Monday, May 05, 2008

Squire Gideon Corby update 10/18/2016

Squire Gideon Corby was born on June 13, 1819, in Essex County, New Jersey, the son of Ezekiel (1776-1860) and Rebecca Day (1781-1867).

Squire married New Jersey native Esther H. McDermitt (b. 1820), and they had at least six children: Susan Ann (Mrs. Kildoo, 1849-1907), Mary Emma (b. 1852), Martha Jane (b. 1855), Thomas (b. 1857), Agnes Ella (b. 1860) and Richard (b. 1862).

By 1850 the family was living in Broome, Chenango County, New York, where Squire was working as a shoemaker. Sometime between 1855 and 1857 Squire moved his family to Michigan from New York, and by 1860 he was working as a farm laborer and living with his family in Boston, Ionia County.

Squire stood 5’2” with blue eyes, light hair and a light complexion, and was a 42-year-old farmer probably living in Ionia County when he enlisted in Company D on February 1, 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.) In July he was a water carrier, then a Captain’s waiter in August and a company cook in September. He was discharged on October 26, 1862, at Edward’s Ferry, Maryland (in fact he was probably in camp near Alexandria, Virginia) for “deafness of ten years standing.” The assistant Regimental surgeon, Walter Morrison added, “No pension recommended.”

It is quite possible that after his discharge from the army Squire returned to Saranac (he listed Saranac as his mailing address on his discharge paper). By 1870, however, Squire and Esther had moved their family to Chambersburg, Jefferson, Clark County, Missouri where Squire worked as a farm laborer (he also reported $600 worth of real estate); also living with him besides his wife were his daughters Susan, Emma, Jane and Ella and son Thomas (listed as blind). Two houses away lived Rufus Denny and his wife Catherine.

No pension seems to be available.

In 1900 two of their children, Emma and Richard (“Dick”) were inmates of the Clark County Poor Farm; they were both still in 1910.

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