Simeon Bacon Sargent was born in 1833 at Bath, Steuben County, New York to Enoch Sargent and Pruda Bacon Bugbee Sargent. Simeon was a logger and farmer by trade. He never received a formal education. Prior to settling at Mount Pleasant, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, the family had located in southern New York, near the Indian Reservation, where they logged huge timbers and floated them to Pittsburgh, down the Allegheny River. Simeon married Catherine "Caty" Westfall June 1, 1853 at Tidioute, Warren County, Pennsylvania and they had a daughter; Nancy Maria. When the Civil War came along, Simeon and his brothers saw it as an opportunity to receive bounty and pension claims in the territories of the western plains. As was the custom, a wagon came along the dirt roads to collect volunteers for the union army. It was August 31, 1862 and the brothers were in the field haying at their home on Hungry Run Road at Erie County, PA. The Union City V.F.W. picnic grounds are now located there. Simeon, Timothy and another brother, John, enlisted with the Co. E, 145th Volunteers. The 145th saw action at every major battle from Fredericksburg to the final push at Appomattox. The brothers were often detailed as teamsters for ammunition wagons and participated in the construction of corduroy bridges prior to the battle at Chancellorsville. They fought at Gettysburg at the Wheat Field. June 2, 1864, Simion was wounded at Turkey Hill at Cold Harbor. He was mustered out of the service May 31, 1865. Simeon went to the western territories as planned and settled in Kansas after the war. After the move, he and his wife Caty adopted four children into their family: Wallace J., Silva E., Grace Z. and Cora E. Not exactly a church going person, Simeon in his old age was lying on a log where a fallen tree crossed a creek when a deer walked under him. He apparently had a hunting knife in his hand and rolled off the log onto the deer's back. He wrapped his arms around the deer's neck and cut its throat, killing it. Being somewhat bloody from it when he got back around folks, he immediately remarked when someone asked him what had happened, "I just had a fight with Jesus Christ and God Almighty was standing just a little ways off, but He didn't come near." Our records show Simeon died September 3, 1905 at Caney, Montgomery County, Kansas. However, one source shows that Simeon returned to the family farm in PA.

Bio by John E. Sherman