This article continues the details of known Granite County residents that served in the Civil War.
Joseph Case, who died on March 27, 1930 at the Soldiers Home in Columbia Falls, Montana, was listed as the last surviving G. A. R. Veteran in Granite County, in his March 28 obituary. Born in Flemington, New Jersey on May 4, 1846, he enlisted at the age of sixteen in the Union Army and served with Company C of the Thirty Seventh Regiment in the New Jersey Infantry, the duration of the Civil War, as a Private. Several years after the war he began his trip to the west and in the late 1880’s settled on lower Rock Creek. Joe had a homestead on Rock Creek, that was originally homesteaded by Annie Morgan. Annie found Joe near Rock Creek suffering from an attack of malaria and nursed him back to health. He was supposed to be the heir of Annie’s homestead but she did not make it back to town to sign the papers before her death. The obituary stated he sold his ranch to J.W. Meyers, about 1920 and moved into Philipsburg. Because Joe “Jack” was an ardent sportsman and had supplied the mining camps with fish for years, he was known as “Fisher Jack from the Hogback”. On Memorial Day of 1929, he was the last surviving G.A.R. in the area, so carried the Post Colors and participated in the Philipsburg Parade. Little is known of his family, in the east, except for a niece Mrs. Eliza Case who lived in Brooklyn, New York. The homestead property has been preserved as a historical site and is under the protection of the Missoula Forest Service according to Philipsburg Mail May 22, 2008.
Eilisee E. Thibault was a Corporal in the 192nd Ohio Infantry and died May 3, 1920. The obituary listed a daughter Mrs. L.P. Conway of Philipsburg and two sons: Eugene of California and A.A. residing in Oregon. There was neither birthplace nor age listed in his obituary. Also, no headstone in the Philipsburg Cemetery or file card at City Hall for any Thibault. Because I catalogued the Philipsburg cemetery before writing this book, I have come to the assumption that many veterans are buried there as paupers, so do not have headstones or file cards. Apparently at the time of their deaths the VFW and American Legion were not aware of their service.
J.H. Loomis, died March 24, 1914, in Philipsburg and his obituary listed him as a member of G. A. R. He was born at Saundersville, Mass., on November 7, 1840, was a resident of Philipsburg for about 25 years. A carpenter by trade but being in poor health for a number of years he abandoned his occupation. Elected City Treasurer on 1906, he served four successive terms in the office. His wife died at the age of seventy two on March 17, 1912. By his request, the Selish Tribe Improved Order of Red Men performed the burial rites.
Elijah Powell served his country throughout the Civil War as a member of a Pennsylvania Regiment. He received an honorable discharge, with membership in the Burnside Post No. 22 G.A.R of Philipsburg. Born in Chippewa Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania on September 26, 1845, he died on December 4, 1899, with survivors: wife (Mary E.), daughters, Lydia Linguist, and Sadie Barrett of Butte; and sons, Charles and Edward of Philipsburg. He worked as a stone and brick mason and when that trade became dull he worked as a miner, until his death from pneumonia. The family resided in the Rosalind district when they arrived in Philipsburg in July 1880, after traveling west via the Missouri River. He was interred in the Philipsburg Cemetery.
John A. Spencer, a resident of Montana from 1892, collapsed and died while waiting on a customer at his store on lower Broadway on March 1, 1921. Born in Boone County, Indiana on April 9, 1844 (tombstone states 1840), he moved with his parents to St. Paul when he was seven years of age. His first trip to Montana was in 1865, when he became a resident of Virginia City, for twenty seven years and ran a mercantile store. I assume this was right after his discharge from the Civil War, but his obituary does not refer to his military service. Next he lived in Butte, where he also had a mercantile business, for three years then returned to St. Paul, for two years, after which he returned to Butte. He moved to Granite the next year and in 1892, moved his business to Philipsburg. John, served as Master of both the Virginia City and Philipsburg Mason’s and was a city councilman, for two terms. He was survived by a son Clarence C. who recently came from Wallace, Idaho, to assist in the family business, and a sister Mrs. J.S. Yallop, in California. Masonic services were held at the Temple and the Philipsburg cemetery. Research reveals frequent, small ads in the 1895 Mail, stating: “John A. Spencer, near N.P. depot, will take hay and grain in exchange for wagons, carts etc.”
I will continue discussing Civil War Veterans in other articles.
No comments:
Post a Comment