Jacob Cheesman Morgan's Military History

It's Saturday afternoon and I finally have some time to sit down to my family history research.  I read a blog post on Researching Your Civil War Ancestors on Lisa Louise Cooke's GENEALOGY GEMS website and it helped me decide to take a closer look into MY Civil War ancestors, starting with my 2nd great grandfather, Jacob Cheesman Morgan. His headstone was the first clue that he served in the Civil War.  I descend from him through my mother's line:  Kay Robertson (my mother), Eleanor Pierce (her mother), Itha Dean Morgan (her mother) and Jacob C. Morgan, Itha's father.

JACOB CHEESMAN MORGAN

Born 15 September 1841 in Island Grove, Sangamon, Illinois, USA
Died 12 September 1917 in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, USA
Served during the Civil War in Company K, 44th Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Iowa

Jacob was born in Illinois, but somewhere between September 1841 and the 1850 Census, his family moved to Poweshiek County, Iowa.  I found him listed as the 8 year old son of Peter and Hannah Morgan on the 1850 US Census for Poweshiek, Iowa:

Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: District 16, Poweshiek, Iowa; Roll: M432_188; Page: 159B; Image: 325.

In 1860, when he was about 19 years old, he appeared on the US Census for Montezuma, Poweshiek, Iowa. This was just a year before the Civil War began.

Jacob Morgan didn't enlist right away.  He enlisted in 1864 when he was 22 and I think he enlisted because of the draft.  From what I have read, this wasn't that unusual at the time.  I'm not sure what the circumstances were at home, but he did eventually join the war. 

U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-186Jaco C Morgan

Name: Jacob C Morgan Residence: Iowa Age at enlistment: 22 Enlistment Date: 25 May 1864 Rank at enlistment: 3rd Sergeant State Served: Iowa Survived the War?: Yes Service Record: Enlisted in Company K, Iowa 44th Infantry Regiment on 01 Jun 1864.Mustered out on 15 Sep 1864 at Davenport, IA. Birth Date: abt 1842 Sources: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of Rebellion

I find it interesting that his rank at enlistment was 3rd Sergeant.  Why not Private?  It would be interesting to find out, if I can.

Pension Record showing date and place of his death.

U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865

 I did a little research on Company K, 44th Infantry Regiment which Jacob Morgan joined.  I found a digitized copy of Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, Volume 5 on Google Books and it had a chapter on the 44th Regiment.  

Here's what I learned:
The 44th Regiment gathered at Camp Kinsman, near Davenport, Iowa and were mustered into the service of the United States on June 1, 1864.  A few days after they mustered in, they received orders to proceed to Memphis, Tennessee to relieve a portion of the troops who were on duty there, and who were under orders to proceed to the front as part of the reinforcements for General Sherman's Army, then engaged in the great Atlanta Campaign.  The regiment remained at Memphis, in the performance of garrison duty, until early in July, 1864, when it was ordered to proceed by rail to LaGrange, Tennessee, where it performed similar duty, and also assisted in guarding the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, between the stations from LaGrange to Moscow, Tennessee.  They guarded against rebel forces, as well as local citizens who remained loyal to the rebel cause, who wanted to burn bridges, tear up track, and damage the road in any manner that would cause delay in the forwarding of troops and supplies to General Sherman's army.  Constant vigilance was required to keep this important line of communication with the army at the front from being interrupted or broken.  Such vigilance was exercised by the 44th Iowa, acting in conjunction with the other troops with which it was associated, and the trains continued to pass over the road with but little interruption.  The regiment continued in the discharged of the duties which have been described until September 1, 1864, on which date it was ordered to return to Memphis, where it remained on duty until September 9th, which it was ordered to embark on steamer and was conveyed to Cairo, Illinois and from thence by rail to Davenport, Iowa.  Its term of service having expired (100 days), it was mustered out of the United States on September 15, 1864.

I found this newspaper article online at www.newspapers.com from The Kearney Daily Hub, Kearney Nebraska, 1 June 1894, Page 3.   In it, Jacob Morgan is referred to as Col. J. C. Morgan.

 
When did he become a Colonel?  That's the next thing I need to find out. Was he a member of a GAR post?  Did they have ranks in it?  I know that James P. Pierce was a member of GAR.  He was chaplain at one time.  Were they in the same post in Kearney?  Try to find out.

The Naturalization of Gerhard Harms

I'm still working on my Gerhard and Auguste Harms family and today I'm going to try to find out more about Gerhard's naturalization.

I was at the library last week and saw a book in the New Book section entitled 'Mastering Immigration & Naturalization Records.  I've been reading through it as I have time each evening and, since I woke up before 6am on this snowy Saturday morning, thought I'd take a stab at finding Gerhard's naturalization records.  I already found his immigration record on the Passenger List of the ship Habsburg.  My previous post has that information.

Gerhard, Auguste and Heinrich (Henry) Harms came to the US from Bremen, Germany aboard the Habsburg and arrived March 28, 1884 in Baltimore.

 Gerhard's 1910 Census record states that he arrived in the US in 1884 and was Naturalized.  So, by 1910 he had become a Citizen of the US.

The steps to Naturalization for an immigrant were:
1. Declaration of Intent - indicating the immigrant's intention to become a US Citizen
2. Petition for Naturalization - the immigrant's formal request to become a US Citizen.  This could not be completed until Gerhard had been in the US for at least 5 years.
3. Oath of Allegiance - the document signed as he becomes a US Citizen, renouncing his allegiance to any other country, king, etc.

At this time, a wife and minor children would become US Citizens when the father became one, so I'm just looking for Gerhard's records.

A Declaration of Intent could be filed as soon as the immigrant entered the US.  They sometimes filed them where they landed - for Gerhard that would have been Baltimore.  Or, they sometimes waited until they reached their final destination.  Gerhard headed to Missouri right away, I think.  He first bought land in St. Joseph, Missouri.  So, if he filed his Declaration of Intent soon after arriving, it should be either in Baltimore or St. Joseph.

Let's look at the timeline a bit.  Gerhard came to American in March of 1884.  The soonest he could file a Petition for Naturalization was March of 1889.  So, let's begin there.

1884 - Arrived at a port in Baltimore, MD from Bremen, Germany
1888 - US City Directory has him in St. Joseph, Buchanan, Missouri
1889 - Buchanan County, Missouri Taxpayers, 1887-90 has him in St. Joseph, Missouri
1890 - Buchanan County, Missouri Taxpayers now has him in Washington, Missouri
1900 - US Federal Census shows Gerhard living in Dallas, DeKalb, Missouri
1910 - US Federal Census shows Gerhard now living in Jefferson, Daviess, Missouri.  This census states that he was a Naturalized Citizen.
1916 - US Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918 shows him owning land in Jefferson, Daviess, Missouri
1920 - US Federal Census shows he is still living in Jefferson, Daviess, Missouri
1930 - US Federal Census has him living in Dallas, DeKalb, Missouri
1940-  US Federal Census shows him living in Santa Rosa, DeKalb, Missouri
1941 - he died in DeKalb County, Missouri

So, as far as I can tell, he could have filed papers in:

• Baltimore area (Declaration of Intent)
• St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri
• Washington Township, Missouri (I believe this is in St. Joseph, Buchanan County)
• Dallas, DeKalb, Missouri
• Jefferson, Daviess, Missouri

It looks like Gerhard was in Buchanan County until at least 1890 and possibly to almost 1900.  So, I'm going to focus my search on Buchanan County, Missouri.

I'm going to start looking in Ancestry.com at the Citizenship and Naturalization Records (under Immigration and Travel).

I'll search for Gerhard Harms in Buchanan County, Missouri.  Results:  I didn't find him there.

I dug a little deeper into the specific records on Ancestry and found the Missouri, Western District Naturalization Index, 1848-1990.  I brought up the entire record and went to the section of names starting with 'H' and started flipping the pages.  On page 723 I found:

The name is spelled a little differently, but I'm getting used to that.  But it is in Buchanan County, Missouri and the date of naturalization - 9/27/1890 - works for my Gerhard!  Just to be thorough, I flipped through the entire listing of Harms (and Harmes) and this was the only one from Buchanan County!!  My heart is racing and I'm getting a little bit excited!  I hope, hope, hope this is my Gerhard.

If this IS my Gerhard, I have the following info:
Name: Gehart Harmes, born in Germany
Date of Naturalization: 9/27/1890  Volume A, page 480
Title and location of court: Circuit Court Buchanan County, Missouri
Witnesses: Thos (Thomas) Sweeny and Jacob Supple

I googled where to find naturalization records for Buchanan County, Missouri and there was a link taking me to the Missouri Digital Heritage site:  Naturalization Records, 1816-1955.  It had an index of names and in it I found Gehart Harme.

Record Group	Buchanan County Circuit Court
Series	Naturalization Records
Sub Series	Final Certificate of Naturalization
County	Buchanan
Reel Number	C 997
Box
Folder
Volume
Page	480
Name	Harme, Gehart
Current Residence
Record Date	09/27/1890
Native Country	Germany
Age
Witness 1
Witness 2
Note
Source	Missouri State Archives

To request a copy of this record, please print a copy of this page and mail it to the Missouri State Archives, PO Box 1747, 600 W. Main Street,  Jefferson City, MO  65101 with a check or money order for $1.00 made payable to the Missouri State Archives.  Please include a #10 business size, stamped, self-addressed envelope with each request.  Please submit one photocopy request at a time.

This record refers to the same person as the record I found above from the Missouri, Western District Naturalization Index, 1848-1990 and the record it is referencing is the 'Final Certificate of Naturalization'.

In the Index, there were only two possibilities listed - Gehart Harme and a Gerhart Harms.  When I click on the Gerhart Harms, it brought up this:

Record Group	Buchanan County Circuit Court
Series	Naturalization Records
Sub Series	First Papers
County	Buchanan
Reel Number	C 998
Box
Folder
Volume
Page	515
Name	Harms, Gerhart
Current Residence
Record Date	03/06/1888
Native Country	Prussia
Age	31
Witness 1
Witness 2
Note
Source	Missouri State Archives

My Gerhard was born in 1857, so in 1888 he would have been 31 years old.  And I know he was living in Buchanan County at this time.  He was from Germany, not Prussia, but that might have been the same thing in 1888.  I need to study up on German history.  And...there are no other Gerhard Harms - - or any Harms - - listed.  I really think this might be my Gerhard!

This index references the 'First Papers' which would be the Declaration of Intent.  So, these two records might possibly both be for my Gerhard Harms - - the Declaration of Intent and the Petition for Naturalization and/or Oath of Allegiance. 

I'm going to send for copies of both of these records.  But I'm also going to continue to look online to see if I can find them sooner.

Well, I had no luck finding them online, so I'm sending off the letters on Monday and hope to get the naturalization records of this ancestor soon!

Update:  It's Sunday afternoon now, and I've been going through drawers of folders today.  I'm still working on getting all the info for a family into one binder.  Guess what I found?  A letter from the Missouri State Archives containing a copy of Gerhart Harms First Papers!  I compared it to the one I mentioned above (page 515) and it's the same!  This is exactly why I'm trying to organize my family history papers and photos.  I already sent for this and received it, and it's been sitting in a drawer ever since.  I was so excited!!  Much better than finding it online!  

Gerhart Harms First Papers from the Missouri States Archives - Reel C998, Page 515:

I believe the signature is Gerhard's real signature.  Or Gerhart.  I wonder why the spelling is different if that's his signature?  I have his birth and baptism record from the Pastor of the Ev.-Lutheran Church in Jever and his name is spelled GERHARD, not Gerhart. I wonder if it was pronounced with the hard 't' sound and when he came to America, he changed the 'd' to 't' so it read more like it really sounded.  I've also seen it spelled Gerhardt.  However, since I have the birth record, I'm using the spelling that was used on it.

I'm going to go ahead and send for the Final Certificate of Naturalization tomorrow and can't wait to get it!

Gerhard and Auguste (Reents) Harms

I am working on getting all the information I have into binders.  I'm planning on doing a binder per family unit, so today I'm working on my Gerhard and Auguste Harms family.

Gerhard Harms Immigration

Gerhard is my earliest known direct immigrant Harms ancestor from Germany and my 2nd Great Grandfather.  My father was Buddy Lee Harms.  His father was Leo Ervin Harms.  Leo's father was Henry August Harms.  Henry's father was Gerhard Harms.  Henry is also an immigrant ancestor since he came to America with his father, Gerhard, and his mother Auguste, when he was about 2 years old. They arrived in Baltimore on March 28, 1884 aboard the ship Habsburg from Bremen, Germany.

 

Source Citation: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, DC; Records of the US Customs Service, RG36; Series: M255; Roll: 38. Baltimore, Passenger Lists, 1820-1948 and 1954-1957. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

 Here's a closer view of the same passenger list showing Gerhard Harms, Augusta his wife and Heinrich his son.  

Here's the information this passenger list contains:

Name:	Gerhard Harms
Arrival Date:	28 Mar 1884
Age:	27
Estimated Birth Year:	abt 1857
Gender:	Male
Port of Departure:	Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:	Habsburg
Port of Arrival:	Baltimore, Maryland
Last Residence:	Germany
Birthplace:	Germany
Page:	14

Name:	Auguste Harms
Arrival Date:	28 Mar 1884
Age:	28
Estimated Birth Year:	abt 1856
Gender:	Female
Port of Departure:	Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:	Habsburg
Port of Arrival:	Baltimore, Maryland
Last Residence:	Germany
Birthplace:	Germany
Page:	14

Name:	Heinrich Harms
Arrival Date:	28 Mar 1884
Gender:	Male
Port of Departure:	Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:	Habsburg
Port of Arrival:	Baltimore, Maryland
Last Residence:	Germany
Birthplace:	Germany
Page:	14

This passenger list gives Heinrich's age as 2/5.  What does that mean?  Well, I have Henry's birth date as 26 August 1882.  They arrived in Baltimore on 28 March 1884.  That's 5 months before he turns 2, so that's what the 2/5 age must refer to.

I only have one picture of Gerhard and Auguste and it's from a book entitled:  DeKalb County Cemetery Census 1845-1971.  It was published by the DeKalb County Historical Society in Maysville, Missouri.  Copyright 1972.  I sent for a copy because it has a good amount of information in it about this family.

I did my best to scan their images so that I could have a portrait picture of each of them:

 Auguste's picture is blurred some because she was closer to the book's binding.  But, it's all I have of them so far.  I love the picture of Gerhard!  He looks like such a kind and happy man!

There's some information about them written below their picture.  Here's what it says:

Gerhardt Harms was born in Jever, Oldenburg, Germany, June 14, 1857, and passed away Jan. 7, 1941.  In 1880 he was united in marriage to Auguste Reents who was born in St. Joost, Oldenburg, Germany on Dec. 12, 1855, and passed away in Santa Rosa, MO., on Feb. 7, 1930.

They came to the United States of America in 1883 and settled in St. Joseph before purchasing farms in the Maysville and Weatherby area around 1905.

She was the daughter of Heinrich and Henrietta Janssen Reents.  Her parents and her brothers and sisters also came from Germany to Missouri a few years later.  He was raised in an orphanage.

To this union were born six children: Henry, William, Herman, Marie (Jeffries), Katherine (Newby), and Emma (Gould).

Gerhardt and Augusta are at rest in the Hopewell Cemetery.

I'll be referring to this book more in the future since it contains information on Gerhard and Augusta's children.

 Some of the information above is accurate, so far as I know, but some is different than I have in my records.  So, I'm going to compare what I have with what was written the book to make sure what I have is correct.

 I thought I only had one photo of Gerhard, but in going through my files, I found a photo copy of another photo of him sent to me years ago by Kathy Harms (wife of Vernon Harms) when I lived in Germany while Carl served in the Army there.  She sent me several things, and I'll add them on this blog as I get to them, but here's the picture of Gerhard:

Gerhard Harms Birth and Baptism

Carl was stationed in Germany for 3 years back in 1980.  In fact, my son, David and my daughter, Shiloh were both born in Germany while we lived there.  During that time, I was able to find the area that Gerhard lived in and sent for any information they could find for me.  The Pastor searched the records and found Gerhard's birth and baptism certificates along with his siblings and the names of his parents, Gerd Harms and Fulke Catharine Ahrens. I sent for those certificates, so I have the originals.  The Pastor also sent the marriage information to me for Gerhard and Auguste.  

Here is Gerhard's birth and baptism record.  He was born 14.6.1857, which is June 14, 1857 in Jever, Germany (which I believe was in Oldenburg).  He was later baptized on 19. Juli 1857, which was 19 July 1857 in Jever.  The Taufpaten listed were Godparents.  They might have been relatives, so I'm hoping to trace them someday.

This birth record also lists Gerhards father, Gerd Harms and his mother Fulke Catharine Ahrens.  I don't know anything more about them.  I need to send for more information directly from Jever and see if there are any more records.  The Pastor said Gerd Harms was a very common name, so he wasn't sure which line to follow.  But I need to pursue this and find my Gerd Harms.

It was interesting to me to read in the book that Gerhard was raised in an orphanage.  That's the very first time that I had heard that about him.  Wouldn't that mean that both his parents died before he was grown?  Did all his siblings go to the orphanage, too?  Was there a war in Germany during that time?  Or a disease that killed a lot of people?  

The Pastor also sent me the birth records of Gerhard's sibling - at least those he found records for.  Gerhard was the third-born child.  The first-born was Gerd Harms, born Jan 29 1851.  Next came a sister, Hiemke Marie Harms, born Feb 3, 1854.  Gerhard was next and the last one I have a record for is Katharine Margarete Harms born July 3, 1861.  They were all born in Jever.  Katharine was baptized Aug 25, 1861, so I know that the parents were still alive on that date.  But, if Gerhard was raised in an orphanage, when did he enter it?  When did his parents die?  What caused their deaths?  In 1861 he would have been 4 years old.  I need to try to find more information on Gerd and Fulke Catharine Harms and also try to find what orphanages there were in the Jever area at that time.