Monday, April 25, 2011

EDWIN B DOYLE 1841-1915

The will of Edward B. Doyle, formerly of Lancaster, who died in the Atchison hospital Monday morning, was probated today by Ralph U. Pfouts, who drew it and is named executor.  The estate is valued at $11,000 and consists of 160 acres of land north of Lancaster and about $4,500 personal property and it is to be divided equally between five nephews and nieces who are Ida Bell Cahill of Chalcolet, Idaho; Mrs. Julia M. Ehl of Vancouver, Wash; Mrs. Jerusha Wilson, of Walla Walla, Wash.; Cap Church and Ard Church who addresses are unknown.  Three years ago Mr. Doyle deeded 70 acres of the Doyle homestead to Miss Mary Holland, an old neighbor and a friend of his and his mother’s.  Property he owned and in Lancaster he gave to Mrs. Cory Seever, of Atchison, in return for a home which he enjoyed for three years.  The will was made December 15, 1914.

This notice was published in the Atchison Weekly Globe, September 30, 1915, page 5.

The following affidavit comes from Edwin Doyle in behalf of his brother-in-law, Elias Church.

GENERAL AFFIDAVIT

State of Kansas, county of Atchison
In the matter of the pension claim of Elias Church co B 111TH Reg
Personally came before me, a probate judge in and for aforesaid county and state, Edwin B. Doyle age 48 years resident in Lancaster Township Atchison County Kansas whose post office address is Atchison City Kansas persons of lawful age, who, being duly sworn, declare in relation to the aforesaid case as follows

Saw claimant E. Church a few days after his discharge from the U. S. Service.  He worked some around the sawmill that I was part owner of for about two months after he returned.  He was troubled with spells of coughing  more or less violent sometimes to a degree that he would have to cease his labor.  Finally, he quit working at the mill, not being able to stand the work. 
In August 1865 I was working with him again when he quit his labor as he felt unable to do more, his cough troubling him with shortness of breathing.  From Feb 20th 1866 I lived about two miles from his residence to about 1870 and saw him frequently.  I noticed during the time  that his cough gradually grew more frequent accompanied with shortness of breath.
When I saw him he would frequently complain of getting no sleep the previous night.  His cough and shortness of breath preventing rest to the best of my knowledge I think he accomplished not more than one fourth of a full hands labor during any year of the above time.  As for claimant having lung disease, it would not be proper for one to say it was or was not.  As I understand that the best doctors are some times deserved in diseases of lungs and heart.  Above statement is from personal knowledge.

Edwin B Doyle was born 22 September 1841 in Illinois.  Most likely in the township of Northville because this is the place the family is living during the 1850 census.  Sometime between 1850 and 1860, the family moves to Richmond in the Kansas territory.  Kansas becomes a state January 29, 1861.  On 26 July, 1863, Edwin marries Amarillis Inghram in Nemaha county, Kansas.  Amarillis marries another man, Stephen F. Brown on April 21, 1869 in Nemaha county, Kansas.  This is confirmed on the 1870 census where Edwin is listed as being divorced and a blacksmith.  I believe that Edwin served in the Civil War shortly after getting married.  Amarillis shows up on the Kansas state census in 1865.  She is living with her parents and her last name is listed as Doyle.  So I don’t believe the divorce had taken place yet at this time.  The Civil War had ended by this time and I have not been able to locate Edwin on the state census for 1865.  His parents are living in Lancaster at this time and Elias is living with them and he has returned from the war and the rest of Elias’ family is living there too.
I found a record for an Edwin B. Doyle who served in the Civil War.  The record shows that this person was born in Illinois and was the age of  22 on July 1, 1863.  it also states that this person is married and served in Missouri.  Missouri is very close to the county that Amarillis and Edwin were married in so this could very likely be our guy. 

Edwin B. Doyle was the last living relative in the area and most of his property went to friends who lived in the area.  The rest was divided up between the five Church children living near Dayton, Washington.  They were the children of his sister, Mary Ann Doyle Church.  Edwin had a nice sized estate for the time he was living in.  He had ownership in a sawmill and was also skilled in being a blacksmith as well as being a farmer.  He lived with his parents until their death and most likely served in the Civil War for the state of Missouri.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Elias B Church, Civil War Pension Record

So I received my legal sized package in the mail last week!  What a treat to read through this packet.  It has taken me a week to actually fully digest everything that was sent to me.

The package came from my third cousin who is a descendant from Angeline Church Cahill.  Angeline and Elias are siblings from Stephen and Jerusha Church.  He sent me a copy of a marriage certificate for Elias B Church  and Mary Ann Doyle, a pension application for the Civil War,  census records and lots of research that I’m sure took hours to compile. 

The one thing that I found to be the most valuable was the pension application for Elias Church.  Apparently, he served in the Civil War from November 26, 1861 to November 25, 1864 and incurred injuries for the rest of his life because of his service.  I was not aware of this prior to getting these documents.  Included in his application are many affidavits from members of the family who knew him prior to his service and after his service.  Wm R Cahill, C. J. Cahill, Edwin B. Doyle, C. H. Martin, Frank Ells, John S. Doyle, Joshua Hollands and Elias Church in his own handwriting all have sworn affidavits in his behalf.

Basically, the affidavits testify that prior to being in the service Elias B Church was healthy strong young man who could put in a good days work.  After he returned home he was unable to perform such labor due to being short of breath.  Most of the affidavits testified that he was unable to perform ¼ days worth of work.

The following statement came from a document titled

DECLARATION FOR ORIGINAL INVALID PENSION. 
State of Kansas
County of Atchison
“On this 8th day of May, A.D. one thousand eight hundred and eighty personally appeared before me, Judge and Clerk of the Probate Court, a court record within and for the county and State aforesaid, Elias Church, aged 47 years, a resident of the township of Lancaster, county of Atchison State of Kansas, who, being duly sworn according to the law, declares that he is the identical Elias Church who was ENROLLED on the 26th day of November 1861, in Company B of the 4th regiment of Kans Infty Vos commanded by Cap Rose, and was honorably DISCHARGED at St. Louis Mo. On the 25th day of November, 1864; that his personal description is as follows: Age, 47 years; height, 5 feet 8 inches; complexion, light; hari, grey; eyes, blue. 
That while a member of the organization aforesaid, in the service and in line of his duty at or near Fort Union, in the state of New Mexico on or about the tenth day of November, 1863, he was taken sick from the effects of a violent cold received whilst on guard duty caused by a violent North West storm coming on whilst on said duty from the effect of which he was prostrated with a hard spell of lung fever, was unable to go on the march that day, was carried along in the ambulance for two days and then left at Gray’s Ranch extremely sick with an attendant to look after and nurse him and without any medical aid-Remained there under charge of attendant until on or about January 1st 1864 when he was sent to the Invalid Hospital at Leavenworth City Kansas” this document is stamped by the Office of the Interior Pension Office May 22, 1880.

On November 8, 1905 notice is given that the pension of $12 was dropped due to the fact that Elias B Church had died on April 10, 1904.

Elias testified that his disease was inflammation of the right lung and that he “was unable to do much work or exercise being greatly distressed for the want of breath.”  He also stated that when he would catch a cold he would “throw bloody matter and white froth streaked with blood from my lung and would be confined to the house for weeks at a time.” 

In honor and memory of the service of those like Elias who served in the Civil War 150 years ago, I’m grateful to have an ancestor like him.  He paid a price that lasted his whole life and didn’t come from the battlefield, but from an unusual and unfortunate circumstance.  It sheds a little more light on the love his wife had for him as she cared and took care of him.  This information also helps me understand maybe the burden of work placed on his sons, John, Ellis and Ard so that the family could survive.