The Greeks and Romans held annual days of remembrance for loved ones (including soldiers) each year, festooning their graves with flowers and holding public festivals and feasts in their honor. Doylestown, Pennsylvania Grafton, West Virginia and Rochester, Wisconsin, have held parades since 1868, but the practice of decorating soldiers’ graves with flowers is an ancient custom. It stated that he never recovered from his treatment in prison.According to the Department of Veterans Affairs some 25 cities and towns claim to have originated Memorial Day. Janet's note: He received a pension for his war service. Unfortunately, he never recovered and died there on Sept 17, 1905. There was very little change in Elijah and in 1901 he was still in the hospital. revealed that Ellen Gough attempted to support her family by washing railroad cars. He was finally admitted to the WV Hospital for Insane at Weston on Jan 8, 1872. He gradually became worse, threatened to kill Ellen and complained there was a conspiracy against him. Then he went to work at the B&O shops in Grafton as a helper to the molders and again couldn't handle his assignments. Elijah attempted to support his family by working at a quarry, but couldn't do the job. After the war, they had more children including Francis Asbury (b. He was unable to carry out his assignments, but was mustered out with his regiment on June 10, 1865.Įllen stated that Elijah started with 'head trouble' while on leave in March and gradually deteriorated over the next few years. Nevertheless,he returned to his regiment in late April 1865. Even after 30 days of treatment, it did not heal properly. Elijah had scorbutus with a running sore on his back the size of a man's hand. When Elijah returned from prison, either his wife moved near the hospital in Grafton or had been living there because, instead of being admitted to the hospital, he lived at home where the hospital steward brought medication to him. He was paroled at Aikens'Landing, SC on and given 30 days furlough starting March 3, 1865. It was there that Elijah was among those men who were captured and taken to prison in Richmond, VA on Nov 28, 1864. Ellen moved her family to Rowlesburg to be near him, but shortly thereafter his company was transferred to New Creek. Within a few months of enlistment, Elijah was transferred to Rowlesburg. Sep 1, 1861), and Charles Oliver Gough (b. At the time they had 3 children: Martin Luther (b. L of the 6th WV Infantry in the rank of musician and he served first at Parkersburg as a fifer for the company. It was while Elijah was working in the coal mines near Scotch Hill (close to Newburg) that he joined the militia and then the army. They were listed in the 1860 census of Preston County. Then they moved to the Orr farm and then to Newburg where they lived near the B&O. Perhaps he visited the wrong recruiter on the first day! This was only two months after Confederate General 'Grumble: Jones had threatened Preston County in April and it was especially frightening for families living along the B&O in Newburg where Elijah, his wife and children were living.įor the first year after the marriage of Elijah and Martha Ellen Warthen, they lived within a mile of Evansville for a year. I cannot explain this discrepancy and suspect he was able to switch from the militia to the Volunteer Army. L, 6th Regiment WV Infantry on June 24, 1863. However, the record did not record a period of service and under comments indicated 'enlisted in cavalry for a period of six months.' His military records indicate he enlisted into Co. Goff (sic) enrolled in the 173rd Militia in Preston County under J.H.
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