George Slocum

George Slocum was born on February 25, 1813, in Darien, Genesee County, New York, the son of Peleg (1773-1849) and Ruth (Hill, 1770-1834).

Peleg reportedly served as Musician and then Drum Major in Varian’s New York regiment during the War of 1812. In any case, he was married to Ruth Hill in 1791 in Pawling, Dutchess County, New York.

George was married to New York native Sophronia Kinsman (b. 1818), on July 1, 1836, probably in Genesee County, New York (she was born in Darien, Genesee County, New York as well), and they had at least six children: Nancy Almeda (b. 1838), Lucius Elliott (b. 1843), Richard Miller (b. 1845), twins Ebgert and Edgar (b. 1850), Helen A. (b. 1854) and Amelia (b. 1857).

George and Sophronia left New York and settled in Michigan sometime before 1838. By 1840 they were living in Hartland, Livingston County where they were still residing and working a farm in 1850. By 1860 George had taken his family and settled on a farm in Keene, Ionia County.

He was a 49-year-old farmer probably living in Keene when he enlisted in Company D on February 2, 1862, at Saranac, Ionia County for 3 years, and was mustered the same day. (Company D was composed in large part of men who came from western Ionia County and Eaton County.) He was wounded on May 31, 1862, at Fair Oaks, Virginia, and by the first of July was a patient in Buttonwood Street hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

George died from his wounds, either on July 8, 1862, in Buttonwood, and was buried in Philadelphia National Cemetery, or on July 18, September 18 or November 1, 1862, at Washington, DC.

In February of 1863 (?) his widow Sophronia applied for and received a pension (no. 8590).