Wednesday, February 23, 2011

George W. Veley

George W. Veley was born in 1836, possibly in Wayne County, Michigan, the son of John (1817-1891) and stepson of Amanda (1831-1879).

By 1860 George was working as a farm laborer and living with his father John and Amanda in Livonia, Wayne County.

George stood 5’10” with gray eyes, light hair and a light complexion and was 25 years old and possibly a mechanic living in Wayne County when he enlisted in Company E on May 13, 1861. He was discharged on December 7, 1861, at Fort Lyon, Virginia, for aphonia (loss of voice), a consequence of tuberculosis.

George probably returned to Michigan after his discharge, possibly to his family’s home in Plymouth, Wayne County, where he was living when he reentered the service as a Private in Company C, Twenty-fourth Michigan infantry, on January 4, 1864, and was mustered the same day. (Abraham Veley, possibly a younger brother or cousin, had enlisted in Company C in 1862.) George joined the regiment on February 17 near Culpeper, Virginia.

He was wounded on June 3, 1864, at Cold Harbor, Virginia, and was transferred to a hospital in Washington, DC.

George died of his wounds on July 20, 1864, and his body was returned to Michigan and he was buried in Riverside cemetery, either GAR section or section T, lot 21, Plymouth, Wayne County, Michigan. (Cornelius Veley, who died in 1869, served in Company I, Twenty-fourth Michigan is also buried in Riverside with John and Amanda Veley.)

1 comment:

LisaLor said...

George's brother in-law, John Passage was in the 24th Michigan. John was married to Georges sister Huldah.