USA > Indiana > Henry County > Hazzard's history of Henry county, Indiana, 1822-1906, Volume I > Part 71
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
On July 25, 1868, Mr. Peacock was united in marriage with Martha A. Reynolds and to this union have been born three children, namely: Mary E., James R., and John C. Mrs. Peacock was the daughter of Breckenridge Reynolds, a native of Virginia, who was a large land owner, being at one time the pos- sessor of over one thousand acres. Mention of him will be found elsewhere in this History.
Mr. Peacock is now a highly prosperous farmer, whose fine country home is a mile or two from Cowan, Delaware County, Indiana. His home and hospitality are noted in Delaware County and himself esteemed by his friends and neighbors. His farm consists of one hundred and eighty acres of fertile and highly cultivated land. Politically, he is an uncompromising Republican.
THORNTON TOLIVER WATKINS.
LOST.
For many years prior to the Civil War, there lived, four miles south of New Castle, in Henry Township, a family named Watkins, well known and universally respected for their industry and probity of character. The father and mother of this family were Armistead and Nancy (Thornton) Watkins. They had a large family, consisting of eleven children, all of whom were boys, well remem- bered for many notable characteristics, and each the possessor of a double name. It was a remarkable though usual custom in that neighborhood, in the schools and elsewhere in the community, to always refer to each of them by his full double name. The names of these boys, given in the order of their births, were as fol- lows: George Thomas, John James, William Morris, Francis Marion, Marquis de La Fayette, Thornton Toliver, Mahlon Smith, Augustus Wilson, Aurelius Leonard, Benjamin Franklin and Alverenas Pentecost.
When the Civil War came, Francis Marion was the first of the boys to enter the army. His record as a soldier is fully set forth in the roster of Company F. 57th Indiana Infantry. He was wounded and died from the effects thereof, all of which together with his present place of burial appears in the "Roll of Honor," in this History.
William Morris joined the army, serving first in the State troops, Company B, Ioth Indiana Infantry (Morgan Raid), and afterwards in Company G. 17th Indiana Infantry.
Marquis de La Fayette attempted to go to the front as a soldier; went to Richmond, Indiana, where he was accepted and mustered in by the Provost
619
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
Marshal, drew his uniform, and was ordered to report at Camp Carrington, Indianapolis, for assignment to a regiment. He came home on his way to In- dianapolis but never succeeded in getting further, as he was taken sick and died. His remains are buried in South Mound Cemetery. His name appears in this History in the "Incomplete list."
The military record of Thornton Toliver Watkins shows that he enlisted at New Castle, as a recruit, in Company F, 57th Indiana Infantry, and was mustered into the service of the United States, as a private, April 6, 1864. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864, and was held in Cahaba Prison, Alabama, until March, 1865, when he was released on parole and sent to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where with other released prisoners, he became a passenger on the Sultana and was lost in the explosion. It is from the foregoing facts that his record is made up, as it appears in the "Roll of Honor." His brother, William Morris Watkins, now connected with the Soldiers' Home, at Marion, Indiana, however, writes to the author of this History, as follows :
"I have never believed that brother Thornton Toliver was on the Sultana. Some one heard some one else say, they had seen him on the boat at Vicksburg, but there was no record, only rumor. I corresponded with all the organized societies along the river. He was at Andersonville and escaped .but was re- captured and taken to Meridian, Mississippi, where he again made his escape. At a point fourteen miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, he and his partner, each wrote a letter home and exchanged the letters. The comrade, Merrill, by name, T believe, succeeded in getting through the lines and we got the letter. In it he wrote that he would try to get to the Mississippi. This was the last from him. Months after the close of the war, a letter came directed to him from a man, who had befriended him, asking after him and saying he had heard that he had been ambushed and killed."
CHAPTER XXIX.
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC-DEPARTMENT OF INDIANA-GRAND ARMY POSTS.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GRAND ARMY-ROSTER OF COMMANDERS-IN-CHIEF-CON- DITION OF THE GRAND ARMY SHOWN IN THE LAST ANNUAL REPORT-MEM- BERSHIP SINCE 1878-LOSSES IN MEMBERSHIP SINCE 1890-DEPARTMENT OF INDIANA-ROSTER OF DEPARTMENT COMMANDERS-CONDITION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INDIANA-FIRST GRAND ARMY ORGANIZATION IN INDIANA -ORGANIZATION AND ROSTER OF DAVID N. KIMBALL POST, NO. 204, BLOUNTSVILLE-BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF SERGEANT DAVID NEWTON KIM- BALL AND FAMILY-ORGANIZATION AND ROSTER OF GEORGE W. LENNARD POST, NO. 143, NEW CASTLE-BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF COLONEL GEORGE WASHINGTON LENNARD AND FAMILY.
All who have read the history of America are aware of the fact that the people of the United States are more given to the cultivation of the arts of peace, than to the science of war, hence they wage no wars of aggression or con- quest, but only take up arms in defense of their liberties or for the enforcement of the laws.
Our standing army is but little greater in point of numbers than the body- guard of some of the crowned sovereigns of Europe. Our domestic and foreign difficulties are settled, if possible, by legislation or arbitration, but when the exigencies demand that force be resorted to, the Government calls upon the people, and our volunteer soldiery are ready to respond, and have never been found wanting at the battle's front.
The experience common to the volunteer in the camp, the march, the battle, the hospital and the prison pen, knit them together in so close a bond of brother- hood and comradeship, that the soldier who survives is wont to continue these close relations for the benefit of the living and in memory of the dead. From this sentiment sprang the order of Cincinnatus after the Revolution, the society of Mexican Veterans after the war with Mexico, and the Loyal Legion and the Grand Army of the Republic after the Civil war.
The first expression of the possible formation of an organization composed of Union soldiers and sailors after they should have suppressed the Rebellion and returned to their homes, was made by Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, surgeon of the 14th Illinois Infantry, to some brother officers at their camp in Mississippi, during Sherman's retreat from Meridian to Vicksburg in February, 1864.
After the close of the war, Dr. Stephenson returned to the practice of his profession at Springfield, Illinois, and at once set to work to carry his ideas into practical effect. He drafted a ritual, and soon after Post No. I was organized at
621
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
Decatur, Illinois, followed by Post No. 2 at Springfield, both Posts having been established in February, 1866. From this beginning the order spread rapidly, not only in Illinois, but to other States, and when a National Convention was called, which met at Indianapolis. No- vember 20, 1866, eleven States were represented, and within the next year the order had gathered a membership of many thousands, and just as it was ready to congratulate itself on the rapid advance, politics, the enemy of all organizations not strictly political, took possession and began the work of destruc- tion, many having become members for the sole purpose of prostituting it to the furthering of their schemes for political preferment. This, together with some of the laws laid down in the Rules and Regulations distasteful to the soldier, caused a rapid decline in the organization, and after a feeble struggle it ceased to exist in many States.
Those who had the good of the order at heart, made a gallant fight, and finally succeeded in having the odious laws expunged, and a section adopted banishing politics forever. The order now began to revive, but many who had been members of the infant organization in 1866 had lost confidence in its ability to protect itself against the attacks of its old-time enemy, and its advance was slow.
But the slow and steady growth from 1872, the time of the amendment to the laws, to 1880, gave the order such a healthy foundation that it is destined to exist so long as there are enough soldiers alive to form a Post.
From the time of the organization in Illinois in February, 1866, until the National convention at Indianapolis in November of that year, Comrade Stephen- son acted as Provisional Commander-in-Chief, and supervised the formation of Posts in other States.
Under John A. Logan's administration as Commander-in-Chief, the general order was first issued establishing the beautiful and honored custom of decorating soldiers' graves on the 30th of May. This custom will be continued by the G. A. R. and the organizations which will follow it until the Nation shall have lost its patriotism and the love of free government.
The Grand Army of the Republic is strictly a charitable institution, having for its purpose not only the relief of its own members, but the extension of aid to all worthy soldiers and their families who may need its assistance, not only in a financial way, but in many ways by which one comrade may assist another. Through its various channels of gathering testimony, many worthy soldiers have secured pensions justly due them, but which could not have been obtained but for the evidence collected and furnished by the order.
The order is composed of Posts, Departments and the National Encampment. A State is usually a Department, but in the Southern States and the Territories, where the order is weak, two or more are consolidated to form a Department.
All officers of the Grand Army are elected or appointed for one year, and since the organization of the National Encampment in 1866 the following com- rades have been elected Commanders-in-Chief :
Stephen A. Hurlbut, of Illinois, elected at Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1866. He was Commander-in-Chief in 1867 also, as the National Encampment was not held in that year. John A. Logan, of Illinois, was elected at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1868; at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1869, and at Washington, District of Columbia, in 1870.
622
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
Ambrose E. Burnside, of Rhode Island, was elected at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871, and at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1872.
Charles Devens, of Massachusetts, was elected at New Haven, Connecticut, in 1873, and at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1874.
John F. Hartranft, of Pennsylvania, was elected at Chicago, Illinois, in 1875, and at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1876.
John C. Robinson, of New York, was elected at Providence, Rhode Island, in 1877, and at Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1878.
William Earnshaw, of Ohio, was elected at Albany, New York, in 1879.
Louis Wagner, of Pennsylvania, was elected at Dayton, Ohio, in 1880.
George S. Merrill, of Massachusetts, was elected at Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1881. Paul Van Dervoort, of Nebraska, was elected at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1882.
Robert B. Beath, of Pennsylvania, was elected at Denver, Colorado, in 1883.
John S. Kountz, of Ohio, was elected at Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1884.
Samuel S. Burdett, of the District of Columbia, was elected at Portland, Maine in - 1885.
Lucius Fairchild, of Wisconsin, was elected at San Francisco, California, in 1886. John P. Rea, of Minnesota, was elected at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1887.
William Warner, of Missouri, was elected at Columbus, Ohio, in 1888.
Russell A. Alger, of Michigan, was elected at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1889. Wheelock G. Veazey, of Vermont, was elected at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1890. John Palmer, of New York, was elected at Detroit, Michigan, in 1891.
A. G. Weissert, of Wisconsin, was elected at Washington, District of Columbia, in 1892.
John G. B. Adams, of Massachusetts, was elected at Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1893. Thomas G. Lawler, of Illinois, was elected at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1894.
Ivan N. Walker, of Indiana, was elected at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1895.
Thad S. Clarkson, of Nebraska, was elected at St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1896. John P. S. Gobin, of Pennsylvania, was elected at Buffalo, New York, in 1897.
James A. Sexton, of Illinois, was elected at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1898. He died in office February 5, 1899, and was succeeded by W. C. Johnson, of Ohio, promoted from Senior Vice-Commander-in-Chief.
Albert D. Shaw, of New York, was elected at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1899. Leo. Rassieur, of Missouri, was elected at Chicago, Illinois, in 1900.
Ell Torrence, of Minnesota, was elected at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1901.
Thomas J. Stewart, of Pennsylvania, was elected at Washington, District of Co- lumbia, in 1902.
John C. Black, of Illinois, was elected at San Francisco, California, in 1903.
Wilmon W. Blackmar, of Massachusetts, was elected at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1904. Died July 16, 1905. Succeeded by John R. King.
The report of the Adjutant General of the Grand Army of the Republic for the year 1904 shows the condition of the order in the United States at that time to have been as follows :
RECAPITULATION.
Members in good standing as shown by report for June 30, 1903: 256,510.
Term
Term Ending
Total
for
Dec. 31,
June 30,
Year
GAINS.
1903
1904
By Muster
3,975
3,513
7,488
By Transfer
1,821
1,867
3,688
By Reinstatement
4,161
3,893
8,054
By Reinstatement from Delinquent Reports. Total Gain
3,142
627
3,769
22,999 279,509
Aggregate
Ending
623
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
Losses-
By Death
4,390
4,639
9,029
By Honorable Discharge
341
328
669
By Transfer
2,165
1,807
3,972
By Suspension
6,902
5,602
12,504
By Dishonorable Discharge
22
18
40
By Delinquent Reports Total Loss
1,391
5,643
7,034
33,248
Members in good standing June 30, 1904
246,261
Net loss for the year
10,249
Number remaining suspended June 30, 1904.
27,095
Total number borne on rolls
273,356
Dropped from rolls six months ending December 31, 1903
2,027
Dropped from rolls six months ending June 30, 1904.
1,364
Number of Posts June 30, 1903.
6,426
Number of Posts June 30, 1904.
6,149
Number of Posts surrendering charter.
65
Number of new Posts chartered ..
33
Number of Posts lost by consolidation
10
Number of Posts reinstated.
113
Number of Posts delinquent June 30, 1904
286
EXPENDED IN RELIEF.
For six months ending December 31, 1903.
$ 44,639.04
For six months ending June 30, 1904.
55,955.72
Total for year
$100,594.76
MEMBERSHIP SINCE 1878.
1878
31,016
1891
.407,781
1879.
44,752
1892
.399,880
1880
60,634
1893.
.397,223
1881.
85,856
1894.
369,083
1882.
.134,701
1895.
.357,639
1883
. 215,446
1896.
. 340,610
1884.
.273,168
1897.
.319,456
1885.
. 294,787
1898
.305,603
1886.
. 323,571
1899
.287,918
1887.
.355,916
1900.
. 276,612
1888.
372,960
1901.
269,507
1889.
. 397,974
1902.
263,745
1890.
. 409,489
1903.
256,510
1904.
246,261
LOSSES IN MEMBERSHIP SINCE 1890.
In 1890 the high water mark of membership was reached, 409,489. Since then each year has shown a falling off, the losses by years being as follows:
1891
1,708
1898 .13,853
1892.
7,901
1899.
.17,685
1893.
2,657
1900. 11,306
1894.
. 27,140
1901.
7,149
1895.
. 11,444
1902.
5,806
1896.
.17,029
1903.
7,235
1897.
21,154
1904.
10,249
Total.
162,316.
624
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
DEPARTMENT OF INDIANA, G. A. R.
Was organized November 22, 1866, but owing to the causes already related, was of short duration. Many Posts were organized, but soon ceased to exist, and the Department organization became a thing of the past.
In 1879 several Posts were organized under the Department of Illinois, and on the IIth of August of that year enough were in existence in the State to form a Department, and the first encampment was held at Terre Haute on the date named and elected Comrade Johnathan B. Hager, of Morton Post No. I, Terre Haute, Department Commander. There are now more than 400 Posts in the Department, with a membership of more than 16,000. Prior to 1879, the Com- manders were Robert S. Foster, Nathan Kimball, Oliver M. Wilson and Louis Humphrey.
The places of holding the encampments and the Commander elected for each year, beginning with 1879, are as follows :
Johnathan B. Hager, of Terre Haute, was elected at Terre Haute in 1879. Samuel E. Armstrong, of Greencastle, was elected at Brazil in 1880. William W. Dudley, of Richmond, was elected at Indianapolis in 1881. James R. Carnahan, elected, Greencastle, 1882; Indanapolis, 1883. Edwin Nicar, of South Bend, was elected at Indianapolis in 1884. David N. Foster, of Fort Wayne, was elected at Indianapolis in 1885. Thomas W. Bennett, of Richmond, was elected at Indianapolis in 1886. Ira J. Chase, of Danville, was elected at Indianapolis in 1887. Argus D. Vanosdal, of Madison, was elected at Indianapolis in 1888. Charles M. Travis, of Crawfordsville, was elected at Indianapolis in 1889. Gil R. Stormont, of Princeton, was elected at Indianapolis in 1890. Ivan N. Walker, of Indianapolis, was elected at Indianapolis in 1891. Joseph B. Cheadle, of Frankfort, was elected at Fort Wayne in 1892. James T. Johnston, of Rockville, was elected at Evansville in 1893. Albert O. Marsh, of Winchester, was elected at Lafayette in 1894. Harvey B. Shively, of Wabash, was elected at Muncie in 1895. Henry M. Caylor, of Noblesville, was elected at South Bend in 1896. James S. Dodge, of Elkhart, was elected at Richmond in 1897. Daniel Ryan, of Flat Rock, was elected at Columbus in 1898. William L. Dunlap, of Franklin, was elected at Terre Haute in 1899. David E. Beem, of Spencer, was elected at Indianapolis in 1900. Milton Garrigus, of Kokomo, was elected at Logansport in 1901. Benjamin Starr, of Richmond, was elected at Indianapolis in 1902.
George W. Grubbs, of Spencer, was elected at Anderson in 1903.
Daniel R. Lucas, of Indianapolis, was elected at Winona Lake in 1904. Marine D. Tackett, of Greensburg, was elected at Madison in 1905.
The report of the Assistant Adjutant General of the Department of Indiana, for the year 1904, shows the condition of the order in this State, at that time, to have been as follows :
Total number of members in good standing, December 31, 1903. 15,188
Gained during the year 1903:
By muster in. 622
By transfer 282
By reinstatement 1,070
1,974
Total membership 17,162
David N. Kimball
625
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
Loss during the year 1903:
By dishonorable discharge.
4
By death
452
By honorable discharge.
35
By transfer
246
By suspension
851
1,588
Number remaining in good standing December 31, 1903.
15,574
Number remaining suspended.
1,658
Total number on the rolls. 17,232
Number of Comrades dropped during the year.
637
Number of Comrades and their families relieved during the year. 175
Number of others relieved during the year. 32
$948.43
The Grand Army of the Republic was hrst organized provisionally in Indiana, by the late General Robert S. Foster, one of Indiana's foremost soldiers. Early in November, 1866, General Foster, at the request of Governor Morton, had gone to Springfield, Illinois, to consult with Doctor Stephenson regarding the Extension of the order into Indiana, and upon his return to Indianapolis, he at once took steps to effect a provisional organization, as above stated. His plan was to have each county organized by a soldier of the Civil War, a proper person for that purpose, designated by himself. For Henry County he designated Captain David W. Chambers, then a member of the General Assembly.
Captain Chambers, having secured the promised co-operation of other soldiers of the Civil War, early in 1867 proceeded to organize a Grand Army Post in New Castle, as a nucleus for other posts to be established in the county. This Post had no particular name but was known simply as "The Grand Army of the Re- public." Captain Chambers was Commander of the same, and the other charter members of the Post, so far as can be now ascertained, were: George W. Burke, Robert B. Carr, George Hazzard (author of this History), John E. Holland, John C. Livezey, Alfred M. Thornburgh, Nathan Upham and William F. Walker.
. For the reasons stated in the preceding brief history of "The Grand Army of the Republic," this Post was in existence a short time only. It held a few regular meetings, then an occasional meeting, and finally disbanded. The time was not yet ripe for a permanent organization.
General Foster, a short time before his death, which occurred in Indianapolis, Tuesday, March 3, 1903, while he was serving as Quartermaster General of the State of Indiana, told the author of this History that Captain Chambers was one of the first in any of the counties of the State to take an active interest in the proposed organization, and that it was his belief that the Post at New Castle, above mentioned, was the first Grand Army Post ever organized in Indiana.
DAVID N. KIMBALL POST, NO. 204, G. A. R., BLOUNTSVILLE, INDIANA.
David N. Kimball Post, No. 204, Department of Indiana, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized and instituted at Blountsville, Henry County, Indiana, July 28, 1883, in the office of Jonathan Ross, and was mustered in by Comrade
40
Amount expended for relief during the year.
626
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
Nelson F. Chenoweth, of Abram D. Shultz Post, No. 73, G. A. R., Windsor, Dela- ware County, Indiana, mustering officer. The Post was named for and in honor of the late David Newton Kimball, of Company I, 124th Indiana Infantry, a sketch of whose life and military service is fully set forth at the end of this article.
The following named comrades were present at the organization and became charter members of the Post, viz: John D. Brewington, Erastus Burch, Jonathan Chalfant, Calvin Cross, Allen W. Galyean, Samuel Hackman, Anthony W. Jordan, William B. Lacy, Henry Main, Franklin W. Murray, Oscar Rogers, Jonathan Ross, George W. Smeltzer, Jonathan R. Whitehead.
The records of the Post are incomplete and for that reason a fuller state- ment of the comrades who have been officers of the Post, and other information regarding the same cannot be given. The following were officers from the or- ganization in 1883 down to 1888, so far as they can be ascertained. The names of all of the officers are arranged alphabetically.
COMMANDERS.
Elias Conwell, Allen W. Galyean, Anthony W. Jordan, Jonathan Ross. SENIOR VICE COMMANDERS.
Jonathan Chalfant, Calvin Cross, Allen W. Galyean, Henry Main JUNIOR VICE COMMANDERS.
John D. Brewington, Charles H. Freeman, Daniel Van Fleet, Jonathan R. Whitehead.
SURGEONS. Samuel Hackman, Jonathan Ross. CHAPLAINS.
Calvin Cross, Ephraim C. Cross, George W. Smeltzer, Daniel Van Fleet. ADJUTANTS. John D. Brewington, Jonathan Chalfant, John W. Davis. QUARTERMASTERS. John D. Ball, Oscar Rogers, George W. Smeltzer. OFFICERS OF THE DAY. Calvin Cross, Henry Main, John M. Wolford. OFFICERS OF THE GUARD. Levi Johnson, Henry Main. SERGEANT MAJOR. Jonathan R. Whitehead.
QUARTERMASTER SERGEANT. Oscar Rogers.
The records of the Department Assistant Adjutant General at Indianapolis show that this Post surrendered its charter during the first quarter of the year 1888.
The following is believed to be a complete list or roster of all who have been members of this Post. In the several alphabetical lists of soldiers and
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.