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

Wrap up - Year End

Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

Five days, just five more days left to 2023, and then on to 2024. It has been a year. 

Let's begin by finishing the story of the De La Vergne family, specifically Edward, the son of  George W. from the Fish Farm story.

Edward was one of the first to invest in the Cripple Creek Mining District. Some stories claim he was the one who located the first paying gold. After Robert (Bob) Womack located the mineral in Starvation Gulch he decided to invest despite what others were saying about the danger of another hoax.

Image from Find a Grave

He was born in 1846 in Marietta, Ohio, the youngest of ten children. He moved to Colorado Springs, in 1878 with the rest of the family. During his time in Cripple Creek, he was vice president and general manager of the Elkton Mining and Milling Company along with owning additional mining properties.  

Like many others, De La Vergne was involved in community affairs and politics. By 1904 he was elected to the State Senate and served until 1908 when his term ended.

He married Alice Hook in 1896 who was born in England in 1864.

Edward died in September 1917.

With that end tied up the rest of the year will be devoted to where I want to take my writing in 2024.

I would like to resume the author biographies, especially the new members. Also, if I'd asked you to participate earlier and didn't get it posted, let me know. I'm in the process of migrating files over to a new system and don't want to overlook anyone.

As 2023 ends, what are your plans for the coming year?

As always:

Until Next Time Stay Safe & Stay Well

Doris

FISH FARM?

Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo from Find a Grave

Of the many things that Colorado Springs is known for, one of the most unique, given the fact that Colorado Springs sits in a High Plains desert, is that one Col. George De La Vergne had a series of fish ponds.

An article in the local paper, Colorado Springs Gazette, from March 27, 1879, discussed visiting his business. The following is a description of the reporter's visit to these ponds.

"We first saw a pond in which there were about 70 mountain trout, caught by the Col. himself in the mountains, and brought to this place. Other ponds contained about 200 more of these trout. Most of these are two years old, and of good size for eating, but they will be kept for reproducing purposes. They reproduce very rapidly, one female trout laying at least 500 eggs. Near the mountain trout is a hospital where the sick trout are successfully treated on allopathic principles.

A little distance off are three other ponds containing about 1300 brook trout which were bought a few months ago in Denver from a party who had brought them from the East. The brook trout are decidedly the "gamest" of the trout species. We were much interested in seeing them partake of a little lunch of beef liver. Some of them would jump clear out of the water to grab a piece held over the water, while over the long pieces there would be a terrific struggle for full possession between two or three trout who might have hold of it.

Next we went into the nursery, a covered stone building, which was filled with youngsters. There were about 55,000 baby brook trout and 3,500 Lake Trout. It will be about two years before these fish will be large enough to send to market."

 Col. De La Vergne was born in New York on October 18, 1800. He died in Colorado Springs, CO. on January 15, 1893, of pneumonia. In his lifetime De La Vergne was more than just a fish farmer, but for Colorado Springs, this was an interesting way to make money.

His son, Edward Morton De La Vergne, is known as one of the first men to invest in what became the Cripple Creek Mining District. His story will follow later.

Until Next Time Stay Safe & Stay Well

Doris

Wanna' Learn History?

Post by Doris McCraw writing as Angela Raines

It's been a busy summer, and I've tried to keep up with my love of history and research. To help I've started making use of online programs and videos. They have become prevalent with the 'stay at home' of the last year. Add the sesquicentennial of Colorado Springs this year and it's been a great time. I've also thought, I shouldn't be selfish. I've shared some links, but with so much happening, I just have to offer the following. All are free and full of information.

Photo property of the author

The History Symposium is all online this year. The first session has aired, and there are three more to come. The main link is Pikes Peak Library District Symposium

Here is a link to Part 1, the topic and speakers: Part 1

Part 2, Saturday, June 26, 2021 will include: 

Susan Fletcher: Glen Eyrie at 150
10:10 – 10:30 a.m.

Tom Noel: The Broadmoor Hotel’s Beginnings: From Count James Pourtales to Spencer Penrose

10:35 – 10:55 a.m.

Eric Swab: Three Trails That Ring Cheyenne Mountain, Three Tales of Infidelity, Bribery, and Provocation

11 – 11:20 a.m.

Part 3: Saturday July 24, 2021

Leah Davis Witherow: A Story That Must be Told: Trailblazing Entrepreneur “Mama” Susie Perkins
10:10 – 10:30 a.m.

Eric Metzger: The McAllister House and its Place in 150 years of Colorado Springs History

10:35 – 10:55 a.m.

Greg Atkins: City Business: Colorado Springs and the Libertarian Party

Part 4: Saturday, August 28, 2021

Rick Sturdevant: Air and Space Forces in Colorado Springs: Their Bases and Memorable Characters
10:10 – 10:30 a.m.

Mark James: Edwin James, Pikes Peak, and the American West

10:35 – 10:55 a.m.

Kathy Sturdevant: The Quaker Trail: Moral Infiltration, Disintegration, and Revival in the Pikes Peak Region

11 – 11:20 a.m.

There are also many Youtube videos from the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Rocky Mountain PBS-Colorado Experience, and History Colorado.

Photo property of the author

As you can see, I love the history of my state and constantly search for new pieces of history I'd not heard of before. With the option of videos to add to reading the old newspapers and books, I'm in research heaven. I do hope some of you may find something to trigger a new story or piece to add to your current work. 

Link to register: https://ppld.org/history-symposium

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

Author of the "Agate Gulch" novellas and 

the "Kiowa Wells" novels.

Angela Raines - author: Telling Stories Where Love & History Meet

Books: Angela Raines Books

(c) Doris McCraw All Rights Reserved

 

HISTORY, STAGNANT?

 

Post by Doris McCraw

writing fiction as Angela Raines

Photo property of the author

For this writer/researcher I think a lot about history. In school, we learned names, dates, and big events. Let's face it, that can be boring and make one think that history is set in stone. For me, nothing could be further from the truth. History stagnant? I think not. Yes, dates, names, etc. do stay the same, but the surrounding information, the people involved seems to grow. New research techniques, new information, and re-examinations seem to add to our better understanding of what led us to where we are and what we know.

Photo property of the author

As Colorado Springs gears up for its sesquicentennial there has been a lot of offerings that can be shared with more than the people of this city. I offer up some of the links and other options in case anyone is interested.

https://www.cspm.org/exhibits/cos150/

https://www.cspm.org/scholarseries/

https://ppld.org/history-symposium

Some of these programs will be virtual, so my thought is, anyone can take advantage of the events. While the links don't do justice to their content, the post would be way too long if I but in the details of each.

I do confess, reading the book " Why Learn History (When It's Already on Your Phone)" by San Wineberg, also makes me rethink some of what I was taught in school. Also, please remember that was a long time ago. 

Additionally, a couple of online lectures have piqued my interest. One was from an associate professor at Adams State College: 

 War and Peace in Comanchería: Anza, Paruanarimuco, and San Carlos de los Jupes

Presented by: Dr. Charles "Nick" Saenz

In 1787, Comanche headman Paruanarimuco approached Juan Bautista de Anza, then governor of Spanish New Mexico, to request the establishment of a town at the confluence of the Arkansas and Saint Charles Rivers, just west of modern Pueblo. San Carlos de los Jupes, as the town became known, was an exceptional and ultimately short-lived experiment. This talk seeks to situate it in relation to Spanish and Native efforts to contain the expansion of the Comanche Empire through intercultural diplomacy and integration within an evolving system of trade.

Charles Nicholas Saenz is an associate professor of history at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado, and the former president of the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and a graduate degree from the University of California, San Diego.

Photo property of the author

The other was a CSPM program which I am including the link on ' When the Civil War Came West': 

https://youtu.be/8T-z9PuBgHc

Hope you enjoy these pieces of history as much as I do. Happy listening and see you next month.

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

Angela Raines - author: Telling Stories Where Love & History Meet

Books: Angela Raines Books

Post (c) 2021 by Doris McCraw