Tombstone Tuesday: The Williamson Boys

W. Henry Williamson and Lt. Samuel Williamson, Civil War soldiers, are buried together in the Cheyney Burial Grounds. The cemetery is located in Thornbury Township, Chester County. The Cheyney land, including the university that now stands there, crosses both Delaware and Chester Counties.

William Henry enlisted in the Co. D 124^th Regt. Pennsylvania Infantry. He was, according to his stone, just 19 when he died at the Stafford Court House in Virginia on 3 February 1863. He was also known as William Henry and William Harry, according to the National Park Service (NPS), which lists his rank as musician.

Samuel was a lieutenant with Co. D 5^th Pennsylvania Calvary (65^th Volunteers). He was, according to his stone, just 20 when he was killed on 7 February 1863 in an engagement in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Samuel enlisted as a Sergeant on 30 July 1861. He was promoted up to Full 2^nd Lieutenant on 26 January 1862 and to Full 1^st Lieutenant on 1 January 1863, according to the History of Pennsylvania Volunteers. According to the NPS, that regiment lost only one officer and 76 enlisted men killed. Another 216 died from disease over the four years of service. The History of Pennsylvania Volunteers states Samuel mustered on in Williamsburg, Virginia on 15 January 1863 and that he did not survive the war. (I mention this only because the date conflicts with the death date on his tombstone.)

The boys were brothers. Their parents are William Williamson and Miranda Cheyney, daughter of Waldon Cheyney and Martha Scott.

Tombstone Tuesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.

Comments

Coatesville's First Serial Killer

Young Alexander Meyer was a disturbed and angry young man with some major issues. He had failed sixth and seventh grade, and instead of having to repeat eighth grade again, he finally gave up on school. At age 16 he quit Downingtown Junior High. Meyer is not a relative, nor are his victims (that I am aware). I stumbled upon young Alex while reading Tortured Minds: Pennsylvania's Most Bizarre - But Forgotten - Murders by Tammy Mal. On 11 February 1937 Alexander Thweatt Meyer killed young Helen Moyer as she walked home from school in Coatesville along Modena Road. She was not his first. The jury was out only three minutes after hearing Dr. Michael Margolis' testimony on the death of Helen Moyer. The jury determined Meyer had murdered Moyer and should be held for first degree murder. The jury also condemned the parole system which had released Meyer back into the public, after having served just 14 months in Huntingdon Reformatory, for the murder of two other girls - Anna Blasc

Thaddeus Stevens at the Lancaster Convention Center

Within the Lancaster Convention Center (Lancaster, PA) is a small section dedicated to Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith. The section is known as the Stevens & Smith Historic Site. It is scheduled for development this year. At the moment one can only get a glimpse of it through the Convention Center or by peeking in from the outside. Here at Queen and Vine Streets in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, Thaddeus Stevens had his law office. Stevens was an abolitionist. An abolitionist is a person who favors the abolition of a practice or institution, especially capital punishment or (formerly) slavery. Stevens was born 4 April 1792 to Joshua Stevens and Sarah (Sally) Morrill in Danville Vermont. One of four children, he attended Vermont University from 1810 to 1812 when the War prompted its closure. He then went to Dartmouth, where he graduated in 1814. He then studied law and found himself set up in Gettysburg, PA in 1816. He practiced law there until 1828 when he found hi

Living History Offers Opportunity to Step Back in Time

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to work the fields on a plantation during the Revolutionary War? Or stroll through an 18th century village? Or fight in battle during the Civil War? Living history offers an interactive perspective which incorporates historical activities and dress providing a sense of stepping back in time. So, how can YOU step back in time? Rock Ford volunteer Nancy Bradley in the Study of the mansion Rock Ford Plantation, in Lancaster County, PA, will be hosting a Volunteer Tour Guide Recruitment Event on Sunday, 22 March. They need tour guides for its upcoming tour season. Built circa 1794, Rock Ford was the home of Edward Hand and his family. Hand, an Irish immigrant and physician, served as Adjutant General to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Volunteer tour guides at Rock Ford bring the past to life for museum visitors. A tour guide can be any person aged 18 years and up. No experience is necessary, and trainin

Genealogical Gems

Search This Blog