My Grandfather, Francis Joseph Hillanbrand, looking quite the dandy, circa 1920.

Aunt Lois March Hillanbrand, Aunt Reba H. Gray Hillanbrand, Aunt Helen Hillanbrand Churney, Aunt Nancy Frith Hillanbrand and Aunt Gloria Hillanbrand O'Brien.

This is the last of the recent photos that I have for you. This one is a rare one. As far as I know, this is only just the second picture known of our Grandmother, Helen Merial (McLaughlin) Hillanbrand (April 13, 1902 - June 21, 1942). If anyone knows different, please let me know. In this picture, she is standing in front of what appears to be a store front, possibly on Ridge Avenue, in the Falls. She is standing with a young Aunt Dot, circa 1925.

This is the third promised picture of my Great Grandmother, Bridget Agnes (nee McNulty) McLaughlin. She was born on March 3, 1861 in Callow, Killasser, Mayo, Ireland. In 1869, her parents , Thomas and Anne (nee Mulligan) McNulty, moved from their farm in Callow to Doonmaynor, Killasser. This was the next townsland, just west of the McLoughlins in Dromada. After James McLaughlin died in 1908, in Philadelphia, Bridget steadfastly raised her family, by herself. She died March 13, 1944, some 36 years after the death of her husband. In the picture below, Bridget is in the middle, date unknown.

Today's picture is not new, however, it is a better copy. It is of my Great, Grandfather James McLaughlin, born April 3, 1861 to Michael McLoughlin and Mary Meer in Dromada, Killasser, Mayo, Ireland. Dromada is the townsland that he was born, which equates to a set of lots in a block, much like a neighborhood in the states. Lots sometimes do not front a road. James married Bridget McNulty on September 13, 1884 in St. Patrick's Church, in Rochdale, Lancashire, England. I don't know why they chose this church to get married, but I believe that at the time, James was temporarily working in England, as often happens when work was scarce back home. James emigrated to the United States in 1889, with his wife, Bridget and two children, Michael and Anna. The rest of their eight other children were born in Philadelphia. James became a fireman, but succumbed to cancer of the stomach on June 21, 1908, at the age of 47.

Stay tuned for the next four days for some photographs of the McLaughlin family, including an unknown one of our grandmother. In this photograph, taken circa 1901, is my Great, Grandparents, James and Bridget (McNulty) McLaughlin with their children: Michael, Anna, Marie, Catherine, Elizabeth and James. Not pictured is Thomas (born 1889, died 1894), my Grandmother, Helen (born 1902), Agnes (born 1903) and Margaret (born 1907).

Stopped at the old cemetery to pay our respects to my Great, Great Grandparents in Killasser, Mayo, Ireland. Also stopped at Seamus and Sarah McLoughlin’s house to visit the old homestead. Beer, tea and hot scones. Then onto Foxford Whoollen Mills for some shopping.

A ride through the town of Hosenfeld, Germany, where my Great, Great, Great Grandfather, Franz Hillenbrand had emigrated. His house was located on the left side late in the video. It is a bucolic German version that is reminiscent of a rural Pennsylvania town.

My Great Grandfather's first cousin, Mark McLoughlin and his wife, Mary O'Connor back on the farm in Killasser, County Mayo, Ireland. My Great Grandfather, James McLoughlin left that farm to emigrate to the U.S.

After 119 years, my Great, Great Grandfather, now has a memorial. Unfortunately, the priest of the parish that owns the cemetery couldn't consecrate the grave. I called and the caretaker said, the priest had passed away and wasn't replaced. Good reason. Anyway, before I left, I placed a small stone on the memorial. Ruhe in Frieden.

Glad I got to meet my Grandmother's second cousin in Ireland last week. They met us with open arms and a warm home. Thanks Seamus and Sarah McLoughlin! It's nice to see they are still at the old homestead. Will have to visit again.

Glad I got to meet my Grandmother's second cousin in Ireland last week. They met us with open arms and a warm home. Thanks Seamus and Sarah McLoughlin! It's nice to see they are still at the old homestead. Will have to visit again.

Needed some help from family members in identifying the woman standing next to my Grandfather. Found out it is my Grandfather's sister, my Great Aunt Viola.

Uncle Mike, Aunt Betty (back row), Uncle Vinny, Aunt Dolores and Uncle Ed Hillanbrand, circa 1942.

This flag draped Uncle Tom Hillanbrand and my Dad's caskets. I'm saving it to drape mine and my brother, Mark, in the end. I don't think any other flag would do. It would be nice to have it draped on my Uncle Charlie's casket, if he ever comes home.

My thanks also go out to my Uncle Tom J. Hillanbrand, U.S. Army, Korea.

William B. Hillanbrand, U.S. Army, Korea and William B. Hillanbrand, U.S. Air Force. Dad and me.

Thanks to my Grandfather, Francis Joseph Hillanbrand, Private, Company H, 1st Infantry, WW1 and Uncle Joseph P. Hillanbrand, WWII.

Corporal Charles R. Hillanbrand, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, was listed as Missing in Action, while fighting enemy forces on Pork Chop Hill in North Korea on July 9, 1953. On February 10, 1954, his status was changed to presumed Killed in Action Remains Not Recovered. He was awarded the Purple Heart & Combat Infantry Badge.

As Veteran's Day approaches, I would like to recall the service of my Great, Great, Grand Uncle George William Huth. His record as a Civil War veteran is quite interesting. He entered the service on December 2, 1861, as a private of Company A, Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry, and was detailed to Pottsville as a member of the recruiting service from April 3 to 27th, 1862 as an acting sergeant. He was promoted to Artificer of October 27, 1863. During the war he served with the First Brigade, Second Division, Eighth Corps of the Middle Department, from February 3 to July 8, 1863, being transferred then to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Cavalry Corp of the Army of the Potomac, remaining in that brigade till February 17, 1865, when he was transferred to the Third Division of the Cavalry and Military of the Mississippi Army, remaining with that division till July 8, 1865. During the war, Mr. Huth was twice captured, the first time on June 15, 1863, at Winchester, Va., and he was imprisoned on Belle Isle and at Castle Thunder, in Richmond. He was again captured at St. Mary's Church, Va., and imprisoned in Richmond, Danville, Andersonville, Charleston, Savannah, and Florence Hill Prisons till March 1, 1865. He was injured in a fall from his horse on February 14, 1864, his head being injured in the fall. Mr. Huth was discharged from the service on June 1st, 1866. He later was employed as a miner in Schuylkill County. He died on January 12, 1929 at the age of 90, survived by nine grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and several brothers and sisters including, Mrs. Elizabeth Hillanbrand. 

My Uncle Tom, Dad, Joe Kinsinger, Uncle Frank, Aunt Betty, Uncle Ed, Uncle Vinnie, Uncle Mike, Aunt Dolores and Uncle Ray in 1944.

 

My Grandfather, Francis Hillanbrand, with my Great, great, grandfather, Thomas Francis, in front of his home at 147 Hermitage Street, in Philadelphia, in 1901.

Corporal George Zernhelt

Artist rendering of Salisbury Prison Hospital

George Zernhelt was born in 1839 and by 1860, he had come to live with his sister, Magdalena and brother-in-law, Francis Hillanbrand in their home, according to the 1860 census. His occupation at this time was listed of that of moulder. Of course, the Civil War was right around the corner, so George had enlisted into Company E, 55th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, which was recruited out of Schuylkill County. He had mustered into service on December 2, 1861. George was 5 foot, 6 inches tall, with blue eyes, dark complexion and dark hair. He must have demonstrated himself during the war, for he was promoted to Corporal on January 5th, 1864. The following, from Bates History of the Civil War, details what would become of George during the end of the war.

"During the night of September 28, 1864, the 55th regiment crossed the James River and marched to participate in the attack about to be made, by the Army of the James, upon Chapin's Bluff. The capture of Fort Harrison was effected on the morning of the following day, but the 55th being held in support of the attacking troops, did not become engaged. In the afternoon it was determined to carry the works beyond, and at 4 o'clock, Colonel Jourdan, in command of the brigade, ordered the 55th to charge, and take a redoubt in the enemy's second line. The 158th New York was deployed to support it, by advancing through the woods on the left, and the 148th New York, to act as skirmishers on the right. The 55th advanced over the open ground in front, a quarter of a mile, under a concentrated fire from three redoubts, supported by a heavy body of infantry. Bravely stemming a torrent of shot, and deadly minnie balls, it moved steadily on, and reached a point within 20 yards of the work, when, its ranks almost annihilated, and supports failing to come up, it was forced to fall back, leaving the dead and most of the wounded upon the field, to fall into the hands of the enemy. Of 5 officers and 150 enlisted men who marched at the word of command, 3 officers and 78 enlisted men were either killed, wounded or missing."

The following facts of memorandum was collected regarding Prisoner Of War Records: George had been captured at Laurel Hill, near Chapins Farm, Virginia on September 30, 1864. He was later confined at Richmond, Virginia, September 30, 1864, then transported to Salisbury Confederate Prison, in North Carolina on October 9th  1864. The real misery for the prisoners at the Salisbury Confederate Prison began in the fall of 1864. The Prison compound designed for 2,500 men was forced to handle four times that many. Due to the Union Naval blockade there was a shortage of medicine and medical supplies which resulted in terrible suffering of the prisoners and needless deaths. Throughout the South there was a shortage of food and the Prison was no exception. Eventually, all the buildings were taken over for hospital use, and the men were forced to seek shelter that cold, wet winter under the buildings, in overcrowded tents, and in burrows dug into the hard red soil. The death rate that had been only 2% before October 1864 skyrocketed to 28%.

Recently captured soldiers and transferred prisoners from other areas increased the number held at the Salisbury Prison to 5,000 by October 1864. Ten thousand men were crowded into the stockade by November and conditions began to change dramatically. Burials before the overcrowding had been in coffins and in separate graves. Records exist that indicate military burial services were even given. However, due to the large number of men dying daily after October 1864 a mass burial system was initiated. The bodies were collected daily and taken to the “dead house” to be counted and loaded onto a one-horse wagon. At 2:00 PM each day this wagon of the dead would be taken about ¼ mile to an abandoned cornfield where the men were buried. Eighteen trenches of approximately 240 feet each were eventually needed.

Salisbury National Cemetery

George would never again see his family. He was admitted to the prison hospital on January 10th, 1865, wherein he later died January 16th, 1865 of debility. He is among those buried in one of the sacred trenches with thousands of his brother soldiers.

Bibliography

Bates, Samuel P. (1902). History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65.

Salisbury Confederate Prison Association (2010). Prison History. Retrieved from http://www.salisburyprison.org/PrisonHistory.htm

Franz meets Magdalena Zernhelt

As Franz Hillanbrand acclomated himself to the region, he took up residence in Pottsville, PA. We know through the Recorder of Deeds Office of Schuylkill County that he had purchased two residences in town located at 60 Market Street and 66 Norwegian Street. Unfortunately, Franz lost both homes do to a fire and with no insurance, he was in debt for the rest of his life. On July 22, 1851, Franz married Magdalena B. Zernhelt in the St. John the Baptist Church, pictured in this article. Magdalena was the fourth child of Francis Anthony and Gertrude (Holzmann) Zernhelt. Originally from the Alsace-Lorraine region, the Zernhelt family were of German descent. Anthony and Gertrude had five children, three (Mary, Anthony and Enos) were born in Germany and two (Magdalena and George) were born in America. So, as far as the Hillanbrand family, Magdalena was the first ancestor born on American soil on June 18th, 1833.

A very short synopsis of the Zernhelt family is as follows: the oldest child of Anthony and Gertrude was Mary. Mary married a carpenter, by the name of Placidus Hasenauer of Pottsville and they had eleven children. Placidus, a native of Oberbimbach, Germany, was one of the original congregants of the St. John the Baptist Church in Pottsville. The next child of Anthony and Gertrude was Anthony. Anthony married Magdelena Swerity and through this union, they had nine children. Anthony was a shoemaker, but unfortunately, he had died suddenly, before his last child was born. His widow, Magdalena, survived him by forty-four years. The third child of Anthony and Gertrude born in 1827 was Enos. I have been unable to extract many records as to what became of Enos, although I know he survived his father, in 1870. The last son of Anthony and Gertrude was George. He was born in Pottsville in 1839. George lived with his sister Magdalena, before he enlisted in the Civil War. I will dedicate a separate article on George in a later post.

During the Civil War, Franz Hillanbrand enlisted in the Pennsylvania State Militia during the South's incursion into Pennsylvania. He was a Private in the U.S. Army, 19th Regiment, P.S.M. This unit was formed quickly, because of Lee's aggression in Gettysburg. The Governor of Pennsylvania asked for volunteers to prevent a further push into Pennsylvania by the Confederate Army. After the war, Franz Hillanbrand left his position at the Bulls Head Colliery to work at the Potts colliery, at Wolf Creek, near Minersville, Schuylkill County, where he worked for sixteen years, or until 1870. He then moved to Ashland, Schuylkill county, and worked at the Tunnel colliery, for two years, coming to Mahanoy Plane in 1872, and working as engineer there up to 1893, until a couple of months prior to his death on October 14, 1893.

A New World

Franz Hillenbrand was one of many emigrants making their passage across the Atlantic. A contemporary newspaper reports that, "Upwards of 6000 German Emigrants have, within the last fortnight, passed through Cologne, on their way to Bremen, Havre, and Antwerp, where they will take their departure for America. The greater part of them seemed to be rather well off. The town of Minken was lately so full of emigrants that it resembled the camp of a wandering tribe; the streets were literally crammed with baggage, and the people waiting for the steamers. It is calculated that 120,000 Germans will emigrate this year. The desire to emigrate has extended to districts in Germany where it was never before left, and, among others, to the rich and fertile Saxon Province of Prussia."

As the barque "Emigrant" sailed into Baltimore Harbor on Monday, May 24, 1847, Franz Hillenbrand collected his meager belongings and reported in a long line of fellow emigrants on the top deck of the ship. He gave his name, age, occupation and city of origin to Captain Anderson for his manifest, before making his way to the gangway. He set foot on American soil at Fells Point, Maryland, with a moderate temperature of 63 degrees awaiting his first breath. Fells Point was founded in 1730 by William Fell, who was attracted by its beautiful, deep water and proximity to agriculture and thick forests, the town became a shipbuilding and commercial center. A growth industry in Fell's Point was immigration, and it became a major point of entry into the United States. Since jobs were plentiful in shipbuilding and in the warehouses and factories, many of the immigrants stayed in Fell's Point. This added to the multicultural fabric of the area, but also caused the more affluent to move into other parts of the city.

Getting assimulated to dry land, Franz made his way to Baltimore & Ohio's Mount Clare Station to board a train to Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The train pulled out of the station and proceeded northward towards the city of Philadelphia. From there, Franz boarded another train on the Philadelphia & Reading line towards the borough of Pottsville, Schuylkill County. Finding himself among a similar emigrant population from Germany, he checked into local hostel, probably with the help of a local German-American society. He would eventually become a member of the German Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist Church. This church was founded in 1841, mostly by German immigrants from the town of Grossenlueder (which is 8 miles north of Franz's hometown of Hosenfeld) and was originally located at Fourth and Howard Streets in Pottsville. Soon, Franz would be employed as a train engineer at the Bull's Head colliery, where he worked for the next five years.

Next installment: Franz meets Magdalena Zernhelt