genealogy stories

Our final ancestor story this week comes from the Civil War pension application papers of my 2nd great granduncle (brother of my great great grandfather), John Bowman Smith.

John B. Smith was born on 12 September 1836 and baptized on the 18th at Basford, Northamptonshire, England, the oldest of 7. He arrived in the U.S. at the port of Philadelphia with his mother and 2 younger siblings aboard the North Star on 15 December 1841 at age 5, joining their father who had likely come a year before. The family lived for a time in Potter, Yates County, New York before moving to Huntington County, Illinois by 1850. The Smith family later moved to Michigan. John B. joined the Union army twice. First on 20 August 1861 at Saugatuck, Michigan, where he joined the 6th Michigan Infantry Company M. He mustered out on 17 July 1862. He joined again on 27 August 1863 in South Haven, Michigan, this time in the 3rd Michigan Calvary Company C. He mustered out on 1 February 1866. Later that month, he married Sarah Augusta Willard in Monroe County, Michigan. They resided there until acquiring 80 acres of property up in the northern wilds of Wexford County, Michigan. Here they lived out their lives, having at least four children. John B. died on 23 February 1923 in Cherry Grove.

Life was far from easy for John, particularly with ill health due to injuries and ongoing disease he experienced from his time as a Union soldier. In hopes of finding where the Smith family originated in England (you try finding one particular John Smith in England in the 1800s!), I ordered John B.’s pension application from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). If you are searching for an ancestor who received a pension for military service, this can be an excellent resource for first hand information about their life and movements.

Unfortunately for me, my Uncle John simply recorded his birthplace as “Ingland” and I had to do many additional years of work to actually find his birthplace of Basford. However, I did get the following story of his injuries from his doctor’s affidavit.

That the said John B. Smith while in the line of his duty at Leaf River in the State of Mississippi became disabled in the following manner. That while in the act of loading one of the Pontoon Boats on a wagon used for that purpose, the pontoon boat had been raised up to place it on the hind end of the wagon wich [sic] stood on the sloping ground and very muddy it being just after a rain storm, the pontoon boat had been raised so as to partly rest on the hind wheel of the wagon, the feet of the men on the down hill side gave way on account of the mud and the weight of the boat crowding on them as was slipping off the wheel obliged the men to let go of the pontoon boat to save themselves and in doing so it threw the whole weight of that part of the pontoon boat on said John B. Smith who stood with one shoulder under the pontoon boat. The pontoon boat in falling to the ground crashed John B. Smith beneath it injuring him in the back and hips and rendering him helpless and insensable [sic], that said John B. Smith was taken away and had to be carried in an ambulance to Baton Rouge Mississippi, this occurred near the middle of the month of May A.D. 1865 while the regiment was on its way from Mobile, Ala. to Baton Rouge Mississippi.

Neal D. Ford, 1889

John B. Smith supported this story with his own account:

I John B. Smith was a private in Co G 6 Michigan Vols was hurt in left hip & back while drilling with forty pounds heft in my knapsack in a sham fite on ship island in the gulf of mexico in march or april 1862 then in July 1862 was taken with the cronic diaree at baton rouge La & was discharged on a count of diaree & general disability. I find their is a mistake in the date of my beaing taken with the diaree it should be in 1862 instead of 1863 & then in august the 15th 1863 they began to draft men & I was fealing quite smart & offerd to inlist to get others to go but suposed of cors when I came to be examin that I would be thrown out but the doctor that examoned me just loocked at me & left & said I would pass for the cavlry & so I was put in Co C 3 Michigan Cavlry staid with them until I was hurt at leaf river altho many times was reduced verry low with the diarhee & my hip beaing weak was often keppt on my hors to go out an a scout until aprile on or about the 15th or 20th. I was hurt wile helpping to take a pontoon out of leaf river I was the tallest one out of 8 that was trying to lift the end next to the river on the wagon & the other 7 stept up under the corner & they all slipt off the log togather & crushed me down & ingerd my hip again so that it is verry lame at times in changable weather I cant get out of bed without something to take old of to help myself neither can I do heavy lifting & it as affected my left leg so that any one can see that i am lame by seeing me walk at quite a distance & about my beaing sun struck I was sun struck on the 4th of July 1864 I was sun struck out on the purary wile on general review so bad that I was excused from all duty except hors gard at night until late in the fall & it afects me so yet that I can’t work in the hot sun I was examaned for lameness in hip & back & diarhee & piles & sunstroke first twist at reed city & twist at cadillac I was cent to baton rouge La from leaf river to the post hospital & came verry near dying with the constipation of the bowels so the docters ad to give me Croten oil & I was their untill their was an order to muster out all dismounted cavelry & the docters all said I was foolish to leave with out first applying for a pension but I was to proud & thought that I would suport myself as long as i could & now I can’t find the docters that was at the post hospital at that time & the detale that was left to take the pontoons out of leaf river was all entyre strangers to me & so I can’t get their affidavid & the docter was a citizen & I can’t find out who he was or wair he lives so if you want any other explanation in regard to my pension I will be glad to give it at any time respectfuly John B. Smith

John B. Smith, 1887

The Smith men were known for being tall, and despite his lameness John was the tallest of the eight man detail on the Leaf River and in charge of lifting one side of the pontoon while all seven of the other men lifted the other, and he was crushed.

We hope you enjoyed this week’s look at interesting ancestral stories! Want to find your own family’s stories? See https://weavingthetapestrygenealogy.com/feature-1/ for more information!

When you’re working on someone’s ancestry, some people just stick out. Such is the case of James Sexton, born about 1833 in Kentucky and living in Lincoln, Nebraska later in life. A veteran of the Mexican-American war who later in life lost his legs to frost bite, Old Kaintucky Jim was as good a man as ever walked on soil or sod, was none too steady on his wooden legs when sober, and thought nothing of keeping the company of a black woman despite being white himself, or driving home drunk in his horse-drawn cart. While Jim certainly wouldn’t have made an ideal neighbor, he is an entertaining character to follow. These newspaper clippings speak better to Jim than I ever could, so see them below!