844, John H. Long entered this world in Fairfield County, Ohio. On July 23, 1862, the 5' 6.5" brown hair, gray-eyed, eighteen-year-old joined the Union Army in Delevan, Illinois. This recruitment was for the 73rd Illinois Infantry. This unit comprised men from Adams, Champaign, Christian, Hancock, Jackson, Logan, Platt, Pike, Sangamon, Tazewell, and Vermillion counties. If you look at a map of Illinois you will notice that these counties run East to West through the central part of Illinois, primarily farming. Chances are like Long,, a number of the men in this unit would have been farmers.

The 73rd was mustered in at Camp Butler on August 21, 1862. It numbered 900 soldiers under the command of Colonel Jaquess. They were soon sent to Kentucky, eventually joining the 34th and 100 Illinois infantry, and the 79th and 88th Indiana. Soon, however, the 73rd was moved to a brigade with the 44th Illinois in the 2nd and 15th Missouri. This brigade was assigned to Sheridan's division and saw the following action: on October 1, 1862, the brigade started in pursuit of Bragg on October 8, the unit was engaged in the battle of Perryville. The 73rd engaged in battle, delivering and receiving heavy fire for approximately an hour, from 3 to 4 PM. On November 7 the unit reached Nashville Tennessee. It was during this move that several men were lost due to disability or diseases.

Long would have taken part in the above military activities. He was discharged on August 7, 1863, on a disability. 

Long married Isabella Joyce in Illinois in 1864. By 1880 the couple were living in Kansas and had five children. John was still engaged in farming. However looking at the 1880 census records, the oldest child was born in Illinois, the second in Iowa, the third in Illinois, the fourth in Missouri, and the fifth in Kansas. By 1882 the family was living in Colorado Springs and two more children had been added. His occupation in this census is listed as a stone mason. In 1890, John added house raising and moving to his stone mason work. By 1910, at the age of 66, his occupation is house mover. John passed away in August 1920.

 His headstone, to honor his service in the Civil War, was not ordered until 1936.

Accessed from Ancestry.

For links to past writing on Civil War Veterans and Civil War Wives:

Isabella Long - Prairie Rose Publications 

James W. Bell - Western Fictioneers

Martha Lynn Bell - Prairie Rose Publications

Captain Richmon Finch- Western Fictioneers

Sarah Jane Durkee Anderson - Prairie Rose Publications

Esther Walker, Part 2 - Western Fictioneers

Esther Walker - Prairie Rose Publications

Alpheus R. Eastman - Western Fictioneers Blog

Helen Rood Dillon - Prairie Rose Publications Blog

Virginia Strickler - Prairie Rose Publications Blog

Henry C. Davis - Western Fictioneers Blog

Chester H. Dillon - Western Fictioneers Blog

Until Next Time: Stay safe, Stay happy, and Stay healthy. 

Doris

Captain Richmond Finch

Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

Captain Finch died on September 28, 1898, in El Paso County, Colorado, of heart disease. His story, like many of the veterans who are buried here, is one both universal and unique. 

Born in Albany County, New York in 1837 the third child to parents John and Mary Finch. Around 1850, according to his sister Theresa, (Thirza), the family moved from New York to Prince William Valley, Virginia. However, by 1858 Richmond appears to have separated from his family. So far, the reason for the break hasn't been found.

His military career began on August 1,1861. At twenty-four in 1861, he joined the 3rd New York Cavalry as a quartermaster sergeant. By November 1863, he accepted a commission with the 15th New York Cavalry as a second lieutenant. By the end of 1865, he was a Captain.

In the letters and diaries of this sister Thirza, Richmond was in Washington, N.C. during the Confederate siege of the city. He was in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 and served under Sheridan in the campaigns of 1864-65. She mentions that he was ' an avid, apparently fearless soldier and was as aggressive as he was successful in pursuing a military career'.

He also had a younger brother, Edwin, who served with the 15th NY Calvary and also took part in Sheridan's campaigns. 

His older brother, Madison, was a Unionist sympathizer,  was drafted into the Confederate 4th Virginia Calvary. He served until November of 1863 when he was captured. After five weeks in Old Capitol Prison in Washington, he was paroled and returned to remain with his family for the duration of the war. 

His other brother, Foster, joined the 7th N.Y. Heavy Artillery in July 1863. He was captured by Mosby's Rangers and spent time in a Confederate prison in Virginia. Upon his release from prison, he spent time in the hospital to regain his strength. He rejoined his regiment in March of 1865. (One of the doctors buried in Evergreen just above where Richmond's headstone rests was with Mosby's Rangers.)

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

In 1870, Richmond married New York-born Caroline Smith. He spent two years after the war where he and his wife lived and ran a business. By 1880 the two moved to Leadville, Colorado where they had a Lodging House at 204 W. 2nd St. In 1890 the couple were in Colorado Springs where Richmond was the proprietor of the restaurant, The New England Kitchen. He had this business until he died in 1898.

As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, the stories of these veterans and those who followed, deserve to be found and shared. If you see a headstone of a veteran, take the time to research the stories. You never know what you will find.

For those who may have missed the earlier posts:

Sarah Jane Durkee Anderson - Prairie Rose Publications

Esther Walker - Veteran - Western Fictioneers

Esther Walker - Prairie Rose Publications

Alpheus R. Eastman - Western Fictioneers

Helen Rood Dillon - Prarie Rose Publications

Virginia Strickler - Prairie Rose Publications Blog

Henry C. Davis - Western Fictioneers Blog

Chester H. Dillon - Western Fictioneers Blog

For anyone interested, I have a monthly substack newsletter: Thoughts and Tips on History

Until Next Time: Stay safe, Stay happy, and Stay healthy. 

Doris

 

Esther Walker - Civil War Veteran

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

This is the second part of a two-part post about the only female Civil War Veteran buried in the Civil War section of Evergreen Cemetery. Although Esther is buried in the Civil War GAR section, her headstone when she was buried was some distance from the other veterans.

The first part can be found on the link at the bottom of this post.

Esther Walker was a nurse with the New York 18th Army Corp according to her GAR burial record. This same record has her time of service as April 23, 1861, to December 3, 1864.  We learn from this record that she was born in Ireland in 1837.

Additional records offer the following information: 

On March 3, 1891, she applied for compensation as an invalid. This record also states she was a nurse with the Medical Department, U.S. Volunteers.  

Another record states: Esther Walker (formerly Dayton) Nurse, Medical Department U.S. Army.

The joys of research lead to so many pieces of information that you dig through. Still, some nuggets keep you going. 

One news article contained the following information about her time just before and during the war:

Mrs. Walker, who was formerly Mrs. Dayton, was engaged as a nurse at Bellevue Hospital, N. Y., When she answered the call of Secretary Stanton for nurses, leaving New York in June 1862, with a Christian commission. She reported at Beaufort, S. C., where a summer resort had been turned into a hospital. From there she was specially detailed for duty at General J. G. Foster's headquarters at Newberg, as a bullet, which that officer carried from the Mexican war, made the services of a nurse necessary. At the close of the war, she returned to Boston. ( A wikipedia summary of John Gray Foster)

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

In 1880, according to the census from that year, she was widowed and living in Michigan with four children: John Dayton, Joseph Dayton, George F. Dayton, and Esther Dayton. What is interesting, she also according to the 1900 census, when she was 61 and dealing with cancer, married James Walker in 1871. She had five children and James was about twenty years older than she. Her year of immigration was 1853. His was 1820.

She ended up in Colorado in 1900 and moved in with her son John 'Hugh' Dayton, a bookkeeper. Her other son, George F. Dayton was a police officer who had some renown in Colorado. However, she did travel to this area in the 1890s to visit her sons. She lived her approximately six months before succumbing to cancer.

She appears to have been active with the W.R.C. (Women's Relief Corp) an auxiliary to the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic). This organization worked to provide post-war relief to the Union Veterans. 

In the Sioux County Herald (an Iowa newspaper) of Nov. 15, 1899, the following was posted:

The following piece appeared in the Le Mars Sentinel of December 10, 1900:

There is more to find on this fascinating Civil War Veteran. What was her life like in the South during this conflict? Why didn't she continue as a nurse after the war? So many questions worth trying to find answers for.

For those who may have missed the earlier posts:

Esther Walker - Prairie Rose Publications

Alpheus R. Eastman - Western Fictioneers

Helen Rood Dillon - Prarie Rose Publications

Virginia Strickler - Prairie Rose Publications Blog

Henry C. Davis - Western Fictioneers Blog

Chester H. Dillon - Western Fictioneers Blog

For anyone interested, I have a monthly substack newsletter: Thoughts and Tips on History

Until Next Time: Stay safe, Stay happy, and Stay healthy. 

Doris