Hiram and John Lenington - updated 10/23/2015

Hiram Lenington was born in September 20, 1844, in Ontario, Canada, the son of John (b. 1801 in New York) and Mary Newman (b. 1809 in Ontario, Canada).

Hiram’s family left Canada and immigrated to the United States around 1853. The family settled in Ionia County, Michigan and by 1860 Hiram, along with his younger brother John, was working as a farm laborer and living with his family in Boston, Ionia County; Hiram was also attending school with his younger siblings.

Hiram stood 5’9” with blue eyes, brown hair and a light complexion and was a 23-year-old cooper probably living in Odessa, Ionia County (or in Monroe County) when he enlisted in Company D on February 9, 1864, at Grand Rapids for 3 years, crediting Odessa, joining his younger brother John who had enlisted on January 12. Hiram was mustered in on February 9, and he and his brother joined the Regiment on February 18 at Camp Bullock, Virginia.

Hiram was probably wounded during the Wilderness and Spotsylvania movements, and was absent wounded when he was transferred to Company A, 5th Michigan Infantry upon consolidation of the 3rd and 5th Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864. He remained absent wounded until he was discharged on May 30, 1865, at Carver hospital in Washington, DC. After the war Hiram eventually returned to Michigan.

He married New York native Emma (1848-1906), and they had at least one child: Maude C. (b. 1874).

By 1870 he was working as a cooper and living with his wife in Saranac, Ionia County, and in 1880 he was working as a cooper and living with his wife and daughter in Lowell, Kent County. He was still living in Lowell in 1890. He apparently resided for a time in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic Custer post no. 5 until he was dropped on November 24, 1904. By 1910 Hiram was a widower living with his daughter Maude and her husband Wilder Lemon in Grand Rapids’ 7th Ward. He may have lived in Monroe County at some point after the war. In August of 1890 he applied for and received a pension (no. 1107311).

Hiram was a widower when he died of a pulmonary embolism on Sunday June 17, 1917, in North Park, Grand Rapids Township. The funeral was held on June 19 at 2:00pm at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Lemon, at North Park. Hiram was buried alongside his wife in Oak Hill cemetery north side: section 6 lot 42.

John Lenington was born on March 20, 1846 in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, the son of John (b. 1801 in New York) and Mary Newman (b. 1809 in Ontario, Canada).

John’s family left Canada and immigrated to the United States around 1853. The family settled in Ionia County, Michigan and by 1860 John, along with his older brother Hiram, was working as a farm laborer and living with his family in Boston, Ionia County; John was also attending school with his older brother Hiram and their younger siblings.

John stood 5’9” with light eyes, brown hair and a light complexion, and was 18 years old and probably working as a farmer in Berlin (Saranac), Ionia County when he enlisted in Company D on January 12, 1864, at Grand Rapids for 3 years, crediting Boston, Ionia County, and mustered on January 19. (His older brother Hiram enlisted in Company D on February 9.) Both John and his brother joined the Regiment on February 18 at Camp Bullock, Virginia.

John was shot in the right leg on May 6, 1864, at the Wilderness, Virginia, and subsequently admitted to Douglas hospital in Washington, DC. On May 26 he was transferred on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he was admitted to Broad and Cherry Streets hospital. He was still absent wounded when he was transferred to Company A, 5th Michigan Infantry upon consolidation of the 3rd and 5th Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864. On May 9, 1865, he was transferred from Broad and Cherry Streets hospital to Summit House hospital in Philadelphia, and was mustered out on August 29, 1865, at Summit House.

After John left the army he returned to his family’s home in Ionia County, but eventually moved out west, and was probably working in a sawmill in Currant Creek, Nye County, Nevada in 1870.

John returned to Michigan in 1872 when he moved to Wexford County where he resided for many years. (He may have lived in Monroe County sometime after the war.” He was living in Wexford County in 1888 and in Wexford, Wexford County in 1890.

John was living in Wexford County when he married New York native Ruth Mason on October 13, 1891, in Traverse City, Grand Traverse County.

John was living still in Wexford County when he married his second wife Canadian Mary Cronin or Connine (b. 1872) on October 28, 1895.

By 1900 he and his second wife Mary were living with the Connine family – possibly Mary’s family in Sherman, Wexford County.

In 1910 John was listed as a widower and head of household and living in Grant, Grand Traverse County; also living with were Elon and Phoeba Cornell. He was living in Wexford in 1916. In 1878 he applied for and received a pension (no. 161990), drawing $72 per month by 1924.

John died on December 17, 1924, in Grand Rapids reportedly at the Soldiers’ Home hospital, but there is no obituary found in the local newspapers, nor is he listed in the Home burial cards and he does not appear to be buried in Kent County. His remains were apparently returned to Wexford County where he was buried in Cornell cemetery (so are Elon and Phoeba Cornell).