Memorial Mondays ~ Thomas Milton Rogers

Thomas Milton Rogers has always intrigued me.  Thomas is my Great Great Grandfather.  He was the first born child of John Rogers (he has his own research issues if you can imagine!) and Rebecca Jane Murray, born 4 August 1872 in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia.  Thomas married Minnie Jane Hartsell on 29 November 1896 in Preston County, West Virginia. They were married by Minnie's father, Robert A. Hartsell, a Civil War Veteran.  Thomas was baptized in the Old German Baptist Church in May of 1898.  Minnie and Thomas had five boys and one girl.  Sadly, Thomas was struck in the head while cutting timber a month after his daughter was born.  He never recovered from the blow.  He died on 10 May 1906 in the Reno District of Preston County, West Virginia.  Thomas was buried in Burns Cemetery, Rowlesburg, Preston County, West Virginia, on a mountain of course.

The one odd thing is, for some reason in family papers we have a typed copy of the obituary.  The next task for Thomas is to locate the original.

Kelly

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Thomas Bartlett Hopkins

Thomas Bartlett Hopkins was born 5 February 1830 in Monongalia County, Virginia to John R. & Edith Bartlett  Hopkins.  He was the 4th of 5 children born to John and Edith.  Thomas married Mary Potts on 1 March 1849, together they had 4 children.  Sometime after the birth of their 4th child, Julia, Mary died.  Thomas then married Emma Amelia Connolly 4 August 1856.  They had 12 children together, of whom, Samuel is my ancestor. 

A few months after Thomas' 8th child was born in 1862, he enlisted in the Civil War becoming a Corporal in Company F of the 11th West Virginia Infantry.  Thomas served for three years.  According to his pension claim that was "filed October 31 1877 That while in the line of duty at New Creek West Va on or about the 4th of August 1864, he received a gun shot wound in the left leg, the ball passing through the leg at the knee joint, between the joint of the knee and large leaders or tendons of the leg, severing some of the leaders and interfering with his moving about". After healing in the Union Hospital for some time, Thomas was discharged in 1865. 

Thomas went home and continued to work on his farm with his many children until he died on 10 August 1897 in Wood County, West Virginia.  He was buried at Salisbury, Wood County, West Virginia.

Kelly

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Andrew Walter Nose

Happy Tombstone Tuesday! I must say it is one of my favorite days! In honor of Memorial Day, lets take a look at Andrew W. Nose. My dear 3rd Great Grandfather was born 2 June 1827 in Taylor County, Virginia. He married Celiah Celestial Snider about 1854 in Virginia. They had ten children together, of whom I am descended from their daughter Louisa Virginia Nose.

Andrew served in Company B of the 17th West Virginia Infantry during the Civil War. But it wasn't just his service to his country that made Andrew interesting. Andrew had a busy life, with ten children, the effects on his body after the war, he seemed not to be able to keep a wife. Celiah died in 1877. In 1878 he married Miss Ellen Pierce. They had one child. Then in 1886 he married Miss Annie Thorn. Finally in 1906 he married the young Miss Sarah E. Calls, who was 46 years younger then himself.

After all though, Andrew was a pensioner. But pensioners were not without their problems. It seems one day according to the letters and affidavits in his pension file, some young man taking him to town, forged Andrew's pension voucher and robbed him. In the following letters and court case, many of the persons involved had their characters described. In fact the "Pensioner's wife is notorious for unchastity in the neighborhood where she lives and Pensioner has several times left her on account of her bad conduct in this respect".

Kelly