John W. Kellogg

John W. Kellogg was born in 1840, the son of Ann.

There was one Ann Kellogg living in Grand Rapids in 1850.

In any case, John was 21 years old and living in Holland, Ottawa County, Michigan, when he enlisted in Company I on May 13, 1861. (Company I was made up largely of men from Ottawa County, particularly from the eastern side of the County.)

He reportedly took sick of typhoid fever at Fort Lyon, Virginia, about November 25, 1861, and died at 12:40 p.m. on December 1, 1861. Aaron Camp, also of Company I, wrote home to John’s mother to tell her that he was with John when he died.

I take my pen in hand to perform a sad and painful task and yet one which I feel duty bound to perform.

It is in informing you of the death of your son John who died today at 20 minutes to one o’clock of typhoid fever after an illness of about a week. He was delirious most of the time after he was taken [sick]. Once or twice he called me by name but was gone again before I could talk to him any.

John was a good boy and one that was universally liked in the regiment and a great favorite with the company and my intimate friend and bedfellow. But he has gone and left us to mourn his loss although he past [sic] off very easy & quite [sic] with a groan or struggle but more like one going to sleep & what more is it than taking a sleep from all our earthly cares & troubles. But I have written more of a letter than I intended for I suppose. The officers will take [care?] of the affairs but still I could not help writing to you to be sure that you heard of it as soon as possible and inform you that he had the best of care that could be under the circumstances but to no avail; nothing could save him and he has gone home to heaven I hope.

Curiously, the U.S. Quartermaster General’s “Roll of Honor” lists him as having died on March 7, 1864, and buried in Alexandria National Cemetery: section A grave no. 1424. He is in fact buried in Alexandria.

In any case, there is a memorial to him in Pilgrim Home cemetery in Holland.

In 1870 his mother Ann was living in Chicago, Illinois, when she applied for and received a pension (no. 147336).