Muscatine Journal, Centennial Edition
Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa
May 31, 1940

Des Moines -- (AP) -- This year, for the first time since the "boys in blue" came marching home in '65, there are fewer than 100 Civil war veterans in Iowa. State G.A.R. headquarters here today listed 95 veterans of the war between the states as still living in Iowa, in contrast to the 76,000 who answered the call of Lincoln from 1861 to 1865.

The average age of these men is 94.2 years. The youngest is 90; the oldest, 101. Membership in the Iowa department of the Grand Army of the Republic exceeded 20,000 at its peak about 1890. Now there are 45 counties without even one Civil war veteran still living.

Most of the remaining counties have only one. Only Cerro Gordo (Mason City), Dubuque, Lucas (Chariton), Marshall, Muscatine, Page (Shenandoah, Clarinda), Mahaska (Oskaloosa), and Polk (Des Moines), have more. Muscatine has three remining, two in Muscatine and one in West Liberty.

Ten counties lost their G.A.R. member in the past 12 months. A year ago, there were 145 Civil war veterans in Iowa, living in 64 counties.

James W. WILLETT of Tama, elected state commander of the G.A.R. at the 1939 encampment, died May 13, while still in office.

At the latest official report, March 31, the Grand Army of the Republic listed 2,655 members in the United States, with deaths reported at the rate of 100 per month. There were 52,192 widows of Civil war veterans living on March 31.

Counties without any Civil war veterans living are Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Bremer, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cedar, Chickawaw, Clay, Clayton, Crawford, Delaware, Dickinson, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Henry, Howard, Ida, Iowa, Jackson, Kossuth, Lee, Louisa, Lyon, Madison, Mitchell, Monona, Monroe, Osceola, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Tama, Union, Winnebago, Worth and Wright.

The list and age of veterans reported by state G.A.R. headquarters follows, by counties:

Appanoose - Byron D. BATES, 93, Cincinnati, Ia.; Edward STREEPY, 95, Udell, Ia.

Audubon - John C. BONWELL, 97, Gray, Ia.; William H. JAY, 94, Audubon, Ia.

Benton - Dr. William A. VINCENT, 93, Belle Plaine, Ia.

Black Hawk - Henry BRAY, 96, Waterloo, Ia.

Boone - Frank RITTER, 94, Boone, Ia.

Buchanan - George W. KAYS, 92, Independence, Ia.

Buena Vista - Charles P. MATSON, 93, Storm Lake, Ia.

Cass - A. D. BULLOCK, 94, Atlantic, Ia.; Edwin PERRY, 92, Cumberland, Ia.

Cerro Gordo - Nathan G. THORN, 90, Mason City, Ia.; Rockley WHIPPLE, 100, Mason City, Ia.; John R. WILLIAMS, 94, Mason City, Ia.

Cherokee - Nicholas T. WELLS, 94, Marcus, Ia.

Clarke - Hiram A. WIRICK, 94, Osceola, Ia.; Theodore YETTS, 94, Hopeville, Ia.

Clinton - John AVERY, 94, Clinton, Ia.; Jacob W. LIEBLER, 96, Calamus, Ia.

Dallas - Charles S. CURLER, 91, Perry, Ia.

Decatur - Jonas P. HOFFHINES, 99, Leon, Ia.; James H. PITMAN, 95, Leon, Ia.

Des Moines - Edmund B. DAVIS, 96, Burlington, Ia.

Davis - Benjamin S. ARMSTRONG, 95, Bloomfield, Ia.; William J. SHUCK, 98, Bunch, Ia.

Dubuque - James H. JACKSON, 96, Dubuque, Ia.; A. E. KEEN, 92, Dubuque, Ia.; Frank L. QUADE, 93, Dubuque, Ia.

Fremont - Larkin MILLER, 94, Hamburg, Ia.; Phineas H. DRAKE, 96, Tabor, Ia.

Greene - Robert G. MARTIN, 91, Rippey, Ia.

Guthrie - John PALMER, 96, Bayard, Ia.

Hancock - Llewellyn LEWIS, 94, Klemme, Ia.

Harrison - Sylvester POCKETT, 91, Dunlap, Ia.; Cyrus E. CROSS, 93, Mondamin, Ia.

Humboldt - Charles H. LINGENFELTER, 98, Dakota City, Ia.

Jasper - Elliott P. TAYLOR, 94, Newton, Ia.

Jefferson - Joseph H. ALVERSON, 95, Batavia, Ia.; John A. SMITHLINE, 93, Fairfield, Ia.

Johnson - Ebenezar S. McMURRAY, 95, Iowa City, Ia.

Jones - James S. LAWSON, 92, Olin, Ia.; Mark H. MORSE, 98, Wyoming, Ia.

Keokuk - James WILLIAMS, 93, Sigourney, Ia.

Linn - Samuel J. BECK, 92, Cedar Rapids, Ia.; George S. BUSHNELL, 91, Cedar Rapids, Ia.

Lucas - William HUMPHREYS, 96, Chariton, Ia.; Robert KILLEN, 96, Lucas, Ia.; Henry A. NEWHOUSE, 93, Lucas, Ia.

Mahaska - Jacob WATLAND, 96, New Sharon, Ia.; Henry A. WHITE, 93, University Park, Ia.; Henry T. WHITE, 95, Oskaloosa, Ia.

Marion - William H. H. BARKER, 99, Harvey, Ia.; Robert A. MILLEN, 93, Melcher, Ia.

Marshall - Benjamin M. CROOKSHANK, 94, Marshalltown, Ia.; and Joseph R. COFFIN, 94, James H. FIRMAN, 91, Peter GARVER, 96, Sylvester MANSHIP, 92, Silas PARKER, 101, and David B, SISK, 94, all of the Iowa Soldiers' home.

Mills - David M. TAYLOR, 93, Malvern, Ia.

Montgomery - Hiram FINLEY, 98, Stanton, Ia.; Joseph E. KENWORTHY, 92, Grant, Ia.

Muscatine - August EICHOFF, 93, Muscatine, Ia.; Joseph H. MILLER, 92, Muscatine, Ia.; Charles F. REGNIER, 95, West Liberty, Ia.

O'Brien - James P. MARTIN, 92, Sutherland, Ia.

Page - Matthias BAKER, 95, Shenandoah, Ia.; Shelby S. BERTRAM, 96, Shenandoah, Ia.; John M. GUDGEL, 92, Shenandoah, Ia.; Charles SINN, 90, Clarinda, Ia.

Plymouth - Andrew CROUCH, 91, Le Mars, Ia.

Polk - John C. ASH, 97; Russell B. BEVER, 96; Harrison COLE, 91; John S. MERRIAM, 95; James McHARGUE, 95; J.J. NEUMAN, 93; T. J. NOLL, 95; and Alvin SMITH, 96, all of Des Moines, Ia.

Pottawattamie - Sylvester FLUMMER, 93, Council Bluffs, Ia.

Poweshiek - Charles Van DOREN, 94, Grinnell, Ia.

Ringgold - H. H. CRECELIUS, 93, Redding, Ia.

Sioux - John H. HUYCK, 93, Hawarden, Ia.

Story - Charles HAMILTON, 100, Ames, Ia.

Taylor - Benjamin F. AKERS, 97, Gravity, Ia.

Van Buren - Eli W. McKINNEY, 95, Bentonsport, Ia.

Wapello - Michael FRANCE, 95, Ottumwa, Ia.

Warren - Charles HESTER, 94, Indianola, Ia.; Anthony SNYDER, 93, Lacona, Ia.

Washington - Lewis SIGAFOOSE, 96, Washington, Ia.

Wayne - William H. EARNEST, 91, Seymour, Ia.

Webster - William R. LINDSLEY, 98, Fort Dodge, Ia.

Winneshiek - Ancil O. ASH, 91, Decorah, Ia.

Woodbury - Michael HAWK, 93, Sioux City, Ia.

The following non-resident members of the Iowa G.A.R. also were listed:
Frederick FISHER, 90, Minneapolis, Minn.
Cyrus FOX, 94, Gandy, Neb. (Postoffice, North Platte)
Stephen GILLEY, 93, Kansas City, Mo.
Gayen KENNEDY, 97, Porterville, Calif.
John M. LINDSAY, Burwell, Neb.
Edwin R. SOMERS, 95, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Joseph STEELE, 93, Kansas City, Kan.

SOURCE: Iowa Old Press, an IAGenWeb Special Project. transcribed by C.J.L., October 2006 and S.F., May 2008

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