Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Oliver M. Culver

Oliver M. Culver was born in 1842 in New York.

Oliver left New York state and moved west, eventually settling in western Michigan with his family, probably in the Grand Rapids area, sometime in the late 1850s.

He was possibly the same Oliver Culver who was arrested in Grand Rapids in the summer of 1859, charged with theft. On July 26, 1859, the Grand Rapids Enquirer reported that one “Oliver Culver, a young lad, was brought up, charged with stealing a pair of boots from a man in Alpine. Plead guilty, and was sentenced to pay a fine, or 40 days in County jail. Funds being scarce with him, he choose [sic] the latter, and was committed.”

In any case, by 1860 Oliver was probably working as an apprentice painter in Grand Rapids’ Second Ward.

Oliver was 19 years old and still living in Kent County when he enlisted with his parents’ consent as Eighth Corporal in Company K on May 13, 1861. (He was possibly related to George Culver also of Company K and/or Noah Culver of Company I.) Oliver was reported AWOL in August of 1862, but he eventually returned to the Regiment.

He was shot in the head and killed on July 2, 1863, while the regiment was engaged in the Peach Orchard, during the second day of the battle of Gettysburg.

He was buried in the Michigan plot, National Cemetery at Gettysburg: section B, grave 18 .

No pension seems to be available.

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