Friday, March 27, 2009

George Hubbard - updated 3/8/2017

George Hubbard was born on March 17 or 27, 1839 in Ohio or England.

George eventually left Ohio (or England) and settled in western Michigan.

He married Martha Lowing (1841-1927), probably in Georgetown, Ottawa County, and they had at least nine children: Carrie R., Alice (b. 1866), Ida (b. 1863), Franklin (b. 1868), George (1871-1908), Mary Ellen (b. 1873), Grace (1876-1904), Julia (b. 1879) and Jessie (b. 1881).

By 1860 George was working as a farm laborer and he and his wife were living with Martha’s father Stephen and his family in Georgetown. (Stephen Lowing was one of the pioneers of Georgetown and he would join the Old Third as First Lieutenant of Company I.)

George was a 22-year-old farm laborer probably living in Georgetown when he enlisted in Company I on May 13, 1861 along with his father-in-law, Lieutenant Stephen Lowing. George was a Sergeant on recruiting service in Michigan in September of 1862, and promoted to Second Lieutenant on October 27, 1862, commissioned the same day, replacing Lieutenant Andrew Nickerson. Hubbard remained on recruiting service through November of 1862, but eventually rejoined the Regiment, was reported sick on July 14 and by early September was reportedly commanding Company E.

By the fall of 1863 George and his father-in-law apparently shared the same living quarters. On October 8, 1863, Lowing, who was commanding Company I, wrote home to his brother-in-law Franklin Bosworth, describing the living conditions shared by him and his son-in-law George.

One of the greatest curiosities to us is how you can stay at home when soldiers live so well. And now to prove you know nothing of the comforts of life when compared with a soldier, I am inclined to attempt a description of our mode of living. In the first place George Hubbard and I are messing together. Our tent is six foot square on the ground, running to a point 7 feet high. This comprises cellar, kitchen, parlor, dining hall, and bed chamber. Our bedding, one blanket each. One laid on poles, the other over us. Our culinary apparatus, one frying pan, and one tin cup. Today, we are enabled to get some soft bread, and that pile of jet black stuff constitutes our pastry. We have a choice in meats. Today we may draw a piece of that belly pork that is there in that pile, and the only fault we have with it is that when it was alive it must have been a facsimile of those you and father got up in Ada many years ago. Or we may draw from that pile of beef whose only fault is that it would have not been here, if it had not got too poor to draw its breath of life any longer. So you see our outfit is complete. . . .”

George was reported on detached service in Michigan (probably recruiting) from December 29, 1864, was promoted to First Lieutenant, commissioned January 1, 1864, and transferred to Company G on January 18, 1864, replacing Lieutenant Byron Hess. Although Stephen Lowing wrote home on February 21, 1864 that “George is well [and] is on Brigade staff at present,” there is no mention of Hubbard’s being detached to the Brigade staff in the official records.

Hubbard was commissioned a Captain on April 4, 1864, but he was never mustered in that rank, although he was listed as commanding Company E from May 1 to June 20, 1864 and was mustered out as First Lieutenant on June 20, 1864.

After he was discharged from the army George eventually returned to Michigan and may have been living in Muskegon, Muskegon County from 1874 through 1885. In fact, in 1880 George was working as a lumberman and living with his wife and children in Laketon, Muskegon County. By 1890 he was residing in Menominee, Menominee County, but was back in Georgetown in 1893. He was a member of the Old Third Michigan Infantry Association, as well as Grand Army of the Republic Kearny Post No. 7 Muskegon. In 1891 he applied for and received a pension (no. 786095).

George died on January 26, 1893, presumably in Georgetown, and was buried in Georgetown cemetery.

In November of 1893 his widow was still living in Michigan when she applied for and received a pension (no. 661488).





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