Military Monday-Gaskill Civil War Files

After a few speed bumps, and following some advice from Heather Rojo, I  received Everett Gaskill’s Compiled Military Service Record and his pension file from NARA.

The CMSR confirmed the basics of what I found online, but it did have more detail.  He received a bounty payment of $100 for a one-year enlistment.  He only served about 6 months because the War ended.  He mustered out at Fort Berry, VA, not even six miles from where I currently live.

His pension file had much more information.  Now I know why everyone gets so excited when they get these records. 

The first thing I noticed is that he had some difficulty getting his pension approved, but maybe every applicant had to go through the same thing.  He was rejected once after an application in August 1912, but then in January 1913, notarized paperwork was submitted and a tracing of his signature was furnished by the War Department.  He was approved for a pension of $15 per month.  Then again in July 1915, he resubmitted paperwork, perhaps to get an increase, because there followed an approval for an increase to $18 per month, effective July 1915. 

I’m sure it’s the applications that get everyone so excited.    It confirms his birth and marriage places and dates, the name of his wife, Mary E. Hinds, and indicated she died in 1897. It also had the names and birth dates of his children.  Additionally, it indicated there was no official or church record of his marriage--the certificate was lost in a fire.  No point in searching for that!  It confirmed Mary Etta had not been previously married.  It also gave the specific date, March 12, 1868, he moved from Owego, NY to Emporium, PA, meaning he was in Emporium for three years before his marriage back in New York.  I originally thought Everett followed the Hinds family to Emporium, but it seems to be the reverse—his in-laws followed them to Emporium. 

The final piece of information confirmed by the file was his death date of December 16, 1916.  He must have been paid quarterly as there was a notice of a returned check for $54 dated March 4, 1917.  The check was returned by the Postmaster with the information that he had died.

One thing I wasn’t able to confirm was whether or not he was a drummer boy.  The age of 19 seems old for that role, so I was hoping for a clue.  One clue that did come out of this led me to a peripheral story I’ll post on Thursday.

Seeing all this genealogical information made me sad that my great-great grandfather, Erastus Murray, was rejected after enlistment and never served in the Civil War.  When I think what I would have learned from pension papers to enable me to get past that brick wall in my research, well….

Gaskill, Part 2-Witchy Woman

Yesterday I took the Gaskills from Pennsylvania back in time to New York.  Today we head to New England.  Richmond, New Hampshire specifically.  Or what almost became Richmond, Vermont.  Curious?  When we look back at the American Revolution, it can be easy to think of it as a point in time, a single event with the unvarying support of aggrieved colonists and resulting in the simple straight-forward creation and acceptance of The Constitution. History lovers know there is always more to the story. In this case, before states’ rights became a prominent issue, there was the issue of towns’ rights.

The History of the Town of Richmond, Cheshire County, New Hampshire by William Bassett, published in 1884, provided me with some genealogical information on Silas and Wilder Gaskill, as well as providing a snapshot of the times.  In 1781, just eight years before my Gaskills move to New York, there was a considerable amount of turmoil as the new nation began to face the practicalities of governing.  There were a variety of proposals concerning state boundaries affecting the town of Richmond, along with some other New Hampshire towns.  One option was the creation of a state called New Connecticut, but this was not supported by the bordering states or Congress.  On March 19, 1781, responding to an invitation from Vermont, the Town of Richmond voted to secede from New Hampshire and join Vermont.  My great-great-great-great-grandfather, Silas Gaskill, was one of the chosen representatives to meet with the Vermont General Assembly.   However, New Hampshire had not given up its jurisdiction and, although there was some violence and lingering animosities between towns and the state, the seceding towns were eventually excluded from Vermont.  There continued to be political disputes until 1783 when Richmond finally voted to accept the state constitution.  Then in 1788, a convention was held for ratification of the Federal constitution.  Jonathan Gaskill, Silas’ brother was Richmond’s representative and one of those who voted against ratification.  Well, New Hampshire did ratify the Constitution and within a year, Silas and some family members had departed for New York.  And in 1790, Jonathan committed suicide.  Whether this was politically, financially (or otherwise) driven is unknown, but Jonathan did die insolvent.

But, what of Silas before New Hampshire?  It is likely he arrived and helped settled Richmond around 1765, having departed Cumberland, Rhode Island with his new wife Sarah Jillson.  I’ll fast-reverse now to Silas’ father, Jonathan, who moved from Salem or Mendon, MA to Cumberland.  Jonathan was born in Salem, MA in 1704 to Samuel Gaskill and Bethiah Woodin.  You can probably guess where this is headed.  Samuel’s father, who was also named Samuel, was born in 1663, and his mother was Provided Southwick, born in 1641.  That brings us to the next story.  Samuel senior had become a Quaker and, with the Puritans persecution of Quakers, became intimately involved in the Salem Witch Trials.  Abigail Soames (Somes) was living in his home, as house guest or housekeeper isn’t clear to me, but what is clear is that she was arrested and indicted for witchcraft:

To Constable peter Osgood  

     You are in theire Majest's names hereby required to apprehen and forthwith bring before us Abigaile Soames Single Woman, now Liveing at the house of Sam'l Gaskill in Salem; who stand accused of Sundry acts of #[Sundry] Witchcraft, (or high suspition there of) donne or Committed by her Lately. on the Body of Mary Warren & faile not
Dated Salem, May the 13'th 1692 P us *John Hathorne Assis't
*Jonathan. Corwin Assis't

(Reverse)  Abigaile Soames

I heave Aprehended the person of  Abigall Soams Acordinge to warrante exprest on the other side and heave broughte hir to the how of mr Thomas Beadles pr me *Peter Osgood Constable in Selem

May the 13; 1692
(Essex County Archives, Salem -- Witchcraft Vol. 2 Page 50 ) 

Of all the things I’ve come across in my family research, I am most proud of this-- Samuel and his wife Provided signed a petition in defense of John Proctor and his wife, both accused of witchcraft:

We whose names are under witten havinge several yeares knowne John Procter and his wife do testefy that we never heard or understood that they were ever suspected to be guilty of the crime now charged apon them and several of us being their neare neighbours do testefy that to our aprehension they lived christian life in their famely and were ever ready to helpe such as stood in need of their helpe

      Nathaniel Felton sen: and mary his wife
      Samuel Marsh and Prescilla his wife
      James Houlton and Ruth his wife
      John Felton
      Nathaniel Felton jun
      Samuell Frayll and an his wife
      Zachriah Marsh and mary his wife
      Samuel Endecott and hanah his wife
      Samuell Stone
      George Locker
      Samuel Gaskil & provided his wife
      George Smith
      Ed Edward: Gaskile
 ( Essex County Archives, Salem -- Witchcraft Vol. 1 Page 28 ) 

from:  Charles W. Upham, Salem Witchcraft, With an Account of Salem Village and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Spirits (1867)

As always, I find I have a lot of gaps to fill in, but Samuel’s father, Edward (Gaskill/Gascoine), born in 1603 in Stafford, England, died 1690 in Salem (probably not the Edward on the list above) leaves me at my initial goal for the finding the first Gaskill of my line to immigrate to America.

P.S.  Edward Gaskill married Sarah Parker [9/18/2011: Additional research indicates there is no confirming source for the Parker name for Sarah].  I can't help but recall the first episode of WDYTYA when Sarah Jessica Parker finds ancestors involved in the Salem Witch Trials.  Just sayin'.

GASKILL, Part 1-You Are My Shining Star

Perna Gaskill, 1886

Both my maternal grandparents died before I was born.  Maybe that’s why so much information was lost on that side.  My maternal grandmother was Perna Mae Gaskill, born in 1884 in Emporium, PA.  We share middle names.  I’m sure Pernie was a fascinating woman, but I will be forever grateful my parents had the foresight not to give me her first name.  Although I never met her, in my mind she is the relative I imagine I am most like.  Some of it is just coincidence--Perna took over the family publishing and printing business after her husband died when she was 52.  I retired recently from a career in the printing industry.  My grandfather suffered from "sick headaches", which we now call migraines.  My husband is debilitated by them.  Some of it could be genetic, I suppose--Perna was Independent-minded (which I think I am, or stubborn, depending on who you ask).  She was an early proponent of Planned Parenthood and birth control and was an avid admirer of Margaret Sanger.  It was as controversial then as it has become now, though it surely was harder then for a woman to be outspoken.  (In the US, women didn't have the right to vote until Perna was 26.)  As I would learn during my research, the Gaskills have a history of speaking out and standing up for their beliefs, but we’ll get to that in due time.

My great-grandfather, Everett Gaskill, born in 1845, died in 1916 before my mother was born, so yet another gap where some history was lost.  My mom had heard he was a drummer boy during the Civil War, but knew nothing else of his life or family, not even where he was from.  I was able to confirm he was a Private in the 15^th Regiment of the New York Engineers from January 30, 1865 to June 13, 1865 and the census records led me from Pennsylvania to New York.

The census research census research helped me find his parents, James and Elizabeth Gaskill in Tioga, NY.  I also found some amusing census records in 1870 where Everett became Ever Ettie the housekeeper.  But the census wouldn’t help me find James’ parents because it meant going to 1840 or earlier and therefore had head-of-household names to review.   So I started my mad Googling of the name Gaskill and Tioga, New York.  I turned up the 1785-1888 Historical Gazetteer of Tioga County, NY.  I found a town by the name of Gaskill’s Corners, NY and I found listings of a Silas Gaskill and sons Joseph, Wilder, and Uriah.

Those names provided just the fuel I needed to continue. Apparently the Gaskills married into some prominent New England families and I found a treasure trove of historical reference books and genealogical family histories.  It sure looked like James’ parents were Wilder Gaskill and Mary Studwell, but I was somewhat reluctant to accept these histories without more evidence.  Eventually, with the help of the Tioga, NY Historical Society, I recently received more information, including a copy of Wilder’s will.  James was there, so now I had a document with the link to Wilder.

Moving backward in time from James, much research had been done, but there were stories along the way which I found interesting—the little glimpses into the past that make the names and dates all real.  In 1789, Wilder had moved to New York from Richmond, NH, along with his father, Silas and his brothers, Joseph and Uriah.  They were early settlers in Tioga, NY and were involved in governing the community. In 1800, Silas and Wilder were both elected pathmasters (responsible for keeping the trails clear) in Tioga.  And while in Tioga, Silas and Wilder witnessed what was probably a meteor.  Meteors were not well-known phenomena until the middle of the 19th century.  This sighting came at a time when scientists were challenging previously accepted explanations for what we now commonly call shooting stars.  In a sign of the impact of the Age of Enlightenment, the author of the newspaper article looked to science rather than superstition for the explanation:

Posted with permission, source provider: GenealogyBank.com

Tomorrow: GASKILL-The earlier years, New England