Calvin Hall

Calvin Hall was born in 1823 in Genesee County, New York.

Sometime before 1860 Calvin was married to New York native Elizabeth (b. 1824), probably in New York, and they had at least one child: Estella (b. 1862).
By 1860 he was working as a sawyer and carpenter living with his wife in Ganges, Allegan County.

He stood 5’8” with blue eyes, brown hair and a light complexion, and was 38 years old and still residing in Allegan County when he enlisted in Company I on May 13, 1861. According to one source, he was among the second wave of recruits to come out of Ottawa County and did not in fact enlist until the end of May, along with Albert Hamlin, Nelson Davis and David Davis, Joseph Payne, Albert Gardner, James Rhodes, Perry Goshorn, Sylvester Gay, Joseph Solder (Josiah Schuler), Quincy Lamereaux, William Suret and John Ward.

Calvin was sick in the hospital from August of 1862 through March of 1863. He was reported missing in action on May 3, 1863, at Chancellorsville, Virginia, returned to the Regiment on October 31. He reenlisted on December 24, 1863 at Brandy Station, Virginia, crediting Algoma, Kent County, and was presumably absent on veteran’s furlough in January of 1864, probably at home in Michigan. He returned to the Regiment probably on or about the first of February, and in March he was detached to the Regimental commissary department.

In April he was a Division provost guard, reported on detached service in May and was still on detached service when he was transferred to Company I, Fifth Michigan infantry upon consolidation of the Third and Fifth Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864. He remained detached through October, in November he was a nurse in the hospital in City Point, Virginia, and was serving in the Quartermaster department in December through January of 1865. From February through May he was a provost guard at Division headquarters, and he was mustered out on July 5, 1865 at Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Following his discharge from the army Calvin returned to Michigan. He settled for a time in Gobleville (or Gobles), Van Buren County, eventually moving to Paw Paw, Van Buren County where he was living in 1870 when he was working as a farm laborer and living with his wife and daughter. In 1880 he was working as a farmer and still living in Paw Paw with his wife and daughter. He was still living in Paw Paw in 1887, 1888, 1890. By 1894 he was residing in Bloomingdale, Van Buren County.

There was a Calvin L. Hall who was working as a telegraph operator for the GR & I railroad in Traverse City, Michigan in 1884.

For many years Calvin worked as a laborer, and although he attended the Old Third Michigan Infantry Association reunion in 1887, it appears he never became a member.

He received pension no. 408,328, and he was admitted as a single man to the Michigan Soldiers’ Home (no. 2594) on January 10, 1896, was discharged on April 14, 1897, and readmitted on June 19, 1897.

Calvin died of heart failure at the Home on June 12, 1898, and was buried in the Home cemetery: section 2 row 9 grave no. 12.