Jos. Beeler

BEELER, EMERICK, WARNER

Posted By: Gloria Dodds (email)
Date: 10/19/2002 at 16:39:19

Taken from the 80 year edition of The Keosauqua Republican 1855-1935

Thursday, August 15, 1935 Page Five

VAN BUREN COUNTY'S LIVING CIVIL WAR VETERANS

Jos. Beeler

Joseph Beeler was born on a farm in Lee County May
28, 1844. His parents were John and Hannah Beeler.
When he was only a child he moved with his folks to Van Buren county and settled on what is generally known as the Emerick farm near Lebanon. After his father's death, his mother married Wm. Emerick.
Mr. Beeler attended the district school at Lebanon, going three months in the winter generally, but sometimes skipping altogether.
In 1862 he went to Garden Grove to learn the blacksmith trade. While there he enlisted as a soldier in the Civil war, in 1864. He was first sent to Memphis, Tenn., and then to Little Rock, Arkansas. Mr. Beeler was a member of the Third Iowa Cavalry, and took part in many of the battles fought in driving General Price and his men out of Missouri.
Mr. Beeler also marched with Sherman's men to the sea in the fall of 1864. "It is as plain to me as if it were yesterday," said Mr. Beeler. We stole everything in sight. The south suffered terribly. I'm glad it's all over. I was never wounded, but I was scared nearly to death."
The division in which Mr.Beeler fought was at Macon, Georgia, on its way to give aid to Grant at Richmond when it learned that Lee had surrendered to Grant. These troops marched back to Atlanta, and Mr. Beeler stayed in this city the summer of 1865 and returned to his home in September, 1865. He went to Garden Grove to finish his trade there as a blacksmith and then came back to Lebanon in 1875.
On July 4, 1884, Mr. Beeler and Grace Warner were married. Mr. Beeler has two sons living. Stanley and Hazen, both of whom live near Lebanon, one son Rex, who died in infancy, and three grandchildren, Joe, Nancy Ellen, and Norma.