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INTRODUCTION
Frederick Ferdinand Sievert/Sewart was born on May 25, 1845, in a small Prussian village known at that time as, Suckow an der Ihna [on the river Ihna]. This village was part of the Pommern Province in the Kingdom of Prussia. 25 years later Prussia would become the driving force behind the unification of its sister States into the creation of Germany. After WWII, the village of Suckow was absorbed into Poland and its name changed to Zukowo.
Frederick was the third of four children born to August Ferdinand Sievert (1816 - 1846) and Auguste Wilhelmine Holzhüter (1821...
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INTRODUCTION
Frederick Ferdinand Sievert/Sewart was born on May 25, 1845, in a small Prussian village known at that time as, Suckow an der Ihna [on the river Ihna]. This village was part of the Pommern Province in the Kingdom of Prussia. 25 years later Prussia would become the driving force behind the unification of its sister States into the creation of Germany. After WWII, the village of Suckow was absorbed into Poland and its name changed to Zukowo.
Frederick was the third of four children born to August Ferdinand Sievert (1816 - 1846) and Auguste Wilhelmine Holzhüter (1821 - 1893). To his biological father and mother were also born:
• August Friedrick Ferdinand Sievert (born 26 Oct 1842, baptized 13 Nov 1842, died 18 Dec 1842 from Krämpfe [convulsions]
• Edward Hermann Sievert/Sewart (1844 - 1922)
• Justine Wilhelmina "Minnie" (Sievert/Sewart) Krohn (1847 - 1926)
Fred's father suffered from the disease, Zurückgetretene Gicht (Arthritis/gout). Another old term for this is Arthritis Retrograde. Sadly, when Fred was only one year old, his father died from complications associated with his disease. He was 30 years old.
BOYHOOD YEARS
Fred's granddaughter, Wilma (Griffin) Logan, was very fond of her grandfather and recorded a story often told to her of his boyhood. After the death of his father, Fred's mother could only offer housework or laundry services to other families as a means to care for her children. Consequently, Fred and his brother were often cold and hungry. One day Fred had no food the entire day and went to bed hungry. The next morning, he began his walk to school without a lunch pail and began praying quietly and asking God for food when he noticed a boy walking a short distance ahead of him. As he prayed Fred saw the boy stop, open his lunch bucket, take out a sandwich and remark, "I don't like this kind of sandwich." As Fred caught up with the boy the sandwich was placed on a fence post. Wilma indicates her grandfather, to his dying day, gave God credit for inspiring that boy to place the sandwich on the post. She indicated it was easy to understand why her grandfather could never bear to see a human or animal hungry. He fed every person or beast that ever stopped at his home in Kansas.
On 28 Nov 1850, at the age of 29 1/2 years, his mother married her second husband, Christian Wohlfeil, a farmer. To this new union were born Fred's three maternal half-siblings:
• Frederika Louisa Wohlfeil (1854 -?)
• Ernestina "Lina" K. (Wohlfeil) Durant (1858 - 1931)
• Mary Amelia "Emily" (Wohlfeil) Speer (1859 - 1931)
AMERICA, HERE WE COME
At the age of 15, Frederick and his family emigrated from Prussia to the United States. They departed Hamburg in 1860 on the immigrant sailing ship, Sir Robert Peel. Emigrant passengers on such sea journeys faced many dangers and never knew exactly how long the voyage would take. Not only was the north Atlantic Ocean an unforgiving place, but passengers had to contend with dangers associated with the ship itself.
When ship owners discovered transporting emigrants was a new source of profit, they built a flimsy, temporary floor beneath the main deck and on top of the cargo hold. Calling it the "Steerage" deck, sometimes the flooring was set so far down in the hold that bilge water would seep up through the planking. Rats scurried about. Ventilation and light came only from the hatches when they were open. The only lights in the compartment were a few hanging lamps along the side which could be lit at night. Privacy in the crowded steerage hold was minimal at best, especially for a family with six children.
The length of a sailing ship voyage between Hamburg and New York depended on wind conditions and the weather. The average crossing took 43 days and the longer crossings often took 63 days. My ancestors' voyage started in late March of 1860. They arrived in New York on the 12th of May. A review of the ship manifest indicates the family was headed for Canada, but Frederick's obituary indicates he lived in New York for two years.
Family church baptism records indicate his biological father's surname was, "Sievert." However, various U.S. historical records identify his family name as, "Sewart." It is unclear if this change was the result of a misspelling, an anglicization of his last name, or a personal choice.
LAND OF LINCOLN
In 1862, Frederick and his family migrated to Illinois and settled in the farming community of West Township in Effingham County. Historical reports indicate many immigrants to Illinois in those days did so as tenant farmers hoping to save enough money over time to eventually buy their own farmland. Since Union Army recruiting was commonplace in Illinois during the Civil War, young men from farming families often saw the pay incentives as their ticket to faster land ownership. In the years 1863-1864, the volunteer options included short-term regiments known as, "Hundred Days Men." Such regiments were lightly trained and designed to serve as guards, laborers, and rear echelon soldiers so that more veteran combat units could be reallocated to the battlefield. According to the poster (see photos section), new recruits were offered a bonus, a.k.a., bounty, of $300 plus a salary of $18 per month. When adjusted for inflation, $300 translates to $4971.86 in 2019 dollars.
COMPANY K, 143rd ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY REGIMENT
On May 16, 1864, Fred Sewart (age 18) enlisted in the Union Army at Mattoon, Illinois. Joining him was his older brother, Edward (age 19). The Sewart brothers were assigned to Company K of the 143rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. A "Company" was the smallest infantry fighting unit during the Civil War. It typically consisted of 100 men at its inception but due to casualties, illnesses, and desertions, this number was often lower. A "Regiment" was typically made up of 10 Companies commanded by a Colonel and a Major serving as executive officer. Regiments were usually grouped together with other regiments to form a Brigade commanded by a Brigadier General. Regiments from the same state were typically brigaded together.
The 143rd Regiment mustered in for 100 days on June 11, 1864, and marched to Memphis, Tennessee. They arrived on June 16 and were assigned to the 4th Brigade, District of Memphis. Union forces had control of the town and for the next 40 days, the 143rd supported Union objectives for maintaining order, arresting secessionists, guarding lines of transportation and supplies, administration of a prison for captured confederate prisoners, and ensuring continued control of the Mississippi River.
HELL-N-ARKANSAS
70 miles to the south, Federal forces occupied Helena, Arkansas. There on the bank of the Mississippi River was Fort Curtis. Strategically located not far above Vicksburg, it was an important Union enclave used as a base for the successful campaign to siege Little Rock.
In late July of 1864, 1,000 Confederate cavalrymen, under the command of Brigadier General Joseph Shelby, were dispatched to raid Phillips County plantations that were being operated under the auspices of the U.S. government. It was during this time that the battle of Big Creek at Wallace's Ferry took place. On July 25, the Union commander in Helena, Brigadier General Napoleon Bonaparte Buford, sent out a reconnaissance of USCT to locate and hinder the operations of the Rebel horsemen. The USCT found themselves several miles outside the security and relative safety of the Union garrison in Helena. In the countryside in Phillips lurked the Confederate army. On July 26, 1864, the USCT became surrounded by the Confederate cavalry. A battle lasted for five hours before a Union cavalry unit arrived and opened a gap that allowed the USCT to escape back to Helena. The next day, the 143rd Illinois was ordered to Helena. They arrived the following day and were assigned garrison duty.
Helena was a miserable place at the time. Not only was the town recovering from flooding in April, but overcrowding with federal troops also caused the town to suffer from housing shortages and poor health and sanitation facilities. Conditions during July and August were such that soldiers had to endure 93°F temperatures with high humidity levels. Such conditions contributed to soldiers having to contend with illnesses such as pneumonia, typhoid, diarrhea/dysentery, and malaria. Union soldiers occupying the town dubbed it, "Hell in Arkansas."
It was in this environment that Frederick Sewart performed his duties. His pension application paperwork indicates that while in the line of duty, he contracted Rheumatism in his arms and hips due to exposure. On 10 Sept. the 143rd started its return to Mattoon and mustered out on Sept. 26 (110 days) having sustained 55 casualties from disease. Many soldiers who returned home would subsequently file claims for Invalid Pensions. Such was the case with Frederick.
THE VETERAN MARRIES HIS SWEETHEART
For the next seven years, Fred worked as a laborer on his family farm in West Township, Effingham County, Illinois. Sometime during this period he met and fell in love with a farmer's daughter from Avena Township in adjacent Fayette County. On July 30, 1871, Fred was united in marriage to Sarah Ann Cochran in St. Elmo. Officiating at the ceremony was J. H. Young, Justice of the Peace from Vandalia.
Shortly after his marriage to Sarah, Fred and his wife moved to Missouri where they farmed near Bethany, in Harrison County. They lived there for about seven years and added three children to their family:
• Catherine Elmina (Sewart) Griffin (1872 - 1953)
• Ala Edward Sewart (1876 - 1923)
• Louis Elmer Sewart (1877 - 1949)
HOLLIS, KS
In March of 1879, Fred and Sarah moved again. This time to Hollis, Kansas - an unincorporated farming village in Lawrence Township, Cloud County. A fourth child was added to their family shortly thereafter, i.e., Maude Beatrice (Sewart) Cook (1879 - 1965).
Fred continued his trade as a farmer in Hollis. A copy of a Cloud County Warranty Deed indicates that on November 14, 1881, Fred purchased 80 acres of land in Lawrence Township from Milton Tootle (the founder of Miltonvale) and his wife. The cost was $440. An 1885 Atlas of the township indicates Fred had acquired an additional 80 acres that were adjacent to his farmland for a total of 160 acres. The land is located at the S/W corner of Wagon Road and 203rd road, which is a half-mile north of the old Hollis village - a ghost town today.
By 1882, Fred's sister Minnie (Krohn), brother Edward, half-sister Emily (Speer), half-sister Lina (Durant), and both his mother Auguste and step-father Christian had also moved to Lawrence Township, Cloud County, Kansas. They remained a close-knit family for the rest of their lives.
A MAN OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
In her written account, Fred's granddaughter characterized him as a good Christian man who was very generous to his Church. Having lived his early boyhood years in Prussia, Fred's exposure to Christianity was in the Lutheran tradition. His obituary indicates he experienced being Confirmed by the Lutheran church in his early teens and that at about 22 years of age he had a conversion experience where his faith in Christ became very personal and meaningful for him.
Fred and Sarah were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Hollis. Cloud County historical land documents indicated Fred and Sarah donated an acre of farmland (technically a sale at the price of $1.00) to his church. A church building was constructed on the donated acre and used for several years as a place of worship. Years later when the parishioners wanted to move the church into the Hollis village, Fred reclaimed the one-acre of donated land by purchasing it back from the church at a cost of what was then the fair market value. Fred and Sarah later became members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and remained in good standing until their deaths.
Fred farmed his land in Hollis until he retired in 1909 and moved with Sarah to Miltonvale, Kansas. They lived in a very modest home at the corner of South George Street and Duckworth Avenue, which was next door to their daughter, Catherine, son-in-law John Griffin, and grandchildren, Wilma, Rovesta, Maude, and Wilber.
Fred's obituary describes him as a loved man who was a kind and thoughtful husband and an affectionate father who, "exhibited an earnest effort to promote the work of God and so long as physically able he labored faithfully and unceasingly in the Lord's service." It goes on to indicate that, towards the end of his life he expressed himself as prepared to go and remarked, "I wish God would take me home."
On October 20, 1913, he died in Miltonvale of complications associated with a cerebral hemorrhage and paralysis. He was 68 years old. He is buried in the Hollis Cemetery.
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SOURCE MATERIAL
Emigration From Hamburg, by Carol Gohsman Bowen,
http://www.emecklenburg.de/Mecklenburg/en/hambrg.htm
The War in Arkansas
https://www.nytimes.com/1864/08/07/archives/the-war-in-arkansas-fight-near-helena-particulars-of-the-repulse-of.html
Invalid Pension Application 502049 and Certificate 599052, U.S. Civil War Pension Files, U.S. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
History of the Union federal and Confederate state pensions systems, Kathleen L. Gorman, Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, VirginiaTech https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/civil-war-pensions.html
Introduction To Civil War Infantry, Department of History, O.S.U. https://ehistory.osu.edu/exhibitions/Regimental/infantry
Civil War Army Organization, American Battlefield Trust, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/civil-war-army-organization
Civil War Battle Unit Details, Union Illinois Volunteers, National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitCode=UIL0143RI
Union Regimental Histories [from] Illinois, Civil War Archive, http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unilif11.htm
A Reasonable Degree of Promptitude, Civil War Pension Application Processing, by Claire Prechtel-Kluskens https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/spring/civilwarpension.html |
