Amos Rosenberger

Amos Rosenberger was born on October 4, 1844, in Waterloo County, Ontario, Canada, the son of Jacob (1802-1881) and Hannah (Pannabecker, b. 1810).

Jacob, a Mennonite from Pennsylvania, married Hannah, also from Pennsylvania, and by 1830 they had moved to Canada. By 1836 they were living in Waterloo, Ontario where they resided for many years. The family eventually moved to Michigan. By 1860 Amos was working as a farm laborer and he was living with his father who was also working as a farm laborer and they were both living with Amos’ older brother Cornelius and his family in Gaines, Kent County. Cornelius had settled in Michigan by 1854.

Amos stood 5’9” with blue eyes, light hair and a light complexion and was an 18-year-old farm laborer living in Gaines, Kent County when he enlisted in Company A on November 15, 1861, at Grand Rapids for 3 years, and was mustered on December 23 at Detroit. He was probably shot in the left leg, presumably at Fair Oaks, Virginia, on May 31, 1862, and was sick in the hospital until he was discharged on August 8, 1862, at Douglas hospital in Washington, DC for “injury of quadriceps muscle of left leg, the result of a gunshot wound.”

Amos returned to western Michigan after his discharge from the army.

He was possibly living in Ottawa where he married Martha E. Millard (1845-1924) on November 11, 1864, in Tallmadge, Ottawa County, and they had at least three children: William M. (b. 1865), Millard M. (b. 1866) and Bertie (b. 1874).

By 1880 he was working as a farmer and living in Tallmadge, Ottawa County with his wife and children (listed as “Rosenberg”); also living with them were his wife’s parents. He was living in Berlin (Marne), Ottawa County in 1883 when he was drawing $2.00 (pension no. 10,251), and $12 per month by 1903. He worked for some years as a manufacturer, and as a wholesale and retail dealer in lumber. By 1890 he was residing in Baldwin, Lake County.

Amos died of apoplexy on February 1, 1904, at Reed City, Osceola County. He was buried in the Reed City cemetery.

His widow applied for and received a pension (no. 579762).