He emigrated ca. 1852 aboard the same ship as his future wife, Helena M. Schmidt, whom he would marry ca. 1855, although no children from the marriage were located. In 1860, he was a shoemaker living in Jackson Township, York County, Pennsylvania, and stood 5' 10" tall with brown hair and gray eyes.
A Civil War veteran, he appears to have served two terms of service:
1. Enlisted in York September 12, 1862, as a private with the Wiest Independent Co, and discharged September 24, 1862.
2. Enlisted at the stated age of thirty-nine either in York (says his enlistment paper or Harrisburg (say his compiled military service records) September 7, 1864, and mustered into federal service either that day or the next s a private with Co. B, 209th Pennsylvania Infantry. He honorably discharged with his company May 31, 1865, in Alexandria, Virginia. He is listed as a deserter from "Sept 1864 - Sept 4/64" which is questionable given that he had not yet enlisted by September 4.
Naturalized in 1866, following his first wife's death he married his housekeeper Lehna Barre March 28, 1878, in York and fathered Henry Christopher (b. 08/19/78) and William Frederick (b. 09/20/80). In 1880, he was living in Penn Township, York County, and in 1890, in Hanover, York County.
HOWEVER, although Henry Abels' marital history as shown above comes from his pension file (assuming this researcher read it correctly), the censuses tell the opposite story, i.e., Helena was the second wife and Lehna the first. The first names, however, are similar enough to be confused. The children's death certificates show that the second wife's maiden name was Barre, and the pension is equally clear that the first wife was a Schmidt.
A Civil War veteran, he appears to have served two terms of service:
1. Enlisted in York September 12, 1862, as a private with the Wiest Independent Co, and discharged September 24, 1862.
2. Enlisted at the stated age of thirty-nine either in York (says his enlistment paper or Harrisburg (say his compiled military service records) September 7, 1864, and mustered into federal service either that day or the next s a private with Co. B, 209th Pennsylvania Infantry. He honorably discharged with his company May 31, 1865, in Alexandria, Virginia. He is listed as a deserter from "Sept 1864 - Sept 4/64" which is questionable given that he had not yet enlisted by September 4.
Naturalized in 1866, following his first wife's death he married his housekeeper Lehna Barre March 28, 1878, in York and fathered Henry Christopher (b. 08/19/78) and William Frederick (b. 09/20/80). In 1880, he was living in Penn Township, York County, and in 1890, in Hanover, York County.
HOWEVER, although Henry Abels' marital history as shown above comes from his pension file (assuming this researcher read it correctly), the censuses tell the opposite story, i.e., Helena was the second wife and Lehna the first. The first names, however, are similar enough to be confused. The children's death certificates show that the second wife's maiden name was Barre, and the pension is equally clear that the first wife was a Schmidt.
He emigrated ca. 1852 aboard the same ship as his future wife, Helena M. Schmidt, whom he would marry ca. 1855, although no children from the marriage were located. In 1860, he was a shoemaker living in Jackson Township, York County, Pennsylvania, and stood 5' 10" tall with brown hair and gray eyes.
A Civil War veteran, he appears to have served two terms of service:
1. Enlisted in York September 12, 1862, as a private with the Wiest Independent Co, and discharged September 24, 1862.
2. Enlisted at the stated age of thirty-nine either in York (says his enlistment paper or Harrisburg (say his compiled military service records) September 7, 1864, and mustered into federal service either that day or the next s a private with Co. B, 209th Pennsylvania Infantry. He honorably discharged with his company May 31, 1865, in Alexandria, Virginia. He is listed as a deserter from "Sept 1864 - Sept 4/64" which is questionable given that he had not yet enlisted by September 4.
Naturalized in 1866, following his first wife's death he married his housekeeper Lehna Barre March 28, 1878, in York and fathered Henry Christopher (b. 08/19/78) and William Frederick (b. 09/20/80). In 1880, he was living in Penn Township, York County, and in 1890, in Hanover, York County.
HOWEVER, although Henry Abels' marital history as shown above comes from his pension file (assuming this researcher read it correctly), the censuses tell the opposite story, i.e., Helena was the second wife and Lehna the first. The first names, however, are similar enough to be confused. The children's death certificates show that the second wife's maiden name was Barre, and the pension is equally clear that the first wife was a Schmidt.
A Civil War veteran, he appears to have served two terms of service:
1. Enlisted in York September 12, 1862, as a private with the Wiest Independent Co, and discharged September 24, 1862.
2. Enlisted at the stated age of thirty-nine either in York (says his enlistment paper or Harrisburg (say his compiled military service records) September 7, 1864, and mustered into federal service either that day or the next s a private with Co. B, 209th Pennsylvania Infantry. He honorably discharged with his company May 31, 1865, in Alexandria, Virginia. He is listed as a deserter from "Sept 1864 - Sept 4/64" which is questionable given that he had not yet enlisted by September 4.
Naturalized in 1866, following his first wife's death he married his housekeeper Lehna Barre March 28, 1878, in York and fathered Henry Christopher (b. 08/19/78) and William Frederick (b. 09/20/80). In 1880, he was living in Penn Township, York County, and in 1890, in Hanover, York County.
HOWEVER, although Henry Abels' marital history as shown above comes from his pension file (assuming this researcher read it correctly), the censuses tell the opposite story, i.e., Helena was the second wife and Lehna the first. The first names, however, are similar enough to be confused. The children's death certificates show that the second wife's maiden name was Barre, and the pension is equally clear that the first wife was a Schmidt.
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Aged 80 years 10 mos & 19 Ds.
Co. B. 209 Regt. Pa. Vol.
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