Saturday, October 27, 2007

Hiram Blood

Hiram Blood was born 1844 in Kent County, Michigan, the son of Francis Alonzo (1807-1896) and Annie or Amy (Bigelow, 1810-1853).

Massachusetts native Francis married New York-born Annie, possibly in Michigan or perhaps in New York. In any case, Francis came to the Michigan Territory before 1830 and settled in Kent County sometime before 1840. By 1850 Hiram was attending school with his siblings and living with his family on a farm in Walker, Kent County. Francis remarried at least once and possibly twice following Annie’s death: first to New York native Sophia (b. 1808) and then to Eunice. In any case, by 1860 Hiram was working as a farm laborer, attending school with six of his sibling and still living with his family on a farm in Walker (His older sister Rosa was the local teacher.).

Hiram stood 5’8” with blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion, and was an 18-year-old farmer probably living in Walker, Kent County when he enlisted in Company I on August 17, 1862, for 3 years at Grand Rapids. (Company I was made up largely of men from Ottawa County, particularly from the eastern side of the County.) He joined the Regiment on September 8, 1862, at Upton’s Hill, Virginia.

Hiram was shot in the head and killed while the Third Michigan was engaged in the Peach Orchard, on July 2, 1863, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Hiram, mistakenly listed as “Herson Blood” on his grave marker, was buried in Gettysburg National Cemetery: section B, grave 5.

No pension seems to be available. (Francis died in 1896 in Grant, Newaygo County and was reportedly buried there.)

1 comment:

Henitsirk said...

Thanks for this post...Hiram Blood is one of my ancestors. His sister Rosa was my great-great-grandmother.