During the course of researching Calistoga history, I discovered that I had accumulated a surprising amount of information related to American Civil War veterans buried in Calistoga's Pioneer Cemetery.  Other Civil War veterans who are not buried in the cemetery, also made their mark on this town's history, and deserve to be remembered.  This website is my small attempt to honor and preserve the memory of those soldiers and sailors who offered their service in one of the darkest times in our country's history.

   Research still continues, so this website should be considered a work in progress.  I will update it as new information becomes available.  Please scroll down to view the website content, or click on a link at left to jump to a topic.  If anyone reading this has additional information on Civil War soldiers or sailors who lived in Calistoga, I would love to hear from you!  There is always room for improvement here!

Dean Enderlin
Calistoga, Napa County, CA

To date, I have found 24 Civil War veterans in Calistoga's Pioneer Cemetery (23 confirmed Union).  This list is believed to be complete.  Arranged below, in alphabetical order, are biographies, obituaries and military service information for each.  You can view the biographical information by scrolling down, or by clicking the link to a name in the "quick index" below.

Daniel Bentley's G.A.R. badges.
Badge Serial No.
 V66807 (Mfr'd 1882)

Daniel Morgan Bentley

1825 - 1903
Rank:  Private

Myron Elmore Billings

1836 - 1918
Rank:  Captain (Brevet Lieutenant Colonel)

Notes:  Native of Booneville, Oneida County, New York, born 8 July 1837.  1900:  Attorney living in Kalama, Washington. 1910: Attorney living on Main St. (now Foothill Blvd.) in Calistoga.  According to I. C. Adams, he purchased the Francis house (old Calistoga Hospital) at the corner of Spring and Myrtle Streets after the death of J. H. Francis.  Billings kept his law office there until his death in 1918.  His widow sold the property, and moved to Oakland.
  He was reportedly a member of the Iowa Legion of Honor.  At Calistoga, he was an active member of Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, G.A.R., and served as it's Post Commander from 1908 to 1911.
   He died of pneumonia in Calistoga on 4 November 1918, and was buried in the G.A.R. plot (Section 1, Block D) of Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery on 8 November 1918.

Military Information:  Union.  Myron Billings has one of the most complex service records of any of Calistoga's Civil War veterans.  He first joined the 2nd Minnesota Sharpshooters company (attached to the 1st Minnesota Infantry regiment).  He enlisted 16 December 1861, at the age of 25.  Residence Preston, Fillmore County, Minnesota.  The regiment was attached for a time to the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters (commanded by Colonel Hiram Berdan) until 30 May 1862.  Then attached to the 1st Minnesota Infantry as Company "L."  Rank in:  5th Sergeant.  Rank out:  Sergeant.  Received medical discharge on 12 July 1863, on account of shrapnel wounds received in the foot during the Battle of Antietam (17 September 1862).  He was one of twenty sharpshooters wounded at Antietam in the first ten minutes of battle.

  He recovered from his disability, and in spite of his wounds, made efforts to rejoin the Army.  According to an 1883 biography, after his recovery, he raised a company and re-enlisted in the 2nd Minnesota Cavalry, reportedly commissioned First Lieutenant.  I could find no record of this service.

  He then enlisted as a Private in the 5th Iowa Cavalry on 1 February 1864, and was mustered into Company "L" on 17 February.  The roster lists him as a native of New York, age 27, resident of Winneshiek County, Iowa.  The Iowa roster notes that he was discharged for promotion as Second Lieutenant to the 16th U.S. Colored Infantry (Source:   Roster and Record of Iowa Troops in the Rebellion, Vol. 4, 1908-1911).  There is no record of him having served as an officer in the 16th U.S. Colored Infantry.  He did, however, transfer for promotion to a colored regiment, as noted below.
   While serving in the 5th Iowa Cavalry regiment, he reportedly applied for reinstatement of his commission as an Infantry officer in the Regular Army.  His application was accepted and he was awarded a commission as an officer in Company "A" of the 115th U.S. Colored Infantry on 5 October 1864.  As was typical of the time, the colored regiments were commanded by white officers.  Rank in:  Full 2nd Lieutenant.  Rank out:  Full 2nd Lieutenant.

   He transferred (for promotion to Full Captain) to Company "C" of the 120th U.S. Colored Infantry on 28 February 1865.  The regiment was assigned to garrison and guard duty in the Department of Kentucky.  The 120th was discontinued in June 1865, at which time he received orders to transfer to the 125th U.S. Colored Infantry.  He chose to resign from the 120th U.S. Colored Infantry on 12 July 1865.  Rank in:  Full Captain.  Rank out:  Full Captain  (Brevet Lieutenant Colonel).  His headstone lists his rank as Major (possibly the rank he held in his post-war service in the JAG Corps).  His commissioned rank during the Civil War was never higher than Captain.  The full text on the military headstone, located in the GAR Plot at Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery is:  MAJOR | M. E. BILLINGS | 120. U.S. VOL.

   He is listed as "Myron E. Billings" on the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C.  The memorial was developed by the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation and Museum, and is now managed by the National Park Service.  Billings appears in the rosters of both the 115th and 120th U.S. Colored Infantry regiments on the memorial.
  Additional information on the 5th Iowa Cavalry (including biographical information on Myron E. Billings and other members of the regiment) can be found at the Scriptorium Novum website.  Highly recommended!
   Myron E. Billings applied for and received a veterans disability pension on 17 April 1876 (application no. 217452, cert. no. 255603).  Service on the pension death index card was listed as 2 Lt., Co. A, 115 U.S.C. Inf.; Co. L, 5 Ia. Cav.; Co. C, 120 U.S.C. Inf.; 2nd Co. Minn. S.S.; and Co. L, 1 U.S. Vol. S.S.  Date of death was noted as 4 November 1918 at Calistoga, Calif.

Louis (Lewis) Burger

c.1834 - 1908
Rank:  Private

   Louis Barger [sic], a veteran of the civil war, died at the county infirmary yesterday.  He was a native of Germany and aged seventy-three years.  The remains were brought here by County Undertaker M. Moran and were buried in the Calistoga cemetery this afternoon.

Notes:  Native of Saxony, Germany.  Little is known about him.  Louis Burger's obituary indicates he died in Napa on 10 September 1908, and was buried in Calistoga on 11 September.  He died in a period in time when the remains of some deceased persons from the County Infirmary (in Napa) were being shipped to Calistoga for burial.  It is possible that he never actually resided in Calistoga.  There were apparently no family members available to see to the proper burial of Burger's remains, so the County authorized Calistoga mortician and undertaker, Michael Moran, to handle the matter.  Burger is buried in the G.A.R. plot in the Calistoga cemetery, so the G.A.R. must have also been involved with the arrangements.
   A Louis Burger, who was enumerated in the 1900 census under the household of his wife, Sarah A. Burger, in Oakland, Alameda County, California, is not the same individual as this soldier.  The former appears in Oakland in the 1910 census as Louis P. Berger.
   He died at the County Infirmary in Napa on 10 September 1908, and was buried in the G.A.R. plot (Section 1, Block D) at Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery on 11 September 1908.  His military headstone is inscribed as follows:  LOUIS BURGER | CO. I. | 1 U.S. ART.

Military Information:  Union.  Regular Army.  His name is listed as Lewis Burger in the roster for Battery I of the 1st U.S. Light Artillery.  He reenlisted (his second enlistment) in Battery I of the 1st U.S. Artillery at New York City on 8 April 1861.  Previously, Burger had served in Company B of the 6th U.S. Infantry.  At the time of reenlistment, he was described as age 27, native of Saxony, Germany, occupation soldier, eyes gray, hair red, complexion florid, height 5' 5 1/4".  He was discharged for disability at Fortress Monroe on 19 January 1863, rank Private.
   Battery I was assigned to the Army of the Potomac until May of 1865.  The battery engaged in battles at Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness.  It reportedly suffered heavy losses at Bull Run and Gettysburg.  Battery I was present at Appomattox Courthouse when Lee surrendered.

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Battery I
1st U.S. Light Artillery (Regular Army)

Pre-Civil War Service:
Company B
6th U.S. Infantry

Reese (Reece) Clark
1844 - 1921
Rank:  Bugler

HON. REESE CLARK HAS PASSED AWAY
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Well-Known Attorney and Citizen Died Wednesday
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   Hon. Reese Clark, well-known attorney and former legislator, died at his home in Calistoga on Wednesday night, death being due to kidney trouble.
   Mr. Clark, in his younger days, enjoyed a lucrative law practice in Woodland and later in San Francisco, and was connected with some of the most prominent criminal cases in the State.  His entire life has been an eventful one, full of romance and change.  He was a self-made man, as the tale of his career will disclose.  He was born in Missouri on November 19, 1847, while his parents were emigrating westward in search of a new home, in company with a large party; many of the number were killed by Indians, while others perished from exposure and hardships.  Among the number who died on the plains were the father, mother, and brother of Mr. Clark.  A relief party rescued the few who survived the horrors of that terrible trip.  The relief party brought the rescued into Oregon, and young Clark was placed in charge of a man named Besketh, who, at a very tender age, put the lad to the dangerous labor of riding the horses of the place, which, as a rule, were broken and managed only with extreme difficulty.  In 1857 young Clark's master took offense and flogged him severely, whereupon the spirited boy ran away, and going some twenty miles, fell in with a man with a pack mule bound for Yreka.  He joined the traveler and reached the California town in safety, where he worked at such odd jobs as he could secure, mainly serving trading parties, until late in the year, 1860.  The opportunity offering, he went to Jocksonville [Jacksonville], Ore., and enlisted as a bugler in the First Oregon Cavalry, Company A.  Here his training in horsemanship served him well.  He served in the command on the frontier for three years, and in 1863 was honorably discharged.  He then bought a pony and struck out for the Idaho mines, was successful in his venture, and sold out for a good sum and returned to Oregon.  Up to this time Mr. Clark could neither read nor write.  But he resolved to remedy these omissions, and attended the Bethel College for two years studying with untiring diligence and advancing with great rapidity.  He then engaged in merchandising in Polk county, Ore., and continued in it until 1875, when he met with reverses and lost all of his little fortune, except about a thousand dollars.  With this left he struck out for Winters, Yolo county, in this State, where he engaged in the retail grocery and liquor business.  At all possible leisure, he pursued his studies, and took to reading law, and with such diligence and intelligence that he was admitted to the bar by the Superior Court in 1878, and to the bar of the Supreme Court in 1884.  In the meantime, he moved to Woodland, the county seat, and entered upon the practice of his profession.  By reason of his diligence, natural ability and strong purpose, Mr. Clark soon won an enviable place in the esteem of the people and enjoyed a large and lucrative practice for years.
   In 1890 he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Assemblyman from Yolo county.  He was the choice of the people, but not of the bosses, and they turned him down in the convention.  Such a strong appeal was made to him to run anyway that he came out as an independent candidate and was triumphantly elected, receiving almost as many votes as the Republican and Democratic nominees combined.
   Mr. Clark came here about fifteen years ago to make his home, but for a time kept his law office in San Francisco, where he had extensive business in the courts.  His health failing a few years ago caused him to retire from active practice and enjoy the fruits of a useful and well-spent life.
   Mr. Clark was twice married, his first wife having passed away many years ago.  By that union there were three son[s], viz:  Henry, Jay and George Clark; by the second marriage there are five children -- Joseph R., Charles F. Clark, Mrs. Daisy Rathke, Benjamin H. and Robert R. Clark.  All the children and the second wife survive.
   The funeral was held from his late home today and was strictly private.  Interment was made in the Calistoga cemetery.

Notes:   He was a native of Missouri, born 19 November 1844.  His parents were Benjamin Clark and Tabitha Sanders.  The above obituary paints a clear picture of the amazing life's accomplishments of this man.  My notes below draw from the above biographical information, supplementing it with primary source data where available.
   Reese appears as "Reese Clark" in the 1850 census in Macon County, Missouri, living in the household of his parents, Benjamin and Tabitha Clark.  Reese was listed as age 7, born in Missouri.  There were four other Clark children in the household:  William E., Esther A., John P., and Erial.  Benjamin was listed as age 31, farmer, native of Kentucky.  Tabitha was listed as age 30, also native of Kentucky.
   According to his obituary, Reese's parents brought him across the plains when he was young, but they died enroute to Oregon, leaving Reese as an orphan.  The "History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea," published in 1928, provides some clues to the hardships of the Clark family in crossing the plains, noting in a brief account that the family (consisting of the parents, three boys and a girl) left Missouri and crossed the plains in 1852.  The parents, Benjamin and Tabitha, died of cholera on the trail in Idaho.  One of the children (John P.) also never completed the journey.
   Besides Reese, the family survivers of the tragedy were Reese's brothers, William and Erial Clark, and their sister, Esther (Hester) Clark.  A rescue party was able to bring Reese and the other survivors to Oregon, where Reese was placed in the custody of a rancher named "Besketh" (possibly Lemuel D. Beckett, who had been captain of a wagon train to Oregon in 1852).  Reese reportedly left Besketh in 1857, after an incident in which the lad was beaten by the latter.  Clark then sojourned in the vicinity of Yreka, California, until returning to Oregon in 1860.  In the 1860 census for Gold precinct, Polk County, Oregon, "Rice Clark" (Reese?) was enumerated under the household of "W. E. Clark."  The former was working as a laborer on the farm, age 18, native of Missouri.  The head of household (probably Reese's older brother, William E.) was listed as a native of Missouri, age 25.  Reese remained in Oregon into the fall of 1861, when he joined the 1st Oregon Cavalry at Jacksonville.
  After his discharge in 1863, Clark explored a variety of pursuits, including mining in Idaho, a mercantile business, and personal education.  In Polk County Oregon on 20 November 1867, he married Mary E. Richardson, daughter of William and Sarah Richardson (information courtesy Joni Brown, 2012).  To this marriage were born four children:  Henry, Nellie, Jay and George.
   In 1870, "Reece Clark" was living in Polk County, Oregon (Monmouth post office), where he appeared in the census as a merchant, age 23, born in Missouri.  His real estate was valued at $12, and his personal estate at $700.  His wife was named Mary (age 22, born in Illinois), and their household included a one-year-old son, Henry.  Mary died around 1875, at which time Reese moved to Yolo County, California.  He first settled in Winters, later moving to the Yolo County seat at Woodland.  On 17 November 1876, at Cottonwood in Yolo County, Clark married Florence Luella Smith, daughter of Daniel W. and Sarah A. Smith of Winters.
   The family appears in the 1880 census in Woodland, Yolo County, California, where Reese was listed in the census as "R. Clark," age 34, born in Oregon, occupation lawyer.  His wife was Florence (age 21).  Children in the household were Henry (age 11), Nellie (age 9), son Jay (age 7), George (age 5), and son Jo (age 1).
   The Clark family was still living in Woodland in 1900.  In the census for that year, "Reese Clark" is listed as an attorney at law, born November 1844 in Missouri, parents both born in Kentucky.  He had been married 21 years to his wife, "Florence S.," born September 1857 in Iowa.  Florence was listed as the mother of eight children, five still living.  Others living in the household were their sons George Clark (b. Jan. 1875 in Ore.), Joseph R. Clark (b. Oct. 1879 in Calif.), and Charlie Clark (b. March 1881 in Calif.), daughter Daisy E. (b. Dec. 1885 in Calif.), son Benjamin H. (b. March 1889 in Calif.), and son Reese (b. July 1888 in Calif.).  Reese Clark's sister-in-law, Maggie M. Smith, was also living in the household.
   Around 1906, the Clark family moved to Calistoga.  They where enumerated here in the 1910 census, living on Main Street (now Foothill Boulevard) next door to Angus P. Mefford (my granduncle).  "Reese Clark" was listed as an attorney, age 64, born in Missouri.  His wife, Florence L. (age 52, b. in Iowa) and son "Reese Jr." (age 18), were the other members of his household.  Florence was listed as the mother of eight children, five still living.  The census indicates that this was the first marriage for both Reese and Florence, noting that he was 33 and she was 23 when they married.  This was actually Reese's second marriage.  It was also noted that Reese was not a veteran, although it is known that he was one.
   Reese and his family were still in Calistoga in the 1920 census.  They were living on Main Street (Foothill Boulevard) on their own ranch.  Reece was listed as age 75, born in Missouri.  The others in his household were his wife, Florence (age 61), son Benjamin H. (age 22) and three grandchildren, George E. (age 9), Harry B. (age 7), and Lurline (age 1 year and 6 months).
   Reese Clark continued to practice law in Calistoga and San Francisco until a few years before his death.  He died in Calistoga on 25 May 1921, and was buried at Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery in Section 1, Block B, Lot 6a.  His age at death was officially recorded as 73, but he was most likely 77 years old.  His wife, Florence Luella (a native of Waverly, Bremer County, Iowa, born 9 September 1857/8), relocated to Oakland where she died on 5 January 1924.  They are buried together at Calistoga's Pioneer Cemetery.
   Fraternally, Reese Clark was a member of the Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, G.A.R., and Capay Lodge, No. 230, I.O.O.F.  He probably had other lodge affiliations that I have not discovered.

Military Information:  Union.  He enlisted at the age of 19 as a Private at Jacksonville, Oregon, on 21 November 1861, and was mustered into Company A of the 1st Oregon Cavalry regiment.  He was promoted to Bugler on 11 December 1862.  He is named in the roster of the "Baker Guards," which was the first cavalry company raised in southern Oregon at the beginning of the Civil War.  According to the History of Southern Oregon (published by A. G. Walling, 1883), the Baker Guards were named in honor of Senator Baker of Oregon.  The company was raised during a recruiting campaign at Jacksonville, Oregon, in the fall of 1861.  Most of the recruits were residents of Jackson County.  The company numbered about 80 men, and was garrisoned at Camp Baker, near Phoenix, Oregon.  The above history also notes that the "privates received thirteen dollars per month 'and found,' and in case that they provided their own horses and equipments (they were cavalry), they got twelve dollars per month in addition, besides a bounty of $100."  Noteworthy remarks in his service record include the following:
   * Detailed to attend to horses at stables eight miles from Camp Baker in February 1862.
   * Cook in March 1862.
   * Detailed to take charge of horses six miles from Camp Baker in April 1862.
   * Appointed Bugler on 11 December 1862 at Fort Dalles.
   * On detached service per starting 30 July 1863, per Order No. 43 by Col. R. F. Maury.
   * From 29 February to 20 June 1864 he was mounted on a government-furnished horse and charged.
   * In the field in May 1864.  Charged with neglect of duty on 8 May 1864 and relieved 10 May.
   * From 20 June to 29 September 1864 he was again mounted on his own horse.
   * He was issued a "U.S. sabre complete" in July/August 1864 (charged $7.50).
   * His horse died on 29 September 1864 (value $125).  He was remounted on 30 September 1864 and charged.
   * From 29 October to 15 November 1864 he was again mounted on his own horse.
   Reese was discharged at Fort Vancouver, Washington Territory, on 23 November 1864 on expiration of his term of service.
  "Reece Clark" applied for veteran's disability pension in December 1906:  Application no. 1354667, certificate no. 1130545 (California).  His widow, "Florence L. Clark," applied for a widow's benefit on 2 January 1922:  Application no. 1175999, certificate no. 914697 (California).

Samuel Wallace Collins

1829 - 1893
Rank:  Unknown

   COLLINS, S. W.  Son of John W. and Miriam R. Piper Collins, was born in Nicholas County, Kentucky, June 13, 1829.  He resided in his birthplace until he was three years of age, when his parents moved to Greene County, Illinois, where he received his education at the common schools, and afterwards worked a farm until 1854, when he moved to Greenfield, that county, and was engaged in selling goods until 1857.  He then went back on his farm and sold that in 1859, and moved to Girard, Macoupin County, Illinois, and was engaged in selling goods again at that place, until 1862.  He then sold out and moved to Linn County, Kansas, and located in Mound City, and was engaged in selling goods at that place until December of that year.  Then he sent his family to Leavenworth City, and he took a stock of goods down into the Osage Nation, about fifteen miles south of Humboldt, Allen County, Kansas.  After the war had closed in 1865, he moved with his family to Labette County, Kansas, and remained there until the ninth day of June, 1875, and arrived in California June 14.  He spent a couple of weeks in Stanislaus County and with his brother-in-law, near Hills Ferry, then came to Napa County, and July 29, 1875, he settled on his ranch of forty acres, about one mile west of Calistoga, where he still resides surrounded by his family and respected by all who know him.  Mr. Collins was appointed in August, 1879, to the office of Justice of the Peace, and the following year was elected to the same position, which he now holds.  He is also a Notary Public, having been appointed by Governor Perkins in February, 1880.  Mr. Collins was twice married, first, December 12, 1850, to Miss Sarah O. Dickerman, who was born in Mount Holly, Vermont, November 3, 1832, and died March 26, 1867.  By this union they have five children, Isaac W., born December 9, 1851, and died March 19, 1853; Miriam H., born December 30, 1852; Samuel A., born September 18, 1855; Nelson W., born January 29, 1862; Major C., born February 20, 1866.  Mr. Collins was married, secondly, in March, 1869, to Mrs. Mary A. Hawes, a native of Indiana, who was born November 2, 1831.  By this union they have one daughter, Anna S., born October 14, 1871.

   HON. S. W. COLLINS. -- In the following pages will be found sketched briefly one of the most interesting and eventful life-histories that it has ever been the good fortune of the writer to hear related, and not alone a busy one either, but full as useful also, many of the incidents being an intimate portion of the early pioneer history of the old-time Western States.

   Mr. Collins is a Kentuckian by birth, dating his nativity at a point some two miles from Carlisle, Nicholas County, on June 13, 1829.  When a child of two and a half years the family removed to Green County, Illinois, where his father took up a farm.  His father's name was John W. Collins, of Danish descent, born near Snow Hill, Maryland, and raised in Baltimore.  His mother was a Miss Piper, of Irish descent, born and raised in Kentucky.  For thirty years Mr. Collins remained in Illinois, some of his brothers and sisters still residing there.  Mr. Collins was brought up to the life of a farmer, and afterward started a store, carrying on a farm as well.  Living, as he did, on the margin of the Indian country, he became thoroughly acquainted with the Indian life and character, learned to speak their language thoroughly (the Osage), and came to wield over them a great influence, -- an influence, let it be said, that was always exerted for good.  As a consequence he was much employed by the Government in their dealings with the redskins, especially during the war and later.  For many years Mr. Collins was post trader in the Neosho Valley in Kansas, and in all important matters represented the United States Government as interpreter, negotiating for the sale of lands, etc., etc.  He assisted in raising Colonel Phillips' Indian Regiment in 1861, and was one of the most active and effective workers for the Union cause.  In connection with these times Mr. Collins has many soul-stirring incidents to relate.  Indeed, he is one of the most interesting talkers whom it is possible to meet, possessing a good memory and rare descriptive powers.  He has also many momentos of early western times and ways.  Twice he was taken prisoner during his war experiences, and has sustained and overcome a wound that would have laid a man of lesser mettle.  As is but proper under the circumstances, he is an active and enthusiastic member of the Grand Army and a stanch supporter of good government.  He recollects well the days when buffalo roamed over the plains by the million, and has hunted and trapped when the Indians and a few hunters and trappers were about all west of the Missouri.  In 1875 Mr. Collins tired of life on the Western plains changing so rapidly as it was with the influx of population, accordingly he set his face westward and came to the Pacific coast.  Choosing Calistoga as his home, he purchased fifty-five acres in the outskirts of town, and settled down to enjoy the quiet so deserved after his long and busy years.  He has laid out a vineyard of twenty-five acres, has a small but choice orchard for house use, and possesses a magnificent water privilege, having an abundant spring 1,400 feet above the house, with a water-head of 400 feet as piped down.  Five acres of his property he laid off as the Calistoga cemetery, the cemetery of the town.  Mr. Collins is one of the incorporators of Calistoga, this useful move taking place in 1885.  For two terms now Mr. Collins has been Supervisor of the county from his district, six years in all.  During the latter term, he has been Chairman of the Board, and the most active and useful member of the Board.  Indeed, it is customarily said that he is the best Supervisor the county has ever had.  For eight years he has been Justice of the Peace for his township, from which circumstances he acquires the honorable title of "Judge," by which he is generally known.  There is not a more popular man in the county than he, and no one gifted with more energy and sound common sense on all matters.  He is a worker, and cannot help coming to the front.  He is too useful to his fellow-citizens to be let go by himself.

   Mr. Collins was married in December, 1850, to Miss Sarah E. Dickerman, a native of Mount Holly, Vermont.  She died March 26, 1867, in Kansas, leaving the following children:  Miriam H. (now Mrs. Piper), born December 30, 1852, living near Lawrence, Kansas.  Samuel A., born September 18, 1855, living in Labette County, Kansas.  Nelson W., born January 29, 1862, now in business in Calistoga.  All the above were born in Illinois.  Major Clinton, born in Labette County, Kansas, February 20, 1866, the first white child to be born in that county, now working on the railroad.  By the way, it should be stated that Judge Collins helped organize Labette County, and gave it its name.  He was married, secondly, March 10, 1869, in Labette County, to Mrs. Mary A. Howe, nee Conner, a native of Miami County, Indiana.  They have one daughter, Annie C., born October 14, 1870, in Kansas.  A singular circumstance in connection with Judge Collins' family history is the following:  His mother died, leaving one daughter and three sons, the daughter being the eldest.  His first wife died, leaving also a daughter and three sons, the daughter being again the eldest.  His son Samuel A. has also lost a wife, who left a daughter and three sons, the daughter being again the eldest.  Judge Collins is a member of Governor Morton Post, No. 41, G.A.R., and also of the I.O.O.F., having joined the latter order so long ago as October 10, 1850, when just of age.  He has held every honor conferrable by the order.

Obituary (St. Helena Star newspaper, 26 May 1893):

Notes:   Native of Nicholas County, Kentucky, born 13 June 1829.  He was the son of John W. Collins and Mariam Richardson Piper.
   He married Sarah Olivia Dickerman, daughter of Nelson Dickerman and Hannah Vaughn, in Greene County, IL, on 12 December 1850.  To this union were born the following children:  Miriam Hannah Collins (b. 1852), a son (died as an infant 1853), Samuel A. Collins (b. 1855), and Major Clinton Collins (b. 1866).
   He moved to Girard, Macoupin County, Illinois, in 1859, where he worked as a merchant until 1862.  In the latter year, he sold his interests in Illinois and moved to Mound City, Linn County, in southeastern Kansas.  In December of 1862, he moved his family to Leavenworth, Kansas (presmumably for their safety), and began trading south of Humboldt, Kansas, southwest of Mound City.  It was while Samuel Collins was trading in the vicinity of Mound City and Humboldt that he was called upon to defend southeastern Kansas as a militiaman in October 1864.
   S. W. Collins was enumerated in the 1865 Kansas state census, living in Mission Township (Humboldt Post Office), Neosho County.  He was listed as married, age 37, born in Kentucky, occupation trader.  His real estate was valued at $600, and his personal estate also at $600.  His household included his wife S. C. Collins (age 34, native of VT), daughter M. H. Collins (age 13, native of IL), son S. A. Collins (age 10, native of IL), and son S. W. Collins (age 3, native of IL).  Dickerman relatives (inlaws) lived next door.
   In 1865, Samuel moved with his family to Labette County, Kansas, where they remained until June 1875.
   S. W. Collins was enumerated in the 1875 Kansas state census in Liberty Township (LaBette City Post Office), Labette County.  He was listed as age 46, born in Kentucky, previously from Illinois, occupation farmer.  His real estate was valued at $100, and his personal estate at $80.  His household included his wife M. A. Collins (age 42, native of IN), son S. A. Collins (age 20, native of IL), son "N. W." Collins (age 19, native of IL), son "N. C." Collins (age 9, native of KS), and daughter A. S. Collins (age 4, native of KS).
   Samuel died 23 May 1893 in Calistoga, and was buried in Section 1, Block W of Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery on 25 May 1893.  An obituary could not be found in the Calistoga newspaper, because no copies for the year 1893 are preserved.  A short obituary appeared in the St. Helena newspaper.  He was the founder of Calistoga's Pioneer Cemetery.

Military Information:  Union (activated militia).  In the California state G.A.R. roster of 1886, Samuel Collins' service in the Civil War was noted as being in the "15th Kansas Infantry."  The reference is to the 15th Kansas Militia Infantry.  This militia regiment (part of the Army of the Border) was called into service to repel Major General Price's Confederate Missouri campaign of 1864.  Price's forces entered Kansas on October 23, 1864, and camped at the Marais de Cygnes river, just north of Mound City.  They advanced on Mound City the following morning.  While Union forces engaged the Confederates near the settlement of Trading Post, the defense of Mound City was initially left to the 80 militiamen of the 15th Kansas Cavalry, and three companies of militia, "negroes," and men exempted from regular service.
   The regiment was called into service on October 9, 1864.  It was present at the Battle of Little Blue River and engaged the enemy at the Battle of Westport on October 23, 1864.  The regiment was disbanded on 29 October 1864.

Napoleon B. Conner

c.1843 - 1888

Rank:  Private

Companies A & H
20th Indiana Infantry

Newton "Newt" Conner

1840 - 1925
Rank:  Private

John Sanford Failing

1845 - 1917
Rank:  5th Corporal

Patrick Henry Flynn

1836 - 1919
Rank:  Ordnance Mechanic

   Patrick H. Flynn, who has been a resident of Calistoga for about forty years, died at the Veterans' Home Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, where he had been since the death of Mrs. Flynn, which took place in December.  His demise was due to his advanced years, he being 82 years, 11 months and 5 days old at the time of his death.  He was a native of Ireland.
   Mr. Flynn came to America from his native country when only a boy and lived in New York and the southern States.  He was a veteran of the Civil War, having gone through the entire engagement and experienced some pretty tough battles and hardships.  He came to California at the close of the war and lived for a few years in Contra Costa county, then came to Napa county and settled on his present homestead site east of town.  Here he lived for almost half a century, enjoying a wide acquaintance and a host of warm friends.
   The deceased is survived by three children:  Miss Mamie Flynn, Thomas F. Flynn and John H. Flynn.  The funeral will be held tomorrow morning at 10:30 from the Catholic church, and interment will be made in the Calistoga cemetery beside his wife, who died less than two months ago.
   The sympathy of the many friends go out to the bereaved ones.

Notes:  Patrick Henry Flynn was a native of Ireland, born 9 March 1836, and described in adulthood as 5 feet 7 1/2 inches in height, light complexion, hair brown, eyes blue/dark.  In his early years, he went by the name Henry, but later in life, he referred to himself by his full name, Patrick Henry, or "P. H."  He came with his parents to America in 1842, arriving in New York on 11 February, according to his own account.  The family reportedly lived in Binghamton, New York.  His parents returned to Ireland within a few months of their arrival in America, took sick and died there, leaving Patrick Henry an orphan.  Flynn's history from that time until he entered the military service is not known.  He joined the Regular Army in 1857, and was assigned to Battery E of the 3rd U.S. Artillery regiment.  This unit was dispatched to Fort Ridgely, Nicollet County, Minnesota, in the late 1850's to guard against Indian uprisings.  There, he appears as "Henry Flynn," a soldier, age 24, in the Federal census of 1860.  The census incorrectly lists his birthplace as New York.  With the outbreak of the Civil War, Flynn's artillery regiment was called back to Washington, D.C., to assist in the conflict.
   Flynn was promoted to the position of Ordnance Mechanic in June of 1861, and served in that position until his tour of duty ended in 1862.  His responsibilities required that he be in close proximity to the cannon in battle, and he suffered later health consequences as a result.  His right eardrum was permanently ruptured from the concussion of cannon fire at the battle of Bull Run (July 1861).  So severe was the damage, that his ear bled from the injury, leaving a hole in the tympanum "the size of a wheat straw."  He also reportedly suffered sun stroke while his regiment was on occupation duty at Arlington Heights, Virginia (May/June 1861).  He claimed injury to his eyes later in life as a result of this.  Flynn also suffered from varicose veins in his legs in his later years, which he attributed to the long and uncomfortable rides seated on the chest of the limber (munitions wagon).  The 3rd U.S. Artillery was a "light" artillery regiment, meaning that the artillerymen were mounted on horseback for rapid deployment.  Flynn was apparently not mounted, so his means of transportation was aboard the limber, as was customary.  The limber chest often served as a seat for up to three artillerymen.
   When his tour of duty ended in March of 1862, Flynn opted to stay with the army as a civilian harness maker at the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac through most of the remainder of that year (possibly into the spring of 1863).  He was paid $40 per month, reporting first to Capt. George B. Dandy and later to Capt. John B. Howard, both of whom held the position of Assistant Quartermaster (A.Q.M.).  Capt. Dandy was formerly with the 3rd U.S. Artillery, which is probably how Flynn got the job.
   Flynn came to California in September 1863, but shortly thereafter chose to move to Mexico.  He sojourned there two years, then returned to California.  He married Mary Cathrine Finney (daughter of Thomas C. Finney) at Pacheco, Contra Costa County, California, on 2 October 1865.  The marriage produced three children:  Mary E. "Mamie" (b. 1866), Thomas F. (b. 1868), and John Henry (b. 1879).
  According to the 1882 Great Register of Voters (Napa County), Flynn was naturalized in a county court in California on 8 April 1868.
  In 1870, Flynn's wife, Mary (age 28), was living near Martinez, in Contra Costa County, under the household of Thomas and Mary Finney (her parents).  The children, Mary (age 4) and Thomas (age 1), were also in the household.  Patrick Henry Flynn was not listed there.  He may have been working in the Stockton area, where a "P. H. Flynn" appears in the 1870 census as a farmer, native of Ireland, age 34.  According to his wife's obituary, the family came to Calistoga from Contra Costa County in 1877, settling on homestead lands on what is now the Oat Hill Road, northeast of Calistoga.  Their cabin was located near the southwestern corner of a homestead Flynn patented in 1892.  He also patented 160 acres immediately to the south in 1888.  His daughter, Mary "Mamie" Flynn, patented a homestead to the west, allowing the Flynn family to control almost all of section 30 (Township 9 North, Range 6 West, MDBM).  Remnants of the cabin foundation, which burned in the 1940's, are still visible.  The land later became known as the Calistoga Palisades parcel (525 acres), which was ultimately annexed to the Robert Louis Stevenson State Historic Park through a land transfer by the Land Trust of Napa County.
   In 1880, Flynn was enumerated as "P. H. Flinn" in Calistoga, living on his ranch on the Oat Hill Road (then known as the Calistoga and Knoxville Road).  He was listed as a farmer, native of Ireland, age 44.  Included in the household were his wife Mary (age 37, a native of Virginia), daughter Mary E. (age 14), son Thomas (age 11), and son Henry (age 3 months).  His principle occupation in the early 1880's was sheep herding on his homestead (noted in the 1882 Great Register of Voters).  In the 1900 census, Flynn and his family were still on their homestead on the Oat Hill Road.  He was listed as "Patrick H. Flynn," born March 1836 in Ireland, immigrated 1842, occupation farmer.  His household included his wife Mary C. (born Nov. 1842 in Mississippi), and son John H. (born Nov. 1879 in California).  In 1910, Flynn was still on his ranch on the Oat Hill Road, listed as "Patrick H. Flynn," widower, age 74, born in Ireland, occupation farmer.  His household included his daughter Mamie C. Flynn (age 44) and son Henry J. Flynn (age 30).  Strangely, Flynn was not a widower in 1910.
    Flynn's wife, Mary Cathrine, died of pneumonia in December of 1918.  The same week that his wife died, Patrick Henry suffered a stroke, which left him partially paralyzed.  Shortly thereafter, he checked into the hospital at the Veterans Home in Yountville.  He died there about five weeks later (5 February 1919).  He is buried in Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery alongside his wife.
   His daughter, Mamie (Mary E.) Flynn, was an acquaintance of my grandparents, George and Altha Enderlin.  She would walk down to the valley to visit them, collecting water and produce while there.  The Flynn cabin was a short distance east of the Oat Hill Road, on a knoll overlooking the Napa Valley.  They were a poor family.  How they survived on their hillside homestead has always been a bit of a mystery.  Patrick Henry Flynn caught the mining fever in the 1880's and excavated at least one tunnel -- about 90 feet in length -- on his property alongside what is now the Oat Hill Road.  The portal is now collapsed, but can still be seen alongside the trail.  He was exploring for gold, silver, quicksilver, copper, etc., but had no experience in mining or prospecting.  He would frequently bring specimens to town to show the local newspaper editor, and was always enthusiastic about his finds.

Military Information:  "Old War" (pre-Civil War), later Union.  The inscription on his military headstone indicates that he served in Battery E of the 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery (a.k.a., 152nd Pennsylvania Volunteers).  I can find no evidence that Flynn served in this regiment, and the records that I have strongly support the notion that his headstone inscription is in error.  He was, instead, a Regular Army man whose service record predates the onset of the Civil War.  He enlisted as a Private in the Regular Army at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 4 March 1857, and was assigned to Battery E of the 3rd U.S. Light Artillery. The regiment was dispatched to various locations around the country, with Battery E sent to garrison duty at Fort Ridgely, Minnesota.  Henry Flynn appears there in the 1860 census.  He was appointed Ordnance Mechanic on 30 June 1861.
   He was honorably discharged at Port Royal (Hilton Head), South Carolina, on 4 March 1862 on expiration of his service.  He continued to serve as a civilian saddler/harness maker at $40 per month at the Headquarters of the Army of the Potomac from 17 April 1862 to 30 September 1862, possibly continuing in some capacity as a civilian contractor until the spring of 1863.
   Rank in:  Private.  Rank out:  Ordnance Mechanic.
   "Henry Flynn" applied for veteran's disability pension on 1 September 1890:  Application no. 935814, certificate no. 663746 (California)  His service on the index card was listed as Battery E, 3rd U.S. Artillery;  Battery Ordnance Mechanic; also noted as serving in the "Old War" (pre-1861 regular army service).

Henry Isaac Ford

1847 - 1928
Rank:  1st Cabin Boy

Henry Harrison Garrett

1833 - 1904
Rank:  Corporal

Charles Edward Jennings
1844-1889
Rank:  Unknown

Sudden Death.

   Chas. E. Jennings, while plowing in George Lang's vineyard in town Friday afternoon last, fell and almost immediately expired.  A man and a boy also plowing in the vineyard, were witnesses to his sudden death.  Being a case in which the attendance of a Coroner was necessary, Mr. Lawrence was telegraphed for, and after his arrival on the evening train, a jury was summoned and an inquest held in Town Hall.  Autopsy of the body was omitted.  After due consideration of the facts elicited, the following verdict was rendered:
   We the jury summoned to inquire into the cause of the death of the man found in Lang's vineyard, do find that the deceased's name was Jennings, a native of New York, aged 46 years, and that he came to his death from natural causes.
   The verdict bore names of the jurors, as follows:  W. L. Taylor, foreman, Wm. Cole, W. E. Stratton, W. H. Wale, T. C. Brown, H. E. Boynton, J. M. Johnston, J. H. Coulter.
   The funeral took place Sunday afternoon, Rev. Hemphill conducting services, and the remains were buried in Calistoga Cemetery.
   The cause of Jenning's death was undoubtedly heart disease, of which his wife says he had long complained.  By his death a widow and five children are left in very destitute circumstances.  The oldest of the children is a girl aged 14 years, and the youngest a boy two years of age.  Mrs. Jennings is a native of Tennessee, where she married her husband, and they came to California twelve years ago.  Jennings was well educated, was in the war, was wounded at Lookout Mountain and after the close of the Rebellion remained South for some time.  The father of the deceased is eighty or ninety years of age, and a resident of New York city.  Mrs. Jennings' parents are still living in Tennessee but are unable to send her money.  They however desire her to return there with her children, and she is very anxious to go.  Her father-in-law in New York has been informed of the family's needs and her desire, and it is believed that he will forward funds for her and the children to go to Tennessee.

Notes:  Native of New York City, born 4 July 1844.  His father was probably William P. Jennings, who was a book binder in New York City.  The father appears in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses in New York City.  In 1880, he had moved to Linden, New Jersey.
   Charles was living in Humboldt, Gibson County, Tennessee, in 1871.  He enlisted in the U.S. Army there in October of that year, and was assigned to Company D of the 16th Infantry.
   Charles met Martha Jane Warmath (b. 3 Sept. 1856), daughter of Micajah "Mike" Washington Warmath and Martha Eudaly/Eudaley, around the year 1873 (while he was in the service).  He married her in Humboldt, Gibson County, Tennessee, on 14 May 1874 (license issued 13 May).  The minister was W. T. Bennett (Baptist).  Martha was made a laundress in Company D, and travelled with the outfit with her husband on his assignments.  Their first child, Ollie E. Jennings, was born in Tennessee (presumably Humboldt) in April 1875.  The family transferred to Nashville in June 1876.
   Charles re-enlisted at Nashville in October 1876, and was assigned to Company F of the 2nd U.S. Infantry.  The company was assigned to duty in the Indian Wars at Lewiston, Idaho, and later garrisoned at Fort Lapwai, Idaho.  A son, Charles Edward Jennings (Jr.), was born in Idaho on 5 September 1877.
   After being discharged in November 1878 at Fort Walla Walla (Washington Territory), Jennings took his family to Pendleton, Oregon, where he worked as a book keeper in a law office.  Their third child, Mary "Mattie" J. Jennings was born there in February of that year.  The family was enumerated in the 1880 census in Pendleton, Umatilla County, Oregon (Enumeration District 112), where Charles was listed as married, age 40, born in New York, father born in Massachusetts, mother born in Pennsylvania, occupation clerk.  His household included his wife Martha J. (age 25, born in TN), daughter Ollie E. (age 6, born in TN), son Charles E. (age 3, born in ID), and daughter Mary J. (born February 1880 in Oregon).
   The family next moved to Portland, Oregon, where Charles kept books for another law office for a short time.  They then moved to San Francisco, where they briefly resided (possibly at the Presidio).  In August 1882, they had relocated to Benicia, where Charles enlisted at the Benicia Arsenal.  He worked for one winter in the powder works (Ordnance Detachment) at the arsenal, but reportedly didn't like the work.  He deserted as a Private 2nd Class in March 1883.  According to Charles' brother-in-law, William Burge, the family then moved to Calistoga, where Charles worked as a day laborer, unloading train cars, etc.
   A son, Stephen Grover (aka, "Grover Cleveland") Jennings, was born at Calistoga on 24 February 1887 (Source:  Independent Calistogian, 2 March 1887).  By 1889, the number of children in the family had grown to five.
   Charles Jennings died 22 February 1889 in Lang's vineyard (just north of the Brannan Stable) in Calistoga at the age of 46.  The suddenness of his death resulted in the convening of an inquest to determine the nature of his demise.  It was determined in Charles Jennings' inquest that he died of natural causes.  His obituary states that he was buried at Calistoga Cemetery on Sunday, 24 February 1889.  There is no marker indicating the location of his grave, and the name, Jennings, does not appear on the original Calistoga cemetery map.  The family was destitute, so it is possible he was buried in an unmarked grave.  The widow was eventually able to return to her family in Tennessee.  The particulars of her return were given in an article in The Independent Calistogian newspaper of 17 April 1889, transcribed below:
   "To-morrow has been set for the departure of Mrs. Jennings and her five children for Tennessee.  Her husband died while plowing a few weeks ago, it will be remembered, and she was left in destitute circumstances.  Something had to be done for her benefit, and, as her parents are anxious for her to return home, arrangements have been made for her to go.  Contrary to Jennings's oft-repeated statement, his father in New York is a poor man working for monthly wages.  The best he could do for Mrs. Jennings was to send her $50; this, together with $100 given by the county for the purpose, and a sum raised in Calistoga by subscription, will send her to a point where she will be met by relatives.  Supervisor Collins will accompany her to San Francisco, purchase the necessary tickets, and see that the family start eastward in a proper manner."

   Martha J. Jennings returned to her hometown of Dyersburg, Dyer County, Tennessee, in 1889, and remained there until about 1900, when she moved to Friendship, Tennessee.  She appears in the 1900 census in Civil District 12 (in the vicinity of the town of Friendship), Crockett County, Tennessee.  Martha was listed as a widow, born September 1854 in Tennessee (parents both born in Tennessee).  She was head of a rented house, and was noted as the mother of six children, five still living.  Her household included her daughter, Mattie (born January 1880 in Oregon), son Stephen G. (born February 1887 in California), and son William W. (born September 1889 in Tennessee).  The census indicates that the birthplace of the children's father was New York.  All of the above information is consistent with what is known about the family of Charles Jennings.  The age of the youngest son indicates that Martha was pregnant when Charles died in February 1889.
   Although not enumerated in Crockett County in 1910, Martha Jennings -- still a widow -- appears in Civil District 12 of that county in the 1920 census.  She was living in the household of her son-in-law, Frank Curtis (William F. Curtis, b. June 1863).  Martha's daughter was Ollie Curtis, born April 1875 in Tennessee.  Ollie (Ollive?) was probably the oldest daughter described as age 14 in Charles Jennings' 1889 obituary.  An Ollie Jennings appears in the November 1888 school report in the 5th Grade in Calistoga.  This is no doubt the same person.
   About 1926, Martha moved to Blytheville, Arkansas, and in November 1927 she moved back to California, settling into the home of her son, S. Grover (aka, Grover Cleveland) Jennings, in San Diego.  In 1930, she was still living at her son's address (2236 L Street in San Diego) when she applied for a military widow's pension benefit.  Martha died of apoplexy at the home of her daughter, Mary J. "Mattie" (Jennings) Murdaugh, in Blytheville, Chickasawba Township, Arkansas, on 26 February 1936, and was buried in North Sawba Cemetery (Chickasawba Twp.) the following day.

A few more notes on Martha Jane Warmath Jennings:
   Martha J. Warmath (shown as M. J. Warmoth on the county record) was married to Charles E. Jennings in Gibson County, Tennessee, by W. T. Bennett (Baptist minister) on 14 May 1874.  The marriage license was issue on 13 May in Gibson County.  A review of census records indicates that Martha J. was the daughter of Micajah Washington Warmath and Martha Eudaly/Eudaley.  The family was enumerated in Civil District 3 (Humboldt Post Office), Gibson County, in the 1870 census.  The father (listed in the censuses only by his initials, M. W.) was a carpenter, age 44, born in Tennessee.  The mother was also age 44, also orn in Tennessee.  The family was a large one.  Aside from Martha J. (listed as age 14), there was Lucy A. (age 16, listed as deaf and dumb), Washington (age 12), Henry T. (age 9), Eliza A. (age 8), Sarah A. (age 6), and Polley (age 3).  Martha appears as "M. Warmath" in the 1860 census, listed as age 5, living in her parents' household in District 1 (Dyersburg Post Office), Dyer County, Tennessee.
   The parents (M. W. and Martha Warmath) were enumerated in the 1880 census in Friendship (Enumeration District 9), Crockett County, Tennessee, along with other members of their family.  They were probably still in the vicinity of Friendship when Martha made her move back to Tennessee in 1889.

Military Information:  Charles E. Jennings was reportedly a Civil War veteran, wounded at the Battle of Lookout Mountain (Chattanooga, Tennessee, 24 November 1863).  This is all that is known of his Civil War service record thus far.  The G.A.R. did not assist with the funeral or burial, which is unusual given the circumstances.  This raises the possibility that Jennings was a Confederate veteran or was dishonorably discharged from Federal service.  More research is necessary.
   Charles E. Jennings' post-war military service is known.  He enlisted on 9 October 1871 at Humboldt, Tennessee, in the U.S. Army, and was assigned to Company D of the 16th Infantry as a Private.  He was described at the time of enlistment as age 25, born in New York City, occupation book keeper, eyes brown, hair light, complexion dark, height 5' 6".  He was discharged as a Private on 9 October 1876 at Nashville, Tennessee, on expiration of his term of service.
   On 14 October 1876, Charles E. Jennings re-enlisted in the U.S. Army.  He was described as age 30 1/2, native of New York (City), occupation clerk & soldier, eyes brown, hair light, complexion dark, height 6' 6".  He was assigned to Company F of the 2nd U.S. Infantry (noted as 2nd enlistment).  He was discharged as a Corporal at Fort Walla Walla, Washington Territory, on 24 November 1878 per General Orders.
   On 23 August 1882, Charles E. Jennings re-enlisted (noted as his 3rd enlistment) at Benicia Arsenal, California.  He was note as being a clerk, age 26, native of New York (City), eyes brown, hair brown, complexion dark, height 5' 6".  He served in the Benicia Arsenal Ordnance Detachment.  The record indicates he deserted as a Private on 4 March 1883.
   Charles' wife, Martha, applied for a military pension benefit as his widow on 16 September 1929, but was denied.  The application number was 1650922.

Charles White Lane

1842 - 1915
Rank:  Private

Company B
2nd Minnesota Infantry

Andrew Bradley Mangis

1846 - 1928
Rank:  Private

ANDREW BRADLEY MANGIS

   The birth of Andrew B. Mangis occurred in Monroe county, Tenn., in 1846, he being the son of parents who had resided in that state for some time.  Four years after the birth of the son the family removed to Hamilton county, Ill., where the boy grew to young manhood, in the meantime receiving an education in the common schools of the time and place.  When fifteen years old he enlisted in the army under Colonel Grierson, being a member of Company, D, Sixth Illinois Cavalry, which was attached to the army of the Tennessee.  The regiment patrolled the Ohio and Missouri rivers and was also a factor in the famous Grierson raid from Tennessee to Baton Rouge.  At the battle of Holly Springs, Miss., the lieutenant of the company was killed and Mr. Mangis was tendered the commission by the company, but he refused it.  He engaged in many skirmishes along the rivers mentioned, being wounded at la Grange, Tenn., in 1863, and was mustered out at Memphis.  From there he went to Indianapolis, Ind., where he attended school, and later on he taught school in that state and also in Illinois for eight years.  Removing to Junction City, he taught school for one year and then engaged in farming and stock-raising, later proving up on a homestead and tree claim and making his home there for fifteen years.
   It was in 1888 that Mr. Mangis came to California and settled in Napa county near Calistoga, which has been his home ever since.  Here he has ninety-three acres on hillside land in orchard and vineyard.  Being in the thermal belt and above the frost line he has no fear of loss of crops by frost.  Here he raises oranges and lemons, apricots, silver and French prunes, peaches, apples, plums, figs and walnuts, besides having twenty acres in grapes.  Tomato vines grow the year round.  Two hundred different varieties of fruit are represented on his place, and his exhibit has received the first prize.  When Mr. and Mrs. Mangis located on this place most of the land was covered with timber and brush.  Now it is a veritable garden spot and one of the most productive ranches in the whole district.
   Mr. Mangis was married in Wayne county, Ill., in 1870, to Miss Eliza Anderson, daughter of Col. J. J. Anderson, who commanded the Eighteenth Illinois Infantry during the Civil war.  To Mr. and Mrs. Mangis the following children were born:  William J., who married Mary Wilson, and has one daughter, Dorothy; Augustus O., who married Hattie Turner, and has one son, Augustus; Fleta P., who is assistant secretary of the Oroville Chamber of Commerce; and Bert. of Willows, Cal.  May died at the age of twenty-two, and Nora, Mrs. Abner Burke, died leaving one daughter, Winifred, who is being reared and educated by her grandparents.  Mr. Mangis is a member of Governor Morton Post No. 41, G.A.R., of Calistoga, of which he is past commander.  Mrs. Mangis is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps.

CALISTOGA VETERAN IS SOLE SURVIVOR
-----
A. B. Mangis the Only One Left of Original Seventy-five of Calistoga's G.A.R.
-----

   A. B. Mangis, who came to California nearly forty years ago and settled at Calistoga, where he has resided ever since, has been going to Grand Army gatherings in Santa Rosa for many years.  He was one of the regular visitors in the days of the Northern California Veterans' Association, which had annual re-unions for many years in the old Grace Bros. park on Fourth street at McDonald avenue, and later in the Veterans' park at the city limits on McDonald avenue.
   Mr. Mangis was commander of the Calistoga Grand Army of the Republic Post, when it numbered seventy-five members and participated in the great Grand Army parade with twenty-three comrades from that Post when the National encampment took place in San Francisco many years ago [37th National Encampment, August 1903].  He is now the sole survivor of that company of Civil War veterans, although there are now three others who have enrolled in the Post in Calistoga in recent years.  He was elected first vice president of the Northern California Veterans' Association's last meeting at Santa Rosa, and since the death of his old-time friend and associate, Newton Conner of Calistoga, who also was a regular attendant at these encampments, and who was elected president of the association at its last gathering there, is acting president of the organization.
   Mr. Mangis entered the army as a lad between fifteen and sixteen years of age in 1861 as a member of the 6th Illinois Voluntary Cavalry under Colonel Grayson [Grierson], who later became general.  He served with his command up and down the Mississippi river and participated in the memorable raid in which the regiment covered more than 1,500 miles in fifteen days between Memphis and Baton Rouge, La.  He was wounded in 1863 and spent three months in the hospital in Memphis.

A. B. MANGIS DIED SUNDAY AFTERNOON
Was Highly Respected Resident of This Section for Third of a Century

   A. B. Mangis, another highly respected resident of this section for over thirty-three years, was claimed by death last Sunday afternoon at the Veterans' Home Hospital at Yountville.  He was a veteran of the Civil War, and had been taken to the soldiers home for treatment about three weeks prior to his death.
   Andrew Bradley Mangis was born in Tennessee on March 8, 1846, and was, therefore, 81 years, 1 month and 21 days of age at the time of his death.  He came to California thirty-three years ago, and had resided in the hills west of Calistoga ever since.  He was one of the three remaining members of the Governor Morton Post, No. 40 [sic -- 41], G.A.R., of Calistoga, and always took an active and important part in all patriotic events.  This post at one time had about forty members.
   His wife, the late Eliza Mangis, died on December 13, 1920, and a son, Oliver A. Mangis, and a daughter, Mrs. Nora Burke, have also preceded him to the grave.
   Mr. Mangis was an industrious man and an upright citizen and came as near living up to the "Golden Rule" as anybody ever could.
   He is survived by two sons, William J. Mangis and Andrew Burt Mangis of Calistoga, and a daughter, Miss Fleta Mangis of San Francisco, as well as a granddaughter, Mrs. Winifred Everett of Santa Clara.
   The funeral services were held at the Methodist church here Wednesday afternoon under the auspices of the grand army post, and the local American Legion post, and were largely attended by old-time friends.  Interment was made in the family plot in the Calistoga cemetery.

Notes:  Native of Tennessee.  Died 29 April 1928 at Calistoga.  He was described in the 1896 Great Register as age 50, height 6 feet, fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair, occupation farmer.  The Mangis place was on the Petrified Forest Road, west of Calistoga.  Their property was adjacent to the old Mitchell hatchery, which is now the Graeser Winery.  The Mangis family also owned property on the east side of the Napa Valley, at the western base of the Palisades.  The property was also known as the Keller place.  It later became the Palisades Hunting Club.  Oliver A. Mangis, Jr., was one of the owners.  The property included a site known as the "Burke Cabin," which may have had a connection to Andrew B. Mangis' daughter, Nora, and her husband, Abner Burke.  The Mangis family is related through marriage to Calistoga's Cavagnaro family.

Military Information:  Union.  Enlisted on 11 October 1861 in McLeansboro, Hamilton County, Illinois.  Name recorded as "Andrew Mangus."  Described as age 18, height 5'7", hair fair, eyes blue, complexion fair, single, occupation farmer, nativity Monroe County, Tennessee.  Mustered in at Shawneetown, Illinois, on 9 January 1862.  His father, William Mangis, enlisted at the same time, and served with Andrew in the same cavalry company.  A Cornelius C. Mangis (age 18) also enlisted in McLeansboro on the same day in 1865.  He may have been a cousin to Andrew.
   Andrew Mangis served in Company D of the 6th Illinois Cavalry, and participated in the infamous "Grierson's Raid" during the Vicksburg Campaign.  Mangis was reportedly offered (and refused) a field commission when a lieutenant in the Company was killed at the Battle of Holly Springs, Mississippi, in December 1862.  Mangis was wounded near LaGrange, Tennessee, in early 1863 (possibly in the surprise midnight attack against a regimental detachment on 29 March).  On 6 June 1863, after three months recovering in the hospital at Memphis, he received a medical discharge from that facility.

Francis Marion McPherson

1839 - 1921
Rank:  Private

Andrew Jackson "Jack" Moore

c.1822 - 1890
Rank:  Private

Accidental Death.

   A. J. Moore, or "Jack," as he was usually addressed, met with quick, accidental death Sunday afternoon last at his cabin in Teale canyon, the facts being as follows:  Higgins Jeagel and Sam, the colored man, were at the cabin enjoying Jack's hospitality a few hours.  They were outside but close to the cabin, a few feet from which flows a small stream, now very low.  The bank on the cabin side is precipitous, and about five feet from the top down to the bed of the creek.  "Jack" is said to have been drinking considerably that day, and while near the bank he stumbled forward and went head foremost over the bank striking on his head among the stones in the bed of the creek, the body going over and resting squarely on the back.  The two men present hastened to render assistance, but there were no signs of life noticeable.  "Jack" did not breath nor move a limb.  Death was instantaneous.  Particulars were brought to town and Coroner Lawrence was summoned by telephone.  He sent word requesting that a jury be summoned immediately, which Constable Cherry did.  On the arrival of the Coroner he and the jury repaired to the scene of the accident, where an inquest was held.  After examining into facts in the case, the jury rendered a verdict of accidental death.  The immediate cause of dissolution was not ascertained, but it was not a broken neck as was at first reported.  "Jack" was an old-timer.  It is said that he was in this vicinity as early as 1855.  He left, and after roaming for years over the Pacific Coast country returned to the Upper Napa Valley three or four years ago.  He was a Mexican war pensioner, a native of Ohio, aged 68 years.  His remains were buried in Calistoga Cemetery Sunday last by Gov. Morton Post, Rev. Joseph Hemphill officiating at the grave.

Notes:  He was probably a native of Georgia, but his obituary notes he was a native of Ohio.  His father was a native of Virginia, and his mother a native of Georgia.  His mother's maiden name may have been Gwinnett, Walton or Hall, as Moore notes that her family name appears on the Declaration of Independence.  He was born circa 1822.
  Andrew J. Moore provided glimpses into his early life in his Civil War pension correspondence.  In a letter dated 9 June 1878, written in Astoria, Oregon, Moore states that, "in 1843 I was permited to take a rest from School, also permit[ted] from my Father to go to Oregon."  He continues:


  The above account suggests that Moore was one of the earliest settlers in the Oregon Territory.  He may be the same person as "Jackson Moore" who parted from the Bidwell Party at the Platte in 1843.  This man reportedly went to Taos, rather than continue on to Oregon with the party.  Andrew J. Moore statements suggest that he was involved in civilian or military actions against Native Americans in southeastern Washington after the Whitman Massacre of November 1847.
   According to an 1887 news article, A. J. Moore came to California in the 1840's, and was sheriff in the El Dorado County area until 1850.  He reportedly was undersheriff in El Dorado County for a few terms thereafter.  It is possible that Moore's position as "sheriff" was based on prior military experience.  Captain William E. Shannon was Alcalde of the Coloma District in 1849, and Moore would have reported to him.  Shannon had been a captain of Company I of the First Regiment of New York Volunteers (also known as Stevenson's Regiment), which saw service in California in 1847 and 1848.  There were two soldiers named Andrew Moore in the regiment.  One served in Company B, but returned to Pennsylvania after his service.  The other served in Company D, and remained in California.  The latter was noted as still living in April 1882, residence Gilroy.
   After the formation of El Dorado County, Moore was possibly undersheriff to the county's first sheriff Sheriff William Rogers.  Further research may confirm this.
   Moore appears as Jackson A. Moore in the 1850 census in California.  He was listed as constable, living in the hotel in the town of Coloma, El Dorado County.  He was noted as age 30, and a native of Ohio.  He owned real estate valued at $2,000.  In the "Historical Souvenir of El Dorado County, California," published in 1883, Moore is mentioned as being one of the early residents of Coloma, affectionately called "little Jack More."
   He may be the same individual as Andrew J. Moore who appears in the 1860 census in Alisal Township (Natividad Post Office).  He was listed as a farmer, age 36, born in Arkansas.  He was rooming with Geo. W. Fisk, Jas. Leach, Christopher C. Coffin, and Peter Canavan.  He may also be the same individual as "A. J. Moore," who appears in the 1870 census in the Youngs River Valley (Astoria P.O.), Clatsop County, Oregon.  He was listed as a carpenter, age 46, born in Arkansas.  The same individual, listed as "Andrew J. Moore," was still living at Astoria in the 1880 census.  He was listed as a widower, age 56, born in Georgia, parents born in Virginia, occupation wood chopper.
   Moore was living in Jacksonville, Jackson County, Oregon, in 1883.  By January of 1887 he had moved to Sonoma County, California, where he was arrested for vagrancy, and sentenced to ten days in jail.  Shortly after his release, he drifted into the Calistoga area where he remained for the final three years of his life.
   According to research by Ray Owen, Andrew Jackson Moore appears in the 1890 Great Register of California, native of Georgia, resident of Calistoga.
   He died on Sunday, 7 September 1890, and was buried the same day in the GAR plot in Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery.  His military headstone was one of eighteen headstones that were ordered by William T. Simmons in December 1896.  The stone is inscribed as follows:  A. J. MOORE | CO. E. | 1^ST OREGON INF.

Military Information:  Union.  He served as a Private in Company E, 1st Oregon Infantry regiment.  The regiment organized between November of 1864 and January of 1865.  Detachments were dispatched to various locations in the District of Oregon, including Fort Vancouver, Fort Klamath, Fort Yamhill, Fort Steilacoom, Fort Dalles, Fort Walla Walla, Colville, Fort Hoskins, and Fort Boles.  Also saw duty in the Idaho Territory, protecting the Boles and Snake River country and the Owyhee mines from Indian raids.  The regiment was mustered out on 19 July 1867 (Source: Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System)
   According to his pension file, Andrew J. Moore enlisted in Company E of the 1st Oregon Infantry at Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon, on 20 December 1864.  Moore notes that he was honorably discharged as a Private at Fort Vancouver on 22 November 1865.
   Andrew J. Moore applied for veteran's disability pension on 16 May 1878:  Application no. 255285, certificate no. 172144, service was listed as Company E, 1st Oregon Infantry.  The state of filing was not listed in the pension index.  The U.S. GPO "List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883" supplements the above information:  He was living in Jacksonville, Jackson County, Oregon, in 1883.  Name listed as "Andrew J. Moore."  He was receiving $8.00 per month on a pension first awarded in August, 1880 (certificate 172,144).  The pension was awarded due to an injury to the abdomen (left inguinal hernia).  The injury occurred on or about 16 November 1865, during a march from Fort Colville to Wallula, Washington, to take a boat to Fort Vancouver.
  Although he does not mention it in his pension application, I suspect Andrew Jackson Moore also served in (or assisted) Stevenson's Regiment (1st New York Volunteers) in California immediately prior to statehood. 

Samuel Courtney Murphy

1836 - 1880
Rank:  Ship's Steward

James Burroughs Norton

1841 - 1887
Rank:  Full Quartermaster Sergeant (Brevet Captain)

William Edward Stratton

c.1836 - 1896
Rank:  Full Chief Bugler

Augustine Towle

1833 - 1900
Rank:  Private

Thomas Fletcher Wells Veale

1843 - 1916
Rank:  Private

Alexander Von Boyd

1837 - 1913
Rank:  Private

Nelson Lord Wandell

1836 - 1914
Rank:  Full Corporal

John Watson

1808 - 1883
Rank: Private

Obelisk in the G.A.R. plot
Calistoga Pioneer  Cemetery

   Calistoga's first public cemetery was not where today's Pioneer Cemetery is located.  It was planned by the town's founder, Samuel Brannan, who set aside an area of land in his Lot 48 on the east side of the Napa Valley for that purpose.  The proposed site was in the foothills above the intersection of present-day Mora Avenue and State Highway 29.  It appears on the first map of Calistoga -- Frederick Mow's "Map of the Napa Railroad Homestead in Calistoga" -- surveyed and drawn in 1868.

   For unknown reasons, the original site designated was quickly abandoned, and a new one was selected by late 1870.  Shown on Thomas Wolfe Morgan's "Map of Calistoga or Little Geysers and the Hot Sulphur Springs," drawn January 1871, the new site covered 8.89 acres and was situated closer to Calistoga.  It was laid out in part of Brannan's Lot 49, in a little side valley later known as the Greer property.  The little valley is now part of Zahtila Vineyards, just southeast of the present-day Pacific Gas & Electric Company substation.  Although the place became known as the Greer cemetery, John Greer (its namesake) had very little to do with it.  The property was still owned by Sam Brannan when the decision was made to place the cemetery there.  Greer -- a native of Ireland -- lived in the vicinity of St. Helena and was an early landholder in that town.  For many years, he ran the livery stable at White Sulphur Springs.  He was quite active in land purchases and sales in the upper Napa Valley, and acquired Brannan's Lot 49 from the Sacramento Savings Bank in 1880.  The bank had previously acquired the property from Sam Brannan by foreclosure.  Greer held the property for only two years, selling it to two brothers, Theodore M. and Ephraim Light, in 1882.  By that time, the cemetery on the property had long been abandoned, as discussed below.

  There is a tragic side note to the John Greer story.  On August 22, 1888, while traveling aboard the coastal steamship City of Chester on a business trip to Humboldt County, Greer was one of sixteen souls lost when the ship collided with the RMS Oceanic near the Golden Gate.  According to newspaper reports, Greer went below decks to recover some personal items from his cabin as the ship was sinking.  He was trapped there, and went down with the ship.  He was traveling with his daughter, Lizzie, who survived the ordeal.  There is a cenotaph (memorial headstone) to him in St. Helena Cemetery.

  The site known as the Greer cemetery proved to be less than desirable, because the rocky hillside ground was too hard to dig.  Consequently, most Calistogans in those early days opted to bury their dead in St. Helena's cemetery.  The seven mile distance between the two towns made arrangements for funerals extremely inconvenient, though.  Services had to begin early in the morning, and the horse-drawn funeral processions were compelled to hastily roll down the valley to assure that the participants could get back to their homes in a reasonable time.  Public frustration was clearly growing about the time that Judge Augustus C. Palmer's wife, Sarilda, died in the spring of 1873.  She had to be buried in St. Helena, like so many others!  It was probably more than just coincidence that a notice proposing a meeting to form a cemetery association in Calistoga appeared in the same (June 7th) issue of the Calistoga Tribune newspaper as the write-up on Mrs. Palmer's burial!  It was probably also not just coincidence that the meeting was to be held in the office of the highly influential Judge Palmer!


    One of the talking points of the meeting was to consider establishing a cemetery on the west side of the Napa Valley, where the soils were more conducive to digging graves.  The outcome of the meeting is not known, but the attendees were apparently unable to reach a decision.  Calistogans continued to use the Greer cemetery site for another three years.

   According I. C. "Burt" Adams, as told to him by Grace (Lane) Lincoln, the Greer cemetery had been in operation for several years ("about four") before her family came to Calistoga in the fall of 1876.  This places the first burials there around 1872.  She noted that, on the first Decoration Day celebrated in Calistoga after the Civil War, there were 34 graves in the Greer cemetery, which were all decorated for the occasion.  Decoration Day (now known as Memorial Day) was officially celebrated by the G.A.R. as early as 1868, but the first observance in Calistoga was probably around 1877. Grace, who was the daughter of local Civil War veteran Charles W. Lane, was one of the participants in the first decorating ceremony.  She at one time lived on her father's property just north of the cemetery.  Evidence of the old cemetery (a monument to a little girl) was still present there as recently as the 1960's, although many of the burials had been disinterred and relocated long before that time.

The Greer cemetery, as depicted in 1871
(click here for larger view)
Source: Sharpsteen Museum collection

   In 1877, Calistoga Civil War veteran Samuel W. Collins established his own private cemetery on land west of town, a little over a mile southwest of the old Greer cemetery.  The Collins cemetery later became Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery, which goes by that name to this day.  The old Greer cemetery was quickly abandoned, once the Collins cemetery became available.  According to Kay Archuleta, as told to her by Len Bryant of Porter Creek, Reverend Henry Doty Bryant (Methodist-Episcopal) was the first burial there.

   As a Union veteran of the Civil War, Samuel Collins saw the need to accommodate burials of his G.A.R. comrades in Calistoga.  He was probably inspired by the 1882 dedication ceremony of a G.A.R. plot at St. Helena Cemetery, wherein Calistoga's newly organized G.A.R. post had participated.  The establishment of St. Helena's G.A.R. plot had served as a good lesson as to why a soldiers' plot was needed.  A veteran, known only as a "friendless man," had been buried years before in the potters' field at St. Helena.  His remains were disinterred and were the first to be buried in St. Helena's G.A.R. plot when it was established.  Samuel Collins was probably moved by St. Helena's effort to honor an otherwise forgotten comrade, and decided to do likewise in Calistoga.

   Following through with his commitment, Collins formally presented a veterans' plot within his cemetery to the Governor Morton Post, No. 41, G.A.R., on Decoration Day (May 30), 1883.  Post Commander William H. Easley accepted the plot on behalf of the post.  This was the first Decoration Day officially commemorated by the G.A.R. at the Collins cemetery.  Memorial Day ceremonies are still conducted at the old G.A.R. plot in the Collins cemetery, well over a century after it was first dedicated.  It is one of Calistoga's oldest traditions.

   Samuel W. Collins died on 23 May 1893.  Following his death, the title to the cemetery passed to his youngest child, Anna, wife of local house painter and building contractor, Henry Lee Hopper.  Eventually, the burdens of maintaining the cemetery became too great for Anna to handle.  According to I. C. Adams, Chris L. Petersen (chairman of the Memorial Day committee) conveyed the cemetery deed, on Anna's behalf, to the City of Calistoga on May 30, 1936.  The cemetery has been managed by the city since that time.

  The central feature of the G.A.R. plot today is the obelisk, which is traditionally adorned with a wreath in honor of unknown soldiers on Memorial Day.  I am unsure of the obelisk's age, but the concept of a memorial to unknown soldiers in Calistoga dates back to the late 1880's.  The earliest memorial to the unknowns at the Collins Cemetery was described as "a green mound to represent the unknown dead."  It was recognized in the Decoration Day ceremony in 1888 at the G.A.R. plot.  In early 1892, the green mound was replaced by a more conspicuous monument in the plot, described as a "shaft entwined with garlands of flowers."  It was dedicated as the "monument to the Unknown Dead" by the members of the Woman's Relief Corps, in a ceremony officiated over by local Corps President, Mary C. Ayer.  This was probably the precursor to the obelisk.

  Pleased with their progress in improving the G.A.R. plot with the monument to the unknown dead, the G.A.R. and W.R.C. were inspired to make additional improvements to the site in the late 1890's.  Chief among these, was the placement of a concrete curb and chain enclosure around the plot.  The decision to install these improvements was voted on and approved by the membership of Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, at their meeting on 4 May 1897.  Construction began immediately, with labor furnished by post member John P. Martin, and materials paid for through a $50 donation from the Calistoga W.R.C.  The project was completed shortly before Memorial Day that year.  It consisted of a 24 ft. x 24 ft. concrete wall, 12 inches wide and nine inches high, surmounted by a cable chain supported by iron stanchions at eight foot intervals.  At the Memorial Day ceremony in 1897, these "beautiful and substantial improvements to the burial plot" were formally presented to Post Commander Andrew B. Mangis (representing the G.A.R.) by Mrs. Peter S. Eastman (representing the W.R.C.).  These structures still stand today, over 110 years after they were originally dedicated.

  Another significant improvement to the cemetery in the late 1890's was the installation of military headstones to mark the graves of veterans.  The arrangements for the military stones were made by Capt. William T. Simmons, who began the project in December of 1896.  The shipment of eighteen headstones from the War Department arrived in Calistoga in June of 1897.  It is unlikely that all of the stones were destined for Calistoga's cemetery, however.  We didn't have that many veterans buried here at the time!  Some may have been destined for St. Helena's cemetery.  Captain Simmons was active in the G.A.R. posts in both communities, so he may have had all of the stones delivered to him at the depot in Calistoga as a matter of convenience.

Veterans' graves are marked by either military (mil.) and family (fam.) stones, or combinations of the two.  Click on the associated links to view images of grave markers.

   The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was formed in Illinois in April of 1866.  Its membership was limited to Union Veterans of the American Civil War, who had served between 1861 and 1865.  It was both a fraternal organization, and (for a time) a volunteer reserve corps of veterans.  In addition to the primary organization, the G.A.R. included women's auxiliaries, known as the Woman's Relief Corps (WRC) and the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic.  In the 1880's the G.A.R. established a corps of cadets which evolved into the Sons of Veterans (SV), and in the 1920's into the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW).  Other allied orders included the Daughters of Veterans (DV), now known as the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUVCW), founded in 1885; and the Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (ASUVCW), founded in 1883.

   The G.A.R. was divided into regional departments, ours being the Department of California (now the Dept. of California and Pacific).  Within each department were numerous community-level organizations, called posts.  Calistoga had its own post, officially known as Governor Morton Post, No. 41.  Other nearby towns had their own G.A.R. posts, the nearest being St. Helena's Kilpatrick post, No. 38.  At its peak, the Governor Morton Post consisted of approximately forty members.  It was a very active post, which frequently attended (and at least once hosted) state-level veterans' camp meetings.  Because the membership was limited to Civil War veterans, the membership naturally dwindled with time.  By 1904, the Calistoga membership stood at fourteen.  In 1923, it was down to five, and with the passing of Andrew B. Mangis in early 1928, the membership stood at only two individuals.  The last member was John W. Scott, who died in 1940.

   The final national camp meeting of the G.A.R. was held in 1949 in Indiana.  Today, the spirit of the G.A.R. is perpetuated by the SUVCW, which is the official successor organization to the now-extinct G.A.R.  Today, Calistoga falls within the jurisdiction of Col. Elmer Ellsworth Camp, No. 23, SUVCW, based out of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California.  The camp serves Napa, Lake, Del Norte, and Humboldt Counties, as well as Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin Counties east of U.S. 101.

Governor Morton
National Statuary Hall Collection
Washington, D.C.

(Source:  Wikipedia)

  The Governor Morton Post, No. 41, G.A.R., was named in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry Morton (1823 - 1877), Governor of the State of Indiana during the Civil War.  Morton was one of the strongest supporters of President Lincoln and the Union cause.  He faithfully responded to the national calls for state troops to aid the war effort, in spite of opposition from his own state's legislature.  He was one of the thirteen members of the Loyal War Governors' Conference, held in Altoona, Pennsylvania in 1862, to support President Lincoln and his Emancipation Proclamation.  Known as the "War Governor," Morton personally financed the support of Indiana's volunteer troops, filling areas of need where other channels of support failed.  So ardent was his support for the Union cause, that he employed unprecedented wartime powers from his office against rebel sympathizers, Copperheads, and other political opponents in his state.  Most controversial was the establishment of a secret police, to gather intelligence on the allegedly treasonous secret societies that opposed him.

   When the Civil War ended, Governor Morton continued to show concern over the welfare of his state's veterans, and was nicknamed "the soldier's friend" for his ongoing post-war efforts on their behalf.  He personally welcomed every "Hoosier" regiment that returned home after the war, hosting a dinner and ceremony in their honor.

   First news of plans to organize a G.A.R. post in Calistoga hit the local newspapers on 8 March 1882.  The idea of organizing a post had apparently been considered in the past, but it was thought that there weren't enough veterans in town to qualify.  Inquiries around town revealed that there were about 25 eligible Union Civil War veterans in Calistoga, which was a sufficient number to proceed with a petition for a new charter.

   The inaugural meeting of Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, took place at the home of Maj. George W. Johnson in Calistoga on Saturday evening, 25 March 1882.  The mustering officer was Major (later Brigadier General) Richard Henry Warfield of Rod Matheson Post, No. 16, out of Healdsburg.  Also assisting with the mustering ritual were Post Commander William T. Simmons and Post Adjutant Frederick M. Dickinson from St. Helena's newly organized Kilpatrick Post, No. 38.  The following men were installed as the charter officers:

	Post Commander...		George Washington Johnson
	Sr. Vice-Commander...		William Hugh Easley
	Jr. Vice-Commander...		Thomas Fletcher Wells Veale
	Quartermaster...		Newton Conner
	Surgeon...		Charles Henry Doe
	Chaplain...		Charles White Lane
	Officer of the Day...		William Edward Stratton
	Officer of the Guard...		Joseph Leary
	Adjutant...		William Thurston Hurt
	Sergeant Major...		Horace Isum Weller
Image of the original Gov. Morton Post charter, preserved at Patriotic Hall, Los Angeles (courtesy Glen Roosevelt, SUVCW).

  A total of eighteen names appear on the charter.  In addition to the above officers, the other charter members of Post 41 were:  Augustine Towle, Charles Paine Welch, William Mitchell Cherry, Alva Delanson Scott, Daniel Morgan Bentley, Patrick Henry Flynn, William Henry Harrison Reed, and Samuel Wallace Collins.

    Calistoga's Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, was the twenty-fifth G.A.R. post chartered in California.  The other posts in the state at the time included three posts in San Francisco, and one each in Sacramento, Vallejo, Los Angeles, San José, Oakland, Modesto, Alameda, Oroville, Healdsburg, Santa Ana, Biggs, Chico, Santa Rosa, Ferndale, San Quentin, Stockton, Watsonville, Santa Cruz, San Diego, Wilmington, and St. Helena.

  The members of Calistoga's post received their official caps, badges and white gloves in late May 1882, just in time to participate in full regalia in the Decoration Day exercises in St. Helena that year.  By 1886, the membership had grown to about twenty.  At its peak in the 1890's, the post is said to have had about forty members (some say as many as seventy-five).  Meetings were originally conducted on the first Saturday of each month in the original Odd Fellows hall (Calistoga Lodge, No. 227, I.O.O.F.), located across Lincoln Avenue from the Calistoga Depot.  After the "new" brick Odd Fellows building was built in 1887, the G.A.R. met there.  When this building was damaged in the 1906 earthquake, the G.A.R. temporarily relocated in the Masonic hall (Calistoga Lodge, No. 223, F.&A.M.) across the street.  In later years, meetings were held at the homes of members.

   Original records from Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, are presumed lost, but in time, I hope to reconstruct a list of the known membership of the post from other sources.  A glimpse at the post's organization is provided in the Register of the Department of California, Grand Army of the Republic, published in 1886.  San Francisco hosted the National Encampment of the G.A.R. that year, inspiring the publication of the Register.  Information on Gov. Morton Post, No. 41 appears in the Register as follows (notes in brackets are mine):

NAME	CO.	SERVICE	POST OFFICER
Bentley, D. M. [Daniel Morgan]	[K]	6th Iowa Inf.	Sgt. Major
Cherry, W. M. [William M.]	[C]	14th Illinois Inf.	Officer of the Day
Collins, S. W. [Judge Samuel Wallace]		15th Kansas Inf. [militia]	Post Commander
Conner, Newton	[A/H]	20th Indiana Inf.	Jr. Vice Commander
Doe, C. H. [Charles Henry]	[M]	9th Kansas Inf.	---
Easley, W. H. [William Hugh]	[F]	2d Colorado Inf.	Quartermaster
Flynn, Henry [Patrick Henry]	[E]	3rd U.S. Art.	---
Hurt, W. T. [William Thurston]	[F]	40th Indiana Inf.	---
Johnson, G. W. [George Washington]	M	3rd Iowa Cav.	Adjutant
Lane, C. W. [Charles White]	[B]	2d Minnesota Inf.	Sr. Vice Commander
Leary, J. [Joseph]	[G]	184th NewYork Inf.	---
Reed, W. H. [William Henry Harrison]		4th Missouri Inf.	Officer of the Guard
Scott, Alva Delanson	I	8th California Inf.	---
Smith, W. D. [Dr.William Davis]		3rd Minnesota Inf.	Surgeon
Stratton, W. E. [William Edward]	[A]	2d U.S. Dragoons	---
Taylor, Charles H. [Charles Henry]		[officer, but not in the membership list]	QM Sergeant
Towle, Augustus [Augustine]		18th Mass. Inf. [error?]	---
Veale, T. F. [Thomas Fletcher Wells]	[G]	99th Illinois Inf.	---
Weller, H. I. [Horace Isum]	[A]	110th New York Inf.	---
Williams, C. W. [Cyrus Warren]	[E]	124th Ohio Inf.	Chaplain

Past Commanders of Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, included Myron E. Billings, Samuel W. Collins, Newton Conner, William H. Easley, Peter S. Eastman, William Ebeling, J. Sanford Failing, George W. Johnson (chartering P.C.), Charles W. Lane, Andrew B. Mangis, John P. Martin, Newton Morse, William H. Reed, John W. Scott (last member), John A. Shipman, Paul Van Loon, and Thomas F. Veale, and Hiram G. Wyckoff.
		Calling Card for Past Post Commander (P.P.C.), Brevet-Major George Washington Johnson (1832-1908).   Johnson operated the hotel at Sam Brannan's Hot Springs at one time.  He was commissioned Major after the war, and was one of the founding officers in Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, G.A.R., at Calistoga.  His card displays the badge of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion (MOLLUS).

The final five members of Calistoga's Gov. Morton Post are listed below:

5. CONNER, Newton (P.P.C.)	Service: Pvt., Co.'s A & H, 20th Indiana Infantry. Died 10 January 1925 at Calistoga. Buried at Calistoga Cemetery.
4. WILLIAMS, Clark	Service:  Pvt., Co. C, 15th Iowa Infantry.. Died 15 April 1928 at Veterans Home, Yountville. Buried at Veterans Home Cemetery, Yountville, Sec. E, Row 9, Grave 15.
3. MANGIS, Andrew Bradley (P.P.C.)	Service:  Pvt., Co. D, 6th Illinois Cavalry. Died 29 April 1928 at Calistoga. Buried at Calistoga Cemetery.
2. TYSON, "Capt." Robert A.	Service: Pvt., Co. F, 47th Indiana Infantry; later 2nd Lieut., Co. F, 92nd U.S. Colored Infantry.  Said to have been commissioned Captain (post war?) Died 25 February 1931 at Napa. Buried at Veterans Home Cemetery, Yountville, Sec. H, Row 2, Grave 35.
1. SCOTT, John Winfield (P.P.C.)	Service:  Cpl., Co. I, 117th Illinois Infantry, also reportedly in 9th Illinois Infantry prior to transferring to the 117th. Died 21 May 1940 at Calistoga. Buried at St. Helena Cemetery.

  Calistoga's G.A.R. post was active from 1882 to 1940.  The last full election of officers was held at the home of John W. Scott in late December, 1927.  At the time, the total membership was four, with the elected officers for 1928 being:  Andrew B. Mangis, PC; John W. Scott, SVC; Clark Williams, JVC, Adjutant and QM; and Robert A. Tyson, Chaplain, Patriotic Instructor, and Officer of the Day.  Clark Williams' wife, Anna, was designated as "Assistant Adjutant," to assist her husband in carrying out his duties.  The officers-elect were scheduled to be installed at a joint installation with the Yountville Veterans Home's Unity Post, No. 171, with the installing officer scheduled to be Elbridge L. Hawk, Commander in Chief of the G.A.R., from Sacramento.

   Calistoga's G.A.R. Post concluded its existence in May, 1940, with the passing of its last member, John Winfield Scott.  As last member and Commander of the post, he would presumably have held the post charter and other key records until the time of his death.  The charter was returned to the Department of California & Nevada, G.A.R., and is preserved at Patriotic Hall in Los Angeles.  The whereabouts of other records of the post are not known.  If anyone reading this has additional information relevant to the history of Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, I would be very much interested in hearing from you!

   Lists of officers of the Calistoga G.A.R. and W.R.C. organizations are in the process of being compiled.  It's a big project, but I'm making progress.  Calistoga was also home to members of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (L.G.A.R.), Sons of Veterans (S.V., predecessor to the SUVCW), and Daughters of Veterans (D.V.), but these organizations were never chartered locally.  To see the lists, please click on the following link:

Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, G.A.R., probably at the 1903 annual encampment of the Northern California Veterans Association at "Camp Governor Morton" in the grove of oaks on the Charles W. Crouch place between Cyrus Creek and the Napa River.  Newton and Caroline Conner are seated 2nd and 3rd from right.

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   As noted in the G.A.R. section above, the Woman's Relief Corps (W.R.C) was one of the auxiliaries to the Grand Army of the Republic, the other "sister" organization being the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (L.G.A.R.).  In many communities, the members of the affiliated ladies' organizations were as active -- if not more active -- than their male counterparts in the G.A.R.

  The Woman's Relief Corps had its origins in the various ladies aid societies that arose after the Civil War.  Through the 1870's and early 1880's, these organizations grew and consolidated.  The W.R.C. became an officially allied order with the G.A.R. in July of 1883.  Their purpose was stated as follows (Source:  History of the Grand Army of the Republic, 1888):

"... to specially aid and assist the Grand Army of the Republic and to perpetuate the memory of their heroic dead; to assist such Union veterans as need our help and protection, and to extend needful aid to their widows and orphans; to find them homes and employment, and assure them of sympathy and friends; to cherish and emulate the deeds of our army nurses, and of all loyal women who rendered loving service to their country in her hour of peril; to inculcate lessons of patriotism and love of country among our children, and in the communities in which we live; to maintain true allegiance to the United States of America; to discountenance whatever tends to weaken loyalty and to encourage the spread of universal liberty and equal rights to all men."

   Unlike the Ladies of the G.A.R., the Woman's Relief Corps welcomed women into its membership who were not necessarily related to a Union veteran of the Civil War.  Any "loyal woman," being an American citizen who had never given aid or comfort to the enemies of the United States of America, was eligible for membership.  The Woman's Relief Corps still exists today.  More information can be found at the following website:


   Like the Grand Army of the Republic, the W.R.C. formed community-based organizations (each called a corps, rather than a post).  The Calistoga corps was established on June 2, 1887, designated as Governor Morton Corps, No. 40, W.R.C.  The inaugural meeting of the corps was documented in detail in the Independent Calistogian newspaper in its Wednesday, June 8, 1887 edition.  A transcription of the full article appears below:

   Thursday afternoon last, there were present at a meeting in Odd Fellows' Hall forty ladies, including those in attendance from St. Helena, the object being to organize a Woman's Relief Corps, Mrs. M. Jennie Simmons acting in the capacity of organizer.  Thirty-two ladies of Calistoga and vicinity became charter members.
   In the evening there was public installation of officers, followed by a short but pleasing programme.  The meeting was opened by Mrs. Simmons, who is Secretary of Kilpatrick Corps of St. Helena, and who introduced Mrs. Sarah Pratt Carr, Department President, W.R.C., and Installing Officer.  The work of installation was commenced without delay, the following ladies being installed officers of Gov. Morton Corps, No. 40:
   President -- Mrs. Mary A. Camp.
   Senior Vice-President -- Mrs. Mary E. Johnson.
   Junior Vice-President -- Mrs. Mary C. Kellett.
   Treasurer -- Mrs. Mary E. Brown.
   Secretary -- Mrs. Minnie B. Culver.
   Conductor -- Mrs. Eola M. Cyrus.
   Assistant Conductor -- Miss Mildred A. Tucker.
   Guard -- Mrs. Mary A. Collins.
   Assistant Guard -- Mrs. Susie Harley.
   After the installation of these officers, which had been conducted in a graceful and creditable manner, Mrs. Carr introduced the President, Mrs. Camp, and placed in her hand the ritual and the gavel.  The President after thanking the installing officer and others of Kilpatrick Corps for their kind offices during the afternoon and evening, made a few remarks addressing her sister officers and members of the newly organized Corps.  Past Post Commander S. W. Collins, Maj. G. W. Johnson and Capt. W. T. Simmons, of the G.A.R., then briefly spoke, and were followed by Mrs. Carr, who though weary from the work of the afternoon and evening, gave an outline of the object sought by the Relief Corps, and also of the good work that was being done.  Members of the Corps . . . [illegible due to paper damage] . . . to so live that their acts would be a bright example to those around them; and so work that they might greatly benefit the needy.  The speaker dwelt in a feeling manner, upon the fact that the Posts must necessarily continue to decrease in membership as one member after another of the Grand Army passes away and is laid beneath the sod; and said that the Corps may, however, be receiving new members into their circles from time to time, and continue to do good.
   After the conclusion of Mrs. Carr's remarks, there was singing and recitations, the time being very agreeably passed, the exercises closing with the singing of America, by the audience.  Goodbys were then in order and quickly said, as the hour was late, and in a short time the hall was dark and quiet.
   Gov. Morton Corps, No. 40, will meet in the Odd Fellows' Hall at 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the second and fourth Thursdays of every month.

   To view a list of officers of Corps, No. 40, please click on the following link:

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   Although William Thomas Simmons lived in Calistoga in the last years of his life, his grave (marked by two military stones) is in St. Helena Cemetery.  Because of this, he does not appear in the roster of Civil War veterans buried at Calistoga's Pioneer Cemetery, listed above.  His military record is exceptional, so special recognition is given to him in this section.

   Simmons was a first lieutenant in Company C of the 11th Missouri Infantry.  His story stands out from those of his Civil War comrades in Calistoga, because he was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor in the Civil War.  He was quite probably the only Calistogan to bear that honor from the Civil War period.  His citation was for the "capture of flag of 34th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.). Being the first to enter the works, he shot and wounded the enemy color bearer."  The capture occurred at the Battle of Nashville on December 16, 1864.  The capture of the enemy's regimental flag was considered a high achievement in Civil War battles (often more strategically important than the capture of the commanding officer).  Although the official citation indicates the flag belonged to the 34th Alabama Infantry, the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History points out that the 34th Infantry was nowhere near that position.  Most likely, the flag belonged to the 19th Alabama Infantry.  Simmons' personal account of the capture is reprinted below (from Beyer, W. F., and Keydel, O. F., editors, 1903, Deeds of valor: How America's Civil War heroes won the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Detroit, Michigan:  Perrien-Keydel Co.):

   Our division was massed to the right of Granny White Pike -- the direct route from Nashville to Franklin -- about 400 yards in front of Hood's center.  My regiment was in our second line about four o'clock in the afternoon.  Just before the assault all the boys in my company as well as myself were commenting upon a Confederate flag (the stars and bars) planted on the enemy's entrenchment directly in our front.  Several of us had remarked, banteringly, that we would have the flag before dark, when the order came to assault.  From the beginning we had been under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery, but as we started forward the regiment in our immediate front wavered and became somewhat broken up under the murderous fire, so that my regiment pressed forward and, passing them, dashed on about 200 yards.  A moment later my captain fell.  I was left in command of the company, and leaving my place as file closer I sprang to the front and led the way, making straight for the flag.  Being an exceptionally speedy runner at the time, I was first to reach the breastworks, and demanded the surrender of the colors.  The Confederate sergeant attempted to run away with the prize and I was compelled to shoot, wounding him and thereby securing the flag.

  An interesting account of Simmons' wartime deeds appeared in the Independent Calistogian newspaper of Wednesday, 3 June 1891.  He had recently been honored at the Memorial Day ceremonies in Calistoga by William H. Reed, Commander of Gov. Morton Post, No. 41, G.A.R.  The article was probably a recapitulation of Commander Reed's speech:

An Incident of the Rebellion, and a Correction.

   In February, 1865, at Washington, D.C., a reception was tendered by Secretary of War Stanton to a few daring soldiers who had captured rebel flags in battle, etc., the colors being presented to the Secretary at this time, numerous high military and civil officers being present.  The soldiers visited Washington by order of Gen. Thomas.  At this reception Secretary Stanton is reported to have shed tears after hearing the soldiers' stories as to how they captured the enemy's flags.  The captors were afterward each presented with a medal of honor by order of the Secretary, who also at the close of the reception gave each a thirty day furlough.  A Denver, Col., paper recently credited T. P. Gere, of Sioux City, Iowa, with being "the only officer in the western army" upon whom the above distinction was conferred.  This is a glaring error.  "The Bravest Five Hundred," a war history, which speaks of the above reception, gives the names of soldiers present, including that of W. T. Simmons, now of Calistoga.  The Captain of the company of which Simmons was Lieutenant, was wounded in the charge on the rebel works near the "Granny White" pike at Nashville, Dec. 16th, 1863, and Lieut. Simmons, then a mere boy, took command of the company, and was the first man in the brigade to cross the rebel works.  The color bearer of the 24th [sic] Louisiana tried to escape with the flag, but was ordered to halt and deliver it up.  This he refused to do until stopped with a bullet from Lieut. Simmons's revolver.  The medal awarded him by Secretary Stanton for this act of bravery was lost by Simmons within ten days after its receipt.  His great interest in fire matters cost him the medal.  When he arrived at Springfield, Ill., a fire was raging, and the medal was lost while fighting the fire as a volunteer in his old fire company.

   The full title of the above-mentioned book is "The Bravest Five Hundred of '61."  It was compiled by Theo. F. Rodenbough, Brevet Brigadier General, and published in New York in 1891 by G. W. Dillingham.  Simmons is mentioned in the chapter, "The Victors and the Spoils," beginning on page 97 (part I, Nashville Trophies).  Simmons was one of seventeen honored soldiers, ordered to report to the reception in Washington, D.C., by Special Field Order, No. 38, issued by Major-General Thomas, dated February 13, 1865 at Nashville.  It was noted on page 102 that "Lieut. William T. Simmons presented the flag of the 24th Louisiana."  As each soldier presented his captured flag, it was received by a veteran of the Mexican War.  Each flag was then unfurled and placed on one of a series of musket stacks which lined three walls of the ceremony room.  Secretary Stanton ordered that each soldier receive the Medal of Honor, one month's pay in advance, and be granted thirty days' furlough with free transportation to his home and back to his regiment.

   Regretably, William T. Simmons lost his cherished medal in early 1865, shortly after arriving in Springfield, Illinois, on the furlough granted to him as a reward for his valor.  A fire had broken out in Springfield, and Simmons joined the local fire company to protect the town.  In the turmoil and commotion of fighting the fire, Simmons lost his medal in the flames.  He tried at various times to get a replacement medal, but the process proved to be lengthy and complicated.  Among the notable public officials who intervened on Simmons' behalf to replace the medal, were U.S. Senator (Major General) John F. Miller and Congressman (Major General) William S. Rosecrans, both of California.  The War Department rejected both of their requests.  Finally, following a new round of requests by Congressman John A. Barham of California, the replacement medal was granted.  Simmons received it in Calistoga on Monday, February 1, 1897.  According to an article in the February 5th edition of the Weekly Calistogian newspaper, the inscription on the back of the medal appeared as follows:

Duplicate.  The Congress to Lieutenant William T. Simmons, Company C, 11th Mo. Inf'ry.

  The matter of replacing his lost medal was not the only lesson in frustration that Simmons experienced with the Army.  An article from the March 2, 1900, edition of the Weekly Calistogian newspaper gives the particulars:

   Captain W. T. Simmons says that the old adage, "Everything comes to those who waits," is a good one to tie to.  When the captain was discharged from the army as an enlisted man (first sergeant Company C, Eleventh Missouri Veteran infantry,) to accept a commission as first lieutenant in the same company on the 23rd day of November, 1864, there was due him twenty-three days' pay as sergeant, a small amount for clothing allowance and an installment bounty.  He and the paymaster did not agree as to the exact amount due, and the captain refused to accept the amount offered.  After the close of the war Mr. Simmons filed a claim for what was due him.  Nothing further was heard of it until August, 1891, when he received a letter from the comptroller to the effect that the claim had been rejected, so the captain let the matter drop; but he was very much surprised this week to receive a notice from the treasury department that the claim had again been taken up by the department and allowed after more than thirty-six years had elapsed.

   Simmons was a carpenter by trade, and a prominent citizen in both St. Helena and Calistoga. He was referred to locally as "Captain" Simmons, although his rank when discharged was 1st Lieutenant.  He served as Secretary of the Northern California Veterans Association, and was also reportedly Commander at one time.  He was also a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), and was listed in the register for the order, compiled by J. Harris Aubin in 1906.  His son, Edwin W. Simmons, was also listed in the 1906 MOLLUS register.  Locally, he was a charter member and first Post Commander of St. Helena's Kilpatrick Post, No. 38, G.A.R. (organized 7 December 1881).

   His lengthy obituary appeared in The Weekly Calistogian newspaper of Friday, 1 January 1909.  It is reprinted in full below:

W. T. SIMMONS PASSES AWAY
WELL-KNOWN BUSINESS MAN SUCCUMBS TO AN ATTACK OF PARALYSIS
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Had Been a Highly-Respected Resident of Calistoga for Nearly a Quarter of a Century.
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   In the death of Captain W. T. Simmons, Calistoga has lost another of its oldest and most highly-respected citizens, and the entire community mourns the loss of one of its best known residents.  Death was due to slow paralysis, of which he had been a sufferer for about three years, although he had only been confined to his bed for three weeks.
    The deceased located here nearly twenty-three years ago and engaged in the undertaking and furniture business, which he conducted up to the time of his death.  He was appointed agent for Wells-Fargo & Company over fifteen years ago and continued in that capacity also up to the time of his demise.  He also served several terms as justice of the peace and town recorder a number of years ago, and was later a director of the Veterans' home at Yountville.  He was a candidate for sheriff of the county in 1898, but failed to receive the nomination at the hands of the Republican Party.
   William Thomas Simmons was a native of Newport, Ills., and was aged 65 years, 10 months and 29 days.  He had been a resident of California for almost forty years, and in addition to the widow, Mary J. Simmons (nee Risley), is survived by three children -- Mrs. R. C. Wilson of San Francisco and E. W. and W. F. Simmons of this place.
   Captain Simmons served throughout the civil war and was a lieutenant of Company C of the Eleventh Missouri Volunteer Infantry.  He enlisted at the age of eighteen years as a private in Springfield, Ills.  The quota of that state being full, he went to St. Louis, Mo., where he mustered into the above-named company.  His first engagement was at Frederickstown, Mo.; he served with Pope at the siege of New Madrid and Island No. 10, with Grant at the siege of Corinth, with Rosencrans at the battles of Iuka and Corinth, and with Sherman at Jackson and the series of engagements culminating in the siege and capture of Vicksburg.  He re-enlisted for the war with A. J. Smith at Tupelo, and under Rosencrans followed Price into Missouri in his last raid on that state.  The deceased received a commission as first lieutenant at that time; was under Thomas at Nashville, captured the rebel battle flag, and was sent by order of Secretary of War Stanton to Washington, where he received a medal for meritorious service, being one of only thirty-five of that class issued during the war.  He served with Canby at Spanish-Fort-Blakely and the surrender of Mobile; at Montgomery, Ala., at the time of Lee's surrender, and was discharged on January 11, 1866, at St. Louis.  Mr. Simmons was wounded only once -- at Corinth, Miss., October 4, 1862, although he was under fire in thirty-six engagements.

   The funeral took place on Tuesday afternoon from his late home on Cedar street and was attended by a large number of friends  and acquaintances of many years standing.  The services were held under the auspices of the Governor Morton post, No. 40 [sic -- 41], G.A.R., and Rev. U. E. Partridge was the officiating clergyman, assisted by Rev. James Mitchell of St. Helena.  The remains were taken to San Francisco Wednesday morning for incineration at the Odd Fellows' cemetery.

    The many friends and acquaintances of the deceased join The Calistogian in extending its sincerest sympathy to the stricken relatives in this, their hour of bereavement.

William T. Simmons' calling card.  Cards such as these were popular with veterans.  They were often exchanged at encampments or other meetings in which G.A.R. men gathered.   Simmons was a member of both the St. Helena and Calistoga G.A.R. posts.  He was instrumental in founding both.

John W. Scott, Beloved Citizen Of Calistoga, Has Passed Away
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Town Mourns Death of Well-Known Civil War Veteran Who Died Tuesday
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HE KNEW MR. LINCOLN
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Was One of the Oldest Veterans of the Civil War Left in The United States
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Came Here in 1921

Knew Lincoln

Widow and Son Survive

Funeral Services

Col. Elmer Ellsworth Camp, No. 23, SUVCW

Sharpsteen Museum Association
St. Helena Historical Society

Napa County Historical Society

Lake County Historical Society