James was born in Castleisland, County Kerry, Ireland in 1832, and came to the US as a young man through New York in the 1850s. At some point before the Civil War he came to Massachusetts. He enlisted as a Private in the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry in late 1863, and was transferred to the 32nd Massachusetts in 1864 when the 32nd was absorbing units from other regiments that were disbanding. His life after the War is just as tricky to track as his life before the War. There we

William was born on April 26, 1839 to William Henry and Mary Jane (Shaw) Barr in Spencer, MA. During the US Civil War he served as a wagoner, teamster, and forage master in the 21st Massachusetts Infantry, Company C. Private Barr enlisted in July 1861 and served faithfully until he mustered out in October 1864. During his service he contracted malaria but survived. After the War William returned to Massachusetts and worked as a teamster and laborer, taking on odd jobs. He mar

Andrew was born on May 14, 1838 in Charlton, MA to Lyman and Hannah (Brown) Knight. He was the oldest of their three children, born only three months after their marriage. Lyman died in 1844 at age 24 of a gangrenous infection. I wasn’t able to find Andrew in the 1850 Census, but in 1855 he is living in Charlton with Andrew McIntyre and working as a shoemaker in his shop—perhaps an apprentice? On October 21, 1858 he married Catherine A. “Kate” Olds. The marriage was registere

George was born around 1839 to Daniel and Mary H. (Stevens) Eveleth in either Dorchester or Dedham — his death record says Dorchester but his marriage record lists Dedham. He was the youngest of their children on the 1850 and 1855 Censuses. In his youth he and his family moved frequently, and can be found in various locations in eastern Massachusetts: Dorchester, Boston, Lynn, Amesbury… In December 1861 he went to Providence, RI and enlisted as a Private in the 1st Rhode Isla

Jared was born in Westampton, MA around 1834 to Elihu B. and Cynthia W. (Chapin) Hunt. His father had been married previously and was almost 20 years older than his mother, which was not at all unusual for the time. Jared was raised with siblings from his father's first marriage. By 1840 the family had moved to Springfield, MA and Elihu was one of the town butchers. Jared had finished school and was working as a laborer and sometimes clerk by the 1850 US Census. His unmar

L-R: Miss Pike, Mr. Newel, Mrs. Newel, Mr. Stacy , Miss Goodenough Edward Waldo was born in Harvard, MA on April 9, 1842 as the oldest child of Nathaniel and Lucy W. (Adams) Stacy. He had a younger sister named Mary who was born on January 16, 1844. Nathaniel was a paper manufacturer, and was almost 16 years older than his wife. As a young man Edward Waldo attended the local public school. His sister did as well. Alice Adams, their maternal grandmother, lived with the fam

According to the Salem Death Records, William H. Bell is the son of William Bell and Mary E. Monarch, and was born around 1845. Some time before the 1855 MA Census he came to live with Benjamin and Maria Jewell, relatives on his mother’s side. Before the Civil War he worked as a laborer. He joined Company B of the 7th Massachusetts on July 1, 1862. I was unable to find him in the regiment’s muster rolls available through the National Archives, but it is very possible that tho

Charles was born in 1843 to James and Jane S. Johnson in Winsted, CT. He had at least one sibling, a younger brother named James Jr. James the younger died around age 10 in 1854. Jane's parents were named Prince and Rebecca Morris. James' parents were Robert and Phila Johnson. Both were born in Warren, MA, and were likely members of the free black community. They were married in 1842. James Sr. died in 1852 when Charles was around 11, and he lived with family members after h

Charles was born on April 21, 1821 in Chesterfield, MA to Oliver and Sally Burr. He married Lucinda Goddard in Providence, RI on January 21, 1844. Both gave their residence as Grafton, MA. They were members of the United Methodist Church. In 1850 the family was living in Sutton, MA. Charles and Lucinda had eight children ranging in age from 15 to 1 on the 1860 US Census. Charles and his oldest son Oliver are listed as shoemakers, and they were living in Millbury, MA. In Febru

Corporal Chandler was born on January 13, 1846 to Isaac Washington Chandler, a shoemaker and mariner, and Catherine C. Benson. He was their first and only child. The birth was recorded in Salem, MA, though in his enlistment papers he stated he was born in Norwich, CT. Sadly, his father would drown in 1847 when he was struck by the boom of a ship during a thunderstorm off Cape Ann. He was only 24. His mother married stone mason Thomas Heard the following year. Before the War

Elias was born in Millbury, MA to Elias Whitney and Sylvia F. (Adams) Boyden on May 7, 1832. He was the fourth of their eleven children, which included two sets of twins. Elias senior was a blacksmith. In the early 1850s Elias junior moved to the Rockdale District of Northbridge, MA and worked as a machinist in one of the local mills. He married Fidelia Smith in 1854. In 1855 Elias senior died, and Sylvia moved in with her son and daughter-in-law. Elias and Fidelia had th

Lt. Allen was born on May 20, 1838 in Salem, MA to John Fiske Allen, a horticulturalist known for his work with grapes, and Lucy Pickering Dodge. His mother died of consumption (tuberculosis) in Richmond, VA in 1840. In 1842 his father married Mary Hodges Cleveland. Lt. Allen had three sisters and one brother: Lucy, George Cleveland, Marion Cleveland, and Elizabeth Cleveland. The oldest two died in infancy. From 1859-1861 Pickering Dodge Allen went on a world tour as many you

Augustine Forester was born in Salem, MA on August 16, 1841 to Joseph and Mercy (Ropes) Webb. Joseph and Mercy were both born in Salem on March 30, 1802. Augustine was the youngest of their six children. His father died in Penang, Malaysia during a voyage in 1846 when Augustine was only five. His unmarried aunt Eliza moved in with them and helped his mother raise the children. Augustine helped support his family as an express messenger for the Salem banks. He enlisted as a Se

Captain Joseph Edward Kimball 1st Massachusetts Infantry 37th US Colored Regiment 116th US Colored Regiment US Civil War

Private Daniel P. Peters 55th Massachusetts Company C US Civil War

The colorful life of Francis DeWitt (1813-1868)

Private Charles S. Rich (1839-1931) 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Company D US Civil War

Corporal Arnold F. Gray (1841-1921) 2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Company L US Civil War

Private Juan L. Fuller 31st Massachusetts Volunteers Company H

Sergeant Francis H. Fletcher (1841-1872) 54th Massachusetts Regiment Company A US Civil War