Albion Paris Cobb

[Biographical summary provided by great-great-grandson, Robert Hanscom -- 2 March 2015]

ALBION PARIS COBB was born in Limington, Maine, 14 June 1815, the eleventh child of Nathan and Mary (Sawyer) Cobb. He was named in honor of a former Governor of Maine, Albion K. Parris. As a young man, Albion P. Cobb moved to Chatham, New Hampshire, the same community where his older brothers Nicholas and Nathan had settled several years earlier. He purchased a farm in Chatham and prospered until late 1850s. But, due to a number of external circumstances (including unexpected debt), Albion came under significant financial stress. His farm began to fail, and – by early 1863 – he and his family were on the brink of losing his property to creditors.

On 21 August 1863, he enlisted in Lewiston, Maine as a private in the Third Regiment of Maine Volunteers, and began service in the Civil War. He stepped in as a substitute for a wealthy young man, Moses D. Dow of Paris, Maine, who appears to have paid him $300 to take his place. At the time, Albion P. Cobb was 48 years old, although – upon enlistment – he stated he was just 40. His description is given as “farmer of Fryeburg, Maine”, married, with a dark complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair.

Albion was immediately sent to Virginia and was stationed near Culpeper, Virginia. He engaged in battle at the “Mine Run Campaign” (27-29 November 1863) and was badly wounded in what turned out to be one of the worst Union defeats of the Civil War. According to family stories, he lay wounded in sub-freezing temperatures for over 24 hours before his regiment was finally able to retreat. He was brought to the division hospital at Brandy Station, but efforts to save him were futile. On 2 December 1863, he died at the age of 48 years.

Two letters that he wrote to his wife from the battlefield – one dated 27 September 1863 and the other, 3 October 1863 – have been preserved, and are in the possession of a great-great-grandson, Paul Lusky of Stow, Maine. In the letters, he repeatedly asks his wife if she has received “the $300” – presumably the money that Moses D. Dow had agreed to pay him as his substitute.

Albion Paris Cobb was married in Chatham, New Hampshire, 1 January 1848, to ELIZABETH PERHAM EATON, known as “Betsey”, b. Fryeburg, Maine, 2 January 1815, daughter of William Jr. and Nancy (Farrington) Eaton. Betsey was a direct descendant of many of the earliest families of Andover, Massachusetts (e.g., the Osgood, Farnham, Farrington, Holt, Ingalls, and Abbott families, among others), as well as a descendant of the Putnam family of Salem witchcraft fame. Following Albion P. Cobb’s death, Betsey (Eaton) Cobb applied for a Civil War Widow’s Pension (22 June 1864). By that point in time, she was living in Stow, Maine. She remained there until her death on 11 October 1879, age 64 years. She is buried alone in the Chatham Center Cemetery in Chatham, NH, but her grave is marked by a flag (placed by the Hanscom family) to commemorate her husband’s sacrifice as a Civil War fatality.