William J. Lloyd was born in East Greenbush on October 7, 1841, the son of Willard J. and Gertrude Sliver Lloyd, immigrants from Wales. The 1860 US Census for Sand Lake lists him as a farm laborer working on the farm of William Moul. He gave his occupation as farmer when he enlisted in Company G of the 3rd N.Y. Infantry Regiment, the Albany Regiment, on April 29, 1861 in Albany.
N.Y.S. Record Card of William J. Lloyd
The 3rd went to Virginia shortly after, and had thirty casualties at the battle of Big Bethel, Virginia in June. After that, the Regiment had guard duty in Virginia until the end of their two-year enlistment. Most soldiers did not re-enlist and mustered out in Albany on May 21, 1863, William included. He had been promoted to Corporal on July 1, 1861, shortly after Big Bethel, then to Sergeant on October 1 the same year, but was reduced in rank on February 23, 1863, no reason given.
William married a woman named Helen in 1864, and they had their first child, Grant Willard, that same year, presumably named for General Grant and Colonel Willard. The 1870 US Census listed them in the town of Watervliet, Lishakill Post Office- which is now the Niskayuna area, William as a 28-year old laborer, with Helen and now two children, G. Willard and Martin. By the 1880 US Census, William was a farmer, still in the town of Watervliet, with five children, Grant Willard, born 1864, Martin, born 1868, Gertrude, born 1875, Lyman, born 1875, and Delia, born 1879.
By 1890 they had moved to Rensselaer County, as William reported his military service in the Veterans Schedule for the southern part of the town of Schaghticoke. That is where they stayed. William applied for a pension the next year. The 1900 US census listed William working as a teamster. Helen reported they had had seven children, five of whom were living. Delia, now 21, was the only one still living at home. By the 1910 US Census, their address was Bald Mountain, just into the town of Brunswick, and William was farming again. He must have been pretty healthy for a man of 70. Helen applied for a widow’s pension in 1917, just after William died. She died later that year. They are buried in Oakwood Cemetery. William’s service is noted on the stone and there is a nice GAR marker.
William J. Lloyd tombstone in Oakwood, thanks to find-a-grave
James Logan
James Logan was born in Scotland about 1826. I think he came to the U.S. about 1845- an entry in the 1905 NY Census states he came at age 19. I believe he lived in New Jersey before the war. There is a James Logan in the 1850 US Census there, age 24, a paper maker, with wife Jane, 21.
James enlisted on August 19, 1861 in the 5th New Jersey Infantry. At that point he was the father of five children: Agnes, born about 1851, James and Christina, born about 1853, David, born about 1856, and John, born about 1861. Perhaps James got a large bounty to induce him to leave his large family.
Presumably he participated in the many battles of the 5th: 2nd Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg, until November 6, 1864, when he transferred to the 7th New Jersey. The regiment participated in the Appomattox Campaign in early 1865, and, after the war was over, in the Grand Review in Washington, D.C. James mustered out with the regiment on July 17, 1865.
The 1870 US Census for Paterson, N.J. lists James, 43, still a paper maker, with wife Jane. The four older children were working in local mills. He applied for an invalid pension on March 17, 1875, so must have been incapacitated in some way by his service, though he lived on for many years. By the 1880 US Census the family had relocated to Brandywine, Delaware. Sons David and John were still at home, and the family had an adopted daughter, Jane, 14.
I could not find James in the 1890 Veterans Census, nor the 1900 census. But he is listed in the family of Daniel Bortells in Valley Falls in the 1905 NY Census. Daniel’s wife was Catherine Logan, age 58, born in Scotland- perhaps a much younger sister of James? Daniel was also a Civil War veteran. The census listed James as a servant. He died in 1909 of apoplexy and is buried in the Bortells plot at Elmwood Cemetery. I do not know what happened to Jane.
Henry M. Leyfield was an Irish immigrant who served in two units and through almost all of the Civil War. He was born in Ireland in 1823. I can’t find him in the census before the war. He must have gotten married around 1852, to a woman named Henrietta Bashford, also Irish. He enlisted in the 15th N.Y. Engineers as a Sergeant in June of 1861 in Willets Point, New York. He gave his age as 34, though he was certainly older. Why was he mustered in as a Sergeant? Just his obvious older age?
First N.Y.S. Record Card of Henry Leyfield
Henry was reduced in ranks to Private on February 28, 1863. On June 25 he was mustered out with his company, having enlisted for two years.
The 15th N.Y. Engineers were organized in June of 1861 and left for Virginia at the end of the month. They served as infantry guarding Washington, D.C. until trained as engineers. The training began in November and continued through about April of 1862. Engineers were in charge of building bridges and roads to facilitate the movement of troops- sometimes extremely dangerous service. Then they participated in the Seven Days Battle in Virginia and the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville that spring.
After discharge, Henry almost immediately enlisted in the 5th N.Y. Heavy Artillery in Brooklyn. This card gave his description: He had blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion and was 5’6 ½” tall. He gave his occupation as painter.
2nd Muster Card of Henry Leyfield
His record card states he deserted on the march to Lynchburg, Virginia in March 1864, but he must have returned, as he mustered out with the Regiment on June 13, 1865 in Harpers Ferry.
Henry switched to the 5th Heavy Artillery before the battle of Gettysburg. His new unit seems to mostly have been based at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, though it marched out to participate in many actions through the Shenandoah Valley through 1864 and early 1865, suffering many casualties.
By the 1870 US Census, Henry was in the village of Schaghticoke, with his wife Henrietta. He was 46, and worked in the woolen mill. She was 48. They had three daughters: Charlotte, 17, Anna, 14, and Martha, 10. Charlotte and Anna also worked in the woolen mill. As Charlotte was born in New York, Henry and Henrietta must have arrived in the U.S. by 1852.
Henry died on July 19, 1871, aged 48. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. One wonders what Henry died from- something service connected? Henrietta waited to apply for a widow’s pension until March 11, 1882. She reported herself as the widow of Henry in the Veterans Schedule in 1890 for Schaghticoke. Henrietta died in 1898 and is also buried in Elmwood.
Tombstone of Henry M. Leyfield in Elmwood Cemetery
Francis or Frank Leonard was born in Massachusetts. His father, Russell, was a mill operator and, like many others of his profession, moved around a lot. In the 1850 US Census, the family was in Hartwick, Otsego County. Russell, 28, actually had no occupation listed. His wife was listed as Anna. As she was just 21, she was probably a second wife because future soldier and eldest son Francis was 8. The family also included Sarah Jane, 4, and Henry, 1. In the 1860 US Census, the family was in Morris, also in Otsego County. The mom of the family was now called Maria- yet another wife?? The family had added son Willard, then 7, and daughter Emma, 2. Now Russell was listed as “manufacturer,” as was his brother Franklin, who lived two families away. As late as 1880, Russell ran a cotton mill in Morris.
Francis enlisted in Company C of the 152nd N.Y. Infantry Regiment in September of 1862 in Mohawk, NY. He got a $100 bounty. He gave his occupation as a “cotton factory operative,” which seems reasonable, as his dad was a “manufacturer.” Though he enlisted as a Private, he was almost instantly promoted to First Lieutenant. Why the big jump in rank? At the very least, this implies that he was quite well-educated- Lieutenants had to be able to handle paper work.
And then Francis resigned from the service in January, 1863, never having seen any action. Why? From later census records, it seems he had married at age 17- the 1900 US Census, made when he was 57, listed that he and wife Mary had been married for forty years, with daughter Minnie born in 1861. Was the resignation somehow related to his family?
N.Y.S. record card of Francis E. Leonard
The 1870 US Census for Morris listed the family reunited: Francis, 28, was a farmer, with wife Mary Stewart, 28, daughter Minnie, 9, and daughter Nettie, 5. By the 1880 US Census for Morris, Francis, now called Frank, was a day laborer. A third daughter, Jessie, 6, had been added to the family.
The 1890 Veteran Schedule listed Francis in Hudson, Columbia County. He and Mary stayed there at least through the 1910 census. In the 1900 census he also stated that he and Mary had had five children, four of whom were living. So the census has missed two of the children. He was working as a brewer’s assistant. Daughter Nettie, 35, and daughter Minnie and her husband Linus Mason, lived with them. In 1902 Frank applied for a pension based on his brief service. By 1910, he had retired.
Frank and Mary moved to Schaghticoke by the 1915 NY Census. They rented an apartment on Main Street in the village, and were retired. I am assuming they moved to be near their daughter Mary, married to pharmacist Elbert VanBuren. In that 1915 census, they all lived together. Elbert was 41, Mary 44. They had sons Francis E. (named for Grandpa!), 16, already a salesman in the store, and John E., 11.
Frank died in 1924. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery, with his rank and service indicated on his stone. Mary lived on until 1938. By the 1925 NY Census, she was living with daughter Nettie in the village of Schaghticoke. Nettie died in 1928. Elbert’s son John Elbert was 21, working as a machinist, and married to Hazel. Their son Frank, was 5. Frank lived on in the village, and served in World War II. He died in 2009. I taught school to his grandson Dana at Hoosic Valley School. Elbert’s other son, Francis E. died serving in World War I. The family certainly served its country. I wish I had known all of this in time to talk to Frank about it.
Tombstone of Francis Leonard in Elmwood Cemetery, Schaghticoke
I learned about Jerome Lee from Dave McMahon, author of “Peril in the Powder Mills.” Jerome was born in Pittstown about 1845. He and his mother, Elizabeth or Betsy, appear on the 1855 NY Census for Schaghticoke twice: the first time living alone together in a house worth $30, Elizabeth, 33, born in Washington County and in Rensselaer County for two years, and Gerome, 12. Both were Black and Elizabeth couldn’t read. And the second time, with Elizabeth, 44, born in Rensselaer County, and Gerome, 10, as servants in the tavern of Walter Groesbeck. Both were listed as mulatto. This is a good illustration of the inaccuracy of the census!
I just can’t find the couple in the 1860 US Census, though I feel they weren’t far away. Jerome enlisted on January 1, 1864 in Company I of the 20th US Colored Troops. He was a boatman- where did he learn that skill?- 5’5” tall. He enlisted with Captain Hughes for three years, but mustered out with the regiment on October 7, 1865 at New Orleans. Interestingly, his enlistment card with the 20th US states he was “confined at Fort Pickens, Florida for assault and battery” for six months. This would have consumed about a third of his time in the service. The 20th began its service in Florida, but moved to New Orleans in early 1865. The regiment lost only one man killed in action, but 263 to disease over the course of its service.
Jerome Lee’s record from the U.S. Colored Troops
Jerome Lee’s N.Y.S. Muster Card
Jerome died of typhoid fever at the military hospital at Hart’s Island, at New York City on November 7, 1865. He was interred in Cyprus Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, but one of the cemetery cards is stamped “disinterred.” I don’t know where he was reinterred. His mother was not in the 1865 NY Census for Schaghticoke, but was in the 1870 US Census as Betsey Lee, 50, a mulatto cook in the inn of Garrett Groesbeck. She finally applied for a pension based on Jerome’s service on September 19, 1890. Kenneth Perry, in his book about Blacks in Washington County, states that Elizabeth was the sister of Charles Rogers of Easton and lived in Cambridge as of the 1892 NY Census.
I wish I could find out more about Benedict Laderach as I feel his life was so interesting. What I do know is that he and his wife and sons emigrated from Switzerland about 1850, though I can’t find them in the census until 1865. By that time they were in Schaghticoke. Benedict was born about 1813 in Switzerland, his wife Maria about 1809. Their son John was born about 1846 and Frederick about 1848. So when they came to the U.S., the parents were in their late 30’s, with two small sons. They were from the German-speaking section of the country.
Benedict’s occupation is always listed as a laborer or farm laborer, so perhaps the enlistment bounty of about $150 looked good to him, good enough so that he enlisted in the 104th N.Y. Infantry Regiment on January 7, 1862 in Troy. He gave his age as 43, but he was probably 49- either way a very old soldier.
N.Y.S. Muster card of Benedict Laderack
The 104th Regiment reached Virginia in March of 1862. It participated in General Pope’s Campaign in Virginia that summer, and had heavy casualties at Antietam and Fredericksburg in the fall. I don’t think that Benedict did much fighting, as he was hospitalized due to illness by July 1862. . His problem must have been severe, as he ended up in McDougall Hospital in New York Harbor. McDougall was an old Army hospital in Fort Schuyler with 2000 beds.
Benedict deserted from the hospital on June 12, 1863. I can imagine him in a very unsanitary hospital with poor care, knowing that his wife and sons needed him, knowing he would never get back to the front and would very possibly die in horrible conditions of the hospital. I would have deserted too.
The 1865 NY Census listed him with his family in Schaghticoke. Benedict gave his age as 50, which was close, his wife as 57. Son John, 17, was a laborer, as was Benedict. Son Frederick rounded out the family. By the 1870 US Census, John was off on his own, but Frederick and Benedict were both working as farm laborers. Benedict had amassed a personal estate of $675. They lived on Hansen Road, in the community of Schaghticoke Hill, as shown on the Beers Atlas map of 1877.
By the 1880 US Census, John was married to a woman named Rosa. He was a grist mill worker, so probably lived near his parents, as the Evans Grist Mill was on the Tomhannock Creek at Schaghticoke Hill. Son Frederick lived nearby too. He had just married a woman named Adella, and worked in the keg shop. The keg factory of the Powder Company was also on the Tomhannock Creek, just downstream from the grist mill. Benedict reported that he had been unable to work for ten months in the last year due to rheumatism.
In 1890, Benedict applied for a pension. That year he reported to the Veterans Schedule of the census that he was incapacitated by the rheumatism he had contracted in the war. Who knows the truth of that, but certainly service in the war was physically taxing, and would have been especially so for Benedict, serving as a middle-aged man. I find it interesting that he applied for the pension despite having deserted.
Benedict died in 1891 of bronchitis at age 72. His place of death was given as Valley Falls in the interment records of Elmwood Cemetery. I have not found a tombstone there for him, however. Son John and wife Rosa still lived in Schaghticoke, where he now listed himself as a miller. By the 1905 census John lived on River Street in Valley Falls- on the Schaghticoke side of the river. He died in 1916 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. Son Frederick and Adella moved to Valley Falls, where he worked as a powder maker. They had four children, three of whom survived to adulthood. One, Dallas, died in 1892 at age 4, place of death given as “Powder Mills.” Fred died in 1918 and is also in Elmwood. Adella moved to Glens Falls where she lived with a son. I have not found a record of wife Maria’s death, but I assume she is also in Elmwood.
History of the Town of Schaghticoke 