Friday, October 13, 2017

What new information was gleaned from Sylvester Crail's State Soldiers' Home Application?

Prior to acquiring a copy of Sylvester's application, which was made by written request to the ISSH, I knew his service record, date & place of birth, etc. I was hoping for some new details into Sylvester's life and his family's.

What I learned:
1] He was living in Carmel. Hamilton Co., IN in 1897.
2] Sylvester arrived in Indiana at age 12 & had resided in Marion & Hamilton Co. for 30 years. [That would mean he arrived in Indiana about 1847 & the Hamilton/Marion area in 1867.]
3] He laid claim to two marriages in 1857 & 1886, both in Indy. [That would mean he was off by 10 years on his residency in Hamilton/Marion.]
4] There were 3 surviving Crail kids: Ann E. Lyons [30, California], Sarah [25, Cal.] & John S. [23, Carmel, IN] [Again, he was off on details. They were all about 10 years older than he reported.]

How accurate the details were depended upon Sylvester's recollections. The doctor reported Sylvester suffered from chronic gastritis and was very feeble and unable to work. His memory may well have been affected. Sylvester died the next year at age 63.

No comments:

Post a Comment