Lumbert, John M.

LUMBERT

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 2/22/2008 at 17:01:49

Jackson Sentinel
August 19, 1897

Civil War Veterans Die

1. None of us who attended the reunion at Andrew last year seemed to enter into the spirit of the occasion more heartily than our aged comrade, Zobina N. Miller of Bridgeport. He left for home, at the close of the second day, in his usual health and good spirits, little dreaming that he would never see another sunset. While driving with his wife the next day, his team ran away, and both were thrown from the vehicle. Comrade Miller was picked up unconscious and died the next Thursday, Aug. 27, 1896, without regaining consciousness.

He was born in Pennsylvania, Feb. 9, 1823; was married in 1849 and moved to Iowa in 1855. He enlisted in Co. A, 12th Iowa Inf., in October, 1861, and was discharged for disability the following June. In early life he was a local preacher of the M. E. church for some years.

2. Ten days after our reunion at Andrew last year, Aug. 30, 1896, Comrade John R. Lumbert of Preston, received his final summons. He was a native of Sommerset county, state of Maine, and was born, May 9, 1827. His first removal to the west was to Dane county, Wis., in 1848. From there he removed to Portage county, same state, where he was married, October 15, 1858, to Mrs. Mary Cotter. His military service was with Co. E, 17th Wisconsin Inf. It was a splendid fighting regiment commanded by Col. A. G. Malloy, a regular army officer, who, I think, is still in the service, and was with the army of the Tennessee in all its hard fought battles. Comrade Lumbert suffered from illness ever since his discharge from the army, and died of rheumatism, after a lingering illness of over ten months. He had removed from Wisconsin to Iowa in 1865, and was a resident of Jackson county from that time until his death. I first knew Comrade Lumbert when he became a member of the old Sabula society of veterans, soon after its organization in 1878, and he has ever since seemed to delight in attending the reunions of his comrades when possible for him to do so. His funeral services were under charge of Alfred Schofield Post, G. A. R., which performed the impressive rites of the Memorial service at the grave.

3. Chas. A. Elsner of Maquoketa enlisted in Co. L, Second Iowa Cavalry, on its organization in 1861 from his farm near Bridgeport. He was then a man of mature years, having been born in 1825 in the province of Silesia, Germany. He again made his home in and near Maquoketa, after his return from the war, but for several years preferred to live at the Soldiers’ Homes. He spent a few years at the State Home at Marshalltown, and then was admitted to the National Home at Milwaukee, where he died very suddenly of heart trouble, Dec. 17, 1896. His remains were returned to Maquoketa and interred in Mt. Hope cemetery under charge of A. W. Drips Post, G. A. R.

4. It was a singular coincidence that the death of one of Mr. Elsner’s oldest friends, a fellow-countryman, occurred on the same day. This was our aged comrade, Casper Deppe of Bellevue, who was a member of Co. I, 5th Iowa Inf. I regret that further data, in regard to this interesting old German comrade failed to come into my hands. I remember meeting him at some of our reunions.