Edwin Oliver Harrison

GEDCOM Note

Edwin Oliver Harrison was born on the East side of Lower Manhattan on Hamilton Street between Catherine and Market Streets and lived in Manhattan until about 1855. In 1850 he lived with his parents, William and Rebecca, his brother William, and his sisters. He lived in Stamford, CT. during and after July 1860, appearing on the census of August 1860 there with his parents. He was married to Harriet A Ketcham on September 27, 1860 at the Norfolk Street Baptist Church at 136 Madison St. NYC, by the Pastor Thomas Armitage. His son Edwin Judson was born in Stamford on March 25, 1861. His wife Harriet was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and later her family moved to Stamford. It is most likely that Oliver and Harriet met in Stamford. It is not known why they went to NYC to get married, unless Pastor Armitage was a favorite minister. The witness was Harriett's father, Sea Captain John Ketcham.

Edwin O enlisted in the Union Army (B. Co., 17th Reg. Connecticut Volunteers Infantry) in 1862 at Bridgeport, CT. His occupation at the time was a coal dealer. He returned to Stamford after the Civil War for two years, then moved to Brooklyn, NY, where he was in the wholesale cloth trade. He returned to Stamford about 1881, engaged in the grocery business. His wife, Harriet died in Stamford August 17, 1887 at the age of 43. She is buried in Woodland Cemetery in Stamford. Her parents, John and Eliza are also buried there and many other relatives of the Ketcham family. Originally from Islip, Long Island, her father was a Sea Captain and his father, Oliver Ketcham, was an oysterman. Stamford is directly across from Long Island Sound from Long Island.

About 1896, Edwin O. left Stamford and removed to Southold, Long Island. Southold is on Long Island Sound very near the Easternmost tip of the Island, quite close to Shelter Island, in Suffolk County. On November 12, 1896 he married a second wife, Mary E Overton in the M.E. Church, Southold, by the Rev. D. H. Howell. There they had a daughter, Henrietta L. Harrison, born April 28, 1898. He lived there until his death on January 9, 1921 at the age of 81, and is buried at Willow Hill, a small cemetery on Rt. 25 in Southold .

His Civil War record indicates his Company left Camp Aiken, Bridgeport, CT on November 3, 1862 for Baltimore. On November 3rd it was assigned to the 11th Corps (Army of the Potomac). The Corps was commanded by General Franz Sigel. they crossed the Potomac through Chantilly, Centreville, VA, and wintered in Brooks Station, near Fredericksburg, VA.. On April 27, 1863 they were called to Chancellorsville and the 11th Corps were commanded by General Oliver O Howard. On May 2 the 12,000 men of the 11th Corps were positioned on the right side of the defenses in the Wilderness, at Chancellorsville. The left side of the flank was anchored to the Rappahannock River. General Robert E Lee discovered the right flank “in the air” and sent Stonewall Jackson and 30,000 rebels to attack it. Stonewall marched undetected twelve miles in front of Fighting Joe Hooker’s 70,000 Union Army of the Potomac. While Howard’s men cooked supper, Stonewall Jackson attacked at 5:15, coming from the Wilderness, the unanchored right flank, and knocked down the 11th Corps like tenpins for two miles. Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men and died eight days later. It was here that Edwin O was captured and taken prisoner.

Edwin O was imprisoned in Richmond, VA. on May 9th, and later paroled at City Point, VA on May 14. A paroled prisoner of war was one released by the enemy under oath to not bear arms against the enemy again until formally exchanged. Exchanges were halted during May 1863 by the Union due to the South’s refusal to treat blacks captured as prisoners of war and shot them. Edwin O reported at College Green B’ks, MD. on May 16 and was sent to Washington DC on May 20th. to serve out his parole.

For his failure to detect and attack Lee’s smaller force at Chancellorsville and other timidity under pressure, Hooker was relieved as Commander of the Army of the Potomac and replaced by General George Gordon Meade on June 28, 1863. Howard, however, remained commander of the 11th Corps, and on July 1, 2 & 3, 1863, were positioned on Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg, PA. They were charged by Southern General Buell’s forces, but were not broken. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia retreated from Pennsylvania and Maryland, to below the Rappahannock River near Richmond. Edwin missed all this, being in Washington on parole.

The 11th Corps was transferred to the Department of the South and included in the 10th Corps, stationed at Folly Island, South Carolina on August 31, 1863 to Dec. 31, 1863. Edwin O returned from parole classification on October 18, 1863 and rejoined his unit at Folly Island.

The 10th Corps became part of the 24th Corps on February 23, 1864 and was stationed at Saint Augustine, Florida from February 28, 1864 to June 30th, 1865. there Co. B saw action at Volusia, Welaka, and Saunders Landing during May 1864. Many were captured at Volusia. During this period, Edwin O, on a later claim for a pension, stated he marched from Saint Augustine to Volusia, and then to Saunders Landing as a picket, suffering sunstroke and malarial poisoning. As there were no medical records to support his claim, he was denied a full pension, receiving a 'bc pension for disability in 1885. He did finally receive a regular pension in 1905 at the age of 75.

He was mustered out of the Army on July 19, 1865 at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina as a 1st Sgt. (Sergeant Major). He was paid a $100 bounty, which the Government paid $25 at enlistment and owed him $75 after he was mustered out plus $26.50 for clothing.

Various facts about him in 1885 are that he was 5’8 1/4", gray eyes, brown hair, 130 pounds, and had tattoos on his arms of a sailor & ship, and a star & anchor.

In 1987 or 1988 I called Aunt May Cooke, one of two surviving sisters of my Grandfather, Arthur Judson Harrison. Aunt May provided some scant information that her Grandfather lived in South Old Long Island with his second wife, his first one died.

I wrote to the Township there, without any dates of when he died, anytime from 1870 to whenever, and a woman there was extremely helpful to locate his death record. I think if she were not so generous and helpful and gone out of her way for me, I would never have gotten the information. I had no idea about when he died or even if he did die there.

The woman sent me the death record, I think the cost was $5. With that record I had his date of death, date of birth, his second wife's name, the town he was buried in, and that he was in the military, and his parents names confirming the relationship.

Also I had written the Stamford Historical Society, and they were able to tell me that an Edwin O Harrison had served in the Connecticut Company B 17th during the Civil War, and that a Harriet Harrison was buried in Woodland Cemetery. I had these two names from Edwin Judson Harrison's death certificate, and that Edwin Judson had been born in Stamford.

With that information I was able to write to the national archives for his military record. And when that arrived, it noted that he had a pension application on file, too, and that I could obtain that by writing to the Veteran's Administration.

The pension application information included a marriage certificate to Harriet Ketcham, date of birth, confirmation of the information from the Census of 1850 and 1860, handwritten letters, medical statistics, places he had lived and for how long, and his address in Southold, (not South Old), and some of his posts during the civil war.

The military records documented the campaigns he was in, his capture during the battle of Chancellorsville, and subsequent parole, then on to South Carolina and Florida. Interesting that his capture prevented him from going to Gettysburg with his outfit, and he wasn't in any other major battles.

Edwin O Harrison's birth is given as January 1, 1840 per a letter to Director of the Census January 18, 1915, copy dated January 10, 1921. He is listed in various census' s with his parents. No census information has yet been found with his first wife and first child. In 1870 he is not found in Stamford. Most likely he is in Brooklyn, NY at that time.

The Stamford City Directory for 1885-6 lists him as a grocer on Oliver Street. His son is also listed as E. Judson, grocer, also on Oliver Street with a home on Greenwich Ave. Interpreting the directory, it is clear that the grocery on Oliver Street was also Edwin O Harrison's home. The 1883-4 directory is the same except that the son lives on Oliver Street, too. Maps of Stamford in this time period shows close proximity to the streets and homes of the Ketcham family members.

Edwin O Harrison bought and sold a warranty according to the Stamford Land Records. He purchased the warranty from Lewis Marshall July 6, 1887 and sold it to Fannie M Eldred July 3, 1888. He or his son, only Edwin is given, also obtained a lease from Robert Scofield on January 6, 1883.

Edwin O Harrison made a pension application to the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Pensions, October 12, 1904. The application provides the following physical features: Color of eyes-gray;color of hair-brown; complexion-fair; height- 5'8 1/4 weight-128 lb.; tattoos in India ink on arms-sails & ship star & anchor, dates, chronology, and ailments. It includes an affidavit from his son, Edwin Judson Harrison regarding marriages and the surviving spouse for estate.

Regarding his final resting place, on 7/1/93 I spoke to Mr. David De Friest of De Friest Funeral Homes. The location of Edwin O Harrison's grave is towards east end in front large monument "Harrison and Horton" with individual markers for Edwin Harrison and Mary E Overton. Willow Hill is on Rt. 25 in Southold small cemetery. I believe Horton is sister/husband of Mary Overton.

With so many sources regarding his birth, service record, marriages, locations, and death, there is a clear understanding that he was the son of William H Harrison and Rebecca Fox and the father of Edwin Judson Harrison.

UNITED STATES CENSUS 1840, NEW YORK CITY Prior to 1850, only head of household was listed, other members of household were tallied by ages only; Wm H Harrison; 2 males under 5 yrs, 1 male 30-40, 1 female 5-10, 1 female 20-30, 1 female 40-50

UNITED STATES CENSUS AUGUST 1850, NEW YORK CITY 10th Ward, New York City, County of New York Wm Harrison 50 M Undertaker England Rebecca " 43 F " William " 24 M Pencil Case Maker New York Sarah " 23 F ( Presumed wife of Wm Jr ) " Henrietta " 17 F " Ann Matilda " 15 F " Sarah " 13 F " Edwin " 11 M " Rebecca " 9 F " Priscilla " 7 F " Celina " 5 F " Mary E " 1 F " Hester " 7/12 F " Catherine Sweeny 38 F ( Presumed Boarder ) Ireland

UNITED STATES CENSUS JULY 1860, STAMFORD, CT Town of Stamford, County of Fairfield William Harrison 60 M Cabinet Maker England Rebecca " 52 F " Edwin " 20 M New York Rebecca " 18 F " Priscilla " 16 F " Mary E " 11 F " Ann L " 4 F "