Thursday, March 13, 2008

Horace Chaffee

Horace Chaffee was born around 1832 in Lamoille County, Vermont, probably the son of Hiram (b. 1807) and Sophia (b. 1807.

By 1850 Horace was working as a farmer and living with his family in Morristown, Lamoille County, Vermont and attending school with his younger brother Albert.

By 1860 Horace had moved westward and was a farm laborer working for and/or living with the Ira Woodcock family, a farmer in Tyrone, Kent County, Michigan.

Horace stood 5’10” with gray eyes, black hair and a dark complexion and was 24 years old when he enlisted in Company F on May 13, 1861. He was discharged for consumption on November 1, 1861, at Fort Lyon, Virginia.

After his discharge from the Third Michigan infantry Horace returned to Michigan where he reentered the service in Company E, Twenty-eighth Michigan infantry on September 15, 1864, at Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County for 3 years, crediting Bertrand, Berrien County, and was mustered September 16 at Kalamazoo where the regiment was being organized.

The regiment left Michigan for Louisville, Kentucky October 26-29 and remained on duty there until November 10. It participated in the battle of Nashville and subsequently occupied Nashville. It was then moved back to Louisville in mid-January and on January 18 was moved to Alexandria, Louisiana where it remained until February 19. The regiment was eventually transferred to new Berne, North Carolina in late February. It participated in the campaign in the Carolinas from March 1-April 26, the advance on and occupation of Raleigh, North Carolina in mid-April, the surrender of Johnston’s army and subsequently on duty at Raleigh until August. The regiment remained in the district of New Berne from October of 1865 until June of 1866.

Horace was listed as a Corporal when he was reported as a deserter on May 16, 1866, at Raleigh, North Carolina. The charge was removed in 1890, and he was subsequently discharged by the War Department to date May 15, 1866.

After the war Horace eventually returned to Michigan.

He was married to Harriet Jones (d. 1865) and they had at least one child: Sophia (b. 1864).

After Harriet died in 1865 Horace married Michigan native Tryphena Jones (b. 1847-1908), on January 22, 1867, in Saugatuck, Allegan County, and they had at least three children: Albert Henry (b. 1868), Nellie Mae (b. 1870).

By 1870 Horace was working as a laborer and living with his wife and two children in Heath Township, Allegan County. By 1880 Horace was working as a laborer and living in Byron, Kent County along with his wife and three children.

Horace was living in Michigan in 1890 when he applied for and received a pension (no. 651,789) for his service in both regiments,

He was residing in Woodville, Newaygo County in 1890 and probably also in 1894, suffering from chronic diarrhea, total deafness in his left ear and partial deafness in the right. He was living in Woodville in 1898.

Horace was living in Maple Hill, Montcalm County, in the spring of 1904. He may have been living in Howard City, Montcalm County where his second wife reportedly died in 1908.

Horace was living in Howard City when he died of pneumonia at his home on February 7, 1912, in Montcalm County; the expenses were paid for by one Sarah and Loren Baldwin of Howard City, Montcalm County, who had also possibly been taking care of Horace at the end of his life. (Loren Baldwin claimed to be his son-in-law and yet in his statement requesting reimbursement for expenses in taking care of Horace he reported that Horace had been married only once to Tryphena.)

Horace was buried as an indigent soldier in Reynolds cemetery (old section).

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