aka H. W. Fitch
The son of Jacob & Eleanor (Bosserman) Gantt, by 1860 he had moved to Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania, where he lived with and/or worked for farmer William Kough. He married the boss's daughter, Margaret Kough, October 16, 1860, and fathered Ida B. (b. 04/02/63), Frank R. (B. 03/16/66), Carrie A. (b. 12/27/68), and Percival (b. 08/26/74). He stood 5' 9" tall and had brown hair and gray eyes.
A Civil War veteran, he served two terms of service:
1. Enlisted at the stated age of twenty-five in Perry County June 27, 1863, during the Gettysburg crisis, mustered into state service at Harrisburg July 1 as a private with Co. B, 36th Pennsylvania Militia, and honorably discharged with his company August 11, 1863.
2. Enlisted at the stated age of twenty-six in Harrisburg August 31, 1864, mustered into federal service there September 5 as a private with Co. G, 208th Pennsylvania Infantry, and honorably discharged with his company June 1, 1865.
In 1873, he moved his family to Lockport, New York, and two years later deserted them, never seeing them again. He went to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where he first applied for a pension and there changed his name to H. W. Fitch. From there he relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, followed by time in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1888, he moved to Ashville, North Carolina, and in 1909 resided in nearby Black Mountain, Buncombe County, living "in adultery" with Dr. Mary Fitch. A pension examiner wrongly assumed that Gantt had taken the name H. W. Fitch because that had been the name of Dr. Fitch's ex-husband. Whether the couple ever married is unclear (it would have been illegal in any case), but Dr. Fitch lovingly cared for the invalid veteran until the last day of his life.
Margaret discovered that her husband had received a pension and applied to receive half of it. Her effort was successful.
The son of Jacob & Eleanor (Bosserman) Gantt, by 1860 he had moved to Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania, where he lived with and/or worked for farmer William Kough. He married the boss's daughter, Margaret Kough, October 16, 1860, and fathered Ida B. (b. 04/02/63), Frank R. (B. 03/16/66), Carrie A. (b. 12/27/68), and Percival (b. 08/26/74). He stood 5' 9" tall and had brown hair and gray eyes.
A Civil War veteran, he served two terms of service:
1. Enlisted at the stated age of twenty-five in Perry County June 27, 1863, during the Gettysburg crisis, mustered into state service at Harrisburg July 1 as a private with Co. B, 36th Pennsylvania Militia, and honorably discharged with his company August 11, 1863.
2. Enlisted at the stated age of twenty-six in Harrisburg August 31, 1864, mustered into federal service there September 5 as a private with Co. G, 208th Pennsylvania Infantry, and honorably discharged with his company June 1, 1865.
In 1873, he moved his family to Lockport, New York, and two years later deserted them, never seeing them again. He went to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where he first applied for a pension and there changed his name to H. W. Fitch. From there he relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, followed by time in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1888, he moved to Ashville, North Carolina, and in 1909 resided in nearby Black Mountain, Buncombe County, living "in adultery" with Dr. Mary Fitch. A pension examiner wrongly assumed that Gantt had taken the name H. W. Fitch because that had been the name of Dr. Fitch's ex-husband. Whether the couple ever married is unclear (it would have been illegal in any case), but Dr. Fitch lovingly cared for the invalid veteran until the last day of his life.
Margaret discovered that her husband had received a pension and applied to receive half of it. Her effort was successful.
aka H. W. Fitch
The son of Jacob & Eleanor (Bosserman) Gantt, by 1860 he had moved to Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania, where he lived with and/or worked for farmer William Kough. He married the boss's daughter, Margaret Kough, October 16, 1860, and fathered Ida B. (b. 04/02/63), Frank R. (B. 03/16/66), Carrie A. (b. 12/27/68), and Percival (b. 08/26/74). He stood 5' 9" tall and had brown hair and gray eyes.
A Civil War veteran, he served two terms of service:
1. Enlisted at the stated age of twenty-five in Perry County June 27, 1863, during the Gettysburg crisis, mustered into state service at Harrisburg July 1 as a private with Co. B, 36th Pennsylvania Militia, and honorably discharged with his company August 11, 1863.
2. Enlisted at the stated age of twenty-six in Harrisburg August 31, 1864, mustered into federal service there September 5 as a private with Co. G, 208th Pennsylvania Infantry, and honorably discharged with his company June 1, 1865.
In 1873, he moved his family to Lockport, New York, and two years later deserted them, never seeing them again. He went to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where he first applied for a pension and there changed his name to H. W. Fitch. From there he relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, followed by time in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1888, he moved to Ashville, North Carolina, and in 1909 resided in nearby Black Mountain, Buncombe County, living "in adultery" with Dr. Mary Fitch. A pension examiner wrongly assumed that Gantt had taken the name H. W. Fitch because that had been the name of Dr. Fitch's ex-husband. Whether the couple ever married is unclear (it would have been illegal in any case), but Dr. Fitch lovingly cared for the invalid veteran until the last day of his life.
Margaret discovered that her husband had received a pension and applied to receive half of it. Her effort was successful.
The son of Jacob & Eleanor (Bosserman) Gantt, by 1860 he had moved to Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania, where he lived with and/or worked for farmer William Kough. He married the boss's daughter, Margaret Kough, October 16, 1860, and fathered Ida B. (b. 04/02/63), Frank R. (B. 03/16/66), Carrie A. (b. 12/27/68), and Percival (b. 08/26/74). He stood 5' 9" tall and had brown hair and gray eyes.
A Civil War veteran, he served two terms of service:
1. Enlisted at the stated age of twenty-five in Perry County June 27, 1863, during the Gettysburg crisis, mustered into state service at Harrisburg July 1 as a private with Co. B, 36th Pennsylvania Militia, and honorably discharged with his company August 11, 1863.
2. Enlisted at the stated age of twenty-six in Harrisburg August 31, 1864, mustered into federal service there September 5 as a private with Co. G, 208th Pennsylvania Infantry, and honorably discharged with his company June 1, 1865.
In 1873, he moved his family to Lockport, New York, and two years later deserted them, never seeing them again. He went to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where he first applied for a pension and there changed his name to H. W. Fitch. From there he relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, followed by time in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1888, he moved to Ashville, North Carolina, and in 1909 resided in nearby Black Mountain, Buncombe County, living "in adultery" with Dr. Mary Fitch. A pension examiner wrongly assumed that Gantt had taken the name H. W. Fitch because that had been the name of Dr. Fitch's ex-husband. Whether the couple ever married is unclear (it would have been illegal in any case), but Dr. Fitch lovingly cared for the invalid veteran until the last day of his life.
Margaret discovered that her husband had received a pension and applied to receive half of it. Her effort was successful.
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