Pvt. Irvin W. Sullivan, Co. C

Pvt. Irvin W. Sullivan was born on Sept 20, 1838 in Upper Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County, PA to Philip and Rebecca (King) Sullivan. Irvin was the oldest of thirteen children.

Working on the family farm and in the family's tannery, Irvin married Joanna Weimer in 1858. The couple had seven children.

Pvt. Sullivan was mustered into service with his company on Aug 25, 1862 and was able to muster out with them as well on May 29, 1865. During his time in the service, Pvt. Sullivan was a teamster, pulling supply and ammo wagons. According to his military service records, in 1864, Irvin was "On detached service at Corps Hd. Qtrs."

Above are two pictures of Irvin Sullivan from after the war.

Pvt. Irvin W. Sullivan passed away on Apr 18, 1920, less than a year after his wife Joanna passed away. They lay together in the Kingwood IOOF Cemetery in Upper Turkeyfoot Twp, PA.

Joanna Sullivan's obituary

A special thanks to the late Donald Pease for his work and research into the life and military service of his great-grandfather Irvin Sullivan. A fictionalized account of this service, mixed with documentation from the National Archives, was published in 2000 and can be viewed here.

Sgt. Jacob Phillippi, Co. C

Sgt. Jacob Phillippi of Co. C, 142nd PVI was born Nov 25, 1842 in Milford Twp, Somerset County, PA to Samuel and Mary Ann (Younkin) Phillippi. By 1860 the family had moved near Paddytown, Upper Turkeyfoot Twp where Samuel was farming.

Jacob enlisted as a private on Aug 12, 1862 and mustered out with his company, after having risen to the rank of sergeant, on May 29, 1865.

Like his father before him, Jacob was a farmer as a civilian.

Sgt. Phillippi was married twice, with his first wife, Elizabeth, passing away in 1893. After this, Jacob was married to Gertrude King.

Jacob passed away on Feb 12, 1914 and is buried in the Kingwood Lutheran Church cemetery.

Above is a picture of Sgt. Phillippi's pension record, with his 2nd wife's name listed as widow.

Above is a picture of Sgt. Phillippi's burial record

The Kingwood Lutheran church is no longer standing, but was located at the intersection of current Rte. 281, Humbert Road, and Casselman Road in Kingwood, PA. It's location is now part of the parking lot for the Kingwood Church of God and the location of the Upper Turkeyfoot Twp Honor Roll.

Grave of Sgt. Jacob Phillippi, who now rests next to his wife Elizabeth and their two infant sons, Elmer and Luther.

Pvt John S. Trimpey, Co. C

John S. Trimpey was born April 4, 1841 in Upper Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County, PA to Frederick and Catharine Trimpey, both of whom emigrated from Germany. John was one of four children and worked on the family farm.
On Aug 25 1862, John enlisted in Co. C of the 142nd PA Infantry.

The picture above, courtesy of Linda Marker, one John's family members, has been in their family for a long time. It is thought to be of Pvt. Trimpey, but no one ever wrote a name on the back. John made it safely through the war and mustered out with his unit on May 29, 1865.
In civilian life, John was a farmer like his father. He was married to Nancy Younkin and had nine children with her. In 1889, Nancy passed away and John was remarried to Isabelle Lephart, with whom he had a son.

The above picture shows Pvt. Trimpey as an older man, below is a picture of his pension record, with his 2nd wife listed as widow.

John S. Trimpey passed away on Feb 20, 1929 and now rests in the Kingwood IOOF Cemetery in Upper Turkeyfoot Twp, PA.

Pvt. Jacob Kreger, Co. C

Jacob Kreger of Co. C was born and raised in the village of Kingwood, in Upper Turkeyfoot Twp, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Jacob joined the 142nd on 25 Aug 1862 and saw his first and only battle action at Fredericksburg, VA on 13 Dec 1862. It was in this battle that he lost his right leg. A 1944 newspaper article about his grandson stated that Jacob laid wounded on the battlefield for two days and three nights before someone realized that he was wasn't dead. He returned home to Pennsylvania, married Susannah Dumbauld, and owned and operated a general store in Kingwood.

Above is a picture of the Kreger house that Jacob had built. He is the 3rd person from the left, sitting on a chair on the porch. This house is currently the parsonage for the Kingwood Church of God. Jacob was one of the church's first trustees, and he also donated land to build the church and now rests in it's cemetery, 150 feet from where he lived.

Above is the original Kingwood Church of God building

This is a picture of Jacob Kreger in his latter years. The loss of his right leg did not stop him from running a successful business and building one of the nicest homes in Kingwood.

Grave of Jacob and Susannah Kreger in the Kingwood Church of God Cemetery, Upper Turkeyfoot Twp, PA. Many of their descendents still live in the area and worship at the church that Jacob was instrumental in bringing to fruition.

Corp. Jonas Meyers, Co. C

Jonas Meyers, Co. C was born in 1841 in Upper Turkeyfoot Twp, Somerset County, PA, the son of Rudolph and Jane (Pinkerton) Meyers. Jonas was a farmer by trade and a maple syrup producer. The Meyers farm was located near Paddytown, so named for the number of Scot-Irish families that lived in the area.

Jonas was a member of the 142nd from its inception on 25 Aug 1862 as a Corporal. He was wounded twice during the war, once at Gettysburg and once at the Wilderness.

Above is a picture of Corp. Jonas Meyers during his time of military service.

Jonas married Lucy Phillippi around 1860 and had five children together.

Above is a picture of Jonas with his granddaughter, Irene Younkin Wiltrout. Note the G.A.R. medals on his jacket.

Jonas passed away on 3 Sept 1916 and now rests next to his wife Lucy in the Kingwood Lutheran Cemetery in Upper Turkeyfoot Twp, PA.

Who was the 142nd PVI?

The 142nd Pa Volunteer Infantry was brought into the service of the Union Army in the American Civil War on 25 Aug 1862. The men came from all across the state of Pennsylvania, but had a distinctly western PA feel: five of the ten companies were raised in Somerset, Fayette, and Westmoreland counties. As their first order of business, they elected officers:
Col. Robert P. Cummins, Somerset County

Lt. Col Alfred B. McAlmont, Venango County

Major John Bradley, Luzerne County

The regiment rendezvoused at Camp Curtin, outside Harrisburg, and after electing officers was sent to Washington, D.C. to help construct Ft. Massachusetts, mainly clearing land and digging rifle pits. This fort was later re-named Ft. Stevens.

The 142nd took part in over 20 engagements from Fredericksburg in 1862 to Appomattox Court House in 1865, where the war was effectively ended in the east. Among those battles, were:

Fredericksburg, VA
Chancellorsville, VA
Gettysburg, VA
Wilderness, VA
Spotsylvania, VA
North Anna, VA
Totopotomy Creek, VA
Bethesda Church, VA
Cold Harbor, VA
Siege of Petersburg, VA
Weldon Railroad, VA
Poplar Spring Church, VA
Hatcher's Run, VA
Dabney's Mill, VA
Boydton Road, VA
Five Forks, VA
Appomattox, VA

The 142nd Monument in Gettysburg, PA has the regiment's losses during its 2 1/2 year service inscribed on it:

Total enrollment: 935
Killed and died of wounds: 7 officers and 133 enlisted men
Wounded: 21 officers and 409 enlisted men
Died of disease, etc.: 81 enlisted men
Captured and missing: 2 officers and 156 enlisted men
Total loss: 809

Fox's Regimental Losses states that the 142nd suffered the 9th highest casualty rate of any unit in the Union Army

Why this site exists

This site was created for the purpose of maintaining the memories of the men who fought in the 142^nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. These men came from across Pennsylvania when their state and country called them, and they participated in many of the major engagements of the Eastern Theater.  They were teachers, shopkeepers, farmers, and students who all gave up everything they had known in order to keep the United States together. 227 of these men made the ultimate sacrifice.

Click through the buttons on both sides of the site for information concerning where and when the 142nd PA fought and where its veterans final resting places are.  

I hope this information is useful and helpful. If you are a descendent of a 142^nd veteran and have a picture or any information you would like to share with others, please contact me at bmonticue@gmail.com.