Riley Smith was born on May 8, 1833, in Jefferson County, New York, the son of Orlow (b. 1811) and Harriet (Little, b. 1816).
Both New York natives, Riley’s parents were probably married in New York in 1832. By 1850 Orlow had settled his family on a farm in Clayton, Jefferson County, New York where Riley worked as a laborer and attended school with three of his younger siblings. By 1854 Riley had left New York and settled in Nelson, Kent County, Michigan, where he took up farming on 120 acres on section 20 and also engaged in practical surveying. He also taught school off and on for nine years.
Riley stood 5’11” with black eyes and hair and a dark complexion and was a 28-year-old teacher probably living in Kent County when he enlisted as Fifth Sergeant in K company on May 13, 1861. He was reported in Company D in May of 1863, missing in action on May 3, 1863, at Chancellorsville, Virginia and on detached service at Third Corps headquarters from October 10 through November. He reenlisted on December 24, 1863, crediting Walker, Kent County, was presumably absent on veteran’s furlough in January of 1864 and probably returned to the Regiment on or about the first of February. Riley was shot in the left collarbone on May 6, 1864, at the Wilderness, Virginia, and admitted on May 11 to Finley general hospital in Washington, DC, with a slight gunshot flesh wound of the left clavicle.
Riley was still absent wounded in the hospital when he was transferred to Company F, Fifth Michigan infantry upon consolidation of the Third and Fifth Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864, and remained absent through July. He eventually returned to duty, and on October 27, 1864 was taken prisoner at Boydton Plank road, near Petersburg, Virginia, and confined at Libby prison in Richmond on October 30. He was paroled at Aiken’s Landing, Virginia on February 17, 1865, arrived at Annapolis, Maryland on February 19, and sent to Camp Chase, Ohio on February 20, where he reported on February 24. He was discharged on June 19, 1865, at Camp Chase.
Riley returned to Nelson Township after the war and was living in Cedar Springs when he married Kent County native Caroline Gilman (1842-1911) on July 9, 1865, in Cannon, Kent County, and they had at least one child, Edward M. (b. 1869). Riley was elected Surveyor of Kent County in 1866 but refused to qualify.
In 1870 he was working as a farmer (he owned $3000 worth of real estate) and living with his wife and son in Nelson (so was his father), and was still farming and living with his family in Nelson in 1880, and probably lived most of the remainder of his life in the vicinity of Cedar Springs where he worked for many years as a farmer: He was living in Cedar Springs in 1879, in December of 1881, in 1882, 1885, in 1890 when he employed as a clerk for E. M. Smith in Cedar Springs, in 1894 and 1895.
In December of 1881 he became a member of the Old Third Michigan Infantry Association and for some years served as the Regimental Association chaplain. He was also a charter member of Grand Army of the Republic Jewell post no. 62 in Cedar Springs, a Methodist, a staunch Republican and he received pension no. 836000.
He died at his home in Cedar Springs on August 21, 1897, and was buried in Elmwood cemetery in Cedar Springs.
In October of 1897 his widow applied for and received a pension (no. 460204).
Showing posts with label Elmwood cemetery Cedar Springs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elmwood cemetery Cedar Springs. Show all posts
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Monday, October 22, 2007
Edwin M. Blair
Edwin M. Blair was born August 28, 1832, in either Genesee or Livingston County, New York, the son of Albert (b. 1812) and Sarah (Howard, b. 1813).
New York natives Albert and Sarah were probably married before 1832 and probably in New York, where they lived until sometime between 1835 and 1836 when they moved to Ohio. By 1850 Edwin was working as a farmer and living his father, who was a cooper, and their family in Brownhelm, Lorain County, Ohio. Edwin was also attending school with his younger siblings.
Edwin eventually left New York and headed westward, settling in western Michigan sometime before 1855. He was living in Solon, Kent County, when he married another Solon resident, 17-year-old New York native Persis Rosina Rounds (1842-1927), on May 15, 1858, in Cedar Springs, Kent County, Michigan, and they eventually adopted two children, Melvin Briggs (b. 1864) and Charlotte (b. 1877). (Persis may have been related to the Joseph Rounds Sr. and Jr., both of whom were from the Rockford area; Joseph Sr. also enlisted in Company F.)
Edwin stood 5’10” with blue eyes, sandy hair and a fair complexion and was 28 years old and working as a farmer and living in Montcalm County when he enlisted in Company F on May 13, 1861. He was discharged on July 29, 1861, at Arlington Heights, Virginia for “lung disease” (possibly consumption).
After his discharge Edwin returned to western Michigan and was probably living in Solon, Kent County when he reentered the service in Company F, Sixth Michigan cavalry on September 16, 1862, at Solon, for 3 years, crediting Solon, and was mustered on October 13, 1862, at Grand Rapids where the regiment was being organized. The Sixth remained on duty at Grand Rapids until December 10 when it left for Washington where it participated in the defenses of the capital until June of 1863.
Edwin however, remained in Grand Rapids; he was reported as “left sick” in the hospital in November and December, but eventually rejoined the regiment and was on duty in March and April of 1863. (He may in fact have been a patient in Ball’s U.S. General Hospital in Washington February.) He was again absent sick in the hospital from June of 1863 through January of 1864, and was reported as suffering from diarrhea on July 8-9, 1863, from gastritis from July 9-11.
He was on detached service from March of 1864 through June of 1865, probably with the Veterans’ Reserve Corps. (The VRC was made up of men who while ambulatory were generally incapable of performing regular military tasks due to having suffered debilitating wounds and/or diseases and were assigned to garrison the many supply depots, draft rendezvous, camps, forts, prisons, etc. scattered throughout the northern cities, thus freeing able-bodied men for regular military duty.)
By mid- to late-June of 1864 he was being treated for intermittent fever. He was apparently transferred, probably in October of 1864, on account of “debility from over-age and scobutus”, to the Two Hundred-thirty-fifth Company, First Battalion of the VRC and thence transferred to Unassigned, VRC. Edwin apparently served as orderly for one General Bartlett during June of 1865 and by August he was reported on furlough. He was discharged on October 13, 1865, by reason of “expiration of term of service”.
After his second discharge from the army Edwin again returned to western Michigan, probably to his home in Kent County. By 1870 he was working as a farmer and living with his wife and one Amity Rounds (b. 1804) in Solon, Kent County, and by 1880 he was still working as a farmer and living with his wife and adopted son Melvin in Solon. (Curiously, in 1880 just two farms away lived the Spencer Briggs family.)
By 1883 he was living in Cedar Springs, Kent County drawing $6.00 per month (pension no. 178,032, dated October of 1880). He was residing in Cedar Springs in 1887 when he attended the Old Third Michigan Infantry Association annual reunion (although he was not a member), and he was still living in Cedar Springs in 1888, and in Solon in 1890 and 1894. In fact he probably lived most of the remainder of his life in the Cedar Springs area. He was a member of Grand Army of the Republic Jewell Post No. 62 in Cedar Springs.
Edwin died of ear cancer on December 30, 1916, in Solon Township, and was buried in Elmwood cemetery, Cedar Springs: section D, lot 78, grave no. 1.
By 1927 his widow, was drawing $50.00 per month for pension no. 831823, drawing $50.00, and living at 409 LaGrave Street, SE, in Grand Rapids.
New York natives Albert and Sarah were probably married before 1832 and probably in New York, where they lived until sometime between 1835 and 1836 when they moved to Ohio. By 1850 Edwin was working as a farmer and living his father, who was a cooper, and their family in Brownhelm, Lorain County, Ohio. Edwin was also attending school with his younger siblings.
Edwin eventually left New York and headed westward, settling in western Michigan sometime before 1855. He was living in Solon, Kent County, when he married another Solon resident, 17-year-old New York native Persis Rosina Rounds (1842-1927), on May 15, 1858, in Cedar Springs, Kent County, Michigan, and they eventually adopted two children, Melvin Briggs (b. 1864) and Charlotte (b. 1877). (Persis may have been related to the Joseph Rounds Sr. and Jr., both of whom were from the Rockford area; Joseph Sr. also enlisted in Company F.)
Edwin stood 5’10” with blue eyes, sandy hair and a fair complexion and was 28 years old and working as a farmer and living in Montcalm County when he enlisted in Company F on May 13, 1861. He was discharged on July 29, 1861, at Arlington Heights, Virginia for “lung disease” (possibly consumption).
After his discharge Edwin returned to western Michigan and was probably living in Solon, Kent County when he reentered the service in Company F, Sixth Michigan cavalry on September 16, 1862, at Solon, for 3 years, crediting Solon, and was mustered on October 13, 1862, at Grand Rapids where the regiment was being organized. The Sixth remained on duty at Grand Rapids until December 10 when it left for Washington where it participated in the defenses of the capital until June of 1863.
Edwin however, remained in Grand Rapids; he was reported as “left sick” in the hospital in November and December, but eventually rejoined the regiment and was on duty in March and April of 1863. (He may in fact have been a patient in Ball’s U.S. General Hospital in Washington February.) He was again absent sick in the hospital from June of 1863 through January of 1864, and was reported as suffering from diarrhea on July 8-9, 1863, from gastritis from July 9-11.
He was on detached service from March of 1864 through June of 1865, probably with the Veterans’ Reserve Corps. (The VRC was made up of men who while ambulatory were generally incapable of performing regular military tasks due to having suffered debilitating wounds and/or diseases and were assigned to garrison the many supply depots, draft rendezvous, camps, forts, prisons, etc. scattered throughout the northern cities, thus freeing able-bodied men for regular military duty.)
By mid- to late-June of 1864 he was being treated for intermittent fever. He was apparently transferred, probably in October of 1864, on account of “debility from over-age and scobutus”, to the Two Hundred-thirty-fifth Company, First Battalion of the VRC and thence transferred to Unassigned, VRC. Edwin apparently served as orderly for one General Bartlett during June of 1865 and by August he was reported on furlough. He was discharged on October 13, 1865, by reason of “expiration of term of service”.
After his second discharge from the army Edwin again returned to western Michigan, probably to his home in Kent County. By 1870 he was working as a farmer and living with his wife and one Amity Rounds (b. 1804) in Solon, Kent County, and by 1880 he was still working as a farmer and living with his wife and adopted son Melvin in Solon. (Curiously, in 1880 just two farms away lived the Spencer Briggs family.)
By 1883 he was living in Cedar Springs, Kent County drawing $6.00 per month (pension no. 178,032, dated October of 1880). He was residing in Cedar Springs in 1887 when he attended the Old Third Michigan Infantry Association annual reunion (although he was not a member), and he was still living in Cedar Springs in 1888, and in Solon in 1890 and 1894. In fact he probably lived most of the remainder of his life in the Cedar Springs area. He was a member of Grand Army of the Republic Jewell Post No. 62 in Cedar Springs.
Edwin died of ear cancer on December 30, 1916, in Solon Township, and was buried in Elmwood cemetery, Cedar Springs: section D, lot 78, grave no. 1.
By 1927 his widow, was drawing $50.00 per month for pension no. 831823, drawing $50.00, and living at 409 LaGrave Street, SE, in Grand Rapids.
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