Pvt. George A. Will, Co. F

George Alexander Will was born on Dec 9, 1842 in Somerset County, PA to Hiram and Keziah (Meese) Will. By age 16, he was working in his father's sawmill, but the summer of 1862 brought a call for more troops by President Lincoln. George and his brother Charles both joined Co. F 142nd PA Infantry.  

 

Pvt. Will was wounded in the ankle at the Battle of Fredericksburg on Dec 13, 1862 and was in the hospital for six months. After he was discharged from the hospital, he was transferred to Company D, 18th Regiment Veteran Reserve Corps on August 15, 1863. He was then discharged by General Order on June 29, 1865

 

After the end of the war, the Will family moved to Dixon, Lee County, IL. George stayed there farming with his father and brother until 1871 when he moved to Saunders County, NE. According to Past and Present of Saunders County Nebraska, Vol II , "He homesteaded eighty acres, to which he subsequently added a similar tract by buying railroad land and for forty-six years he concentrated his energies upon the operation of his farm, being assisted by his sons when they became old enough. As the years passed his capital increased and in 1907, feeling that he had accumulated a competence, he retired from active life."  George was also an active member of the Bob McCook G.A.R. Post in Ashland, NE. 

 

Will was married on July 1, 1869 in El Paso, IL to Frances Kurr, a native of Dixon, IL. The couple had four children, three of whom lived to adulthood.

 

George A. Will passed away in 1921 and is was laid to rest beside his wife in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Lancaster County, NE.

A big THANK YOU to Heather Heikkila for a wealth of information on the Will family!

Pvt. Aaron Hartman, Co. C

Aaron P. Hartman was born March 16, 1841 in Pennsylvania to John and Anna Margaretha (Krissinger) Hartman. John died early on in Aaron's life, and he was raised by his mother in the Berlin, Somerset County, PA area and by the time of the 1860 Federal Census was living in the county seat of Somerset, working as a blacksmithing apprentice.

Hartman was mustered into Co. C 142nd PA Infantry on Aug 25, 1862 and mustered out with his company on May 29, 1865 in Washington, DC.

After the war, like many other Americans, Aaron moved back home before heading out west. The Census of 1870 shows Hartman living in Berlin, PA, but he did not stay for long. In 1871, Hartman moved to Lee County, IL. There, on January 2, 1871 he married Harriet Elizabeth (Young) Hartman, with whom he had a son, Albert Welsey. The couple divorced and Aaron moved to Kansas.

By 1880, he had remarried, and his new wife Mary and stepson Henry Finch were living in Great Bend, Barton County, KS. Five years later, the three are living in Caldwell, Sumner County, KS.

Aaron Hartman died on March 28, 1892 and was laid to rest under a government headstone in Caldwell Cemetery, Caldwell, KS.

Much of the information provided by "Portrait and biographical album of Sumner County, KS" by Chapman Brothers and from Aaron Hartman's great-great granddaughter Heather Heikkila.

Pvt. Charles I. Will, Co. F

Charles Irwin Will was born in Northampton Twp, Somerset County, PA to Hiram and Kezia (Meese) Will on Aug 15, 1845.

He and his brother George joined Co. F 142nd PA Infantry in August of 1862, mustering into service on August 25th at Camp Curtin, near Harrisburg, PA. He was wounded in the neck at the Battle of Hatcher's Run in February 1865. Pvt. Will recovered quickly from his wound and was back with his unit in six weeks. He was mustered out with his company on May 29, 1865.

After the war ended, the Will family moved westward to Dixon, Lee County, IL, a place where several Somerset County families had immigrated and started farms. The Will family was no different, and in 1877, Charles left his father's land, and began farming his wife's home farm.

Charles was married to Mary E. Mossholder on that farm, and the couple had three children: Ida, Martha, and Ralph.

Charles Will passed away in 1925 and is buried with his wife, son, and parents in Emanuel (Heckman) Cemetery in Dixon, IL.

 

A very special THANK YOU to Heather Heikkila, great-great granddaughter of Charles Will for supplying invaluable amounts of information on her 142nd ancestors!

Pvt. Daniel May, Co. C

Daniel May was born in Somerset County, PA around 1837 to Daniel, Sr., and Elizabeth May. The family were farmers from the Upper Turkeyfoot Township area of Somerset County.

He was mustered into Co. C 142nd PA Infantry on Aug 25, 1862 and died on Feb 14, 1863. Pvt. May is buried at Fredericksburg National Cemetery.

Pvt. Ringold Markel, Co. C

Ringold Markel was born around 1830 in Germany. Two years later, his parents, Leopold and Elizabeth (Wunch) Markel immigrated to the United States and ended up settling around Meyersdale, Somerset County, PA.

Federal Census records from 1860 show Ringold living in Middlecreek Twp, Somerset County, PA and working as a blacksmith.

On Aug 25, 1862, Pvt. Markel was mustered into Co. C 142nd PA Infantry. He was killed in action at Petersburg, VA on Apr 2, 1865, a mere week before the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered, effectively ending the Civil War in the East.




Index for Ringold Markel's pension file


Markel was originally buried on the battlefield, but his body was later moved to Poplar Grove National Cemetery in Petersburg, Section D site 1080.

Information on the Markel family from:

History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania; Bedford County by E. Howard Blackburn; Somerset County by William H. Welfley; v.3, Pub. The Lewis Publishing Company, New York/Chicago 1906, ppg. 337/8

Pvt. Daniel J. Horner, Co. C

Daniel J. Horner was born on May 27, 1843 in Somerset County, PA to John J. and Mary (Beeghley) Horner. He was one of eleven children born to the couple.

Daniel enlisted in Company C 142nd PA Infantry on Aug 11, 1862 and was mustered in on Aug 23. He was severely wounded in his regiment's first battle at Fredericksburg, VA on Dec 13, 1862, and had to have his left leg amputated above the knee. Pvt. Horner was mustered out of the service on Feb 23, 1864.

After he came home, Daniel went to school at  Mount Pleasant College, and at the State Normal School in Millersville, Lancaster County, PA from 1866-1868. He paid for his schooling by teaching during the winter months.

After Daniel moved back to Somerset County, he held a variety of public positions, including Register and Recorder of Deeds, Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, and Clerk of Courts. As he held these public offices, Daniel also was a store clerk and a carriage manufacturer in the private sector. In 1891 he was elected as an Associate Judge of Somerset County. A very civic minded man, Daniel was a commander of the R.P. Cummins Post 210 of the G.A.R., a member of several fraternal organizations, and was a member of the monument committee for the 142nd monument at Gettysburg, where he spoke at its dedication on Sept 11, 1889.

Daniel married Susan Bell on Dec 14, 1870 and the couple had one child, Marion Bell Horner, who died in 1890 at age 16.

Daniel Horner passed away on Apr 22, 1907 and is buried in Somerset Union Cemetery, Somerset, PA.

Sources:

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW, Vol. XXXII, Containing Life Sketches of Leading Citizens of 
Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania. Boston, Biographical Review 
Publishing Company: 1899, pp 103-105.