Great Great Great Uncle George civil war veteran

[t walgamuth]

I got an email from my second cousin today with some information about my second cousin about my Great Great Great Uncle George Wolgamuth who was a civil war veteran. My cousin says that George was born in 1852 so would have been only about ten when the war broke out. My cousin thought that was impossible but I am wondering if he could have been a drummer?

Also George was over six feet tall at a time when most men were a head shorter than that so perhaps he joined late at age 13 or 14.

Thoughts from the civil war buffs?

[Mike D]

No records of it. The closest I could find. Perhaps the birth date was wrong?

Indiana State Digital Archives

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by Mike D

No records of it. The closest I could find. Perhaps the birth date was wrong?

Indiana State Digital Archives

Cool! Was he 26 when he mustered out?

I believe you are right, my cousin must have his birth date wrong. He died in 1919 or 20 and I remember his age to have been around 80 from the grave marker.

As an interesting aside, my dad told me George had gotten Malaria while in service and had tried all his life to get disability payments for it. Dad said he was approved to receive it and received the letter stating such a short time after he died. (Some things never change....a vet getting the shaft from the Gov.)

[Mike D]

26 when he enlisted. It puts the age about right. Born in '36 or so and death in the late 'teens would put him in his early 80's. Pretty good considering the malaria. Ties in his having malaria being a "mule-skinner".

[t walgamuth]

How do you know he was a mule skinner? Why would that tie into malaria, please?

[engatwork]

Who's side was he on Tom?

[Mike D]

Read the record. Wagoner (mis-spelling of "wagoneer"), mustered out in 1863, released from service in 06-'65 when hostilities ceased.

Large quantities of dray animals require massive amounts of feed and water. Prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Logical assumption but basically I'm just guessing. Malaria isn't exactly common in Indiana.

[t walgamuth]

Gotcha, I saw the wagoner and thought it was someone's name.

The Malaria may have been contracted in the south where the fighting mainly was. I see he mustered out in Tennessee.

Thanks again for taking the time to help me figure out Ol' Uncle George!

[Mike D]

De nada, I have an interest in Indiana history. I grew up there. My family moved to the Channelburg area in 1821 and have been spreading through out the state ever since. Much like malaria.

[Pooka]

Malaria was fairly common in the US at one time. Houston was once a big swamp and had a terrible malaria problem. The LA river was channeled so water would flow all the time since mosquitos cannot lay eggs in flowing water.

I can remember seeing trucks in Fort Worth spraying DDT in order to combat malaria. That was from the late 50's to the early 60's.

During the 50's it was common to see posters at the Post Office reminding you to drain standing water and to not let water collect in old tires and such.

Bottom line... It must have been everywhere.

[Mike D]

Just a bit of difference between Warsaw (Indiana) and Houston's climate zones. You MIGHT, and I stress MIGHT have seen a rare occurrence down along the Ohio River valley but I think Tom has it right with his guess about Tennessee.

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by engatwork

Who's side was he on Tom?

the union. Indiana you know.

[t walgamuth]

He's buried near South Whitley where my dad grew up. There are two very old graveyards (for this part of the country) with Walgamuths dating back to a generation or two before O'l George.... they came here from the Lancaster valley in PA and before that Nurenburg Germany.

[Mike D]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

the union. Indiana you know.

Indiana is kind of a strange state. They were extremely anti-slavery yet they were one of the strongholds for the KKK. I dunno, doesn't seem logical but there it is.

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by Mike D

Indiana is kind of a strange state. They were extremely anti-slavery yet they were one of the strongholds for the KKK. I dunno, doesn't seem logical but there it is.

Yeah, pretty strange....but a friend growing up who's dad was a physics professor at DePauw University used to say in Indiana the democrats are so conservative you cannot tell them from republicans without a score card.