Second Generation
2. Sylvester
B. Crail9–18
(James-1) was born on 20 Jan 1835 in Hamilton Co., Ohio.9,19
He died on 17 Jan 1898 at the age of 62 in Indiana State Soldiers' Home,
Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., Indiana.19–20 He was buried after 17 Jan 1898 in Indiana State Soldiers'
Home [West Central Section Row 10], Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., Indiana.21 Sylvester was a farmer, expressman.9,11 Sylvester was born to James and Mary [Jones]
Crail in 1835 in Hamilton Co., Ohio. Sylvester had, at least, two younger
brothers John and Aaron. The family arrived in Indiana about 1847. Sylvester
and John were living in Hamilton County in 1860 and Aaron in Marion County. All
three brothers were to serve the Union during the Civil War. Sylvester was
mustered in as a private with Company B of the 79th Indiana Infantry on 9
August 1862 and transferred to the 94th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the
Veterans Reserve Corps on 14 January 1864. The VRC [part of the US War
Department] was made up of soldiers too badly injured for field duty who were
used for clerical work and light manual labor. Sylvester was mustered out 30
June 1865 at Indianapolis as a sergeant.
The Civil War was not kind to the Crail family. Sylvester, John, and Aaron were all struck with illnesses during battle that would eventually leave them nearly incapacitated in their later years, take their lives, or both.
In the company descriptive book Sylvester was listed as aged 27, 5'9' tall, with dark hair, eyes, and complexion, born in Hamilton, Ohio, and listed as a farmer. Sylvester Crail's regiment saw action at the Battle of Stone River, Tennessee in December 1862. During that engagement, Sylvester came down with a severe cold that settled in his back. On the 31st of December he was struck in the breast by a horse [presumably a Confederate cavalry mount], became separated from his company, and was captured by the enemy. Sylvester was a prisoner of war until late July or August of 1863, when he was paroled. He was listed as "sick in hospital at Louisville, Kentucky" in August. He was hospitalized in Chattanooga, Tennessee in September. From October 1863 until January 1864 Pvt. Crail was treated in Indianapolis. On 14 January 1864, Sylvester was transferred to the Veterans Reserve Corps. He served out his enlistment with the 94th Company, 2nd Battalion, of the VRC. According to an affidavit dated 30 March 1885 by O.C. Greene, who also served in Co. B, 79th Indiana Volunteers, Sylvester notified the company by letter that he had been captured, paroled, and had returned home for medical treatment.
After the war, Sylvester returned to farming briefly, but then became an expressman [probably a hack driver - 1880s version of taxi cabs] in Indianapolis until at least the early 1880s. The cold that had settled in his back in 1862, had resulted in back and kidney ailments that gradually rendered Sylvester unable to perform manual labor. His application for an Invalid Pension was filed on 25 April 1882 and granted on 25 September [Certificate #308202]. Sylvester received $4 per month until 5 December 1888, when the pension was raised to $8. Various friends, fellow soldiers, and his brother John were among those who supplied affidavits to the pension office. He had been described as a stout and healthy man before entering the service and suffering from back and kidney ailments after returning home.
Over the next 17 years, Sylvester's health continued to worsen. In addition to the back and kidney problems, he suffered from disease of the lungs and eyes, chronic gripe, enlargement of the liver, rheumatism of the hips and lumbar region of the back.
In 1897, he applied for admission to the Indiana State Soldiers' Home in Tippecanoe County for himself and his wife. Sylvester cited "disease of back and general disability" as his reason for applying and his sole means of support as his $8 per month pension. At the time of his application, Sylvester Crail was living near Carmel, Hamilton Co., Indiana. Sylvester Crail died at the Soldiers' Home three days short of his 63rd birthday on 17 January 1898. He was buried in the cemetery on the grounds.
On his ISSH application, Sylvester stated that he was married twice, in 1857 and 1886. According to the Indiana Marriage Records 1845 - 1920 & 1800 - 1941, Sylvester Crail was married three times. First to Amanda Cutsinger in Shelby Co., Indiana in 1854; second to Mary A. Wese or Lewis in 1856 in Johnson Co., Indiana; and third to Emma Miller in Marion Co., Indiana in 1888. His brother stated, in his 28 January 1898 affidavit, that Sylvester's first wife, Mary Wease, died about 29 May 1887 near Nora, Marion Co., Indiana. He further stated that Sylvester married his second wife, Emma Miller on 15 March 1888. No mention was made of Amanda Cutsinger.
The Marion Co., Indiana marriage records show Sylvester or S.B. Crail as the father of John Crail [in 1896 and 1907] with Lewis and Mary Lewis listed as the mother.
Sylvester Crail died at the Indiana State Soldiers' Home on Sunday, 16 January 1898. According to his obituary, Sylvester was popular with his fellow residents. He was buried in the ISSH Cemetery the following Tuesday.
Sylvester stated that he had three children; Ann E. Lyon [30] and Sarah [25] of California, and John S. Crail [23] of Carmel, Indiana. Census records show that he had four children by Mary: Ann, Mary, Sarah, and John. It would be assumed that daughter Mary died before 1887. There is also a William H. listed in the household as age 9 born Ohio in the 1860 census.
William brought some confusion to the identity of members of the Crail family. He was the son of Mary A. Lewis and her first husband Solomon Wease. William used his step-father's surname for part of his life and then reverted to using Wease. Therefore William H. Crail and William H. Wease were one and the same.
William H. Wease [aged 50] submitted an affidavit for John Crail's pension dated 13 January 1902. In that document Wease stated that he had known John for 45 years. This would have coincided with Sylvester's marriage to Mary Wease.
Emma [Miller] Crail continued to reside at the Indiana State Soldier's Home in Lafayette after Sylvester's death. Emma had applied for a widow's pension after her husband's passing. Said pension was issued on 10 August 1898 [Certificate #467572] at $8 per month. Affidavits filed by Daniel Y. Miller [Emma's brother] and John Crail supported Emma's claim that she had no real or personal estate and relied on the pension money for her support the time of Emma's death, her monthly pension allotments had been raised to $40.
On 1 July 1927, Celia D. Nevins of Indianapolis was appointed guardian for Emma Crail, who had been declared a "person of unsound mind." [Celia Nevins was John Crail's granddaughter.] Emma died on 14 February 1936 at the ISSH in Lafayette, Indiana.
The Civil War was not kind to the Crail family. Sylvester, John, and Aaron were all struck with illnesses during battle that would eventually leave them nearly incapacitated in their later years, take their lives, or both.
In the company descriptive book Sylvester was listed as aged 27, 5'9' tall, with dark hair, eyes, and complexion, born in Hamilton, Ohio, and listed as a farmer. Sylvester Crail's regiment saw action at the Battle of Stone River, Tennessee in December 1862. During that engagement, Sylvester came down with a severe cold that settled in his back. On the 31st of December he was struck in the breast by a horse [presumably a Confederate cavalry mount], became separated from his company, and was captured by the enemy. Sylvester was a prisoner of war until late July or August of 1863, when he was paroled. He was listed as "sick in hospital at Louisville, Kentucky" in August. He was hospitalized in Chattanooga, Tennessee in September. From October 1863 until January 1864 Pvt. Crail was treated in Indianapolis. On 14 January 1864, Sylvester was transferred to the Veterans Reserve Corps. He served out his enlistment with the 94th Company, 2nd Battalion, of the VRC. According to an affidavit dated 30 March 1885 by O.C. Greene, who also served in Co. B, 79th Indiana Volunteers, Sylvester notified the company by letter that he had been captured, paroled, and had returned home for medical treatment.
After the war, Sylvester returned to farming briefly, but then became an expressman [probably a hack driver - 1880s version of taxi cabs] in Indianapolis until at least the early 1880s. The cold that had settled in his back in 1862, had resulted in back and kidney ailments that gradually rendered Sylvester unable to perform manual labor. His application for an Invalid Pension was filed on 25 April 1882 and granted on 25 September [Certificate #308202]. Sylvester received $4 per month until 5 December 1888, when the pension was raised to $8. Various friends, fellow soldiers, and his brother John were among those who supplied affidavits to the pension office. He had been described as a stout and healthy man before entering the service and suffering from back and kidney ailments after returning home.
Over the next 17 years, Sylvester's health continued to worsen. In addition to the back and kidney problems, he suffered from disease of the lungs and eyes, chronic gripe, enlargement of the liver, rheumatism of the hips and lumbar region of the back.
In 1897, he applied for admission to the Indiana State Soldiers' Home in Tippecanoe County for himself and his wife. Sylvester cited "disease of back and general disability" as his reason for applying and his sole means of support as his $8 per month pension. At the time of his application, Sylvester Crail was living near Carmel, Hamilton Co., Indiana. Sylvester Crail died at the Soldiers' Home three days short of his 63rd birthday on 17 January 1898. He was buried in the cemetery on the grounds.
On his ISSH application, Sylvester stated that he was married twice, in 1857 and 1886. According to the Indiana Marriage Records 1845 - 1920 & 1800 - 1941, Sylvester Crail was married three times. First to Amanda Cutsinger in Shelby Co., Indiana in 1854; second to Mary A. Wese or Lewis in 1856 in Johnson Co., Indiana; and third to Emma Miller in Marion Co., Indiana in 1888. His brother stated, in his 28 January 1898 affidavit, that Sylvester's first wife, Mary Wease, died about 29 May 1887 near Nora, Marion Co., Indiana. He further stated that Sylvester married his second wife, Emma Miller on 15 March 1888. No mention was made of Amanda Cutsinger.
The Marion Co., Indiana marriage records show Sylvester or S.B. Crail as the father of John Crail [in 1896 and 1907] with Lewis and Mary Lewis listed as the mother.
Sylvester Crail died at the Indiana State Soldiers' Home on Sunday, 16 January 1898. According to his obituary, Sylvester was popular with his fellow residents. He was buried in the ISSH Cemetery the following Tuesday.
Sylvester stated that he had three children; Ann E. Lyon [30] and Sarah [25] of California, and John S. Crail [23] of Carmel, Indiana. Census records show that he had four children by Mary: Ann, Mary, Sarah, and John. It would be assumed that daughter Mary died before 1887. There is also a William H. listed in the household as age 9 born Ohio in the 1860 census.
William brought some confusion to the identity of members of the Crail family. He was the son of Mary A. Lewis and her first husband Solomon Wease. William used his step-father's surname for part of his life and then reverted to using Wease. Therefore William H. Crail and William H. Wease were one and the same.
William H. Wease [aged 50] submitted an affidavit for John Crail's pension dated 13 January 1902. In that document Wease stated that he had known John for 45 years. This would have coincided with Sylvester's marriage to Mary Wease.
Emma [Miller] Crail continued to reside at the Indiana State Soldier's Home in Lafayette after Sylvester's death. Emma had applied for a widow's pension after her husband's passing. Said pension was issued on 10 August 1898 [Certificate #467572] at $8 per month. Affidavits filed by Daniel Y. Miller [Emma's brother] and John Crail supported Emma's claim that she had no real or personal estate and relied on the pension money for her support the time of Emma's death, her monthly pension allotments had been raised to $40.
On 1 July 1927, Celia D. Nevins of Indianapolis was appointed guardian for Emma Crail, who had been declared a "person of unsound mind." [Celia Nevins was John Crail's granddaughter.] Emma died on 14 February 1936 at the ISSH in Lafayette, Indiana.
Sylvester B. Crail and Amanda
Custinger were married on 9 Mar 1854 in Shelby Co., Indiana.22–23 Amanda
Custinger17,22
died before May 1856 in Indiana.22
She was also known as Amanda Crail.22
Neither Sylvester nor John Crail mention Sylvester's first recorded marriage to
Amanda in Sylvester's pension application or Emma Crail's widow's pension file.
Whether Amanda died shortly after the marriage or it ended with a sudden
annulment or divorce is not yet known.
Sylvester B. Crail and Mary A.
Lewis were married on 13 May 1856 in Johnson Co., Indiana.24 Mary
A. Lewis9,25,
daughter of Simeon Lewis and E. Babcock, was born about 1830 in Ohio.9 She died on 29 May
1887 at the age of 57 in Clay Twp., Hamilton Co., Indiana.17,26
She was also known as Mary A. Crail. Mary was also known as Mary A. Wease.27
Sylvester B. Crail and Mary A. Lewis had the following
children:
ii. Mary
T. Crail12 was born about
1859 in Marion Co., Indiana.9 She died before
1897 at the age of 38.12 Mary was listed
in the 1860 and 1870 censuses. Her father named three children in his Soldiers'
Home application, Ann, Sarah and John. Therefore, Mary died sometime before
1898.
6 iii. Sarah J. Crail, born abt 1861, Marion
Co., Indiana; married
John Goodwiller, 13 Nov 1879, Marion Co., Indiana.
7 iv. John Crail, born 25 Aug 1867, Marion
Co., Indiana;
married Minnie Wason \ Wasson, 23 Jan 1907, Marion Co., Indiana; died
26 Dec 1925, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.
Sylvester B. Crail and Emma Miller
were married on 15 Mar 1888 in Marion Co., Indiana.10 Emma
Miller10 was born on 8 Dec 1844 in
Pennsylvania.17,28
She died on 14 Feb 1936 at the age of 91 in Indiana State Soldiers' Home,
Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., Indiana.17
She was also known as Emma Crail.10
3. John
V. Crail1,16–18,29–35 (James-1) was born on 30 May 1837 in
Hamilton Co., Ohio.1,18
He died on 23 Nov 1907 at the age of 70 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.1
He was buried on 26 Nov 1907 in Crown Hill Cemetery [National Cemetery Section], Indianapolis,
Marion Co., Indiana.1,31
John was the son of James Crail and Mary Jones, born in Hamilton Co., Ohio in
1837. John served with Company I of the 124th Indiana Infantry along with his
brother Aaron. They enlisted on 21 February 1864 at Indianapolis and mustered
in on 17 March. During the Kenesaw Mountain - Atlanta Campaign Aaron fell ill
and was mustered out early after several months in military hospitals. John completed
his enlistment and was mustered out at Greensboro, North Carolina on 31 August
1865. The company descriptive book showed John as aged 27, 6'0" tall, with
light hair, hazel eyes, and light complexion, born in Hamilton, Ohio and a
farmer.
In between enlistment and the return home, John Crail met with illness that would impact the rest of his life. According to George Spees, who was a 2nd Lieutenant in John's company, during April of 1864 at Decatur, Georgia, Private Crail contracted a severe cold that affected his lungs and throat .John also suffered rheumatism. John also suffered from chronic diarrhea and piles [enlarged and engorged blood vessels around the lower back passage]. Spees described him as a man "of good habits, truthful and honest and was a good and faithful soldier. John spent most of October through December in Atlanta General Hospital. Crail was fit for duty by 1 March 1865 and returned to his regiment for the duration of the war.
John returned home to wife Melissa and two children and a life as a farmer. He purchased a tract of land from Samuel Shank for $300 on 16 October 1865 [The west half of the northwest quarter of Section 10, township 15, north of range 4 east, which lies north of the Central Railroad, containing 3½ acres]. (Marion Co. Deeds, Book NN 1865-66, p. 364, film IND 1-049A26, ISL) John and Melissa sold that piece of land to William Johnson on 10 April 1866 for $500. (MCD: Book PP, p. 48, IND 1-049A27, ISL) During the mid-1870s, the family moved within the Indianapolis city limits and John worked as a carpenter.[1876/7 Swartz and Tedrowe City Directory, p. 132, FHL #1376926]
John Crail's health continued to declined after the war. He applied for an invalid pension on 20 May 1888. Various medical and personal affidavits testify to his inability to continue his carpentry work. Among those who submitted affidavits was his brother-in-law, Isaac T. Richardson. The chronic diarrhea was compounded with bouts of constipation. He still suffered from piles, rheumatism [especially in his left limbs], and heart and lung trouble. By 1904, John had lost the sight in his left eye and all of his teeth. About three weeks before his death, paralysis set in on his tongue, limbs, and bowels. John died in November of 1907. He had been receiving $24 a month from his pension since 1904.
John had been the caretaker of the family. His widowed mother lived with the family the majority of the time from at least 1875 until her death in 1887. His sister-in-law, Catherine [Aaron's widow] during the 1890s and early 1900s. [Although Catherine may have moved in to help Melissa care for John.] John was buried in the Veterans' National Cemetery section of Crown Hill.
Funeral Notice: Crail: John V. Crail, the husband of Melissa J. Crail, died November 23, 1907 at 5 P.M. at his residence, 2816 Adams St. Age 70 years, five months, twenty-three days. Funeral Tuesday, November 26, at United Brethren Church, corner St. Clair and Park ave., at 3 P.M. Friends invited. Burial at Crown Hill.
Melissa Crail applied for a widow's pension after John's death. She was paid $12 per month as of 2 May 1908.She had no income, other than John's pension money. Melissa was receiving $30 per month at the time of her death in 1925.
John's granddaughter, Celia Nevins was appointed guardian of Emma Crail [Sylvester's widow] in 1927.
In between enlistment and the return home, John Crail met with illness that would impact the rest of his life. According to George Spees, who was a 2nd Lieutenant in John's company, during April of 1864 at Decatur, Georgia, Private Crail contracted a severe cold that affected his lungs and throat .John also suffered rheumatism. John also suffered from chronic diarrhea and piles [enlarged and engorged blood vessels around the lower back passage]. Spees described him as a man "of good habits, truthful and honest and was a good and faithful soldier. John spent most of October through December in Atlanta General Hospital. Crail was fit for duty by 1 March 1865 and returned to his regiment for the duration of the war.
John returned home to wife Melissa and two children and a life as a farmer. He purchased a tract of land from Samuel Shank for $300 on 16 October 1865 [The west half of the northwest quarter of Section 10, township 15, north of range 4 east, which lies north of the Central Railroad, containing 3½ acres]. (Marion Co. Deeds, Book NN 1865-66, p. 364, film IND 1-049A26, ISL) John and Melissa sold that piece of land to William Johnson on 10 April 1866 for $500. (MCD: Book PP, p. 48, IND 1-049A27, ISL) During the mid-1870s, the family moved within the Indianapolis city limits and John worked as a carpenter.[1876/7 Swartz and Tedrowe City Directory, p. 132, FHL #1376926]
John Crail's health continued to declined after the war. He applied for an invalid pension on 20 May 1888. Various medical and personal affidavits testify to his inability to continue his carpentry work. Among those who submitted affidavits was his brother-in-law, Isaac T. Richardson. The chronic diarrhea was compounded with bouts of constipation. He still suffered from piles, rheumatism [especially in his left limbs], and heart and lung trouble. By 1904, John had lost the sight in his left eye and all of his teeth. About three weeks before his death, paralysis set in on his tongue, limbs, and bowels. John died in November of 1907. He had been receiving $24 a month from his pension since 1904.
John had been the caretaker of the family. His widowed mother lived with the family the majority of the time from at least 1875 until her death in 1887. His sister-in-law, Catherine [Aaron's widow] during the 1890s and early 1900s. [Although Catherine may have moved in to help Melissa care for John.] John was buried in the Veterans' National Cemetery section of Crown Hill.
Funeral Notice: Crail: John V. Crail, the husband of Melissa J. Crail, died November 23, 1907 at 5 P.M. at his residence, 2816 Adams St. Age 70 years, five months, twenty-three days. Funeral Tuesday, November 26, at United Brethren Church, corner St. Clair and Park ave., at 3 P.M. Friends invited. Burial at Crown Hill.
Melissa Crail applied for a widow's pension after John's death. She was paid $12 per month as of 2 May 1908.She had no income, other than John's pension money. Melissa was receiving $30 per month at the time of her death in 1925.
John's granddaughter, Celia Nevins was appointed guardian of Emma Crail [Sylvester's widow] in 1927.
John V. Crail and Melissa Jane
Richardson were married on 29 Aug 1859 in Marion Co., Indiana.36 Melissa Jane
Richardson9,37–39, daughter of James D. Richardson and
Mary Hart, was born on 25 Dec 1840 in Urbana, Champagne Co., Ohio.35,40
She died on 27 Jun 1925 at the age of 84 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.40
She was buried on 29 Jun 1925 in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co.,
Indiana.40 Melissa was also known as Melissa
Jane Crail.36 On the 1860 census for John and
Melissa Crail there are two boarders: Jeremiah Richardson [aged 53 or 63, born
England] and Isaac T. Richardson [aged 15, born Indiana]. Jeremiah would have
been born about 1806/7 or 1796/7. It was originally thought that he was
Melissa's father, but the 1850 census showed J.D. [James D.] as her father.
Isaac was proven to be Melissa's brother.
John V. Crail and Melissa Jane Richardson had the
following children:
8 i. Albert R. Crail, born 18 Nov 1861,
probably Hamilton Co., Indiana;
married Mary Jerrell, 19 Jun 1882, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana; died abt 13 Nov 1911, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.
9 ii. Mary E. Crail, born 15 Sep 1864,
Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana;
married John H. Gall, 22 Jul 1883, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.
iii. Theresa
Crail was born about 1866 in Indiana.29
She died before 4 Jun 1880 at the age of 14 in Indianapolis, Marion Co.,
Indiana.41
10 iv. Cora B. Crail, born 29 May 1870,
Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana;
married John C. Jackson, 24 Sep 1891, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana; died abt 26 Jun 1958, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.
v. Bertha Crail was born about 1872 in Indianapolis,
Marion Co., Indiana.42
She died on 22 Nov 1887 at the age of 15 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.43
She was buried on 24 Nov 1887 in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co.,
Indiana.44
4. Aaron S. Crail30,45–51 (James-1) was born on 16 Nov 1839 in Marion Co., Ohio.52 He died on 25 Mar 1868 at the
age of 28 in Delaware Twp., Hamilton Co., Indiana.53 He was buried after 25 Mar 1868
in Eller Cemetery, Delaware Twp., Hamilton Co., Indiana.53 Aaron, the son of James and Mary A. [Jones] Crail was
born in Marion, Ohio. He had, at least, two elder brothers, Sylvester and John.
By the mid-1850s the family was in Marion Co., Indiana, where Aaron met Irish
immigrant, Catherine O'Neil, who was teaching local farmers to read.
Aaron and Catharine applied for a marriage license on 8 June 1857 and were married before Catholic pastor Daniel Moloney the next day. The couple had six children, four sons and twin daughters. James and the twins, Martha and Catharine, were born in Centre Twp. David, John, and Thomas were born in Washington Twp., just north of the city. Aaron was listed as a 20 year-old farmer on the 1860 census for Centre Twp. [North] in Marion Co. Aaron then appeared on the 1862 Draft Enrollment List, aged 26 as a farmer. [His tombstone lists him as 29 in 1868, so the 26 is an incorrect age.]
As the Crail family grew, the country was torn apart by Civil War. All three brothers served the Union cause. Sylvester enlisted in the 79th Indiana Infantry. Aaron and John enlisted in the 124th Indiana Infantry.
Aaron's Service Muster Card [on file at the Indiana State Archives] reads as follows:
Entered: March 9, 1864 3 year enrollment Mustered In: March 17, 1864 at Indianapolis, Indiana
Discharged: June 6, 1865 at Camp Dennison, Ohio
Age: 24
Private, Company I, 124th Regiment [Indianapolis]
That service would take him to the engagement at Kenesaw Mountain. In a sworn statement provided for Catharine [O'Neil] Crail's widow's pension application, 2nd Lieutenant George Spees, Company I, related that "on or about the 23rd day of June ~ 1864, while the Regiment was daily engaged with the enemy, before Kenesaw Mountain, from constant exposure, and hard duty, it having rained nearly the entire during the engagements before Kenesaw, the said Aaron Crail was taken sick, with Chronic Diarrhea, and with a kind of Rheumatic swelling of the cords of his lower limbs, That he was sent from the Company to the field Hospital for the treatment of the disability thus incurred. He remained absent in Hospital until on or about the 15th day of September 1864, when he rejoined the Company at or near Decatur Ga, and remained about 4 or 5 days, and then being found unable for duty, was sent to Hospital again..."
"That said Aaron Crail, was a stout able bodied man, when he entered the service, and done duty with the Company and Regiment until taken sick as above stated before Kenesaw Mountain."
In a second affidavit from the pension file, Aaron's physician, Dr. A. G. Ruddle swore before James H. Turner, notary public, that he had been acquainted with Aaron for ten years and that prior to the war, Aaron Crail "was a stout able bodied man with no appearance of disease, that he was called to see the said Aaron Crail a few days after his discharge. I found him laboring under Rheumatic and Neuralgiac affection throughout the system resulting, as he.... believes, from exposure while in the service of the United States, that the disability continued for some short time until the lungs finally became affected, and resulted in confirmed phthisis [consumption], of which disease he died on the 25th day of Mar, 1868...."
The "Declaration for Arrears of Pensions" form filed by Catharine Crail states that an invalid pension application was made by Aaron through William Hamraman, but Hamraman did not forward it to Washington because they expected Aaron to die any day.
On 24 June 1865, Aaron purchased an acre of land from John Osborne for $100. [NW¼ of the NE¼ of Section 11, Twp. 17 North of Range 4E, 16 rods x 10 rods.] Considering Aaron's declining health, and [at the time] five minor children, an acre may have been all the family could manage. [Hamilton Co. Deeds, Book 4, p. 345]
At the time of Aaron's death the family was still living near Castleton in Hamilton County. Aaron was buried in the Eller Cemetery, a small graveyard nestled in a wooded area just off present-day Allisonville Road north of Castleton, in Hamilton County. Aaron left a wife and six minor children, ages 19 months to 10 years.
Aaron's military service record [NARA # 337] is an accounting of a soldier spending a great deal of his service in military hospitals. He was apparently admitted to the hospital in August of 1864 and remained there until he was mustered out at the end of the war. The following information was provided in the service record for Pvt. Aaron Crail, Company I, 124th Indiana Infantry Regiment [age 24]:
[1] Company Descriptive Book: Age: 24; Height: 5'10"; dark complexion; hazel eyes; dark hair; born: Marion, Ohio; occupation: farmer.
[2] Detachment Muster-in Roll: 17 March 1864 at Indianapolis, Indiana; bounty paid: $60.
[3] Company Muster Roll: Joined for duty 9 March 1864 at Indianapolis for 3 years; mustered in 17 March 1864; enrollment to 29 April 1864.
[4] Company Muster Roll: May and June 1864 - present.
[5] Company Muster Roll: July and August 1864 - absent - sick since August 19, 1864.
[6] Company Muster Roll: September - October 1864: absent - left sick in field hospital near Atlanta, Georgia.
[7] Company Muster Roll: November and December 1864: absent - left sick in field hospital near Atlanta, Georgia - Aug. 18, 1864.
[8] Company Muster Roll: January and February 1865: absent - in hospital at Camp Dennison, Ohio.
[9] Company Muster Roll: March and April 1865: absent - in hospital at Camp Dennison, Ohio.
[10] Company Muster Roll: May and June 1865: discharged June 6, 1865 at Camp Dennison, Ohio by order of the War Department.
[11] Company Muster-out Roll: Greensboro, North Carolina, August 31, 1865; last paid to June 30, 1864; clothing account - unsettled; amount for clothing in kind or money advanced: $50.95. Discharged at Camp Dennison, Ohio, June 6, 1865 in compliance with telegram from AGO May 3, 1865.
[12] Hospital Muster Roll: [Dennison USA General Hospital, 6th Division, Camp Dennison, Ohio] November and December 1864 - attached to hospital November 26, 1864 - sick, present.
[13] Hospital Muster Roll: January and February 1865: sick, present.
[14] Hospital Muster Roll: March and April 1865: sick, present.
[15] Appears on returns as follows: Aug. 1864 - absent sick at Cleveland, TN - April 5, 1864; Sept. 1864 - absent in field hospital, Atlanta, GA, Aug. 18, 1864; Oct. to Dec. 1864 - absent sick in hospital; Jan. 1865 - absent on Safe Guard, Columbia, Tennessee; Feb. and Mar. 1865 - absent, sick at hospital; April 1865 - absent, hospital at Camp Dennison, Ohio; May 1865 - absent Louisville, Kentucky; June 1865 - June 6, 1865 - Cincinnati, mustered out in accordance with telegram dated War Dept., May 2, 1865.
[16] Detachment Muster-out Roll: Camp Dennison, Ohio - June 6, 1865; last paid to June 30, 1864; clothing account: drawn $78.43; bounty paid $60, due: $240; Remarks: mustered out by order by telegram AGO May 3, 1865.
After Aaron's death, Catherine and the children remained in Delaware Twp., Hamilton Co.; where they were listed in the 1870 census. By 1886, she had moved the family to Peru, Miami Co. [Property valued at $ 150.] She was listed as "keeping house" so she and the children must have been living on Aaron's service pension.
___________________________________________________________________
"Hamilton County and the Civil War" by Joe H. Burgess, 1967 [p. 113-116]:
One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Regiment [summary of above pages]:
The 124th Regiment was formed by the consolidation of three companies raised for the 125th in the 6th Congressional District and seven companies recruited from the 5th Congressional District. The regiment rendezvoused at Richmond and was mustered into service 10 March 1864 with James Burgess as colonel. The 124th left Indianapolis by rail 19 March [Aaron was mustered in on the 17th] and arrived in Louisville, Kentucky that same day. The regiment arrived in Nashville, Tennessee on the 24th, and was assigned to the division of General Hovey consisting of six Indiana regiments [23rd Corps]. On the 5th of April, the 124th left Nashville and marched to Athens, Tennessee. The left wing was detached and sent to Columbus, Tennessee.
In early May the 23rd Corps moved out and arrived at Buzzard's Roost on 8 May, where it engaged General Schofield's Confederate troops. [1 killed and 2 wounded] On the 18th the regiment marched to Calhoun, the following day they moved to the right of Kingston, Tennessee, where a skirmish ensued along the railroad. The 23rd Corps engaged in another skirmish on the 21st. Following two days of action, the regiment moved on to Cassville and bivouacked on the 24th.On the 25th they marched to Cartersville.
The 124th was involved in skirmishing activity near Lost Mountain on the 1st of June. On the 4th they took the enemy position, which had already been evacuated. The troops then took position to the right of Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia. There was a near continuous rain that stalled troop movement. [It may have been here that Aaron contracted his "lung disease."] On the 23rd the regiment advanced on Kenesaw Mountain and skirmished with sharpshooters.
The picket fire and skirmishing lasted until 3 July, when General Johnston, fearful of being cut off from Atlanta, fell back to Smyrnna Church. The regiment moved out on the 4th and marched to the Chattahoochie River, where they crossed 15 miles above the Atlanta railroad bridge on the 8th and then built defense works. Col. Burgess resigned on the 9th and Lt. Col. John M. Orr was promoted to colonelcy.
On the 15th, they took the road to the right of Decatur after driving the enemy through the town and then capturing it. Skirmishing continued until the 21st, when the 124th reached a position overlooking the hills and steeples of Atlanta. On the 22nd, General Dodge's 16th Corps was moving to the left flank of the enemy when he was engaged by troops of Hood's army under Hardee's command. Dodge's troops held the line until the 124th moved in to help repulse the Rebels. On the 30th of August the regiment advanced "in a new and bold movement developed resulting in obtaining possession of the communications of Atlanta and forcing its evacuation."
The regiment crossed the Macon railroad near Rough and Ready aiding in destroying the railroad for several miles. They fortified and skirmished at the left of Jonesboro and withdrew to Decatur on the 8th of September. They rested there for several weeks.
Hood struck the Union line of communication on 1 October. By the 4th the regiment was in pursuit. On the 12th they crossed the Oostanaula River at Rome and skirmished with the Rebels. They pursued Hood's troops to Gaylesville, Alabama. The regiment marched to Cedar Bluffs on the 23rd, to Dalton on the 28th, and then to Nashville by rail.
The 23rd Corps was placed under the command of General Thomas on 9 November. On the 10th the troops moved by rail to Thompson's Station, marched to Pulaski by the 15th, to Lynnville on the 21st, and to Columbia on the 23rd. After two days of skirmishing with the enemy, they crossed the north bank of the Duck River and took position at Rutherford's Creek on the 26th. At Spring Hill the enemy was encountered and Company C was captured as the regiment forced its way through the Confederate line. On the morning of the 30th, the 124th reached Franklin and took position in the line of battle on the southern edge of the town.
They fell back to Nashville, where they took position to the right of Fort Negley, erecting defenses. The 124th remained there until the 15th of December, when Thomas advanced on Hood. After two days of bloody fighting Hood was defeated and the pursuit began. The regiment marched down the Granny White Pike and reached Franklin on the 18th. On the 19th they crossed the Harpeth River, marched to Spring Hill, crossed the Duck River, and arrived at Columbia. The pursuit was discontinued after the Rebels crossed the Tennessee River at Bainbridge.
3 January 1865: The regiment left Columbia for Clifton, where they were loaded on transports bound for Cincinnati, and went by rail to Washington D.C., arriving on the 30th. There they boarded transports bound for Morehead City, North Carolina. They landed on 27 February and reached Newbern the next night.
On 6 March, the regiment marched with Schofield's column to Wise's Forks. There was heavy skirmishing on the first day. They repulsed a heavy Confederate assault on the 9th. From the 15th to the 21st, the regiment marched to Kinston and Goldsboro, where they crossed paths again with Sherman's Army. Sherman's troops had just completed their "march to the sea."
The 124th was stationed for a time at Lenois Institute. On the 3rd of May they marched to Greensboro and arrived on the 7th. They went on to Charlotte to set up camp. The 124th was sent back to Greensboro on 13 July, where they were mustered out on 31 August. [Aaron Crail had already been mustered out at Camp Dennison, Ohio on 6 June.]
The 124th arrived back in Indianapolis on the 10th of September. A reception was held for the 532 men and 33 officers in the State House Grove. They received their final pay and were discharged from service five months after the war ended.
___________________________________________________________________
Aaron and Catharine applied for a marriage license on 8 June 1857 and were married before Catholic pastor Daniel Moloney the next day. The couple had six children, four sons and twin daughters. James and the twins, Martha and Catharine, were born in Centre Twp. David, John, and Thomas were born in Washington Twp., just north of the city. Aaron was listed as a 20 year-old farmer on the 1860 census for Centre Twp. [North] in Marion Co. Aaron then appeared on the 1862 Draft Enrollment List, aged 26 as a farmer. [His tombstone lists him as 29 in 1868, so the 26 is an incorrect age.]
As the Crail family grew, the country was torn apart by Civil War. All three brothers served the Union cause. Sylvester enlisted in the 79th Indiana Infantry. Aaron and John enlisted in the 124th Indiana Infantry.
Aaron's Service Muster Card [on file at the Indiana State Archives] reads as follows:
Entered: March 9, 1864 3 year enrollment Mustered In: March 17, 1864 at Indianapolis, Indiana
Discharged: June 6, 1865 at Camp Dennison, Ohio
Age: 24
Private, Company I, 124th Regiment [Indianapolis]
That service would take him to the engagement at Kenesaw Mountain. In a sworn statement provided for Catharine [O'Neil] Crail's widow's pension application, 2nd Lieutenant George Spees, Company I, related that "on or about the 23rd day of June ~ 1864, while the Regiment was daily engaged with the enemy, before Kenesaw Mountain, from constant exposure, and hard duty, it having rained nearly the entire during the engagements before Kenesaw, the said Aaron Crail was taken sick, with Chronic Diarrhea, and with a kind of Rheumatic swelling of the cords of his lower limbs, That he was sent from the Company to the field Hospital for the treatment of the disability thus incurred. He remained absent in Hospital until on or about the 15th day of September 1864, when he rejoined the Company at or near Decatur Ga, and remained about 4 or 5 days, and then being found unable for duty, was sent to Hospital again..."
"That said Aaron Crail, was a stout able bodied man, when he entered the service, and done duty with the Company and Regiment until taken sick as above stated before Kenesaw Mountain."
In a second affidavit from the pension file, Aaron's physician, Dr. A. G. Ruddle swore before James H. Turner, notary public, that he had been acquainted with Aaron for ten years and that prior to the war, Aaron Crail "was a stout able bodied man with no appearance of disease, that he was called to see the said Aaron Crail a few days after his discharge. I found him laboring under Rheumatic and Neuralgiac affection throughout the system resulting, as he.... believes, from exposure while in the service of the United States, that the disability continued for some short time until the lungs finally became affected, and resulted in confirmed phthisis [consumption], of which disease he died on the 25th day of Mar, 1868...."
The "Declaration for Arrears of Pensions" form filed by Catharine Crail states that an invalid pension application was made by Aaron through William Hamraman, but Hamraman did not forward it to Washington because they expected Aaron to die any day.
On 24 June 1865, Aaron purchased an acre of land from John Osborne for $100. [NW¼ of the NE¼ of Section 11, Twp. 17 North of Range 4E, 16 rods x 10 rods.] Considering Aaron's declining health, and [at the time] five minor children, an acre may have been all the family could manage. [Hamilton Co. Deeds, Book 4, p. 345]
At the time of Aaron's death the family was still living near Castleton in Hamilton County. Aaron was buried in the Eller Cemetery, a small graveyard nestled in a wooded area just off present-day Allisonville Road north of Castleton, in Hamilton County. Aaron left a wife and six minor children, ages 19 months to 10 years.
Aaron's military service record [NARA # 337] is an accounting of a soldier spending a great deal of his service in military hospitals. He was apparently admitted to the hospital in August of 1864 and remained there until he was mustered out at the end of the war. The following information was provided in the service record for Pvt. Aaron Crail, Company I, 124th Indiana Infantry Regiment [age 24]:
[1] Company Descriptive Book: Age: 24; Height: 5'10"; dark complexion; hazel eyes; dark hair; born: Marion, Ohio; occupation: farmer.
[2] Detachment Muster-in Roll: 17 March 1864 at Indianapolis, Indiana; bounty paid: $60.
[3] Company Muster Roll: Joined for duty 9 March 1864 at Indianapolis for 3 years; mustered in 17 March 1864; enrollment to 29 April 1864.
[4] Company Muster Roll: May and June 1864 - present.
[5] Company Muster Roll: July and August 1864 - absent - sick since August 19, 1864.
[6] Company Muster Roll: September - October 1864: absent - left sick in field hospital near Atlanta, Georgia.
[7] Company Muster Roll: November and December 1864: absent - left sick in field hospital near Atlanta, Georgia - Aug. 18, 1864.
[8] Company Muster Roll: January and February 1865: absent - in hospital at Camp Dennison, Ohio.
[9] Company Muster Roll: March and April 1865: absent - in hospital at Camp Dennison, Ohio.
[10] Company Muster Roll: May and June 1865: discharged June 6, 1865 at Camp Dennison, Ohio by order of the War Department.
[11] Company Muster-out Roll: Greensboro, North Carolina, August 31, 1865; last paid to June 30, 1864; clothing account - unsettled; amount for clothing in kind or money advanced: $50.95. Discharged at Camp Dennison, Ohio, June 6, 1865 in compliance with telegram from AGO May 3, 1865.
[12] Hospital Muster Roll: [Dennison USA General Hospital, 6th Division, Camp Dennison, Ohio] November and December 1864 - attached to hospital November 26, 1864 - sick, present.
[13] Hospital Muster Roll: January and February 1865: sick, present.
[14] Hospital Muster Roll: March and April 1865: sick, present.
[15] Appears on returns as follows: Aug. 1864 - absent sick at Cleveland, TN - April 5, 1864; Sept. 1864 - absent in field hospital, Atlanta, GA, Aug. 18, 1864; Oct. to Dec. 1864 - absent sick in hospital; Jan. 1865 - absent on Safe Guard, Columbia, Tennessee; Feb. and Mar. 1865 - absent, sick at hospital; April 1865 - absent, hospital at Camp Dennison, Ohio; May 1865 - absent Louisville, Kentucky; June 1865 - June 6, 1865 - Cincinnati, mustered out in accordance with telegram dated War Dept., May 2, 1865.
[16] Detachment Muster-out Roll: Camp Dennison, Ohio - June 6, 1865; last paid to June 30, 1864; clothing account: drawn $78.43; bounty paid $60, due: $240; Remarks: mustered out by order by telegram AGO May 3, 1865.
After Aaron's death, Catherine and the children remained in Delaware Twp., Hamilton Co.; where they were listed in the 1870 census. By 1886, she had moved the family to Peru, Miami Co. [Property valued at $ 150.] She was listed as "keeping house" so she and the children must have been living on Aaron's service pension.
___________________________________________________________________
"Hamilton County and the Civil War" by Joe H. Burgess, 1967 [p. 113-116]:
One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Regiment [summary of above pages]:
The 124th Regiment was formed by the consolidation of three companies raised for the 125th in the 6th Congressional District and seven companies recruited from the 5th Congressional District. The regiment rendezvoused at Richmond and was mustered into service 10 March 1864 with James Burgess as colonel. The 124th left Indianapolis by rail 19 March [Aaron was mustered in on the 17th] and arrived in Louisville, Kentucky that same day. The regiment arrived in Nashville, Tennessee on the 24th, and was assigned to the division of General Hovey consisting of six Indiana regiments [23rd Corps]. On the 5th of April, the 124th left Nashville and marched to Athens, Tennessee. The left wing was detached and sent to Columbus, Tennessee.
In early May the 23rd Corps moved out and arrived at Buzzard's Roost on 8 May, where it engaged General Schofield's Confederate troops. [1 killed and 2 wounded] On the 18th the regiment marched to Calhoun, the following day they moved to the right of Kingston, Tennessee, where a skirmish ensued along the railroad. The 23rd Corps engaged in another skirmish on the 21st. Following two days of action, the regiment moved on to Cassville and bivouacked on the 24th.On the 25th they marched to Cartersville.
The 124th was involved in skirmishing activity near Lost Mountain on the 1st of June. On the 4th they took the enemy position, which had already been evacuated. The troops then took position to the right of Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia. There was a near continuous rain that stalled troop movement. [It may have been here that Aaron contracted his "lung disease."] On the 23rd the regiment advanced on Kenesaw Mountain and skirmished with sharpshooters.
The picket fire and skirmishing lasted until 3 July, when General Johnston, fearful of being cut off from Atlanta, fell back to Smyrnna Church. The regiment moved out on the 4th and marched to the Chattahoochie River, where they crossed 15 miles above the Atlanta railroad bridge on the 8th and then built defense works. Col. Burgess resigned on the 9th and Lt. Col. John M. Orr was promoted to colonelcy.
On the 15th, they took the road to the right of Decatur after driving the enemy through the town and then capturing it. Skirmishing continued until the 21st, when the 124th reached a position overlooking the hills and steeples of Atlanta. On the 22nd, General Dodge's 16th Corps was moving to the left flank of the enemy when he was engaged by troops of Hood's army under Hardee's command. Dodge's troops held the line until the 124th moved in to help repulse the Rebels. On the 30th of August the regiment advanced "in a new and bold movement developed resulting in obtaining possession of the communications of Atlanta and forcing its evacuation."
The regiment crossed the Macon railroad near Rough and Ready aiding in destroying the railroad for several miles. They fortified and skirmished at the left of Jonesboro and withdrew to Decatur on the 8th of September. They rested there for several weeks.
Hood struck the Union line of communication on 1 October. By the 4th the regiment was in pursuit. On the 12th they crossed the Oostanaula River at Rome and skirmished with the Rebels. They pursued Hood's troops to Gaylesville, Alabama. The regiment marched to Cedar Bluffs on the 23rd, to Dalton on the 28th, and then to Nashville by rail.
The 23rd Corps was placed under the command of General Thomas on 9 November. On the 10th the troops moved by rail to Thompson's Station, marched to Pulaski by the 15th, to Lynnville on the 21st, and to Columbia on the 23rd. After two days of skirmishing with the enemy, they crossed the north bank of the Duck River and took position at Rutherford's Creek on the 26th. At Spring Hill the enemy was encountered and Company C was captured as the regiment forced its way through the Confederate line. On the morning of the 30th, the 124th reached Franklin and took position in the line of battle on the southern edge of the town.
They fell back to Nashville, where they took position to the right of Fort Negley, erecting defenses. The 124th remained there until the 15th of December, when Thomas advanced on Hood. After two days of bloody fighting Hood was defeated and the pursuit began. The regiment marched down the Granny White Pike and reached Franklin on the 18th. On the 19th they crossed the Harpeth River, marched to Spring Hill, crossed the Duck River, and arrived at Columbia. The pursuit was discontinued after the Rebels crossed the Tennessee River at Bainbridge.
3 January 1865: The regiment left Columbia for Clifton, where they were loaded on transports bound for Cincinnati, and went by rail to Washington D.C., arriving on the 30th. There they boarded transports bound for Morehead City, North Carolina. They landed on 27 February and reached Newbern the next night.
On 6 March, the regiment marched with Schofield's column to Wise's Forks. There was heavy skirmishing on the first day. They repulsed a heavy Confederate assault on the 9th. From the 15th to the 21st, the regiment marched to Kinston and Goldsboro, where they crossed paths again with Sherman's Army. Sherman's troops had just completed their "march to the sea."
The 124th was stationed for a time at Lenois Institute. On the 3rd of May they marched to Greensboro and arrived on the 7th. They went on to Charlotte to set up camp. The 124th was sent back to Greensboro on 13 July, where they were mustered out on 31 August. [Aaron Crail had already been mustered out at Camp Dennison, Ohio on 6 June.]
The 124th arrived back in Indianapolis on the 10th of September. A reception was held for the 532 men and 33 officers in the State House Grove. They received their final pay and were discharged from service five months after the war ended.
___________________________________________________________________
Aaron S. Crail and Catherine
O'Neil obtained a marriage license on 8 Jun 1857 in Indianapolis, Marion Co.,
Indiana.49
They were married on 9 Jun 1857 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.49,54 Catherine O'Neil32,45,47–51,55–60, daughter of Peter O'Neil and Mary Ebbs, was born on 15
Dec 1834 in County Cork, Ireland.61–62 She died on 29 Jul 1934 at the
age of 99 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.55,62 She was buried on 31 Jul 1934 in
Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.63 Catherine was also known as Catherine Crail.49,54 This is one fascinating
lady! Catherine O'Neil was born in
County Cork, Ireland in 1833 or 1834 and came to America by herself in at age
18, on a sailing vessel. She spoke Gaelic, English, and French. Catherine
probably came over as an indentured servant. She was the daughter of Peter and
Mary [Ebbs] O'Neil.
During the Famine, probably the late 1840s, English soldiers were in Catherine's village scavenging for food and conscripting young men into the army. Peter O'Neil protested and was shot down by the soldiers. Catherine's two brothers were taken into service. Catherine's younger sister had died some years earlier, possibly from consumption. Her mother died shortly after the incident with the soldiers. Catherine was left with few options and almost no future in her native land. She went to England and then took a ship to America. The ship was held in harbor for a week before the passengers were allowed to disembark and several passengers died aboard ship.
Catherine began her time as an indentured servant and found her way to central Indiana, where she taught in a small one-room schoolhouse. One of her responsibilities was to teach local farmers to read. One of those young men was Ohio-born Aaron Crail, nearly five years her junior. The couple was married, probably at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, in Indianapolis in 1857 by Pastor Daniel Maloney.
Catharine and Aaron were living in Centre Twp. when eldest son James was born in 1858 and twin daughters, Martha and Catharine, were born on Washington's birthday in 1860. The family had moved north to Washington Twp. by 1862, when David was born. John was also born there in 1864. The couple's sixth child, Thomas, was born after Aaron returned home in 1866.
According to the Veteran's Enrollment Census of 1886: # 32, Peru, Miami Co., Indiana [microfilm roll #1605667, Indiana State Archives], Aaron contracted a lung disease resulting from exposure to the elements during his nearly 14 months of service. As a result, he died from that lung disease on 25 March 1868 leaving behind a wife and six children.
Catherine submitted her application for a widow's pension on 7 April 1868. She was granted certificate #114227 on 4 June 1868. Catherine received $8 per month and $2 per month for each of her children until they reached 16 years of age.
On 30 March 1869, Catherine appeared before William C. Smock, clerk of the circuit court for Marion County, to make a "Declaration for Arrears of Pensions" for the time of Aaron's discharge until his death. Her residence was listed as Becks Station, Hamilton Co. Catherine named B.F. Will as her attorney. Sylvester B. and Mary Ann Crail witnessed the document. The declaration was rejected 10 April 1869.
The amount of the pension increased to $20 per month in 1916, to $30 per month in 1920, and to $50 per month in 1926.
Catherine began a trek that took her to several stops in Indiana and one in Illinois. She and the children were living in Delaware Twp., Hamilton Co., Indiana in 1870. They had moved to Peru, Miami County by 1880. Catherine was still living there at the time of the 1886 Veterans' Census.
David was not named in the 1880 enumeration, so he may well have died during the preceeding decade. James and Martha had married by the time of the Veterans'Census.
Catherine was back in Indianapolis living with her brother-in-law, John's family in 1900. She was living in Shelbyville, Indiana in 1909. 1910 found Catherine in Chicago, Illinois with son James, his wife Mima, granddaughter Bess Catherine and her husband Charles J. McHugh.
The Crails and McHughs removed to Indianapolis shortly thereafter. Catherine spent the rest of her life residing with daughter Martha on Belmont Ave. Catherine died there in 1934, just short of her 100th birthday, outliving all of her children but Martha and Thomas.
Following her mother's death, Martha [Crail] Thomas wrote to the Veterans Administration to secure Catherine's accrued pension from 29 June 1934 to January 1935. She was granted $45.92 in accrued pension. As she and her husband were elderly, Martha had hoped that the VA would continue the pension payments, but the pension was terminated on the date of Catherine's death.
Catherine was described by two of her great-grandchildren as a tiny person, weighing about 80 lbs., who appeared to be short and chubby due to her traditional attire. She wore a black bombazine [silky cotton] dress with a high neck and lacy trim, a white lace apron and a white dust cap and a multitude of petticoats. Catherine was a beautiful woman, even in her later years, bearing a resemblance to actress Maureen O'Hara.
At Christmas, the great-grandchildren would go over to her house for their traditional gifts. She kept a box of chocolate-covered cherries [pretty well dried-up from age] for the occasion. Each child got a piece of the candy and a silver dollar. "Just one," they were reminded. This was a major event and gift for the wee Mc Hughs, Catherine's "childers."
Catherine received a pension of $30 [in silver dollars] per month from the government as a result of her husband's Civil War service. [According to pension records, the amount was eventually $50.]
Death came in July of 1934. Catherine was of "sound mind until the day she died." During the viewing, which was held outside due to the heat, members of the family fanned Catherine's body.
Catherine Crail's tombstone inscription at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis is a simple one "1834-1934, wife of Aaron Crail."
Following Catherine's death, daughter Martha moved to Spokane, Washington. She died there in 1941.
During the Famine, probably the late 1840s, English soldiers were in Catherine's village scavenging for food and conscripting young men into the army. Peter O'Neil protested and was shot down by the soldiers. Catherine's two brothers were taken into service. Catherine's younger sister had died some years earlier, possibly from consumption. Her mother died shortly after the incident with the soldiers. Catherine was left with few options and almost no future in her native land. She went to England and then took a ship to America. The ship was held in harbor for a week before the passengers were allowed to disembark and several passengers died aboard ship.
Catherine began her time as an indentured servant and found her way to central Indiana, where she taught in a small one-room schoolhouse. One of her responsibilities was to teach local farmers to read. One of those young men was Ohio-born Aaron Crail, nearly five years her junior. The couple was married, probably at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, in Indianapolis in 1857 by Pastor Daniel Maloney.
Catharine and Aaron were living in Centre Twp. when eldest son James was born in 1858 and twin daughters, Martha and Catharine, were born on Washington's birthday in 1860. The family had moved north to Washington Twp. by 1862, when David was born. John was also born there in 1864. The couple's sixth child, Thomas, was born after Aaron returned home in 1866.
According to the Veteran's Enrollment Census of 1886: # 32, Peru, Miami Co., Indiana [microfilm roll #1605667, Indiana State Archives], Aaron contracted a lung disease resulting from exposure to the elements during his nearly 14 months of service. As a result, he died from that lung disease on 25 March 1868 leaving behind a wife and six children.
Catherine submitted her application for a widow's pension on 7 April 1868. She was granted certificate #114227 on 4 June 1868. Catherine received $8 per month and $2 per month for each of her children until they reached 16 years of age.
On 30 March 1869, Catherine appeared before William C. Smock, clerk of the circuit court for Marion County, to make a "Declaration for Arrears of Pensions" for the time of Aaron's discharge until his death. Her residence was listed as Becks Station, Hamilton Co. Catherine named B.F. Will as her attorney. Sylvester B. and Mary Ann Crail witnessed the document. The declaration was rejected 10 April 1869.
The amount of the pension increased to $20 per month in 1916, to $30 per month in 1920, and to $50 per month in 1926.
Catherine began a trek that took her to several stops in Indiana and one in Illinois. She and the children were living in Delaware Twp., Hamilton Co., Indiana in 1870. They had moved to Peru, Miami County by 1880. Catherine was still living there at the time of the 1886 Veterans' Census.
David was not named in the 1880 enumeration, so he may well have died during the preceeding decade. James and Martha had married by the time of the Veterans'Census.
Catherine was back in Indianapolis living with her brother-in-law, John's family in 1900. She was living in Shelbyville, Indiana in 1909. 1910 found Catherine in Chicago, Illinois with son James, his wife Mima, granddaughter Bess Catherine and her husband Charles J. McHugh.
The Crails and McHughs removed to Indianapolis shortly thereafter. Catherine spent the rest of her life residing with daughter Martha on Belmont Ave. Catherine died there in 1934, just short of her 100th birthday, outliving all of her children but Martha and Thomas.
Following her mother's death, Martha [Crail] Thomas wrote to the Veterans Administration to secure Catherine's accrued pension from 29 June 1934 to January 1935. She was granted $45.92 in accrued pension. As she and her husband were elderly, Martha had hoped that the VA would continue the pension payments, but the pension was terminated on the date of Catherine's death.
Catherine was described by two of her great-grandchildren as a tiny person, weighing about 80 lbs., who appeared to be short and chubby due to her traditional attire. She wore a black bombazine [silky cotton] dress with a high neck and lacy trim, a white lace apron and a white dust cap and a multitude of petticoats. Catherine was a beautiful woman, even in her later years, bearing a resemblance to actress Maureen O'Hara.
At Christmas, the great-grandchildren would go over to her house for their traditional gifts. She kept a box of chocolate-covered cherries [pretty well dried-up from age] for the occasion. Each child got a piece of the candy and a silver dollar. "Just one," they were reminded. This was a major event and gift for the wee Mc Hughs, Catherine's "childers."
Catherine received a pension of $30 [in silver dollars] per month from the government as a result of her husband's Civil War service. [According to pension records, the amount was eventually $50.]
Death came in July of 1934. Catherine was of "sound mind until the day she died." During the viewing, which was held outside due to the heat, members of the family fanned Catherine's body.
Catherine Crail's tombstone inscription at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis is a simple one "1834-1934, wife of Aaron Crail."
Following Catherine's death, daughter Martha moved to Spokane, Washington. She died there in 1941.
Aaron S. Crail and Catherine O'Neil had the following
children:
11 i. Dr. James Crail, born 4 Apr 1858, Indianapolis, Centre Twp., Marion Co.,
Indiana; married Ama Jimima Simmons, 14 Sep
1882, Tipton, Tipton Co., Indiana; died 25 Oct 1920, Indianapolis,
Marion Co., Indiana.
12 ii. Martha Crail, born 22 Feb 1860,
Indianapolis, Centre Twp., Marion Co., Indiana;
married James Nolan, 21 Feb 1882, Miami Co., Indiana;
married William L. Church, 22 Jul 1886, Miami Co., Indiana;
married Bruce Thomas, 10 Nov 1910, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana; died 27 Jul 1941, Spokane, Spokane Co., Washington.
13 iii. Catherine Crail, born 22 Feb 1860,
Indianapolis, Centre Twp., Marion Co., Indiana;
married William Benner Jr., 16 Apr 1891, Miami Co., Indiana; died
3 Nov 1901, Peru, Miami Co., Indiana.
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