Jesse I. Crapo

Jesse I. Crapo, also known as “Krapo”, was born 1844 in Bloomville, Seneca County, Ohio, the son of David (b. 1808-1879) and Mercy or Maria (Sowle or Soule 1810-1886).

Jesse’s parents were married October 9, 1831, in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts (where both had been born) and by 1836 had settled in Bloomville or Bloom, Seneca County, Ohio, where they lived for more than a dozen years. Sometime after 1848 the family left Ohio and eventually settled in Michigan. By 1860 Jesse was working as a farm hand and living with his family on a large farm in Odessa, Ionia County.

He stood 5’10” with gray eyes, dark hair and a light complexion, and was an 18-year-old farmer living in Odessa, Ionia County when he enlisted in Company E on March 11, 1862, at Saranac, Ionia County for 3 years, and was mustered the same day. He was sick with typhoid fever in the hospital at Bottom’s Bridge, Virginia in June of 1862, and in fact he died of typhoid fever at either Fair Oaks or Savage Station, Virginia, on June 17, 1862. He was presumably buried near Fair Oaks or Savage Station.

By 1870 his parents were still living on a farm in South Cass, Odessa Township, Ionia County. In 1885 his mother applied for a pension (application no. 326,826) but the certificate was apparently never granted.

Ira M. D. Crane

Ira M. D. Crane was born around 1837 in Tyre, Seneca County, New York, the son of Stephen B. (b. 1795) and Eunice (b. 1797).

New York native Stephen married Massachusetts-born Eunice and eventually settled in New York where they were living in 1833. Stephen eventually took his family and moved westward, settling in western Michigan by 1850 when Ira was living with his family on a farm in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County. In 1860 Ira was still living with his family in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, where he was working as a printer.

Ira stood 5’7” with gray eyes, dark hair and a light complexion and was 24 years old and still living in Kalamazoo County when he enlisted in Company G on May 13, 1861. Ira was present for duty from January of 1862 through July, and although he had been wounded on May 31, 1862, at Fair Oaks, Virginia, he soon returned to camp and was back on duty in early June. He was wounded slightly in the leg on August 29, 1862, at Second Bull Run, and subsequently hospitalized at Washington Street hospital in Alexandria where, by the second week of September he was reported to be “doing well.”

Ira remained absent sick in the hospital from his wounds through February of 1863, was present for duty in March and April, and promoted to Corporal on March 20, 1863. He was wounded a third time, on May 3, 1863 at Chancellorsville, Virginia, by a gunshot to the left hip, and admitted on May 9 to Armory Square hospital, Washington, DC. He also received the Kearny Cross for his participation in the battle of Chancellorsville.

Ira was furloughed from the hospital on January 29, 1864, and returned from furlough on March 31. He remained hospitalized until he was discharged as a Corporal on July 1, 1864, at Armory Square hospital, for disability caused by “partial anchylosis of left hip joint from gunshot wound”.

Ira returned to Michigan and married Maryland native Anna E. (b. 1845); they had at least one child: Walter (b. 1867).

By 1870 Ira was working as a farmer and living with his wife in Allegan, Allegan County. By 1880 Ira was working as a farmer and living with his wife and son in Trowbridge, Allegan County. He was still living in Allegan, Allegan County in 1883, and in 1884 when he attended the Sixth Annual Reunion of the Soldiers and Sailors, at Battle Creek, Calhoun County.

He was living in Owosso, Shiawassee County in 1888, and by 1890 he was residing in Grand Rapids. He may have been the same Ira B. Crane who was working and rooming at 43 Monroe Street in Grand Rapids in 1889 and working as an agent for F. J. Lamb & Co. and rooming at 146 S. Jefferson in Grand Rapids the following year.

Ira was probably a member of Grand Army of the Republic Bassett Post No. 56 in Allegan. In 1864 he applied for and received a pension (no. 33,801), drawing $6.00 per month.

Ira died on January 14, 1917, in Cleveland, Ohio, and was presumably buried there.

Gilbert J. Crane

Gilbert J. Crane was born in 1824 in Palmer, New York.

Gilbert was married to New Jersey native Jane (b. 1836) and they had at least three children: Elitha (b. 1854), John (b. 1857) and Frances (b. 1860).

Gilbert settled his family in Michigan sometime before 1854 and by 1860 he was working as a farmer (he owned some $700 worth of real estate) and living with his wife and children in Otisco, Ionia County. He may have been living in Berlin, Ionia County in 1864.

He stood 5’5” with black eyes, brown hair and a light complexion when he enlisted in Company C at Grand Rapids, Kent County, on January 27, 1864, for three years, and was mustered in the same day. He was not taken up on the company rolls and there is no further record. (There is only a muster and descriptive roll card found in the military service record files for the Third Michigan infantry.)

In fact he actually joined Company A, Fifth Michigan infantry, and was discharged for disability on June 7, 1865 (curiously, the same day as George Bracy).

Gilbert returned to Michigan after the war. In 1882 he was living in Michigan when he applied for and received a pension (nos. 448188 and 744805).

Daniel D. Free

Daniel D. Free was born April 12, 1835, in Monroe County, New York, the son of George (b. 1789) and Mary (b. 1804).

Daniel’s parents were both Pennsylvania natives and were probably married there. In any case, by 1828 they were probably living in New York (where their first son John was born) and resided there for some years. Between 1845 and 1850 George moved his family west and had settled in Alpine, Kent County where he and his sons (including Daniel) worked as laborers.

Daniel married New York native Elizabeth J. Arsenoe (1842-1922) on February 22, 1860, in Alpine, and they had at least eight children: Calista E. (1862-1872), Ellen (b. 1863), John H. (b. 1866), Charles H. (b. 1868), Adelbert (b. 1870), Effie Jane (b. 1871), Pearl (b. 1878) and Clark (b. 1888).

Daniel stood 5’5” with black eyes, sandy hair and a light complexion, and was a 28-year-old farmer living in Muskegon, Muskegon County when he enlisted in Company K on January 30, 1864, at Grand Rapids for 3 years, crediting Muskegon, and was mustered February 1.

He joined the Regiment on February 17 at Camp Bullock, Virginia, and was slightly wounded on May 6, 1864, at the Wilderness, Virginia. Daniel was subsequently absent sick in the hospital and at one point he was reported to be a guard in a Beverly, New Jersey hospital. He was still absent wounded when he was transferred to Company F, Fifth Michigan infantry upon consolidation of the Third and Fifth Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864, and he returned to his Regiment on January 8, 1865.

Daniel failed to recover from his wounds sufficiently enough to rejoin the regiment and was transferred to the Veterans’ Reserve Corps on April 2, 1865.

He was discharged from the Two hundred forty-third company, First battalion, VRC cavalry on April 15, 1865, at Washington, DC. (The VRC was made up of men who while ambulatory were generally incapable of performing regular military tasks due to having suffered debilitating wounds and/or diseases and were assigned to garrison the many supply depots, draft rendezvous, camps, forts, prisons, etc. scattered throughout the northern cities, thus freeing able-bodied men for regular military duty.)

After the war Daniel eventually returned to western Michigan. By 1870 he was working as a farm laborer and living with his wife and children in Byron; he was still living in Byron by 1872 and 1873 and still working as a laborer in 1880. He may have been a member of the Old Third Michigan Infantry Association living in Grand Rapids in 1874, and by 1888 he was living in Corinth, Kent County.

In 1876 he applied for and received a pension (no. 244508).

Daniel died of typhoid fever on May 26, 1890, in Byron and was buried in Gilbert cemetery, Kent County.

Elizabeth eventually remarried William Alguire. In 1914 his widow was living in Ross Station, Kent County, when she applied for and received a pension (no. 2344962). is widow and minor children also applied and received pensions.