The continuing story of Jerome VanBilliard, Civil War Soldier

Jerome VanBilliard, CMSR folder, National Archives, Washington, DC

This past spring I received the Civil War Service Record for Jerome VanBilliard's service in the 153rd  PA inf. Very much the surprise find was this Prisoner of War record at a parole camp in West Chester, PA. This would mean he was taken prisoner during the battle of Gettysburg. I knew Jerome had been taken prisoner 29 Sep 1864 but not at the time of Gettysburg. Then looking at this again recently I saw something I missed before. After VanBilliard the initial is not a J it is an M. This record was not for Jerome but for his brother Martin. It was filed in the wrong VanBilliard CMSR. Both Jerome and Martin served in the 153rd for a 9 month enlistment that ended the end of July 1863. Somehow this record went to wrong brother's file.

So we know that Martin was at Gettysburg, but was captured. How about Jerome? Was he at the battle of Gettysburg? Well this question was answered by the records I recently received, Jerome's Carded Medical Records.

Jerome VanBilliard, Carded Medical Records, National Archives, Washington, DC

This card shows that Jerome was admitted to J.S.A. General Hospital at Camp Curtin, near Harrisburg, PA on 27 Jun 1863 and ret'd to duty 17 Jul 1863. So Jerome was in the hospital at the time of the battle suffering from Chronic Hepatitis. About 10 days after his return to duty he was mustered out at the end of the 9 month enlistment. A year later he re-enlisted into the 112th PA HA. In Feb of 1864 Martin re-enlisted to 47th PA inf.

So I have to make sure I check and double check ALL the information when looking at documents and not take for granted that all the records in a file are for the same person!

Thanks again Susan!!!

Everyone keep looking, you never know what you will find!

Finding Jerome VanBilliard in Civil War Prison Camps

Ellen VanBilliard, widow's pension application no. 317526 (rejected), for service of Jerome VanBilliard (Pvt., Co. B, 153 PA Inf., and Co. A, 112 PA H. A.); Civil War Pension Files, accessed 25 Apr 2016, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

After posting about the information I found in Jerome's Civil War service file, I dove into his pension file and found some wonderful information. On the first page of Ellen VanBilliard's Widow's Declaration for Pension I found the answer I had been looking for. She stated that after he was taken prisoner at Chapin Farm, Virginia he was held at Salisbury Prison until June of 1864, which I am sure should be June of 1865 because his capture was in September of 1864. She said that during his confinement he contracted rheumatism and deafness and that he was afflicted until he died 7 April 1877. This was the day before his 40th birthday. He died of Typhoid Fever.

Reading about Salisbury Prison I found that in February of 1865 a new exchange program was approved and the men at the prison and the men were moved after being divided into two groups. The more able-bodied prisoners were taken by train to Wilmington, North Carolina and the group of sickest prisoners were sent to Richmond. According to the Salisbury Confederate Prison Association, the prison was then turned into a supply depot, but it held no prisoners when on April 12,1865, 3 days after Lee's surrender, Union General George Stoneman arrived in Salisbury to free the Federals. The prison was burned. If the men were to be exchanged in February of 1865 who did General Stoneman come to free? If he thought these men were still there, what happened to them in February, where were they taken if not exchanged. Why did Ellen say that her husband had been there until June? Looking further into the pension file I found what happened to Jerome in February 1865.

Ellen VanBilliard, widow's pension application no. 317526 (rejected), for service of Jerome VanBilliard (Pvt., Co. B, 153 PA Inf., and Co. A, 112 PA H. A.); Civil War Pension Files, accessed 25 Apr 2016, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

So this document is a time line os what happened to Jerome from the time he was captured at Chapin Farm. The POW records have him captured 29 Sep 1864 and confined at Richmond, VA then sent to Salisbury N.C., 9 Oct 1864. He was Paroled at N.C. Ferry 28 Feb 1865. This lines up with the Salisbury Confederate Prison Association report. Then Paroled at College Green Barracks, MD 13 Mar 1865. He was sent to Camp Parole, MD 14 Mar 1865. He was furloughed March of 1865 for 30 days. He returned from the furlough 3 May 1865. No medical certificate for the extension of furlough on file so he was sent to his regiment 4 May 1865. I am guessing that the furlough was for him to be in the hospital. Then he was discharged by order of the War Department and Mustered out on Individual Roll 28 Jul 1865.

So I found that there are records for both Collage Green Barracks and Camp Parole, MD at NARA so I guess this is the next place I need to look. The descriptions say they contain registers, rolls and list of paroled prisoners, 1862-1965 including the camp hospital. So I know a lot more than I did last week, but there is more to find out

Jerome VanBilliard, Civil War Prisoner 2x?

Compiled service record, Jerome VanBilliard, Pvt., Co B, 153 PA Infantry, Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, Stack Area FW3, Row 2, Compartment 23, Shelf 3; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

I have been in Civil War record heaven this weekend having received some records from my "Genealogy Angel" Susan Bleimehi. It is so much fun going through these records. One of the things I was hoping to find out getting my 2nd great grandfather, Jerome VanBilliard, service record was to find out where he was held when he was a Prisoner of War. It turned out that it gave me some surprise information.
In reading this document it said that he was held at a Parole camp in West Chester, PA. this had me confused until I looked it up and found on Wikipedia that a parole camp was where Union soldiers on parole were kept by their own side in a non-combat role and I found that there was such a camp in West Chester, PA called Camp Elder. Then in reading further it said that they had no dates but that he was returned to his regiment July 18/63. So they did not have a date that he was captured, but looking at the records he is last marked Present for March and April of 1863. then he was returned to his regiment 18 Jul 1863 and then 24 Jul 1863 he was mustered out when the regiment was disbanded.
So one of the surprises would be that I never knew that he was captured when with the 153rd. This also means that he was not at Gettysburg with his unit because he was a prisoner at the time.
So the capture I knew about was when Jerome was with the 2nd Regiment, PA Heavy Artillery, 112th Volunteers. He had enlisted in this unit 26 Jul 1864, 10 days after the birth of my great grandfather. He was captured 29 Sep 1864, just 2 months later at Chapin Farm in Virginia. This was the capture I knew about and I think that was referred to in his pension file.
So I guess I will have to get his service record for 112th to get the info on that capture. this is so much fun finding all this. I will keep looking at all this and have more to talk about. I not only have Jerome's info but two of his brothers.
So I will keep looking!

Early Genealogy Christmas Wish Granted-Pension File for Jerome VanBilliard

A couple of weeks ago on "Mondays with Myrt" we were talking about our Genealogy Christmas wishes. I mention I would love to get the pension file for my 2nd great grandfather, Jerome VanBilliard. Well that wish was granted early thanks to fellow Dear Myrtle community member, Susan Bleimehl. She sent me the access to the file in Google Docs. It was so great to see this record and I thank her so much for sending this to me.

Deposition of Claimant, 9 July 1884, Ellen VanBilliard, widow's pension application no. 317.526; service of Jerome VanBilliard (Pvt. A. 2 PA. H.A. & B 153 PA. Inf., Civil War); Case Files of Rejected Pension Applications Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Requested by Susan Bleimehel, stack area 16w4, row 5, compartment 11, row 5 National Archives, Washington, D.C.

I am still going through this and trying to read it all. This page is the General Affidavit of a physician who had know them for a long time and was present at the births of the children listed, one being my great grand father, George. This listing has his middle name as Mcclellan. I have only seen this in one census record. Have not seen it anywhere else.

Ellen's application was not approved because his cause of death was Typhus, because this was not a result of his service. Jerome had been captured in September of 1864 and there were affidavits that his "health and constitution were ruined when he returned from the rebel prison and we know that he suffered continuously until he died." I was really hoping that there would be a mention of where he was a prisoner, because I have not been able to find out where that was, but I am very happy to have this now.

Van Billiard's in the Pennsylvania Civil War Muster Rolls

Last night I found that Ancestry had put Pennsylvania Civil War Muster Rolls on site. So I had to check them out. This image is of the "Muster-Out Roll of Captain Joseph A. Frey, Company, B, in the 153rd Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, commanded by Colonel Charles Glanz called into the service of the United States by the President at Bethlehem, (the place of general rendezvous,) on the Twelfth day of September, 1862, to serve for the term of Nine Months, from the date of enrollment, unless sooner discharged; from the Seventh day of October, 1862, (when Mustered in, ) to the Twenty fourth day of July, 1863, when Mustered out. The company was organized by Captain Joseph A. Frey at Bethlehem, in the month of September, 1862, and marched thence to Harrisburg, where it arrived the 25th of September, a distance of One Hundred and Eight miles." The second page of this document shows my second great grandfather, Jerome Van Bilyard, (one of the many ways I have found the spelling of VanBilliard),and his brother, Martin.

This gives the information of when they mustered in, 12 Sept 1862, and Jerome was 25, Martin 23. When they were last paid, February 28th, and this is July? so I guess this is what they are being paid as they are leaving, Jerome received $33.70 and Martin $28.28.

I would give the citation for this record using Evidence Explained as: Muster-out roll of Co. B, 153rd Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 12 Sept 1862-July 1863, Recruits, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Ancestry.com, "Pennsylvania, Civil War Muster Rolls, 1860-1869", 2015, digital image, citing PA State Archives, Record Group 19, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg.

The citation information on Ancestry makes no mention of the Pennsylvania State Archives. When you bring up the image the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission information comes up at the bottom of the screen. I went to the web site and found what record group the microfilm is in.

I did find more on Jerome and his brothers in the muster rolls, but I will save those for another day!