Children of
Luna Powers [John], b. November 22, 1811, Fabius, Onondaga
Co., NY, either a daughter of Roswell Powers and Phoebe Rugg or of John and
Anna Powers; m. Harlow Phelps; d.
1892, Ottawa Co., MI
The
connection of Luna to
Luna
and Harlow were married in
Harlow
was born in
Harlow and Luna (Powers) Phelps
lived in
The
Phelps adopted their niece, Lavancha Ghastin, when she was nine months old.
(see Sarah Powers’ biography)
In
1864, they moved to
The
1880 Federal Census of Georgetown showed Harlow and Luna as heads of the
household. Her daughter, Hannah A. Roberts, was living there with her husband
and three children. Also in the home was 22-year old servant, Emma Ireland.
The
1884 State Census shows Harlow and Luna in
According
to family tradition, in 1892, Mr. and Mrs. Phelps died when they were hit by a
train on the Ann Arbor Railroad. It is our thought that at least part of this
information is inaccurate. Harlow’s death record in
Children:
Emily Phelps,
b. 1832
Franklin Phelps,
b. 1833, Cherry Valley, Ashtabula Co., OH; m. Julia __, before 1866
Orville M. Phelps,
b. 1839
Hannah A. Phelps,
b. 1837; m. George A. Roberts
Casper H. Phelps,
b. 1852, Cherry Valley, Ashtabula Co., OH; m. Lettie __
Sarah Phelps, b. 1854
Silas C. Powers [Roswell], b. February 1, 1815, Fabius, Onondaga
Co., NY, a son of Roswell Powers and Phoebe Rugg; m. Sally Moody, before 1839; d. February 11, 1884, Shelby, Oceana Co.,
MI; Oceana Center Cemetery, Shelby Township, Oceana Co., MI.
When Silas was one year old, his
mother and three siblings died (Christmas, 1816), leaving only himself and his
father in the home. His father then married his Aunt Sarah Rugg and brought his
family from
When he was around 23, Silas married
Sally Moody. Sally was born in
The 1840 federal census shows Silas
living next to his father,
In
1850, Silas was living next to Rufus and Phoebe (Powers) Putney in
About a month before his father
died, on October 1, 1860, Silas bought land in Oceana Co.,
The 1870 federal census shows Silas
and Sally in
In 1880, they were still in
Sarah died of typhoid fever on January
18, 1884. Silas also came down with it and died less than a month later on
February 11, 1884, in
Children:
Oliver C. Powers,
b. 1839, OH
Roswell Wesley Powers,
b. 1842, OH
Emily Powers, b. 1845, OH, d. before
1860
Martha R. Powers,
b. 1852-53, OH
Phebe Roena Powers,
b. 1854, OH
Anderson M. Powers,
b. 1857, OH
Rufus L. Delos Powers,
b. 1859, OH
Orrin Hall Powers [Roswell] b. January 15, 1820, Fabius, Onondaga
Co., NY, a son of Roswell and Sarah Powers; m. Mary Elizabeth Stone, April 12, 1850, Ashtabula Co., OH; d. January
6, 1908, Valparaiso, IN; Oakwood Cemetery, Chicago, IL.
Orrin was the only one of his family
to stay in
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Orrin was a member of the
“Kingsville Academic is located in the healthy and
pleasant
A more desirable location, in all respects for a school
of this character, could not easily be found. The Academy is a large two story
edifice, capable of accommodating from one hundred to two hundred Students in
separate apartments.”When the government finally established public high
schools after the Civil War, Kingsville Academy was forced to close its doors,
due to lack of enrollment.
By then, of course, Orrin, had already graduated. He
married late in life – on April 12, 1850, at the age of 30. His wife, Mary E.
Stone, was born in
After
the death of his father in 1860, most of his siblings moved to
According
to Ruth Pruitt, “Orrin was very religious, writing long letters to his brother
Silas, full of statements based on scripture.
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His father’s Biblical
knowledge must have rubber off, and he became fanatical about it. He talked
about the crime of Masonry: ‘Masonry belongs rather to the kingdom of darkness
than to the
In 1879, he
decided to give up hay farming, because he had hay he couldn’t sell. He had
read some religious books, and made it his ambition to sell them. He wrote to
his brother Silas that he would be sending him some of them and hoped that
Silas would enter the business with him.
Orrin and Mary seem to have been
separated prior to 1880, since the census that year showed Orrin with his son,
Ordell, in
In November and December, 1889,
Orrin sold his land on Lot 63 in
Orrin and Mary showed up together in
the 1900 census, living in their son, Ordell’s home in Hyde Park (
Child:
Althus Charles
Powers, b. August 28, 1851; m. Ellen Alfaretta Williams, October 1,
1874, Ashtabula Co., OH; d. December 8, 1890, Chicago, Cook, IL
Ordell “Alfred”
Hercules Powers, b. November 14, 1859, Richmond, Ashtabula, OH; m.
Maude Bliss Sisson, 1894; d. 1945, St. Petersburg, FL
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Phoebe Powers-Putney and Anna Powers Markham. Anna was the widow of Phoebe’s younger brother, Solomon. |
Phoebe Powers [Roswell], b. February 24, 1824, Ashtabula County,
OH; m. Rufus Putney, 1842, Andover,
Ashtabula Co., OH; d. August 8, 1895, Benzie Co., MI; Gilmore Township
Cemetery, Elberta, MI.
Rufus was born in
The 1850 federal census of
They moved
with a caravan of relatives to
around 1866 and settled the area now known as
Putney Corners. In June, 1876, his name showed up on a petition to create a new
township in
Phoebe became a member of the
Women's Christian Temperance Union, an organization in favor of the prohibition
of the sale and consumption of alcohol. The photo shown on the following page
is of Phoebe (Powers) Putney and Anna (Powers)
The image below is of the church gathering in
1888 – most of which was made up of Powers family members. The gentleman in the
bowler hat (left back) is Arthur F. Sawyer. The older man with the beard, Orrin
Blood. The two girls in matching white checkered dresses (front center and
right) are Edith and Kity Sawyer.
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Phoebe used to urge people -- even
total strangers -- to stay with them when they traveled through the region. In
some cases, the strangers would decide to stay and buy up land in the area.
She was said to be good at taking
care of people who were sick. People used to come from miles around to ask for
her help. They would make notches in trees along the way so she could find her
way home. Once, when she was returning, though, it turned dark and she got lost
in the woods. She knew that there was quicksand nearby. In fact, she was
surrounded by it. She started to call out, "Yoo-hoo!" Her nephew,
Herb Powers, heard her cry as he was returning from Elberta. He finally found
her and escorted her out.
Rufus died August 1, 1890, and was
buried in the
Children:
Marshall "Mart"
W. Putney, b. 1844; d. 1939
Helen Amelia Putney, b. May 11, 1846;
d. March 28, 1848
Acelia R. Putney,
b. 1848, OH; m. Leonidas Fuller; d. Aug. 14, 1887, MI
Clara Putney,
b. 1850; d. 1904
Orlo E. Putney,
b. 1852; d. 1929
Travilla
"Villa" Austin Putney, b. 1856; d. 1936
Lester
"Let" King Putney, b. 1859; d. 1936
Wesley B. Putney,
b. 1863; d. 1911
Victor Lusell Putney,
b. 1865; d. 1934
Herbert Putney, b. 1870 in
The
following is a list of grandchildren shown in the Putney Bible:
Rufus K. Putney, b. January 11, 1860;
d. January 20, 1860,
infant son, b. April 7, 1860; d. April
1, 1861,
Dr. Charles S. Powers [
Rowena
was born in
Charles became a physician. The two
lived in
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A Putney family reunion around 1912, showing Maude Putney, Eugene Osgood, Eva Putney, Ralph Putney, Iva Shettler, Alice Putney, Ida Bailey, Harriet Putney, Mabel Putney, John Zilch, Mary Putney Zilch, (two youngest children in front) Ruth Putney and Iris Putney. |
By 1859, though, they were in
Shortly after the 1860 census,
Charles and Rowena moved to
Their
children, Martha and Orange, married in Oceana County and did not show up with
them in the 1870 census. Their youngest daughter, Ellen, died in August, 1870.
Therefore, the 1870 federal census of Oceana Co., MI, shows Charles and
"Rosena" in Elbridge Township with only one daughter “E.J.M.” (11).
E.J.M. was born in Illinois.
The 1880 census shows Rowena in the
home of their son, Orange, in Springfield, Greene Co., Missouri. Charles is not
in the home, although the census claims Rowena was still married. From the
birth information of Orange’s children, we can guess that Orange and his wife
Clara left Michigan around 1878-80.
In 1900, Charles and “Roena” were
living with their daughter, Martha Fuller, on Bond Street in Kenosha,
Wisconsin. Martha was a “restaurant keeper” and her son, Wesley Spoor, was a
cook there. Charles was working as a traveling book agent.
Children:
Martha Powers, b. around 1844, WI; m. (1) Spoor; m.
(2) Erwin Fuller
Orange Powers,
b. around 1849, WI; m. Clara
Eva J. M. Powers,
b. around 1859, IL; m. John H. Saxton, December 16, 1879; d. December 26, 1880,
Arcadia, MI
Ellen Powers, b. around 1860; d.
August, 1870
Ephraim Woodruff Powers [Roswell] b. May 25, 1827, Richmond, Ashtabula
County, OH, a son of Roswell and Sarah Powers; m. Mary Jane Landon, November 16, 1848, Richmond, Ashtabula Co., OH;
d. June 17, 1889, Shelby, Oceana Co.,
MI; South Ferry Cemetery.
He owned lumber and shingle mills in
Ashtabula County and became very respectable in the region. The 1850 federal census
shows Ephraim and Mary living next to Ephraim's sister and brother-in-law,
Sarah and William Riley Ghaston, in Richmond, Ashtabula County, OH. Also in the
home was Ephraim's first son, William W. (6 months).
His wife, Mary, was born in New York
on May 22, 1830, a daughter of Daniel Landon and Nancy Mitchell.
After the Civil War, most of his
brothers and sisters moved to Michigan, while Ephraim stayed in Richmond with
his brother, Orrin. The 1870 census shows them next to each other. Ephraim was
the owner of a sawmill. His home was valued at $2,400. A year later, though,
Ephraim brought his family to Ferry Township, Oceana County, Michigan, where
Ephraim became a prominent businessman. Wood had become scarce in Ohio, and
Michigan was in the middle of a lumber boom. Ephraim traded his horse and buggy
for a mill in Reed Township (later renamed Ferry Township). He and his sons
built a dam, a sawmill and grist mill powered by water. Within a year, they
were manufacturing doors, windows, tables and bedsteads.
In 1880, Ephraim and Mary were
living in Ferry Township, Oceana County, with their daughter Mary E. (19), son,
Eugene E. (14), and brother-in-law, Joseph Landon (60).
In 1887, the Powers mill added a
roller process flour mill.
Ephraim
died of pneumonia in Oceana County on June 17, 1889. He was buried in the South
Ferry Cemetery. Three years later (1892), Ephraim’s son, William, became the
owner of the mill.
The 1900 federal census of Oceana
County shows Mary a widow living alone in Ferry Township. Of her six children,
five were still living.
Mary remarried to William Tennant in
a ceremony performed in Ferry on February 5, 1905. Rev. Verner H. Sibley
conducted the wedding. Mary’s son, Charles W. Powers, was a witness.
Mary died March 4, 1925 and was
buried in the South Ferry Cemetery.
Children:
William Wallace
Powers, b. 1850, OH; d. after 1900
Charles W. Powers,
b. 1854, OH; d. 1942
Daniel W. Powers, b. around 1856, OH;
d. August 26, 1872, drowned, Ferry Mill Pond, Oceana Co., MI
Mary Ellen Powers,
b. 1861, OH; m. Adam M. Whitcomb
Ida May Powers,
b. around 1863, OH; m. William A. Young
Eugene E. Powers,
b. 1866, OH; d. 1934
Lucy Powers [Roswell] b. July, 1830 in Pennsylvania, a daughter
of Roswell and Sarah Powers; m. John S.
Putney, around 1847, OH; d.
Around 1847, Lucy married John S.
Putney.
John was born in Canada in December,
1824, a son of Barnard and Betsey Putney. He had come to the US in 1840.
John and Lucy were shown in the 1850
census in Andover, Ashtabula County, Ohio, next to Silas and Sally Powers and
Barnard and Betsey Putney. Children in their home were a two-year old boy
(appears to be Peter F.) and 8-month old Mary Putney.
The 1860 federal census shows John
and Lucy living next to Rufus and Phoebe Putney in Ashtabula Co., Ohio. Also in
the home were children Wellman (11), Mary (10), Martha (9), and Hiram (6). Their
estate was valued at $400, with $200 in personal assets.
In 1870, John and Lucy were living
in Hart, Oceana Co., MI, near several of the Powers family members. Their home
was valued at $1,500.
John and Lucy were still in Hart in 1880,
with six of their eight children in the home. Their son, Hiram, lived there
with his wife and son, Hiram Jr.
The Putney’s lived in Hart even in
their 70’s. The 1900 census shows John and Lucy in Hart with their grandson,
Vernes (b. April, 1880), in the home. They were living next to their son,
Odell, who now had a family of his own.
Children:
Wellman A. Putney,
b. around 1848, OH
Mary Putney, b. around February, 1850,
OH
Martha M. Putney,
b. around 1851, OH
Hiram Putney, b. around 1854, OH; m. Carrie
Hopkins (ch: Hiram)
Sherman Putney,
b. around 1865; m. Katie Killmis
Odell L. Putney,
b. 1870; m. Mary __
Rosa M. Putney, b. 1871
Levi C. Powers [Roswell] b. 1831 in Ashtabula County,
Ohio, a son of Roswell and Sarah Powers; m. Cordelia Jane “Carrie” __.
Levi became a blacksmith.
Cordelia Jane was born in Ohio
around 1837
The 1850 federal census shows Levi
and Cordelia living in Richmond, Ashtabula County, OH, next to Levi's father.
Levi was a blacksmith. In 1860, they were still in Richmond, near Levi’s father
and brother, Oren. Cordelia was listed as “Jane.” Their children’s names were
“Alonzo” and Amelia J. Powers.
On July 7, 1862, Levi purchased land
in Oceana County, Michigan, from Ira Jenks. The property was described as
T15-R1, Section 29: S/2 NE/4, consisting of approximately 80 acres. While he
farmed most of it, he sold 12 acres off of the NE/4 to his brother, Charles.
Levi enlisted with his brother,
Solomon, in November, 1863, in Grand Rapids, MI, in the Union army during the
Civil War. Both were mustered December 31, 1863, and mustered out at Detroit.
For the story of Battery B, see Solomon Powers.
After the war, Levi returned to
Michigan, where he resumed farming. He purchased Section 21: NW/4 W/2 NW/4 from
Victory Sottertee (which he later sold to Levi Williams).
In 1870, Levi and “Jane” were
indexed as the “Towers” family, living in Ferry Township, Oceana County,
Michigan. They had children “Lorenzo” and Amelia.
Levi purchased more land from Albert
A. Cutler, described as T14-R16, Section 6: N/2 NW/4 and the SW/4 NW/4.
Levi became the treasurer of Oceana
County in 1872, but shortly afterward moved to Tennessee. Levi and “Carrie”
were found in Davidson Co., TN, in 1880. Their son, Lorenzo, and grandson Loren
Powers were living with them. Loren was listed as “Idiotic,” probably the
result of a traumatic birth that killed his mother. Also in the home were their
daughter and her husband, John Crow. They were shown in District #23, at that
time located about five miles northwest of Nashville on the north side of
White’s Bend.
Neither
Levi nor Cordelia (nor any of their children or grandchildren) have been found
in the 1900 census.
Children:
Lorenzo Powers,
b. 1852, OH; m. (ch: Loren)
Amelia J. Powers,
b. 1860, OH; m. John Crow.
Sarah Powers [Roswell], b. April 6, 1832, Ashtabula County,
Ohio, a daughter of Roswell and Sarah (Rugg) Powers; m. (1) William Riley Ghastin, December 10,
1848, Ashtabula Co., OH; m. (2) Samuel
Wing around 1858, Ashtabula Co., OH; m. (3?) Bixby?; m. (3) Lucius Garfield, August 10, 1870,
Gilmore, Benzie Co., MI; m. (4) Joshua
Vaughn, July 28, 1883 Benzie Co., MI; d. September 25, 1888, Blaine Twp.,
Benzie Co., MI; place of burial unknown.
Sarah was named after her mother.
She married William Riley Ghastin
(b. around 1828, PA). They were living
next door to Sarah's brother Ephraim Powers in 1850, Richmond, Ashtabula
County, Ohio. Together, they had several
children, including their first, Emma, born in May, 1850. They divorced, however, in 1856, the same
year their last daughter Lavancha was born.
Their children were split up and sent off to different families in the
area.
Sarah then married Samuel Wing.
Samuel was born in New York around 1816-19. Samuel and Sarah were living in
Lake County, OH, in 1860's federal census with children Charles (14), Mark
(10), and "Magy" (7), all children by Samuel's first wife. Samuel was
listed as a Farm Laborer, Sarah as a "personal proprietor."
They moved with several of her
brothers' families to Oceana County, Michigan around 1860. Her daughter, Lola,
claimed in the 1894 state census to have to come to Michigan around 1863, at
the height of the Civil War. Some family members settled in Oceana County,
while others moved on to Benzie County.
Her husband, Samuel, was one of the
first men to enlist in the Union army from the Hart region of Oceana County, MI
(December 31, 1863). He went to enlist the same day Sarah's brothers, Levi and
Solomon Powers, were mustered. Samuel himself was mustered January 9, 1864, and
joined the 1st Light Artillery, Battery B, with Solomon.
Captain Ross of Battery B had been
promoted to Major and the whole regiment had recently come under the command of
Captain F. R. Arndt. Forty-eight of the original men in the battery re-enlisted
in December and on January 7th, they left Detroit and then reached Pulaski
February 6. April 19, 2nd Lt. John J. Caulkins of Battery C was ordered by
General Dodge to report to Capt. Arndt and remained on duty there until July
15. During this time, with the detachment of that battery, he was in command of
works at Prospect, TN, and at Decatur, AL. He was a valuable soldier to Capt.
Arndt.
April 21, the battery moved to
Athens, AL. On the 30th, it began a march through Huntsville and Bridgeport,
Alabama, then on to Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga, Tennessee. From there,
they went to Resaca, Georgia, where they engaged the Confederate army May 9,
1864. They lost two men in the skirmish (severely wounded). They then moved on
to Kingston. At Lay's Ferry, May 14, they engaged the enemy again, and at
Calhoun the 15th. At Rome Crossroads the
next day (May 16), the Confederates again attacked the battery. Lt. Wright and
two men were wounded.
They reached Rome, Georgia by May
22, where they took possession of four pieces of light artillery and five
8-inch Howitzers. The battery rested at Rome until October. But according to
military records, Samuel did not join the men when they left. He died of
disease on, July 29, 1864 and was buried at the National Cemetery in Marietta,
Georgia.
Sarah was left a widow.
Interestingly, Sarah gave birth to their son, Elmer Wing, in March, 1866 – a
year and eight months after Samuel died. And since Sarah did not remarry until
1870, this can mean only that Elmer was illegitimate. Family tradition tells of
a Mr. Bixby, who allegedly married Sarah. However, there is no record of Sarah
ever going by the name Bixby. In 1870, there was only one Bixby family in
Oceana County. Benjamin Bixby lived in Benona Township with his two children:
Mary (14) and Charles (8). Benjamin was born in New York around 1825 and was
unmarried (either widowed or divorced). He apparently lost his wife after 1862
– around the same time Elmer Wing was born. This Benjamin Bixby was probably
the son of Levi Bixby of Royalton, NY. He had a brother, Emerson Bixby, who
moved to Illinois and had two sons, Elmer and Emerson Bixby, in 1861 and 1865.[1]
Emerson Bixby (Sr.) moved on to Iowa.
On August 23, 1864, as Sarah Wing,
she bought land in Oceana County (a fractional portion of T15-R17, Section 13),
probably the land from her husband's estate. There she met Lucius Garfield, who
owned land in T14-R17: Section 1: W/2 NW/4 and SE/4 NW/4. Another Wing who
owned land in the region was Nelson Wing, who later bought land in Benzie
County as well.
Neither Sarah nor her children Lola
and Elmer Wing showed up in the 1870 census. It is possible Sarah was in
transition from Oceana to Benzie County, because of her upcoming marriage to
Lucius Garfield. Perhaps, though, she had been living in obscurity since the
birth of her son, Elmer.
On August 14, 1870, Sarah married (a
third time) Lucius Garfield (b. 1827-32, NH or VT), a man listed in the 1870
federal census of Benzie County as a single man in Gilmore Township. He was
living near Sarah’s niece and nephew, Marshall Putney
and Celia (Putney) Fuller. After their wedding, Lucius and Sarah settled
near Sarah's son, Marquis, and several nieces and nephews.
Six
days after their wedding, on August 20, 1873, Lucius received a federal patent
for 160 acres of land in SW/4 of Section 25, in T25N-R16W. In June, 1876,
Lucius' name showed up on a petition to create a new township in Benzie County
known as Blaine.
According to records in the register
of deeds in Benzie County, Lucius bought land July 5, 1881, from Oliver Johnson
in T25N-R15W, Section 31: S/2 NE/4.
Sarah and Lucius had one child,
Lucius. But Lucius Sr. died of a stomach
disease in 1882 in Blaine Township, Michigan, once again leaving Sarah a widow.
Sarah then bought the property from his estate on August 5, 1882 (the west
half) and December 27, 1882 (the east half).
Sarah married (4th) Joshua B.
Vaughn, 28 JUL 1883. Her brother Solomon
and his wife were witnesses at this wedding.
The wedding was performed by Justice of the Peace Oliver Johnson and was
held in Joyfield Township.
Sarah executed a lease on her
property May 14, 1885 to William H. Stubbs, who kept the apple orchard there.
April 26, 1887, another lease was signed, mentioning apple, cherry, plum, and
peach trees as well.
Joshua then purchased (June 25,
1888), T25N-R16W: Section 12: SE/4 SW/4. Sarah died September 25, 1888 of
paralysis in Blaine Township. Her son, Lucius U. Garfield purchased her estate
in Section 25 (SW/4) on January 7, 1889. He maintained the leasing she did with
William Stubbs on September 27, 1889.
Joshua Vaughn remained in Benzie
County for years to come. On October 22, 1888, he purchased land in T25N-R15W:
Section 3, SW/4 SE/4 (Joyfield Township) and on January 21, 1889, T25N-R15W,
Section 9: W/2 SW/4 NW/4 (Joyfield).
Children by Riley Ghastin:
Emma J. Ghastin
(renamed Luella Herrick), b. 1849
Marquis Roswell
Ghastin (1851)
Rosealtha Ghastin (1852-1861).
Roselta
Ghastin-Manley (1852)
William Louis
Ghastin, b. 1854; d. April 25, 1905,
Lavancha
Ghastin-Phelps (1856)
Children by Samuel Wing:
Lola E. Wing, b.
1865
Elmer E. Wing
(alleged), b. March 1866; m. Bessie
Children by Lucius Garfield:
Lucius
U. Garfield, b. 1871, MI; d. 1930, CA
Solomon Rugg Powers [Roswell], b. August 16, 1838, Richmond, Ashtabula
County, OH, a son of Roswell and Sarah Powers; m. Anna Rebecca Salsgiver, Jun 28, 1868, Benzie Co., MI; d. February
5, 1900, Benzie Co., MI; Gilmore Township Cemetery, Benzie Co., MI.
Solomon was named after his maternal
grandfather, Solomon Rugg. He was a carpenter by trade, having learned from his
father, who owned a mill in Ohio.
Solomon began setting his sights on
Michigan sometime during the Civil War, probably because his older brother
moved there in 1860. On September 7,
1863, Solomon bought property in Oceana County, MI, (T13N-R18W, Sec 34: NW/4
SE/4) from Jeremiah Collins. From his
new home in Michigan, he joined the 1st Michigan Light Artillery, Co. B,
enlisting on December 31, 1863.
Captain Ross of Battery B had been
promoted to Major and the whole regiment had recently come under the command of
Captain F. R. Arndt. Forty-eight of the original men in the battery re-enlisted
in December and on January 7th, they left Detroit and then reached Pulaski
February 6. April 19, 2nd Lt. John J. Caulkins of Battery C was ordered by
General Dodge to report to Capt. Arndt and remained on duty there until July
15. During this time, with the detachment of that battery, he was in command of
works at Prospect, TN, and at Decatur, AL. He was a valuable soldier to Capt.
Arndt.
April 21, the battery moved to
Athens, AL. On the 30th, it began a march through Huntsville and Bridgeport,
Alabama, then on to Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga, Tennessee. From there,
they went to Resaca, Georgia, where they engaged the Confederate army May 9,
1864. They lost two men in the skirmish (severely wounded). They then moved on
to Kingston. At Lay's Ferry, May 14, they engaged the enemy again, and at
Calhoun the 15th. At Rome Crossroads the
next day (May 16), the Confederates again attacked the battery. Lt. Wright and
two men were wounded.
They reached Rome, Georgia by May
22, where they took possession of four pieces of light artillery and five
8-inch Howitzers. The battery rested at Rome until October. According to
military records, Solomon's brother-in-law, Samuel Wing, did not join the men
when they left. He died of disease there, July 29, 1864 and was buried at the
National Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia.
October 14, the regiment left Rome
and marched back through Calhoun and Resaca to Snake Creek Gap. From there,
they made their way to Cave Springs, Georgia. They engaged the enemy at Turkey
Creek on October 26. It was a win for the Union soldiers with no men were lost.
The battery marched 250 miles during that month. Those lost during the year so
far were four killed in action, one died of wounds, and eleven (including
Samuel Wing) died of disease.
November 1, the battery left Cave
Springs toward Smyrna, where it joined Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's army on
the 6th. On the 13th, Sherman's massive army of 62,000 men left on its famous
"March to the Sea. November 22, Solomon's smaller brigade of 1,500 fought
Confederates at Griswold, losing seven men and six horses. Capt. Arndt was
among the wounded. But the battle was won. The Confederates, who were a far
superior force lost close to 1,500 men. The Union brigade lost only 80 men.
"The conduct of both officers and men of the battery was most gallant,
fighting until the last round of ammunition was gone. The horses of one gun all
killed and the piece was barely saved by drawing it from the field by the
prolong" (Michigan in the War, Jonathan Robertson, Lansing: W. S. George &
Co. State Printers and Binders, 1882, p. 522-523).
In May, 1864, Solomon was called to
Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he met with 99,000 other Union soldiers under the
leadership of General William Tecumseh Sherman.
From there, they marched south to Georgia, where they laid siege to the
key city of the South, Atlanta. In
November, Solomon joined Sherman and 62,000 others in his famous "March to
the Sea," that cut a wide strip of destruction through Georgia and South
Carolina.
According to the 1890 census of veterans,
Solomon incurred chronic diarrhea as a result of his involvement in the
military, a disability that lasted at least 25 years.
Solomon was discharged on June 14,
1865, having served 1 year, 5 months, 14 days. His tour of duty gave him the
right, under Federal Law, to claim government plots of 120 acres anywhere in
Michigan.
After the War, Solomon returned to
his new home in Oceana County, Michigan. But he was not content there and hoped
for room to grow. Around 1865, he brought his cousin, Marshall Putney north to
Benzie County, Michigan. When they saw the beautiful countryside and fresh
soil, Marshall laid claim to homesteads in Blaine Township and returned for his
family. With them came Solomon's
in-laws, the Salsgivers (and his mother-in-laws’ family, the Dow’s). Solomon's
sister Phoebe Putney and her husband's family also came with their sister Lucy
Putney and their families and another sister, Sarah Wing and her family. Maude
Putney Dahlgren, in her book "A History of the Blaine Christian Church and
Putney Corners," wrote, "It was a real caravan that left Ohio in
1866. It was a part of this group that
established Putney Corners in [Benzie County] Michigan" (Dahlgren, 1967,
p. 9).
The oldest plat map of Benzie County
shows Solomon Powers' land in the SE/4 of Section 28 of Joyfield Township with
the date July 6, 1865 underneath. After purchasing land in Benzie County,
Solomon returned to Oceana County and, on August 4, 1867, sold his property to
Horace L. Howard for $200.
When he was 29 years old, Solomon
finally married. Anna Rebecca Salsgiver was a daughter of David and Rebecca
(Dow) Salsgiver, granddaughter of George and Susannah Saltsgiver. Anna was born
in Pennsylvania in February, 1851.
In 1870, Solomon was chosen as a
juror for Benzie County. The 1870 federal census shows Solomon and Anna living
in Joyfield Township, Benzie County. No children were in the home. There is
also a widow by the name of Minerva Amidon (age 42) living in nearby Inland
Township (cannot be just a coincidence). On July 1, 1871, Sereno Francis Sawyer
and his wife, Maria, came to live next door to Solomon. (their son, Arthur,
married Solomon's niece Lavancha Ghastin-Phelps).
On July 8, 1872, he sold land to Catharine
Houk in Benzie County. On December 20, 1872, he sold land to William Smeltzer.
On November 8, 1878, Hela C. Sprague bought two properties from Solomon Powers
and Francis Powers.
On 28 JUL 1883, Solomon and Anna
were witnesses at the wedding of his sister Sarah Powers and Joshua B. Vaughn
(farmer) of Blaine Twp., MI. The wedding
was performed by Justice of the Peace Oliver Johnson and held in Joyfield
Township. In 1890, he was living near Herring Lake in Benzie County.
Solomon died 05 FEB 1900 in Blaine
Township, MI, having lived there for over 20 years. At the time of his death, his occupation was
"carpenter." He was buried in Gilmore Township Cemetery. In the 1900 Census of Joyfield Township, his
widowed wife, Anna was shown living with her divorced daughter, Cora, and
Cora's children, Lotti and Clyde M Salsgiver.
Anna married Fred E. Markham. They
lived together on the north side of Forest Avenue in the village of Frankfort,
Michigan. In 1920, the census showed Fred and Anna in Crystal Lake Township
with their granddaughter, Georgianna Farmer (14). Fred was a machinist at a
machine shop in Frankfort. He was born in New York around 1849.
Anna died in 1923 and was buried
next to Solomon.
In 1937, Anna’s granddaughter, Ena
Kraft Jackson, started the Anna Markham Memorial Hospital in the home of Herb
and Lula (Beaton) Powers on Forest Street in Frankfort. Ena had graduated from
Frankfort High School in 1929 and Bronson Methodist School of Nursing in 1932.
Children:
Roswell A. Powers, b. September, 1871;
d. August 15, 1872, Gilmore, MI
Cora A. Powers,
b. 24 JUL 1873; m. ; d. 02 JUL 1914.
Herbert Sylvester
Powers, b. SEP 1876,
February
10, 1934
Effie H. Powers, b. July 12, 1878,
Blaine, MI
Oscar E. Powers, b. 14 SEP 1886,