Civil War Ancestor

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O. O. Howard
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Civil War Ancestor

Post by O. O. Howard »

My great,great uncle, Harry E. Rulon was an officer in Company B the 114th Pennsylvania. He was a Lieutenant at Gettysburg and was captured on 2nd July. Family legend has it that he threw his sword and pistol down the Sherfy Farm well to avoid surrendering it to the enemy. (True? Who knows?) He spent some time in Libby before being exchanged and rejoining his unit. He was promoted to Captain and was mustered out with the regiment.

Not too long ago I found out that he is one of the officers in this photo. He is the one seated on the right with the boots, broad-brimmed hat and smoking a pipe.

Image

For a long time I had a hard time figuring out what unit he was in. My grandmother had told me about the alleged sword in the well incident from when I was very young, but didn't know his unit. I kept asking and one day she pulled out an ancient piece of paper that had his name on it and said "Pennsylvania Zouabes" (sic). A Zouave captured at Gettysburg was then pretty easy to trace to the Peach Orchard and 114th PA. She said she had known him and that his uniform was still around the house when she was a girl, but that her brothers played with it until it got destroyed. Too bad. A 114th Officer's unifom would have been a nice little item to have handed down through the family! Another brother was in the 68th Pennsylvania. My great, great grandfather and other brothers were just a bit too young, but managed to get into militia units under Couch during Lee's invasion.
estabu2
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Re:Civil War Ancestor

Post by estabu2 »

Nice!!
"It is strange, to have a shell come so near you...you can feel the wind."
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Little Powell
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Re:Civil War Ancestor

Post by Little Powell »

Very, very cool! It's especially cool that you have a picture of him in the field.

Thanks for sharing!
Amish John
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Re:Civil War Ancestor

Post by Amish John »

Yeah, very nice that you can identify a relative in a camp picture. I wonder if the NPS ever explored the Sherfy well (if it can be located). You should contact the park archeologist and ask about it.
You can get farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.
Jim
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Re:Civil War Ancestor

Post by Jim »

I have located two direct line ancestors who were members of the AOP.

- Michael Callahan was in Co G of the 14th Vermont and was with Stannard's brigade at Gettysburg. He suffered a minor wound from artillery shrapnel on July 3rd.

- Charles W. Weaver was in Co A of the 6th Vermont, and was wounded at Chancellorsville and eventually discharged due to permanent damage.

Two brothers of Charles Weaver were also in the War as were a couple of other collateral relatives. All were in Vermont infantry regiments.

-Jim
"My God, if we've not got a cool brain and a big one too, to manage this affair, the nation is ruined forever." Unknown private, 14th Vermont, 2 July 1863
louie raider
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Re:Civil War Ancestor

Post by louie raider »

how freaking COOL is it to not only have a photo of an ancestor in the Civil war, but to have one who fought at Gettysburg, and even to have one who can be identified in a popular period photo? that's too much.

Wish i knew of a photo of Louis Roeder, a private with Wiedrich's Battery -- my only known ancestor (i've already documented my ancestor enough on this board) -- so the hunt continues...
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Little Powell
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Re:Civil War Ancestor

Post by Little Powell »

Louie Raider wrote:
how freaking COOL is it to not only have a photo of an ancestor in the Civil war, but to have one who fought at Gettysburg, and even to have one who can be identified in a popular period photo? that's too much.

Wish i knew of a photo of Louis Roeder, a private with Wiedrich's Battery -- my only known ancestor (i've already documented my ancestor enough on this board) -- so the hunt continues...
So that's where you got the name Louie Raider! Geeze, where have I been. :laugh:
Hancock the Superb
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Re:Civil War Ancestor

Post by Hancock the Superb »

I have a picture of one of my ancestors, the sergent, Harry David Schaffer - but someone spilled coffee on the top of it!
Hancock the Superb
O. O. Howard
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Re:Civil War Ancestor

Post by O. O. Howard »

Hancock the Superb wrote:
I have a picture of one of my ancestors, the sergent, Harry David Schaffer - but someone spilled coffee on the top of it!
What regiment was he in?

Bummer about the coffee on the photo! I am sure a lot of Civil War photos have been destroyed or damaged in similar ways over the years.
Kerflumoxed
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Re:Civil War Ancestor

Post by Kerflumoxed »

Checking and finding ancestors is always a great delight and fun to share with others. Accordingly, there are two "cousins" that some may consider noteworthy:

1. Major John Marshall Hanger served on J.E.B. Stuart's staff and postwar as ambass. to Bermuda.

2. Colonel Wm. Smith Hanger Baylor, Stonewall Bridage, KIA 2nd Manassas while leading a charge. Said to have been one T.J. Jackson's favorite Colonels.

Altogether there were over 30 Hanger's who fought for the south with several who migrated out of the Valley of Virgina and served with the north. According to geneoligists (SP), all the Hangers originated with two brothers who migrated from Germany during the 1750s as part of the Penn. Dutch and then moved to Augusta County.

Sorry if I bored any of you.

Jack Hanger
Fremont, NE
Jack Hanger
Fremont, NE
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"Boys, if we have to stand in a straight line as stationary targets for the Yankees to shoot at, this old Texas Brigade is going to run like hell!" J. B. Poley, 4th Texas Infantry, Hood's Texas Brigade
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