Prescott Wales updated 05/30/2021

Prescott Wales was born around 1844, in Michigan, the son of New York natives Almerson W. Wales (1814-1891) and Henrietta Walton (1821-1884).

By 1840 the family had settled in Michigan (where their daughter Henrietta was born), probably in Lapeer County. By 1850 Prescott was living with his family in Otisco, Ionia County, where his father worked a farm. By 1860 Prescott was attending school with two of his younger siblings and still living on the family farm in Otisco. 

Prescott stood 5’9” with dark eyes, light hair and a light complexion and was an 18-year-old farmer possibly living in Otisco, Ionia County, Michigan, when he enlisted in Company E on February 18, 1862, at Saranac, Ionia County for 3 years, crediting Otisco, and was mustered on March 13. He was reported absent sick in the hospital in August, again in April of 1863 through September, and, according to Andrew Kilpatrick, also of Company E, he returned from the hospital on October 8, 1863.

He was present for duty when he reenlisted on February 18, 1864, near Culpeper, Virginia, and was mustered on February 20. He was presumably absent on veteran’s furlough, probably in Michigan, in March of 1864 and returned to the regiment on or about the first of April when he was reported on detached service through May. He was probably still on detached service when he was transferred to Company E, 5th Michigan Infantry upon consolidation of the 3rd and 5th Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864, and reported on detached service at Division headquarters. He was with the Division provost guard from February of 1865 through May, and was mustered out on July 5, 1865, at Jeffersonville, Indiana.

It is not known if Prescott returned to Michigan.

Prescott married Indiana native Phoebe Cunningham (1846-1932), probably in Iowa, and they had at least three children: Fred L. (1869-1956), Bertha (born 1871, Mrs. Palmer) and Boyd (1873-1958).

By 1869 the family was in Iowa, and in 1870 Prescott (listed as James P.) was working as a farmer (he owned some 4800 worth of real estate) and living with his wife and two children in Tarkio, Atchison County, Missouri. They were in Missouri in 1871 and Nebraska in 1873. By 1870 his father was listed as the Justice of the Peace and also owned some $3,000 worth of real estate and living with his wife Henrietta and 16-year-old son Norman W., who was working as a railroad laborer, in Clay, Hardin County, Iowa; they were still living in Clay, Hardin County, Iowa in 1880.

Prescott and Phoebe were divorced sometime after 1873.

In 1879 Phoebe married James Root in Cerro Gordo, Iowa. By 1880 Phoebe and her husband James Root and her three children from her first marriage were living in Steamboat Rock, Hardin County, Iowa.

Prescott was probably living in Leland, Mississippi (?) when he was admitted as a married man to the National Military Home in Johnson City, Tennessee on May 16, 1905, listing his daughter Mrs. Bertha Palmer in Los Angeles as his nearest relative. He was transferred to the Southern branch NMH in Hampton, Virginia, on November 6, 1909, and the Home record in Hampton lists him as divorced and his daughter Mrs. Bertha Palmer living in Los Angeles, California as his nearest relative.

In 1886 Prescott applied for and received a pension (cert. no. 347540).

Prescott died of “terminal dementia” at the Hampton Home hospital on December 13, 1909 and was buried in Hampton National Cemetery, Hampton, Virginia: grave no. 9801.

Frederick Lubenheimer - update 8/20/2016

Frederick Lubenheimer was born on May 6, 1834, in Deixheim, Germany.

Frederick’s parents came to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from Germany in 1840. His mother died the following year and his father died in 1871.

Frederick stood 5’7” with blue eyes, brown hair and a light complexion and was 27 years old and possibly working as a farmer in Byron, Kent County or in Ottawa County just across the line from Tyrone, Kent County when he enlisted in Company B on June 4, 1861. Frederick was wounded in the hand on May 3, 1863, at Chancellorsville, Virginia, and absent sick in the hospital in June. He soon rejoined the Regiment and was wounded a second time, on July 2 or 3, 1863, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and was hospitalized on July 6, probably in Philadelphia where he was soon employed as a nurse.

Frederick remained hospitalized through January of 1864, but had rejoined the Regiment by the time he reenlisted on February 29, 1864, near Culpeper, Virginia, crediting Lyons, Ionia County. He was presumably absent on veteran’s furlough in March of 1864 and probably returned to the Regiment on or about the first of April. He was transferred to Company E, Fifth Michigan infantry upon consolidation of the Third and Fifth Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864, and in October was reported on detached service. In November he was detached in the Quartermaster’s department where he was employed through March of 1865, and he was mustered out on July 5, 1865, at Jeffersonville, Indiana.

After the war Frederick returned to Michigan after the war and lived for a time in Manistee and possibly Lake County, working as a laborer.

He was quite possibly the same “Frederick Lubinhammer” who was arrested in September of 1867 for stealing cattle in Kent County.

On September 13 the Grand Rapids Eagle reported that on the Wednesday evening previous “Frederick Lubenhammer and Henry Edding, broke jail by prying out two of the bars in an upper window, and made their escape. Lubenhammer was awaiting trial for stealing cattle, and Edding on the charge of attempting to make off with a team, which he hired of Rathbun & Moore. The jail is very insecure, and requires ceaseless vigilance on the part of those in charge to prevent successful attempts to force a passage out, which can be easily effected, as this instance proves. The people of the County refused to vote money to build a new one, and unless something is done to render the present building more secure, we shall soon be in the condition of our northern counties, where, if a prisoner refused to give bail, they are obliged to let him go without, having no place to keep him.”

On October 1 the Eagle reported that Lubenhamer was convicted on two charges of larceny and sentenced to one and a half to three years in prison.

Frederick worked as a laborer most of his life.

He was married to Ella Hummel (d. 1879) by a justice of the peace on May 6, 1878, in Manistee County, and they had at least one child, Jenny Lind (b. 1879).

By 1900 he was living at 39 Union block, in Seattle, King County, Washington, and in 1909 at R.R. no. 4, Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington.

By the end of 1910 he was living in the Soldiers’ Home in Orting, Pierce County, Washington. By 1914 he was residing in Los Angeles, California, and in 1915 at 426 Ruth Avenue; two years later he was paralyzed in the left arm and left leg by a stroke.

In 1920 Frederick was reported to be residing at 1030 Maple Avenue in Los Angeles, suffering from chronic bronchitis and a double hernia, chronic retinitis of both eyes, and to be totally helpless, and was in the constant care of one John A. Wilson.

In 1900 he applied for and received pension no. 1,045,328 (dated March 15, 1915).

Frederick was reported to be a widower when he died of arteriosclerosis on June 14, 1922, at the Pacific branch National Military Home, and was buried in Los Angeles National Cemetery: plot 4012/F.

John Donovan - update 1/28/2016

John Donovan was born in 1839 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

John left Pennsylvania and moved west, settling in Michigan sometime before 1864.

He reportedly enlisted in the 14th U.S. infantry. There is no further record.

John stood 5’10” with blue eyes, brown hair and a florid complexion, and was a 25-year-old lumberman living in Manistee, Manistee County when he enlisted in Company I on February 6, 1864, at Grand Rapids for 3 years, crediting Manistee, and was mustered the same day. He joined the Regiment on February 17 at Camp Bullock, Virginia, and was wounded in the right shoulder and cheek in early May. He was subsequently hospitalized and was still absent sick when he was transferred to Company I, 5th Michigan infantry upon consolidation of the 3rd and 5th Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864.

John remained absent sick through February of 1865, although he may have in fact been taken prisoner, possibly during the Wilderness campaign, and eventually paroled and sent to a hospital in Baltimore and from there to the hospital at Camp Parole in Maryland where he was admitted on June 23, 1864. He may have run afoul of the authorities while in the hospital and was possibly confined in the guardhouse for five days from October 11-17, 1864.

He was mustered out of service on July 5, 1865 at Jeffersonville, Indiana.

John also served in the 45th Veterans Reserve Corps and was discharged at the end of his term of service in July of 1870.

It is not known if John returned to Michigan after the war.

In August of 1865 he applied for and received a pension (no. 338473) for service in the 5th and 14th U.S. infantry regiments (no mention of the VRC regiment). He was a Catholic and worked primarily as a laborer.

John was possibly living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when he was admitted as a single man to the Northwestern Branch National Military Home (NMH) in Milwaukee on October 19, 1990. He listed his nearest relative as a nephew George Febry, living in Milwaukee. John went AWOL from the Home on June 29, 1894 and was readmitted on August 10, 1896.

Donavan was killed when railroad cars at the Grand Avenue viaduct struck him on October 2, 1902. He was buried in Wood National Cemetery: block 15, grave 259.

Marcus D. L. Colf - update 1/11/2017

Marcus or Marquis D. L. Colf was born in 1842 in New York, the son of New York natives Levinas (1802-1864) and Lucinda (1820-1863).

 By 1850 Marcus (or Marquis) was living with his family and attending school with several siblings in Wolcott, Wayne County, New York. His family eventually moved west, settling in Shiawassee County, Michigan.

Marquis was probably living in Shiawassee County when he enlisted at the age of 20 in Company E, 14th Michigan Infantry, on December 2, 1861, at Owosso, Shiawassee County, for 3 years and mustered on January 7, 1862. (His older brother Mathew would enlist in Company E, 14th Michigan in March of 1862.)He was discharged for disability on July 5, 1863, at Detroit, Wayne County. Curiously, he was in Michigan in February of 1863 when he applied for and received a pension (529933).

Marquis returned to Shiawassee County after his discharge and was living in Bennington when he registered for the draft in July of 1863.

Marquis was possibly living in Livingston County when he reentered the service in the 3rd Michigan Infantry. He stood 5’6” with gray eyes, brown hair and a light complexion and was a 22-year-old farmer possibly living in Umadilla, Livingston County, Michigan, when he enlisted in Company G on January 1, 1864, for 3 years at Umadilla, crediting Umadilla, and was mustered January 4 at Pontiac, Oakland County. He joined the Regiment on February 18 at Camp Bullock, Virginia, and was probably absent sick when he was transferred to Company F, 5th Michigan infantry upon consolidation of the 3rd and 5th Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864. By early August he had been transferred from a hospital in Washington to a general hospital in York, Pennsylvania.

Marquis (or Marcus) remained absent sick through February of 1865 when he supposedly deserted on February 14 from either Harewood hospital in Washington, DC or the hospital in York, Pennsylvania.

There is no further record.

Marquis was married and had at least one child, a son William. He worked as a laborer and was a Protestant.

It appears that Marquis spent most of his life shuttling from one National Military Home after another.

Marquis was listed as a widower with a son William in Des Moines, Iowa as his nearest relative when he was admitted to the Western branch NMH at Leavenworth, Kansas on February 9, 1909, discharged at his own request on May 21, 1909. Marquis reported himself as a widower with a son William as his nearest relative living in Des Moines, Iowa when he was admitted to the Pacific branch NMH in Los Angeles, California, on November 2, 1909 and discharged at his own request on April 4, 1910. Marquis reported himself as a widower with a son William as his nearest relative living in Des Moines, Iowa, when he was admitted to the Danville, Illinois branch NMH on November 23, 1911, and discharged at his own request on April 18, 1912. He was listed as a widower with a son William in Des Moines, Iowa as his nearest relative when he was admitted to the Central branch NMH in Dayton, Ohio, on October 2, 1912 and discharged at his own request on January 3, 1913. On January 23, 1913 he was admitted to the Northwestern branch in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and discharged at his own request on June 18, 1913.

On July 25, 1913 he was admitted to the Western branch in Leavenworth, Kansas, and discharged at his own request on March 19, 1914. He was admitted as a widower listing a brother Jerry Colf in Durand, Michigan as his nearest relative when he was admitted to the Mountain Branch NMH in Johnson City, Tennessee, on April 27, 1914 and discharged at his own request on March 18, 1915. He was readmitted to the Mountain branch on March 22, 1915 per GO 158 and discharged June 5, 1915 per GO 303. He was listed as a widower with a son William in Des Moines, Iowa as his nearest relative when he was admitted to the Marion, Indiana branch NMH on October 9, 1915 and discharged at his own request on January 2, 1916. On February 10, 1916 he was readmitted to the Northwestern branch and discharged at his own request on June 16, 1916. On July 19, 1016, he was admitted to the Danville branch and discharged at his own request on December 21, 1916. He was admitted to the Southern branch in Hampton, Virginia, on January 8, 1917 and discharged at his own request on April 5, 1917. He was readmitted to the Central branch in Dayton on May 5, 1917 and discharged at his own request on June 30, 1917. On July 18, 1917 he was readmitted to the Western branch and discharged at his own request on June 20, 1918. He was admitted to the Battlefield Mountain branch in Hot Springs, South Dakota on July 13, 1918 and discharged at his own request on September 2, 1918. Marquis was readmitted for the final time in the Western branch on October 10, 1918.

Marquis died of heart disease at the Western branch NMH hospital in Leavenworth at 4:40 am on July 24, 1919 and was buried in the Home cemetery: 24-13-6156.