1864 Photos Fort Pickering Salem Massachusetts

Ruthie Stearns, Gr Gr Granddaughter of Joseph Oliver Stearns shares some of Joseph’s stories from his journal and photos from Fort Pickering (Winter Island) Salem, Massachusetts. 

 

Joseph Oliver Stearns living in Amesbury, Massachusetts was a Private in the 3rd Unattached Company, Massachusetts Infantry (Militia) Mustered in for 90 days’ service May 3, 1864, and on duty at Fort Pickering, Salem, Mass. Mustered out August 5, 1864. All Photos from Stearns Family Collection Please DO NOT COPY WITHOUT PERMISSION

Joseph left  Newburyport Monday, May 2, 1864, with city cadets, to Readville, refers to as Camp Meigs. On May 13, transfers to Fort Pickering about noon. Gr He’s drilling or on guard duty, eats lots of soup, bread and beans. On May 11, the soldiers escorted the 26th Regiment to the depot. 26th Massachusetts Regiment was on leave March 22 through May 20, having been most recently in New Orleans.
Visit Mr. Peabody in Salem with his sisters Susan and Sarah. Maybe Sarah True, of Salisbury, a friend of Sarah and Susan Stearns married a John F. Peabody of Boxford MA, per census, she’s the same age as Susan.  In 1870 census John Peabody and Sarah living in Salem, she’s the right age, and they have several young children, oldest about 9.
Then visits Mr. Glaziers and Susan, sister of Peabody there. He home for a weekend May 24-26 1864.  Visits with his “girlfriend,” Helen Dennett (married in Amesbury MA 1 JAN 1867)  She went with him to Depot when he leaves Amesbury, Massachusetts. Helen writes in her journal for the same date that she “drove the horse back alone” which she would not have done before.
In his entries Joseph mentions the weather, what guard duty he was on and with whom, who he received a letter from and who he wrote, and any church services or lectures he might have attended.
He attends the military funeral for a Lieutenant Wheeler on June 9 1964 (per civil war records Richard P. Wheeler died June 2, 1864 from woulds rec’d in battle, residence Salem, place of death Fortress Monroe, Va)
Sometimes on guard duties at Fort Lee, also goes there to drill in big guns.  Has leave  again June 18-20 1864.
He goes for a sail with Rufus Greenleaf to Beverly Farms---see last photo above. And another day they went over to Marblehead in a boat.  Rufus Greenleaf is from Newburyport, Massachusetts s. of Jeremiah Greenleaf and Mary Ann Lamson. He married  Mary Jane Gowren “Jennie” Emery. Rufus d. at Newburyport, June 21st, 1880, buried at Oak Hill in Newburyport. Mary Jane married 2nd William Stone Coffin.
One day he helps mount gun in Ft. Pickering, another day moved ninety six barrels of powder from one magazine to another at Ft. Pickering.  He left Fort Pickering August 5.  went to the State House in Boston and mustered out in Boston Common.  Attended concert in the evening in City Hall.  Left for Newburyport the next morning. He received pay from U.S. $219.98.
Two days later he starts for Springfield, visiting Uncle William Stearns and Uncle Luther Stearns (Charles Oliver Stearns’ younger brothers)  He remarks a few days later he was 100 miles from Boston on the western Rail Road in West Springfield.
He heads for Worcester to Mechanics Hall and the Republic Convention, then on to Nashua, NH, staying with the Leonard Burbank family (Married to his cousin Fannie Stearns)
September 17 went to Lowell to the W.H. Hull family (his Aunt Mary Elizabeth Stearns Hull) in Dracut where his grandmother Dorcas Varnum Stearns lives, and heads home.
List of soldiers in 3^rd Unattached Company, Massachusetts Infantry (Militia)  Mustered in for 90 days’ service May 3, 1864, and on duty at Fort Pickering, Salem, Mass.  Mustered out August 5, 1864. (soldiers mentioned in JOS Journal noted by date of occurrence)

• Adams, Hazen M.
• Adams Jr., David J.
• Armitage, Charles E.
• Atkinson, Albert J.
• Ayers, Charles L.
• Bridges, Rufus
• Brown, John A.
• Burrill, James P.
• Burrill, Henry M.
• Carlton, William C.
• Cheeney Jr., Charles
• Cheever, Augustus E.
• Cheney Jr., Charles
• Clark, George W.
• Collins, John H.  Salisbury;  6/4  6/29  7/1 7/27 7/30
• Creasey, Edward K.
• Creasy, Edmund K.
• Currier, Albert E.
• Currier, Frank P.   5/30 – he’s “friend Currier” that Nell mentions.  6/2  6/6  6/17 7/2  8/5  8/8
• Currier, Alfred
• Cutter, Henry P.
• Dame, Luther  7/19.  Captain.  8/3
• Danforth, Jacob I.  6/11.  Corporal.
• Danforth, Calvin H.
• Delano, James H.
• Frothingham Jr., Joseph A.
• Gerrish, Orrin B.  8/6
• Goodwin, Daniel S.
• Green, Charles M.
• Greenleaf, Rufus L.  6/28   7/13 7/27
• Greenough, Henry F.
• Hale, Charles H.
• Haskell, George W.
• Haskell, William W.
• Hodgdon, James W.
• Holland, John E.
• Horton, Charles F.
• Johnson, Otis
• Johnson, James H.
• Keniston, James R.
• Keniston, James R.
• Knight, Joseph
• Knight Jr., George W.
• Lamson, William S.
• Lane, Isaac J.
• Lattime, Benjamin H.
• Little, William A.
• Lunt, Amos
• Merrill, Paul A.
• Morse, Joseph E.
• Morse, Joseph F.
• Morse, Albert
• Morse, Edward O.
• Mudge, William M.
• Mumford, Frank E.
• Mumford, Martin M.
• Newhall, Preston
• Noyes, Charles S.
• Ordway, George
• Pearson, George
• Pettingill, John S.  6/2  6/29  7/1  7/23
• Pillsbury, Harvey H.
• Pilsbury, Harvey H.
• Poor, Hiram R.
• Porter, Albert W.
• Pray, Joseph E.  5/9
• Ross, Jr., George
• Russell, Edward P.   5/9 5/10
• Ryan, John
• Sawyer, Albert P.   5/10 6/23
• Stearns, Joseph O.  Salisbury
• Stevens, George H.
• Stickney, Benjamin
• Stickney, Enoch P.
• Swasey, William H.
• Talbot, Tristum
• Thurlow, Charles W.
• Thurlow, Benjamin A.
• Tibbetts, Calvin E.  Salisbury   6/3
• Tibbetts, James E.  Salisbury
• Tilton, W. Byron:  6/24 Corporal  6/27 7/25
• Toppan, Roland W.  6/24 Sergeant 7/31
• Towle, Edward B.
• Varina, Edmund C.
• Varina, William T.
• Varina Jr., William T.
• Vay, Charles P.
• Walton, Joseph H.  Salisbury  Corporal.  7/31.
• Wells, Wallace D.
• Woodman, Charles H.
• Young, Jacob H.

Photo of Joseph Oliver Stearns in uniform. His father Charles Stearns served as a selectman in Amesbury, Massachusetts and his obituary “Death of a nonagenarian” clearly shows a minion deeply respected, admired, and cherished. He was expert tanner, but held many vocations including California Gold Rush venturer. News clips furnished from the Archival room at Amesbury Library reveal a full life. He was present during the visit of Gen Lafayette and the laying of the Bunker Hill monument where Daniel Webster spoke. His 90th birthday was attended by his closest mates Captain Paul Bickford, Richard Currier, Hiram Foote, and L E Burbank.

• Genealogy of the Greenleaf Family James Edward Greenleaf
• Salem Register, Salem Massachusetts September 10, 1863
• “United States; Salem; Fort Pickering; Fort William.” Saturday, November 23, 1799  Greenfield Gazette Greenfield, Massachusetts
• Newburyport and the Civil War William Hallett
• The City of Newburyport in the Civil War from 1861 to 1865: With the Individual Records of the Soldiers and Sailors who Served to Its Credit, Also the War Records of Many Natives and Residents of the City, Credited to Other Places George William Creasey

A letter written to W. H. B. Currier, of Amesbury, Mass.

From The Works of John Greenleaf Whittier: Old Portraits and Modern Sketches

DEATH OF PRESIDENT JAMES GARFIELD
Danvers, Mass., 9th Mo., 24, 1881

I regret that it is not in my power to join the citizens of Amesbury and Salisbury in the memorial services on the occasion of the death of our lamented President. But in heart and sympathy I am with you. I share the great sorrow which overshadows the land; I fully appreciate the irretrievable loss. But it seems to me that the occasion is one for thankfulness as well as grief.

Through all the stages of the solemn tragedy which has just closed with the death of our noblest and best, I have felt that the Divine Providence was overruling the mighty affliction,—that the patient sufferer at Washington was drawing with cords of sympathy all sections and parties nearer to each other. And now, when South and North, Democrat and Republican, Radical and Conservative, lift their voices in one unbroken accord of lamentation; when I see how, in spite of the greed of gain, the lust of office, the strifes and narrowness of party politics, the great heart of the nation proves sound and loyal, I feel a new hope for the republic, I have a firmer faith in its stability. It is said that no man liveth and no man dieth to himself; and the pure and noble life of Garfield, and his slow, long martyrdom, so bravely borne in view of all, are, I believe, bearing for us as a people "the peaceable fruits of righteousness." We are stronger, wiser, better, for them.

With him it is well. His mission fulfilled, he goes to his grave by the Lakeside honored and lamented as man never was before. The whole world mourns him. There is no speech nor language where the voice of his praise is not heard. About his grave gather, with heads uncovered, the vast brotherhood of man.

And with us it is well, also. We are nearer a united people than ever before. We are at peace with all; our future is full of promise; our industrial and financial condition is hopeful. God grant that, while our material interests prosper, the moral and spiritual influence of the occasion may be permanently felt; that the solemn sacrament of Sorrow, whereof we have been made partakers, may be blest to the promotion of the righteousness which exalteth a nation.

Captain John M Pettingell

John Mason Pettingell was son of Andrew Haskell Pettingell and Mary Nash Grandson of Moses Pettingell and Mary Haskell.
Gr Grandson of Eleazer Pettingell and Sally Folsom Beckett
Gr Gr Grandson of  Moses Pettingell and Elizabeth Atkinson
Gr Gr Gr Grandson of  Nathaniel Pettingell and Margaret Richardson Gr Gr Gr Gr Grandson of  Matthew Pettingill and Sarah Noyes From A Pettingell Genealogy: Notes Concerning Those of the Name
 

J. M. Pettingell was married in June, as the following from The Bottom Traveller, relates: "Miss Myrtle Van Wye, daughter of Mrs. Flora H. Van Wye, of Bradlee Court, Craigie Circuit, and John Mason Pettingell of 1 Ellsworth Park were married last evening at the home of the bride's mother. The Rev. Raymond Calkins, pastor of the First Congregational Church, performed the ceremony. The bride was attended by a group of young girls, members of her Sunday school class, and was given in marriage by her mother. The best man was Andrew F. Pettingell, a brother of the bridegroom. The bridegroom is a graduate of Technology in the Class of 1912 and the son of Mrs. Caroline F. and the late Capt. John M. Pettingell, of Newburyport. During the war he was an aviator, serving with the rank of second lieutenant in this country and France. He is a member of the firm of Carlson & Pettingell, combustion engineers. The bride is a graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, Class of 1914, with M. A. degree from Radcliffe in 1916. After a short wedding trip Mr. and Mrs. Pettingell will reside at 1200 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass."
Tuesday, June 25, 1901 Boston Herald (Boston, Massachusetts) 

• Technology Review, Volume 23
• A Pettingell Genealogy: Notes Concerning Those of the Name
• Richard Fowler, Sr. (1802-1881) of Newburyport, Massachusetts and his wife, Susanna Mary Currier (1803-1875); their ancestry and their descendants Laura K. Pettingell, John M. Pettingell
• Boot and Shoe Recorder, Volume 30  
• Boots and Shoes. Gossip Gathered among Local Dealers. and Manufacturers Saturday, March 14, 1891  
• The Boston Almanac and Business Directory, Volume 57
• Business Troubles. Closed by the Sheriff Saturday, May 9, 1896 Boston Journal
• National Telephone Directory 1895
• Annual Statics of Manufactures 1891
  
• The Boot and Shoe Trade. How some Drummers Work up Trade-Items of Interest to Shoe Men Friday, June 13, 1890 Boston Journal

1905 Photo by Fred R Jones Amesbury Chain Lightening across Tuxbury Pond

From 1905 Boston Globe and photos of Powwow Club found on ebay

Amesbury Josiah Bartlett Monument honored by John Greenleaf Whittier July 4 1888

Photo of Josiah Bartlett at present location is courtesy of Jennifer Haven, Reference Librarian, Amesbury Public Library. From Works of Karl Gerhardt 1888
The figure, over eight feet in height, stands erect, with head uplifted, "the mouth and the brow are brave in bronze," and one foot pressed forward, "a true embodiment of the independence which Governor Bartlett was prominent in obtaining for his country-men." The costume represents the old-time knee breeches, long waistcoat, and loosely-hanging coat with ruffed cuffs of Revolutionary days, such as Governor Bartlett wore. That the face might be a perfect reproduction, an oil painting of Josiah Bartlett, by Trumbull, was procured in Boston, which was valued so highly that it was deposited in a bank vault every day as the sculptor finished his work. In the right hand is a quill pen and in the left a roll on which is the word "Independence," thus illustrating the subject of the statue. The entire work is considered perfect in every detail, and stands in all the grandeur of enduring bronze, a fitting testimonial to the fame of one of Massachusetts' noble sons.
The following poem concluded the events of a day made memorable in the history of Amesbury:

One Of The Signers

O storied vale of Merrimac
Rejoice through all thy shade and shine,
And from his century's sleep call back
A brave and honored son of thine.

Unveil his effigy between
The living and the dead to-day;
The fathers of the Old Thirteen
Shall witness bear as spirits may.

Unseen, unheard, his gray compeers
The shades of Lee and Jefferson,
Wise Franklin reverend with his years
And Carroll, lord of Carrollton!

Be thine henceforth a pride of place
Beyond thy namesake's over-sea,
Where scarce a stone is left to trace
The Holy House of Amesbury.

A prouder memory lingers round
The birthplace of thy true man here
Than that which haunts the refuge found
By Arthur's mythic Guinevere.

The plain deal table where he sat
And signed a nation's title-deed
Is dearer now to fame than that
Which bore the scroll of Runnymede.

Long as, on Freedom's natal morn,
Shall ring the Independence bells,
Give to thy dwellers yet unborn
The lesson which his image tells.

For in that hour of Destiny,
Which tried the men of bravest stock,
He knew the end alone must be
A free land or a traitor's block.

Among those picked and chosen men
Than his, who here first drew his breath,
No firmer fingers held the pen
Which wrote for liberty or death.

Not for their hearths and homes alone,
But for the world their work was done;
On all the winds their thought has flown
Through all the circuit of the sun.

We trace its flight by broken chains,
By songs of grateful Labor still;
To-day, in all her holy fanes,
It rings the bells of freed Brazil.

O hills that watched his boyhood's home,
O earth and air that nursed him, give,
In this memorial semblance, room
To him who shall its bronze outlive!

And thou, O Land he loved, rejoice
That in the countless years to come,
Whenever Freedom needs a voice,
These sculptured lips shall not be dumb!  

See Jacob Huntington and Family from Amesbury Carriage Museum

Amesbury MA 1956 Twins George and Andrew Lay Total 17 Pounds Setting a Record!

September 13, 1956 Twins Father Henry D Lay b. September 21, 1921 d. February 1 2008

Hazel Pettingell Kray of Amesbury MA and Bartlett Museum

From Sunday 1968 Boston Herald Bartlett Museum Amesbury Massachusetts