Children of Civil War Veterans are Still Alive 147 Years After the War Ended

It may seem like the Civil War was a long time ago, but there are still a few people around who have a close tie to those who fought in the conflict. These people are actual sons and daughters of Civil War veterans. Those alive today are the offspring of usually  widowed veterans who married much younger women and fathered children who were born in the 1900s through the 1920s.

As of December 2011, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War listed 37 known living sons and daughters of Union veterans. Charles Parker Pool of Company D of the 6th West Virginia Infantry has three sons still alive.  Garland, Ernest, and William Pool are all Missouri residents. Another Missouri resident, Florence G. Wilson, lists a Charles Parker of Company D of the 6th West Virginia as her father.  A check of the National Park Service’s Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System database shows a Private Charles P. Pool of Company D 6th West Virginia but no Charles Parker with any West Virginia unit, so I’d guess that all four are children of Charles Parker Pool.

There are two children of men who served in Iron Brigade regiments still alive. Fred Upham is the son of William Upham, Sr. who was with Company F of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry. According to the Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion, Upham was wounded and captured at the first Battle of Bull Run in July 1861. He was exchanged and discharged in May of 1862 to accept appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and was in the Class of 1866.  Roselia Scieszinski is the daughter of the 6th Wisconsin’s Private John Brandon, who enlisted in September of 1864.

Hilbert Gramelspacher of Missouri is the son of Private Joseph Gramelspacher  of the 143rd Indiana Infantry, a unit that went into service early in 1865 and served in Tennessee. Joseph died in 1931 at age 83, and Hilbert recalls getting a Civil War pension until he was 16, something that helped his family get through the Great Depression.  Hilbert, 92, is a veteran himself. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II.

Speaking of Civil War pensions, two people are still receiving Civil War pensions based on their fathers’ service. These individuals probably continued to receive the pensions after age 16 as a type of disability payment.

On the Confederate side of things, the United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans know of about 40 living sons and daughters of Confederate veterans. Three individuals recently passed away.

Norma Vivian Smith of Alabama was 89 when she died on January 7th, 2012. Her father was Thomas Jefferson Denny of Company H of the 31st Alabama Infantry. James Brown, Sr. of Tennessee passed away on January 26th at age 99. His father, James H.H. Brown was a member of Company K of the 8th Georgia Infantry, a unit that saw a lot of action from Bull Run to Appomattox . The 8th was assigned to Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s Corps for much of the war. And on January 28th, Lucas Meredith, Jr. of Virginia passed away at age 87. Lucas Meredith, Sr. enlisted in the 3rd Virginia Infantry in 1861. As part of Kemper’s Brigade of Gen. George E. Pickett’s Division, the 3rd Virginia participated in Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg on July 3rd, 1863. Meredith was a flag bearer that day. I’ll bet his war stories were really something to hear.


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3 Responses

  1. daniel (danny)leon pool says:

    I am a grandson of Charles Parker Pool. My father is william
    Pool.I am 47 years old the youngest of 9 children.

  2. Geneva Pool Mooare says:

    I am the oldest granddaughter of Charles Parker Pool and the daughter of Earnest John Pool, the oldest son of Charles Parker and Clara Belle Pool.

  3. Tabitha says:

    My grandmother is a daughter of a Civil War veteran. Her father was Nathan Reed of company G 7th regiment Kansas cavalry. He mustered in February 23,1865. He was 79 when she was born. She still visits his grave every year.

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