Sgt. Noah Koontz, Co. D

Noah Koontz was born October 30, 1842 in Shade Twp, Somerset County, PA. He was one of thirteen children born to Henry and Mary (Sell) Koontz. Noah grew up on his family farm in Shade Twp, and joined Co. D 142nd PA Infantry as a Private on August 22, 1862.

Koontz was promoted to Corporal on March 12, 1863, and was wounded in the hip at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. He recovered and returned to his company, and was again wounded at the Battle of Spottsylvania in September of 1864. A few weeks later, on Nov. 1, 1864, Noah was promoted to Sergeant. He was mustered out with his regiment at the end of the War on May 29, 1865 after the Grand Review in Washington, DC.
After he was he left army life, Noah moved back home, was married in October of 1865, and began working as a farmer. In 1886, Noah and his wife Margaret moved to Johnstown, Cambria County, PA. The Johnstown Flood of 1889 forced them to move to the Moxham neighborhood of Johnstown, which is relatively flood-free. According to his obituary in the Johnstown Tribune from January 25, 1916, Koontz had worked as a teamster and had also helped build the Somerset and Cambria branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

From Left to Right: Daughter Abiah (Koontz) Horner, Sgt. Koontz, Granddaughter Elsie Horner, and Mother Mary (Sell) Koontz

When Noah passed away in 1916, he left behind a wife and seven children. He is buried in Grandview Cemetery, Johnstown, PA.

Recently, some letters have been found in Schmucker Hall on the Lutheran Theological Seminary campus in Gettysburg, PA. These letters were written to George Dull, one of Noah Koontz's Company D comrades. No letters to Koontz were found, but an envelope with his name on it was found in the same area. You can read about this story here.

 

Thank you to Braxton Berkey with the Johnstown Area Heritage Association for information on Sgt. Koontz's life!