ASA ELLINGWOOD'S OBITUARY : A TRANSCRIPT

 I've finally transcribed the obituary of my 2x great grandfather Asa F. Ellingwood. It is as it was published, mistakes in punctuation as is, including a typo involving the date of  Asa's reenlistment;

ASA F. ELLINGWOOD
North Paris, March 20 - The funeral service of Asa Freeman Ellingwood was held at the Methodist chapel, Monday, March 14, at 2 P.M. Rev. H.H. Hathaway, pastor of the church Federation, officiating. The interment was in the West Paris cemetery, the pallbearers being four of his grandsons, Albert Gibbs, Herbert Gibbs, Morris Ellingwood and Erwin Ellingwood. There were many beautiful floral tributes from relatives and friends

Mr. Ellingwood passed away Saturday morning, March 12, after a short illness of intense suffering. Mr.Ellingwood was born in Milan, N. H., April 4 1830. His father, John L. Ellingwood, and mother , who was Rachel Barrows of Bethel, went to Milan about 1822 and settled on Milan Hill, and were among those who first penetrated this wilderness to make permanent homes for themselves.

They had six children, Hester Ann, Isaac H., John W., Asa Freeman, Oscar and Jacob.  Their son Isaac H. was the first white child born on Barrows moutain, now called Milan Hill.

On the history of  that town it speaks of John L.Ellingwood as a farmer, a good Christian and deacon of the Methodist church. Mr. Ellingwood was the last of John L. Ellingwood's children living. His father and mother died when he was a small child and he came to Woodstock to live with his aunt, Mrs. Crosby Curtis. He lived with her and his brother, Isaac H. in Dummer, N.H. until a young man. Aug.29, 1850 he married Florilla Dunham of North Paris and they went to Snows Falls to live and he worked in the chair factory until he enlisted May 4, 1861, in the U.S. service, from Paris, as private in Co. I. 5th Regt. Me. Vol. Inft.

At the battle of Bull Run, Va., July 21, 1861, he sustained an injury from which he always suffered and was honorably discharged Dec. 25, 1861 at Camp Franklin, Va., by reason of disability. Returning home he moved his family to Dummer, N.H. and partially regaining his health
he re-enlisted Sept. 3, 1964, in Co.A, 9th Regt.  of Veteran Reservve Corps. While in this regiment he was taken sick and sent to Phinney hospital at Washington, D.C. where he remained two months when he returned to his regiment and was honorably discharged Nov. 16, 1865 at Washington D.C. 

Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ellingwood.  Fred W. of Buckfield, who died in 1919, Octavius D. of West Paris, Samuel B. of West Paris, Polly A. who married John Brown and died in 1897, Flora L. who married George Morton and lives in Andover, George, who died when nine months old; Nina K. of North Paris, widow of Geo. A. Gibbs; Clara J. married Philip West and died 1901, Harris I. of North Paris, Joseph H. of Hebron and Frank J. of Portland who died in 1896.

Mr. and Mrs. Ellingwood lived in several different places after he was discharged from the army, coming to North Paris 36 years ago, where he has remained most of the time.

He was interested in farming as long as his health permitted. Four years ago they went to live with their daughter Mrs. George Gibbs. Mrs. Ellingwood died suddenly Feb 21, 1918. Since then Mrs. Gibbs has tenderly cared for her aged father, and did all she could to make his last years pleasant. Mr. Ellingwood was a member of North Paris Methodist church.

He leaves six children, 42 grandchildren, 85 great grandchildren and 1 great, great grandchild. Those from away to attend the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. O.D. Ellingwood, and Mr. and Mrs. Samuel B. Ellingwood of West. Paris, Mrs. Lizzie Marshall, Albert Gibbs and Mr.and Mrs. Walter Balantine of Bethel, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Gibbs of South Paris, Walter Ellingwood of Minot, Clyde Ellingwood of Mechanic Falls and Erwin Ellingwood of Hebron.

"WHERE ARE YOUR BANNERS...?"

American poet Walt Whitman also wrote many prose pieces. He was present in Washington, D.C. at the start of the Civil War, and watched the defeated Union Army return from the First Battle of Bull Run. My 2x great grandfather may have been the soldiers he saw.

This is the first paragraph of the article I found on the Bartleby.com website.

Battle of Bull Run, July, 1861
ALL this sort of feeling was destin’d to be arrested and revers’d by a terrible shock—the battle of first Bull Run—certainly, as we now know it, one of the most singular fights on record. (All battles, and their results, are far more matters of accident than is generally thought; but this was throughout a casualty, a chance. Each side supposed it had won, till the last moment. One had, in point of fact, just the same right to be routed as the other. By a fiction, or series of fictions, the national forces at the last moment exploded in a panic and fled from the field.) The defeated troops commenced pouring into Washington over the Long Bridge at daylight on Monday, 22d—day drizzling all through with rain. The Saturday and Sunday of the battle (20th, 21st,) had been parch’d and hot to an extreme—the dust, the grime and smoke, in layers, sweated in, follow’d by other layers again sweated in, absorb’d by those excited souls—their clothes all saturated with the clay-powder filling the air—stirr’d up everywhere on the dry roads and trodden fields by the regiments, swarming wagons, artillery, &c.—all the men with this coating of murk and sweat and rain, now recoiling back, pouring over the Long Bridge—a horrible march of twenty miles, returning to Washington baffled, humiliated, panic-struck. Where are the vaunts, and the proud boasts with which you went forth? Where are your banners, and your bands of music, and your ropes to bring back your prisoners? Well, there isn’t a band playing—and there isn’t a flag but clings ashamed and lank to its staff.

ASA ELLINGWOOD AT FIRST BULL RUN

Today is the 158th anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run, My2x great grandfather Asa Freeman Ellingwood was there and was injured in the retreat of the Union forces, and some years later he applied for a  Civil War Disability Pension. I obtained a copy of his claim and blogged about it back in 2011, and thought I'd repost  part ofnAsa's memories of his experience and injuries for this anniversary.

There are some parts that I wasn't able to make out and other words which are my best guesses
at  meaning, The latter are indicated by (?). Other that that the grammar and
punctuation are as they appear on the original document.


Q: Where, when and how did you incur the two alleged ruptures.
A: While I was a member of Co.I  5th Me. at the first battle of Bull Run on the
21st of July 1861  I was helping a man by the name of Perry who died afterwards
off the field when the Col. Mark H. Dunnell who was riding by the side of us
swung his horse around and knocked me down with the man I was helping
on top of me. We were both knocked over. We were on the retreat from Bull
Run in the woods at the time and when I was knocked over I was knocked
over a log and it was at that time I was knocked down when I was ruptured
on both sides. The right side and the left side.

Q: Is this affidavit  I now show you dated and executed  Nov 12 th 1880 in
which you state that you received one rupture in 1861 and in in March of 1862
signed by you.
A: Yes sir it is

Q: How do you explain the discrepancy in prior(?) affidavit  and your statement
of today.
A:They misunderstood me when they made the affidavit for I never knew that
I had stated any such thing for I never got any rupture in 1862. They were both
(illegible) me in 1861 just after2 injuries by the horse.

Q: Were you sent to Hospital at the time you say you were knocked down and run
over Col Mark Dunnell's horse.
A: No sir I was not in the Hospital at any time. We had no Hospital at that time.

Q: How long after you were run over or knocked down was it before you felt or
knew you were ruptured.
A: I felt it the same day

Q: Who knew of your rupture at the time.
A:I don't know that anyone did only I told Dr Warren and he gave me some
medicine and I reported as sick and they put me onto light duty.

Q: Where was you when Dr Warren treated you for the rupture and disease
of the kidneys.
A: It was at Bush Hill Va. in July 1861'

Q: When and or where did you contract the alleged disease of kidneys.
A: At the first battle of Bull Run in July 1861. We were on a double quick march
on the 20th of July and we had just got to Fairfax and I was very sweaty and
tired and we had no blankets having (illegible) away on our retreat.

(There seems to be a page missing here as the next page starts with Asa
answering a question about him reenlisting.)

A: Yes sir I reenlisted in the V.I.R. C. in September, 1864 and stayed there for
about 16 months

Q: Who knew that you were ruptured when you came home in December 1861
A: My wife and I don't know of anyone else

Q: What was your duties while you were in the V.R. Corps
A :I was a cook

Q: Where did you live in Dec 1861 when you came home from the 5th Maine
A: I lived at Paris Maine

Q:  Who treated you when you came home in Dec 1861
A: Dr Russell who now lives at Fayette(?) Maine

Q: Where have you lived since you came out of the service in 1865
A: I lived in Dummer in N.H for some 6 years and Dr Meserve of Milan N.H.
then treated me. Then I moved across the lake to Erril N.H. where I lived some
three years.  Dr. Wily of Bethel treated me while I lived  at Erril. I then moved here
near Upton Hill where I have been ever since,

Q: Do you wish to act as your own attorney during this examination of your claim
or do you wish to appoint some attorney to act for you
A: I am poor and have not the money to (three illegible words) my self and cannot
afford to have anyone. Therefore I shall be obliged  to depend upon your honesty.

Q: Then you waive all rights to be present in person or to be represented by an
attorney during said examination of your claims
A: Yes Sir I do.

Q: Who do you wish me to see in behalf of your claims
A: I wish you to see Crosby Curtis of Woodstock Maine also his  wife. James
Barrows and Oliver Pratt of West Paris Me.and those who have testified in my
claim and Mr Bradford Denning at West Paris Maine.

Q: Have you any other testimony to offer in behalf of your claims other than that
which is already mentioned
A:  No Sir


There follow the signatures of two witnesses, C.L. Abbott and A. F. Abbott.
Then the signature of Asa F Ellingwood as deponent.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 3rd day of Apr 1884 and I 
certify that the contents were fully made known to deponent before signing.
F. E. Lawton Special Examiner.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 6: ASA ELLINGWOOD OF MAINE & NEW HAMPSHIRE

I've been stuck in a rut lately as far as trying to blog, especially with the 52 Ancestors Challenge.
The problem is that Asa Ellingwood is my next in line for the Ellingwoods and I've already written more posts about Asa (23) than any of  my other Ellingwood ancestors. So I finally decided to just post this photograph:

It's the Certificate of Intent for Asa's marriage to Florilla Dunham  from the Town Clerk in Paris,
Me. It's dated 22August 1850. Interestingly, the marriage record  transcript at  "Maine Marriages, 1771-1907," on  FamilySearch gives the date of the marriage in Woodstock, Me. as 10Aug 1850.

 I'll discuss the families of the Ellingwood wives next.

Asa & Florilla (Dunham) Ellingwood

ASA ELLINGWOOD IN THE VETERANS RESERVE CORPS

Last year I posted transcriptions of the Civil War Pension File of my 2x
great grandfather Asa F Ellingwood. Asa had enlisted in the 5th Maine
Volunteer Regiment in June, 1861 and had been present at the First
Battle of Bull Run. He was injured in the Union retreat with a hernia
when he was knocked over by the horse of a Union officer and then
developed nephritis after falling ill from the alternating heat and rain.
He was discharged  with a Certificate of Disability on Dec 23 1861.

But not quite three years later he reenlisted by joining the Veterans
Reserve Corps as described in his Pension File:

"Asa Ellingwood. Reenlisted Sept 3" 1864
at West Lebanon N.H. in V.R.C. for 3 years
Muster Roll of Unassigned Det V.R.C.
(to which assigned) from Oct 31" 1864 to Apl
30" 1865 Present. Muster Roll of 243 Co 1" Batt
 V.R.C. (to  which transferred) June 26" 1865,
for May & June, 1865 Present same to Augt,
31" 1865. Muster Roll of Co A 9" V.R.C. (to which
transferred Sept 22" 1865) for Sept & Oct, 1865
Present. He was  mustered out on Det M.O.R.
Nov. 16 " 1865 as Private at Washington, D.C.
by reason of G.O. No 155 A.G.O. Oct .26" 1865.
Disability at date of enlistment "Right
Inguinal Hernia"

The Veterans Reserve Corps was organized in April 1863 to have injured
or wounded soldiers perform duties that would free up able bodied soldiers
for the front lines, The Reserves were divided into two battalions: the First
Battalion, made up of men who were able to bear arms and serve as pickets,
sentries, and prison guards, and the Second, made up of more seriously
injured men who were able to perform as cooks and other light duty.
Asa seems to be the exception to the rule, because even though he was in
the First Battalion, he worked as a cook.

I can think of two reasons why this might have happened: first, the nature of
his disability. I won't go into the details of what a Inguinal Hernia is because it's
not for the squeamish, and, frankly, I'm squeamish. But obviously it was
serious enough to keep him from the usual assignments for members of the
First Battalion V.R.C.. The second reason might be that he'd might have had
experience in civilian life cooking at a lumber camp in Maine or over in
New Hampshire.

As a cook, Asa would have been assigned to some permanent
installation since troops in the field cooked their own meals from their
field rations. I haven't as yet discovered where he might have been
stationed when he was marked as "Present" in the Muster Rolls listed in
the above image. Perhaps the location of where he was mustered out is
a clue, Washington, D.C. There were a large number of V.R.C. troops on
duty in the capital and they would after all have to be fed.  If that was the
case, Asa would have been there at the time of Lincoln's assassination and
the period after. He might have witnessed the execution of John Wilkes
Booth's co-conspirators in July of 1865 when members of the V.R.C. helped
with the hangings.

While I was learning all this I was brought back to the matter of the inquiry
into Asa's pension. He was given a medical discharge from his first period
in the Union Army with the 5th Maine. The procedure to enlist in the V.R.C.
required a medical examination to determine fitness for duty. So why the 
hearing and questioning when he applied for an adjustment to the amount
of his pension? All I can think of is that there were a greater number of men
applying for pension money and some might have been "working the system".
The War Department would have become a bit more thorough in making
sure the disability claims were real.

But Asa Ellingwood did his duty twice, and returned home to his wife Florilla
and to the daughter Clara Ellingwood, my great grandmother, who had been
born while he was away.

"A MARCH IN THE RANKS, HARD-PREST" BY WALT WHITMAN

Last year I posted a series about my  2xgreat grandfather Asa Freeman

Ellingwood who was a Union soldier at the First Battle of Bull Run. when

I read this poem by Walt Whitman, it made me think of the Union retreat

that Asa was part of after the defeat:

A March in the Ranks, Hard-prest

 by Walt Whitman

 
A MARCH in the ranks hard-prest, and the road unknown;
A route through a heavy wood, with muffled steps in the darkness; 
Our army foil’d with loss severe, and the sullen remnant retreating; 
Till after midnight glimmer upon us, the lights of a dim-lighted building; 
We come to an open space in the woods, and halt by the dim-lighted building;
’Tis a large old church at the crossing roads—’tis now an impromptu hospital; 
—Entering but for a minute, I see a sight beyond all the pictures and poems ever made: 
Shadows of deepest, deepest black, just lit by moving candles and lamps, 
And by one great pitchy torch, stationary, with wild red flame, and clouds of smoke; 
By these, crowds, groups of forms, vaguely I see, on the floor, some in the pews laid down;
At my feet more distinctly, a soldier, a mere lad, in danger of bleeding to death, (he is shot in the abdomen;) 
I staunch the blood temporarily, (the youngster’s face is white as a lily;) 
Then before I depart I sweep my eyes o’er the scene, fain to absorb it all; 
Faces, varieties, postures beyond description, most in obscurity, some of them dead; 
Surgeons operating, attendants holding lights, the smell of ether, the odor of blood;
The crowd, O the crowd of the bloody forms of soldiers—the yard outside also fill’d; 
Some on the bare ground, some on planks or stretchers, some in the death-spasm sweating; 
An occasional scream or cry, the doctor’s shouted orders or calls; 
The glisten of the little steel instruments catching the glint of the torches; 
These I resume as I chant—I see again the forms, I smell the odor;
Then hear outside the orders given, Fall in, my men, Fall in; 
But first I bend to the dying lad—his eyes open—a half-smile gives he me; 
Then the eyes close, calmly close, and I speed forth to the darkness, 
Resuming, marching, ever in darkness marching, on in the ranks, 
The unknown road still marching.

"THE CONGRESSMEN CAME OUT TO SEE BULL RUN "

Today is the 150th Anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas, also
know as Bull Run. It's the battle that Asa F. Ellingwood took part in
and his Civil War Pension claim was based on the illnesses he came
down with as a result of the chaotic retreat of the Union forces.

First Bull Run is famous for the number of spectators who came out
from nearby Washington, D .C. who were confident they were about to
witness a Union victory. Poet Stephen Vincent Benet wrote about the
scene:


 The Congressmen Came Out To See Bull Run

The congressmen came out to see Bull Run,
The congressmen who like free shows and spectacles.
They brought their wives and carriages along,
They brought their speeches and their picnic-lunch,
Their black constituent-hats and their devotion:
Some even brought a little whiskey, too.
(A little whiskey is a comforting thing
For congressmen in the sun, in the heat of the sun.)
The bearded congressmen with orator's mouths,
The fine, clean-shaved, Websterian congressmen,
Come out to see the gladiator's show
Like Iliad gods, wrapped in the sacred cloud
Of Florida-water, wisdom and bay-rum,
Of free cigars, democracy and votes,
That lends such portliness to congressmen.
(The gates fly wide, the bronze troop marches out
Into the stripped and deadly circus-ring,
'Ave, Caesar!' the cry goes up, and shakes
The purple awning over Caesar's seat.)
'Ave, Caesar! Ave, O congressmen,
We who are about to die
Salute you, congressmen!'
Eleven States,
New York, Rhode Island, Maine,
Connecticut, Michigan, and the gathered West,
Salute you, congressmen!
The red-fezzed Fire-Zouaves, flamingo-bright,
Salute you, congressmen!
The raw boys still in their civilian clothes,
Salute you, congressmen!
The Second Wisconsin in its homespun grey,
Salute you, congressmen!
The Garibaldi Guards in cocksfeather hats,
Salute you, congressmen!
The Second Ohio with their Bedouin-caps,
Salute you, congressmen!
Sherman's brigade, grey-headed Heintzelman,
Ricketts' and Griffin's doomed and valiant guns,
The tough, hard-bitten regulars of Sykes
Who covered the retreat with the Marines,
Burnside and Porter, Wilcox and McDowell,
All the vast, unprepared, militia-mass
Of boys in red and yellow Zouave pants,
Who carried peach-preserves inside their kits
And dreamt of being generals overnight;
The straggling companies where every man
Was a sovereign and a voter-the slack regiments
Where every company marched a different step;
The clumsy and unwieldy-new brigades
Not yet distempered into battle-worms;
The whole, huge, innocent army, ready to fight
But only half-taught in the tricks of fighting,
Ready to die like picture-postcard boys
While fighting still had banners and a sword
And just as ready to run in blind mob-panic,
Salutes you with a vast and thunderous cry,
Ave, Caesar, Ave, O congressmen,
Ave, O Iliad gods who forced the fight!
You bring your carriages and your picnic-lunch
To cheer us in our need.
You come with speeches,
Your togas smell of heroism and bay-rum.
You are the people and the voice of the people
And, when the fight is done, your carriages
Will bear you safely, through the streaming rout
Of broken troops, throwing their guns away.
You come to see the gladiator's show,
But from a high place, as befits the wise:
You will not see the long windrows of men
Strewn like dead pears before the Henry House
Or the stone-wall of Jackson breathe its parched
Devouring breath upon the failing charge,
Ave, Caesar, ave, O congressmen,
Cigar-smoke wraps you in a godlike cloud,
And if you are not to depart from us
As easily and divinely as you came,
It hardly matters.
Fighting Joe Hooker once
Said with that tart, unbridled tongue of his
That made so many needless enemies,
'Who ever saw a dead cavalryman?'
The phrase
Stings with a needle sharpness, just or not,
But even he was never heard to say,
'Who ever saw a dead congressman?'
And yet, he was a man with a sharp tongue.

A NOTE OF THE ASA ELLINGWOOD CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE

I've come to a point in my transcription of 2x great grandfather Asa F
Ellingwood's pension file where I'm trying to decide whether or not I
want to post the entire transcription of the April 1884 hearing. A lot
of it is repetitious with witnesses answering the same questions from
F. E. Lawton. I'm going to finish transcribing them and make them available
in full to family members while I'll post a summary of the testimony here.

But there are some other parts of the file that I will post and I hope to be
finished with that by the end of July, well before the Ellingwood Family
Reunion in August.

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT11

One of those testifying in April 1884 was Asa's eldest child, my great granduncle
Walter Fred Ellingwood. I'm don't know why he testified. He could have
asked to do so, of course, but considering the little amount of information
in his statement, I can't see why he would . Besides, how much would he have
been able to understand or remember about his father's physical condition
since he was only 10 years old when Asa returned home in 1861?

A few parts of Walter's statement were illegible. Perhaps the person
recording the statements was tiring?

It starts out by saying "..his age is 33 years, P.O. address Upton, Maine,
 occupation(Illegible)":

Q: Are you not the son of Asa F.Ellingwood the claimant
A: Yes Sir

Q: Do you remember when your father came home from the war in 1861
A: No sir I do not know what month. I know it was in the winter.

Q: What was the trouble with him at the time he came home in Dec 1861
A: He had the kidney complaint and (the rest of the sentence is illegible)

Q: When did you first know he had any ruptures
A: When he came home from the army the last time.

Q: How much of the time each and every yearsince 1865 has he been unable
     to perform manual labor by reason of said disabilities.
A: I don't know for I have not been at home most of the time.

Q: Do you have any interest directly or indirectly in the prosecution of said claim
A: No sir 

To be continued.

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT10

The next witness was his cousin Oliver Pratt. On the affidavit he
says "his age is 64 years. P.O. address West Paris Me. Occupation carriage
maker by trade and painter."
Q: How long have you known the claiman Asa F. Ellingwood
A: Ever since we was a little boy

Q: Did you ever work with him
A: Yes sir from 1853 to 1860 we worked for a chair mfg. co. and he did the
lifting part of the work

Q: What was his physical condition  when you and he worked together
A: I don't know and never knew but what he was an able bodied man.

Q: Did you ever hear him complain of any disease or pains prior to his
enlistment
A: I don't remember ever hearing complain at all

Q: Did you ever see him naked prior to his enlistment
A: Yes sir once we went in swimming but I was not near him

Q: Did you ever see him in the service
A: No

Q: Have you seen him often since the war
A: No sir

Q: Do you know for what he claims a pension
A: No sir

Q: Have you any knowledge what has been the trouble with him since
the war
A: No sir

Q: Have you any interest directly or indirectly in the prosecution of said
claim
A: No nor prejudice.

This concluded Oliver Pratt's testimony.

To be continued.

  

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT9

In my last post in this series on my 2xgreat grandfather Asa Freeman
Ellingwood's Civil War Pension file, I talked about the revelation in the
testimony of his cousin James Barrows that he(Barrows) had testified
before in the case and in fact there were two previous afidavits!  When
I checked the testimony of several other witnesses on Asa's behalf, I found
they had also testified on earlier occasions.

So how did I miss that?

Simple. I didn't look to see if the documents from NARA were in chronological
order. Each page was numbered so I went with the order in which they were
numbered assuming they were chronological.

Yeah, I know. I can dream, can't I?
Then I made a second assumption, that the transcripts of the hearings in April of
1884 must have been for the original pension claim. Once I read in James Barrows'
testimony that he had made previous statements, I looked at some of the other
documents. There were at least three other earlier occasions when some witness
or another had testified, in the years 1877, 1879, and 1881,  

Now I know Asa got his pension, his file has a certificate number. So what is
going on here?

Apparently, Asa's pension was granted originally because of his kidney disease,
but afterwards he filed for additional benefits based on the fact of his rupture. 
This is why Special Examiner F E Lawton has so  many questions about Asa's
physical condition before and after the war,

You'll have to keep reading to find out if Asa was successful!

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT8

The next person to testify in Asa Ellingwood's pension claim case was his
cousin James Barrows.
According to the statement,  James "says  his age  52 years, P.O. address
 West Paris, Maine occupation  mfg of chairs

Q: How long have you known the claimant Asa F.Ellingwood
A: Ever since 1850

Q: Did you work with him at that time
A: I worked with him from 1850 to 1860

Q: What was his physical condition in those years
A: I considered him sound

Q: Have you personal knowledge that he was not sound
A: None other than I could gain from acquaintance with him

Q: Did you ever know of him being sick or complaining of any disease prior
   to 1860
A: Not to my knowledge

Q: Did you ever see him in a (illegible) state
A: Yes sir every summer before 1860 we were in the habit of bathing together

Q: Did you ever notice any ruptures while you were bathing together
A: No sir and if he had have had any I think I should have known of it.

Q:Did you see Asa F Ellingwood in the service
A: No sir

Q: When did you next see said Ellingwood after he enlisted in to the service
A: I saw him the day that he came home

Q: What was his physical condition at the time that he came home
A: He was looking rather bad

Q: What was the trouble with him
A: I don't know the nature of the disability

Q: Did you ever know of him being ruptured
A:  I may but I have forgotten it if I did

Q:  Do you know what disability he has suffered from since his discharge
from the service
A: I don't

Q: Have you ever testified in this claim before today
A: I think I have

Q: Are these two affidavits now show you signed by you
A: I should say they were

Q: How is it you state in on of said affidavits he had kidney disease
when he came home from the service and today you say you don't
know what disease he has had
A: I recollect now that he had kidney disease since I have now my old affidavit

Q: Do you have any interest directly or indirectly on said claim.
A: No sir.

The introduction of two previous statements surprised  me and had me
rummaging through the other pages of the Pension File images. I'll
discuss what I found in the next installment of this series.  

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT7

One of the little mysteries of the precedings on 3Apr 1884 is that there
is no indication as to what order the various witnesses testified nor is
there any notation of time of day. If Asa wife, my 2x great grandmother
Florilla Dunham Ellingwood gave her statement late in  the day after all
the others it might possibly explain the somewhat (I think) prosecutorial
tone of the questioning. Despite that Florilla's responses steadily agree
with those Asa gave in his statement.

Again, the punctuation and grammar are as they appear on the original document:




On this 3rd day of April, 1884, at Upton, County of Oxford, State of Maine,
before me, F. E. Lawton, a Special Examiner of the Pension Office, personally
appeared Florilla. Ellingwood, who, being by me first duly sworn to answer
truly all  interrogatories propounded to her during this Special Examination
of aforesaid pension claim, deposes and says: her age is 50 years. P.O. address
is Upton Hill, Maine, occupation housekeeper

Q: When did you marry the claimant Asa F. Ellingwood
A: In the year 1850

Q: Have you always lived with each other since you were first married
A: Yes sir,

Q: Do you distinctly remember when he enlisted in May 1861
A: Yes sir

Q: Did he have a rupture either over the right or left side when he enlisted
A: No sir I know he never had any ruptures when he enlisted in 1861


Q: What was the trouble with him when he enlisted in May 1861
A: I never knew that he had any.

Q: Did he never complain prior to his enlistment of pain in his hips
and on his back,
A: No Sir 

Q: When did you next see him after he enlisted in May 1851
A: I saw him in June 1861.when he came home on a furlough

Q: What disease or disability did he have when he came home in June 1861
A: He had none.

Q: When did you next see him after June 1861
A: I saw him in Dec 1861 when he was discharged and came home.

Q: What was the trouble with him in Dec 1861 when you say he came home
A: He had two ruptures when he came home one on each side.


Q: Was there any other disease or disability at the time you say he came home
in Dec 1861
A: He was troubled with his back and kidneys. I know of nothing else.

Q: Has your husband been sick each and every year since Dec 1861 with
back and kidney trouble
A:: Yes sir

Q: How much of the time each and every every year has he been incapacitated
for the performance of manual labor by reason of his kidney or back trouble
and the aforesaid ruptures.
A: I should say he has been laid up one quarter of the time so he could not
work each year since he came home in 1861.

Q: What was the age of your oldest child when your husband returned from
the service in 1861
A: The child was 9 years of age and his name Walter F. Ellingwood and he
lives in Cambridge N.H.

Q: How did your husband tell you he incurred the alleged ruptures.
A: He said the Col was on his horse and ran over him which ruptured him.

Q: How did he tell you he contracted kidney disease or back disease
A: He said he got overheated on a march and laid out without blankets
and got cold which settled in his back and kidneys.

Q: What were the size of the ruptures when he came home in Dec 1861
A: They were the size of a walnut I should say..

Q:You say he had his ruptures when he came home in Dec 1861
A: Yes Sir.

Q: Are you positive that you have stated these questions correctly when I have
asked you
A: Yes Sir.

Then the signature of Florilla Ellingwood as deponent.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 3rd day of Apr 1884 and I 
certify that the contents were fully made known to deponent before signing.
F. E. Lawton Special Examiner.

SYNCHRONICITY AND ASA ELLINGWOOD

Talk about synchronicity...

As regular readers of this blog know, I'm in the midst of transcribing the
Civil War Disability Pension file of my 2x great grandfather Asa Freeman
Ellingwood. Now, last Friday night I checked into cousin Chris Dunham's
Maine Genealogy Network website and saw his post that FamilySearch
had posted Maine court record images. I followed the link over to the
site and didn't see any listing for Oxford County yet, but there was a link
just labeled Maine,


I clicked on it. The link on the next screen said "Military Records-Civil  War".
One more click and I was on a page listing the various Union Army units
from the state of Maine, and on it I found the following:

The second page of the Descriptive Roll of Co, I of the 5th  Infantry. Asa Ellingwood's
name and description is on line 46. He is listed as a mechanic from Paris Me. and
described as being 31 years of age and being 5' 8" in height with light complexion:

Next I found the Enlistment Rolls for the 5th Infantry for Bethel Maine and found Asa's
signature twice: once in the right hand panel on line 34 dated May 2, 1861, then on line
34 in the second column on the right hand side of the screen:

The third image was the also from the Enlistment Rolls and might be the reverse
side of the second half of the previous image. In a group of men on the right hand
side from Oxford County taking the "oath of fidelity to the United States"  on May
3rd 1861 is the name of Asa Ellingwood.

So, exactly 150 years ago to the day I am writing this, my 2x great grandfather
enlisted in the Union Army, then took the oath of fidelity the next day, and by May
28th he was part of Co I of the 5th Maine Infantry. And by some synchronicity, I
happened to see Chris Dunham's post on the Maine Genealogy Network that
lead me to these documents just in time to celebrate that anniversary.

Thanks, Chris!

.

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT6

Before I move on to Florilla Dunham Ellingwood's testimony, I wanted to share what
I've found about two of the witnesses Asa asked to have interviewed on his behalf.
The first is James Barrows. As I previously mentioned,  Asa Ellingwood's mother
was Rachel Barrows and after her death, he went to live with his Aunt Polly Barrows
and her husband Morton Curtis. Given that fact, I was fairly sure that witness James
Barrows was a relative.
  
On p.501 of The Hstory of Paris, Maine by Wiliam Berry Lapham, I found the
following:

James Hooper Barrows, (son of Harvey) m. Mary P., dau. of Lewis Fuller. 
Settled in Paris in 1854. Has been largely engaged in the manufacture of chairs.

Unfortunately, Lapham didn't have much information on Harvey Barrows:

 Harvey Barrows was of Sumner, and passed his boyhood in the family of Elder 
James Hooper. He m. Hannah Beekler, whose grandfather was of German birth, 
and settled in Albany. Children:

Elizabeth, m. Sullivan Barrett, s. Sumner.
Hannah, m. Wm. Richardson, s. Greenwood.
Sabrina, d. at the age of 13.
James Hooper, b. Dec, 21, 1831, m. Mary P. Fuller.
George H., b. July, 1833, s. in Ohio.


However, I had a surprise waiting for me when I checked out the other witness,
Oliver Pratt. I found this on pages 700-701, You'll see why I used red for the
above entry on Harvey Barrows.


Pratt.

Phineas and Joshua Pratt came to Plymouth in the third Pilgrim ship, Ann. and
were among the forefathers at Plymouth, and probably ancestors of most of the 
name in the old colony.

Luther and Nathaniel Pratt were of Middleborough, Mass., and were early 
settlers in the west part of the town. The wife of Capt. Jairus Shaw was a sister,
as was also the mother of Governor Albion K. Parris of Hebron. Luther Pratt 
m. Udora Leonard. Children:
Betsey, m. Jacob Winslow.
Leonard, m. Sally Glbion.
Calvin, b. May 17, 1797, m. Deborah Barrows.
Polly, m. 1st, Solomon Knight, 2d, George Knight of Poland, and was murdered by 
her husband, who is serving out a life sentence in the State prison.
Martin, d. 1827.
Sally, b. 1801, m. __________ Ricker of Poland.
Eliza, b. Aug. 12, 1804, m. Nov. 4, 1825, Ansel Cushman of Hebron.
Nancy, b. 1806, m. Stephen Mitchell.
The father d. 1818. The mother d. 1818.

Nathaniel Pratt, brother of the preceding, m. Lucy Shaw, a sister of Gilbert Shaw,
and settled on the lot now the farm of Alhert Winslow. Children:

Abagail, m. David Andrews;
Cyrene, m. David Andrews, 2d wife;
 Lucy,. b. July 17, 1797, m. William Cumniings, s. Hamlin's Grant;
 Nathaniel;
 Lydia, b. April 15,1801, m. 1st, Moses Cummings, 2d, Daniel Cummings.

Leonard, son of Luther Pratt, m. Sarah Gibson of Waterford. Children:

Mary Jane, m. 1st, Ether Deering, 2d; Robert Sklllings
Sarah, d. young.
The father d. about 1820. The widow m. Thomas Dunham of Hebron, and settled
in Turner.

Calvin Pratt, brother of the preceding, m. Deborah, dau. of Ansel Barrows. She
was b. in Granby, Vermont, Oct. 22, 1799. Ansel Barrows came to Paris and
lived in a log house near Elder Hooper's, and moved to Sumner. Children:

Oliver Leonard, b. May 2, 1820, m. Elizabeth Fuller of Woodstock.
Theodora Leonora, b. April 20, 1822, m. Richard H. Jordan of Bethel, and
died some years ago.
Hannah Elliot, b. March 31,1829, m. John C. Warren; she is also dead.
The father d. May 15, 1871. The aged mother still lives with her son at West Paris.




Now, Ansel Barrows was the uncle of both Rachel and Polly Barrows and so the
granduncle of Asa Ellingwood. I know that he had a son named Harvey, so it's
probable that James Barrows was his grandson.

In other words, both Oliver and James were Asa's cousins, and given that he'd
probably known them all his life, they would have known precisely what his
physical condition was like before and after his enlistment in the Union Army. 

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT5

A few comments on what we've seen so far from 2x great grandfather Asa
Ellingwood's testimony:

I am extremely fortunate to have a copy of  cousin Florence O'Connor's  book
The Ancestors and Descendants of Asa Freeman Ellingwood and Florilla
(Dunham) Ellingwood (West Paris, Me 1979) to draw upon in my family research.
In her section on Asa himself, she writes of how Asa and his brother Oscar were
sent to live with their Aunt Polly Barrows Curtis and her husband Morton Curtis
after their mother had died. Three years later, on 25Jan 1835, Asa's father  John
Ellingwood Jr died as well, leaving Asa and his siblings orphans. This was why he
livd with the Curtises for 18 years.

 Although I haven't yet filled in the collateral Barrows cousins on my family tree
it is highly probable that the James Barrows Asa refers to in his testimony is
a cousin. And Crosby Curtis was the son of Morton Curtis and his first wife,
Dorcas Young.

I believe the man named Perry who Asa was helping during the retreat from
First Bull Run was a soldier named Albert Perry who served in CO.I 5th Me.
and died in Washington. D.C. on18Sep 1862. He was 19 years old.

So from Asa's testimony and the Ellingwood book, I've constructed the
following timeline for Asa for the years up to 1874. The information from
the testimony is italicized:

4Apr 1828  Born in Milan, Coos, N.H.

9May 1832  Rachel Barrows Ellingwood dies. Asa and brother Oscar sent to live with
their Aunt Polly Barrows Curtis and her husband Morton Curtis at Woodstock, Oxford, Me.

1846-The 18 year old Asa  returns to Milan, Coos, N.H. to work for his brother  J. H.
Ellingwood. (Jacob Ellingwood)

1848/1849-Asa returns to Woodstock, Oxford, Me.

22Aug 1850- Marries  Florilla Dunham in Woodstock, Oxford, Me.  

1853-Asa goes to  Paris, Oxford, Me. to work for Alfred Sterns.

1854- Asa works for 6 mos. at J. Jackson's grist mill

1855- Back to Woodstock, Oxford, Me. for a year

1856-Asa moves back to Snow Falls section of Paris, Oxford, Me. to work for Alfred
Sterns.

May 1861- Asa enlists in Co.I, 5th Me. at Portland, Me.

21Jul 1861- Asa suffers his injuries in the Union retreat from the First Battle of
Bull Run.

22Dec 1861- Asa is given a disability discharge and returns home.

1Jul 1863- Asa is counted on the Civil War  Draft Registration rolls at Dummer, Coos, N.H.

Dec 1864-Asa reenlists

1865- Asa is discharged and returns to Dummer, Coos, N.H. He remains there for six years,

1871- Asa moves to Errol, Coos, N.H.

1874-Asa moves to Upton, Oxford, Me.

Next, Florilla Dunham Ellingwood's testimony.

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT4

This is the second part of my 2x great grandfather Asa Freeman Ellingwood's
testimony on behalf of his Civil War Disability Pension claim. There are some
parts that I wasn't able to make out and other words which are my best guesses
at  meaning, The latter are indicated by (?). Other that that the grammar and
punctuation are as they appear on the original document.

I will discuss what I learned from this testimony in my next post. 

Q: Where, when and how did you incur the two alleged ruptures.
A: While I was a member of Co.I  5th Me. at the first battle of Bull Run on the
21st of July 1861  I was helping a man by the name of Perry who died afterwards
off the field when the Col. Mark H. Dunnell who was riding by the side of us
swung his horse around and knocked me down with the man I was helping
on top of me. We were both knocked over. We were on the retreat from Bull
Run in the woods at the time and when I was knocked over I was knocked
over a log and it was at that time I was knocked down when I was ruptured
on both sides. The right side and the left side.

Q: Is this affidavit  I now show you dated and executed  Nov 12 th 1880 in
which you state that you received one rupture in 1861 and in in March of 1862
signed by you.
A: Yes sir it is

Q: How do you explain the discrepancy in prior(?) affidavit  and your statement
of today.
A:They misunderstood me when they made the affidavit for I never knew that
I had stated any such thing for I never got any rupture in 1862. They were both
(illegible) me in 1861 just after2 injuries by the horse.

Q: Were you sent to Hospital at the time you say you were knocked down and run
over Col Mark Dunnell's horse.
A: No sir I was not in the Hospital at any time. We had no Hospital at that time.

Q: How long after you were run over or knocked down was it before you felt or
knew you were ruptured.
A: I felt it the same day

Q: Who knew of your rupture at the time.
A:I don't know that anyone did only I told Dr Warren and he gave me some
medicine and I reported as sick and they put me onto light duty.

Q: Where was you when Dr Warren treated you for the rupture and disease
of the kidneys.
A: It was at Bush Hill Va. in July 1861'

Q: When and or where did you contract the alleged disease of kidneys.
A: At the first battle of Bull Run in July 1861. We were on a double quick march
on the 20th of July and we had just got to Fairfax and I was very sweaty and
tired and we had no blankets having (illegible) away on our retreat.

(There seems to be a page missing here as the next page starts with Asa
answering a question about him reenlisting.)

A: Yes sir I reenlisted in the V.I.R. C. in September, 1864 and stayed there for
about 16 months

Q: Who knew that you were ruptured when you came home in December 1861
A: My wife and I don't know of anyone else

Q: What was your duties while you were in the V.R. Corps
A :I was a cook

Q: Where did you live in Dec 1861 when you came home from the 5th Maine
A: I lived at Paris Maine

Q:  Who treated you when you came home in Dec 1861
A: Dr Russell who now lives at Fayette(?) Maine

Q: Where have you lived since you came out of the service in 1865
A: I lived in Dummer in N.H for some 6 years and Dr Meserve of Milan N.H.
then treated me. Then I moved across the lake to Erril N.H. where I lived some
three years.  Dr. Wily of Bethel treated me while I lived  at Erril. I then moved here
near Upton Hill where I have been ever since,

Q: Do you wish to act as your own attorney during this examination of your claim
or do you wish to appoint some attorney to act for you
A: I am poor and have not the money to (three illegible words) my self and cannot
afford to have anyone. Therefore I shall be obliged  to depend upon your honesty.

Q: Then you waive all rights to be present in person or to be represented by an
attorney during said examination of your claims
A: Yes Sir I do.

Q: Who do you wish me to see in behalf of your claims
A: I wish you to see Crosby Curtis of Woodstock Maine also his  wife. James
Barrows and Oliver Pratt of West Paris Me.and those who have testified in my
claim and Mr Bradford Denning at West Paris Maine.

Q: Have you any other testimony to offer in behalf of your claims other than that
which is already mentioned
A:  No Sir


There follow the signatures of two witnesses, C.L. Abbott and A. F. Abbott.
Then the signature of Asa F Ellingwood as deponent.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 3rd day of Apr 1884 and I 
certify that the contents were fully made known to deponent before signing.
F. E. Lawton Special Examiner.

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT3

This is the first part of 2x great grandfather Asa F. Ellingwood's pension
request affidavit. I was struck not so much by the content as I was by the
barely legible handwriting of whoever was taking the notes for Asa's hearing
and the lack ofg a question mark at the end of the questions!


That aside, there's a lot of information here about Asa's life and I'll discuss
that after I post the second half of Asa's testimony.

Florilla Dunham Ellingwood & Asa F.Ellingwood

 

For now, here's part 1:
On this 3rd day of April, 1884, at Upton, County of Oxford, State of Maine,
before me, F. E. Lawton, a Special Examiner of the Pension Office, personally
appeared Asa F. Ellingwood, who says his age is 54 years P.O. address is
Upton, Maine, occupation is  Farmer.

Q: I want you to commence and tell me where you were born and where you
lived each and every year up to the time you enlisted in 1861.

A: I was b orn in Milan, N.H. and when four years old I went to live a man by the
name of Morton Austin at Woodstock, Me. where I lived until I was eighteen
years old.Then I went to Milan N.H. to work for my brother J.H. Ellingwood
where I worked for two years and six months.  Then I went back to Woodstock
Maine to live where I stayed for one year. Then I  went to work in Paris, Me. for
Alfred Sterns in 1853 where I worked for one year. Then I worked for  J.
Jackson for six months in the grist mill at Paris, Me. Then I went back to Woodstock
again for a year doing jobbing work. Then I went back to Paris or what is known as
Snows Falls  to work for Mr. Alfred Sterns where I remained until I enlisted in 1861,
 
Q: Who were your intimate friends when you worked at Mr.  Alfred Sterns at and
prior to to the time you enlisted.
A: Mr. Oliver Pratt of West Paris, Me.
     Mr. James barrows of West Paris, Me.
     Mr.  Benjamin Thurlow of Paris, Me.

Q: Do these above named persons know whether or not you were free from
any rupture when you enlisted.
A: Yes for they worked with me in the mill and we used to go in swimming
together very oftenjust prior to the time I enlisted.

Q: When, where,  and in what Co. did you enlist.
A:  I enlisted at Portland Co, I, 5th Me. in May 1861.

Q: Who examined you when you enlisted in Co. I 5th Maine
A:Surgeon Warren and he made us all strip our selves when he examined us.

Q: Who was your Doctor prior to your enlistment.
A: I never had any Dctors.

Q: For what do you claim a pension?
A: For two ruptures and disease of the kidney.
End of part 1.

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT2

Because of the length of the document, the header is missing from this image.

 On March 27th, 1877, my 2x great grandfather submitted his request
for a disabilities pension based on injuries and medical conditions suffered
during his service in the Civil War. While they weren't caused by a gunshot
or a sword cut, they were just as serious in the lifelong effect they had on
Asa Ellingwood. Unfortunately, as you will see, he had to wage a long fight
over nearly fifty years to obtain his pension. I'll be exploring that struggle
in this series.


The following is a transcription of the initial pension request filing. Again, it's
a pre-printed  form and those parts are in boldface while the parts filled in
are in normal type/





Declaration for Original Invalid Pension
State of Maine County of Oxford, SS:
On the 13th day of March a.d. one thousand eight hundred and seventy
seven personally appeared before me Register of the Probate Court the 
same being a Court of Record of the County and State aforesaid
Asa F Ellingwood a resident of Erol county of Coos State of N.H.
who by me being duly sworn according to law, on his solemn oath,
deposes as follows, to wit:
I am the identical Asa F Ellingwood who was enrolled on the 14th
day of May 1861 in Company I of the 5th Regiment of Maine Vols.
commanded by Captain Clark S. Edwards and I was honorably discharged 
at Camp Franklin on the 23 day of December 1863 and my age is now 46  
years.

While in the service aforesaid and in the line of duty, I received the 
following disability, to wit:
At the first battle of Bull Run, I became over heated and took cold that settled
on my kidneys which has since greatly disabled from manual labor. I was
also ruptured caused by the Colonel driving his horse over me. I have never
recovered from said rupture.

I was treated by Dr Warren at Bush Hill, Va.in July 1861. I claim a pension
on the above declaration. Afterwards a member of Co "A" 9th Veteran R Corps.

I have never been employed in the Military or  Naval Service of the 
United States otherwise than set forth above. Since leaving the 
Service, I have resided in Coos County, N.H. and my occupation has
been farming. I was of good sound physical health, being at enrollment 
a farmer and I am now partially disabled from obtaining my subsistence
by manual labor by reason of my disabilities above stated, received in 
the service of the United States, and I make this Declaration for
purpose of being places on the Invalid Pension Roll of the United States. 
I hereby appoint and empower,with full power of substitution Nathan W. 
Fitzgerald of Washington City, D.C.., my true and lawful attorney to 
prosecute my claim. My Post Office address is Upton County of Oxford  
State of Maine.
Asa F Ellingwood
Attest two witnesses: J. N. Dunham, S.S. Fanning
This Declaration MUST before some Clerk of a Court of Record. If 
acknowledged before a Notary or Justice, it will be worthless.

March 27th, 1877.

ASA ELLINGWOOD'S PENSION FILE PT1

On May 1st, 1861, barely three weeks after the firng on Fort Sumter,
my great great grandfather Asa Freeman Ellingwood enlisted in the
Union Army. Seven months later he was discharged for medical
reasons and returned home, only to reenlist later despite his injuries.
Like many of his fellow soldiers, Asa would eventually file for a pension
based on his physical problems brought on by his service to his country.
It wouldn't be an easy process for him and that struggle is reflected in
the amount of paperwork in his pension file.

I'm going to explore that process over the next few weeks as part of my
celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.  I'll be transcribing
the text of his testimony and that of other witnesses and discuss what
I've learned from that information, not only as it pertains to his military
service but also other aspects of Asa's life.


I'll begin with the text of  Asa's discharge. Like most government
documents it is a preprinted form. In my transcription, the preprinted
text is in boldface:




Army of The United States
Certificate of Disability For Discharge
Private Asa F. Ellingwood Of Captain C. L.
Edwards Company I of the Maine Fifth Regiment of United States
Volunteers was enlisted by Benj. Freeman of
the 5th regiment of Maine at Bethel
the Ist day of May 1861, to serve three years; he was born
in Milan in the state of New Hampshire is thirty-one
years of age, 5 feet 8 inches high, light complexion, blue eyes,
light hair and by occupation when enlisted was a mechanic During the
last two months said soldier has been unfit for duty  (blank)  days.

Station: Camp Franklin
Date: (left blank)
Clark S Edwards Commanding Company
I certify that I have carefully examined the said Asa F. Ellingwood of
Captain Edwards Company and find him incapable of performing the duties of a soldier
because of Nephritis/herniae/and rheumatism. He's been unable to do any duty for
five weeks.
 (illegible name) 5th Maine reg't Surgeon
Discharged this twenty third day of December  1861 at Camp Franklin, Va
N. I. Jackson, Col. Commanding the Regt