Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State - David Page

10^th NEW YORK VOLUNTEER HEAVY ARTILLERY
Organized: 12/31/62 Sackett's Harbor, NY
Mustered In: 9/11/62 - 12/7/62
Mustered Out: 6/23/65 Petersburg, VA
Discharged: 6/23/65 Petersburg, VA

193^rd NEW YORK VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: 3/6/65 Albany, NY
Mustered In: 3/6/65 - 4/9/65
Mustered Out: 1/18/66 Harper's Ferry, WVA
Discharged: 1/18/66 Harper's Ferry, WVA

REGIMENTAL HISTORY: (10^th)

  Formation of the 10^th, a three year "eastern theater" regiment was effected under orders of the U.S. War Department which consolidated three existing battalions of New York artillery. The "heavy artillery" designation generally referred to manning, for the most part, stationary guns within forts and other defensive positions. As such, once amalgamated, battalions and brigades of the 10^th were broken off and assigned to served in forts in New York harbor and the defensive perimeter of Washington, D.C.

  In the spring of 1864 Union Gen. U.S. Grant marshaled his armies for a southward push through Virginia which would ultimately bring an end to four years of bloody civil war. As part of this movement, many regiments of "heavies" were stripped from behind-the-lines fortifications and placed in the field to serve either as either artillery or infantry troops, or both. During this period contingents of the 10^th served in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and at Bermuda Hundred in front of Richmond.

  With the War over, in late June, 1865 much of the 10^th was honorably discharged, while those men not so entitled were transferred into companies/batteries which were then assigned to the 6th NY Volunteer Artillery until mustered out of service.

REGIMENTAL HISTORY: (193^rd)

  *NOTE: Enlistment/Enrollment in this regiment was under name David Mallory

   The 193^rd, a three year "eastern theater" regiment was recruited from throughout the State of New York and mustered into Federal service, by companies during the waning days of The Rebellion. In that sense it was somewhat unique because at that late date new recruits were generally being added to existing regiments rather than new ones being created as was the earlier habit.

  After leaving the state in March and April, 1865, the 193^rd served in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, in the District of West Virginia and, finally, in the Middle Department before bring mustered out of service in late July. Despite its short term of service and lack of combat exposure, 25 enlisted men of the 193^rd perished from accidents, disease and other causes.

SOLDIER: (10th)
Residence: Marble Rock, Canada   Age: 32 yrs. (est)
Enlisted/Enrolled: 8/7/62 Orleans, NY   Rank: Pvt.
Mustered In: 8/12 or 13/62
Deserted: 9/10/62
Highest Rank: Pvt

SOLDIER: (193^rd)
Residence: Inf. Not Avail.   Age: 35 yrs. (est.)
Enlisted/Enrolled: 3/21/65 Syracuse, NY   Rank: Pvt.
Mustered In: 3/21/65
Discharged:  8/25/65 New Creek, VA
Highest Rank: Pvt. 

PERSONAL/FAMILY HISTORY:

  David Page was born in September,  1830, likely in the township of Lansdowne, Leeds County, Ontario Province, Canada to parents David  Able (or Able David) (b. VT) and Elizabeth ( possible middle name Dorkish)  (nee Wood b. NY) Page. Although he apparently had brothers and sisters, only the name of one sister, Polly, has survived the mists of time.  While the dynamics of David's birth family are not known, they must not been exceptionally good for, at some point in his young life, he was adopted to some degree - at least emotionally if not physically and legally - by a man known now only as "old Uncle David Mallory." At that time David gained the middle name, Mallory. Nothing additional is known about his childhood, formative, teenaged or early adult years.

  On January 23^rd, 1856 in the township of Leeds in County, upper Canada David M. Page wed the previously married Amy M. "Emma" (nee Touhay/Toobay b.1827) Moore whose husband had died. Indications are that David and Amy had known one another since childhood. The ceremony reportedly took place at the home of the late husband's father.   Indications are that Amy birthed five children by Mr. Moore, two of whom she brought into the relationship with David: Hiram (b. 1851 Canada West) and Elzina (b. 1856 Canada West). As for David being able to support this readymade family, available documents indicate he was by occupation, a farmer, "but would take anything (in the line of work) he could do."

  After her marriage to David, Amy reportedly gave birth to four children. However, the names of only two are documented:  Able, born in 1858 and Emma born 1864. Both came into the world in Canada.

  Following his wedding and birth of his first child, documentation on David next finds him in August, 1862 when, although residing in Canada, he enlisted in the Union Army to serve as an artilleryman during America's Civil War. Perhaps he signed up only to collect whatever monetary enlistment bonuses may have been available at the time because, a few scant weeks afterwards, he deserted his unit, never to return.  He did, however, return to Canada.

  In March, 1865, as the Civil War wound to a close, David once again volunteered for service in the U.S. Army. Again, it is possible that monetary incentives may have prompted the enlistment. The fact that on this occasion he enlisted using his adopted Middle name, Mallory, as his surname would seem to indicate he did not want his previous enlistment/desertion detected. Once more, although with a more "honorable" result, his term of service was brief, but apparently with lasting consequences as he was to later request and be granted a U.S. Government disability pension based on contracting consumption (tuberculosis) during this period. Perhaps having the disease is why, when private Mallory's discharge was granted, it was from a hospital in Virginia rather than with the rest of his company.  

  The U.S. Army behind him once again, it appears David returned to Canada   where he and his family stayed one summer before moving southward to the State of Michigan in the U.S. There are indications they initially settled in or near the community of St. John's, but as of the 1870 census were residing in the Clinton County community of Bingham.  David's occupation during this period has been noted as both "ditching" and "farming."
In 1871 David and family moved from Bingham to nearby LeRoy, MI. What his occupation was in LeRoy is open to conjecture, but in 1879 it took an interesting turn. That is the year David became a "cancer doctor" - perhaps self-proclaimed - and began "travelling around all the time." Amy and the children could not always be with him, so they stayed in Michigan moving, the following year, to a "homestead" in nearby Rose Lake, Osceola County, MI. In the home with her at the time, besides son Able, was a male named Iria identified as an "adopted son." Living “next door,” such as it may have been, were William and Emma Horn, David and Amy's daughter and her husband.

  Amy was later to state that after her husband began to travel he was sick so much of the time that it took nearly all he earned to support himself. Still, he would send home funds whenever he could.

  It appears David severed communications ties between he and Amy between 1881 and 1899 although what their communicative relationship was over the next approximately six years is not clear. What is clearer is that throughout the years following his departure from Michigan David is said to have travelled to North Dakota. There he met and teamed up with a Mrs. Deborah Cummings/Ovitt.  According to later testimony, at some point the two left North Dakota for Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington where they lived together. The U.S. Census for 1900 in Tacoma listed David M. Page as being single.

  It seems that following Mrs. Cummings/Ovitt’s death in March, 1905 David called for Amy to leave Michigan and join him in Tacoma where he owned a house and a separate lot. Amy then left LeRoy in April and moved westward.

  Reunited, David and Amy remained in Tacoma until 1907 when they removed northward to the Snohomish County, Washington community of Arlington. That same year David applied for a U.S. Government pension based on ailments which he traced back to his time of Civil War soldiering. While a monthly stipend was subsequently granted, the amount of that payment is not known.

  It was in Arlington, WA on 2/25/09 while living at 2512 Cedar St. 79yrs. 2mos. old David M. Page died from what his Everett, WA Herald obituary termed "a general breakdown resulting from advanced years." Burial was in Everett's Evergreen Cemetery. 

  After David's death it appears in April, 1910 while, still in Arlington, Amy and/or her children tried to obtain a portion of her late husband’s government pension. From what can be gleaned from available paperwork Amy at this time was in poor health, bedridden, blind and partially deaf. During the application process, pension authorities for the U.S. Government attempted to severe Amy's financial ties to David by claiming he had remarried to Deborah Cummings/Ovitt.  Amy, however, steadfastly asserted that David had never remarried, only lived with the other woman because he was too sick to live on his own. One pension official noted that Amy, who could barely breathe at the time of her giving a deposition "lacked candor when testifying.” In conclusion, he noted that she was "poor white trash" trying to get a (widow's) pension, the process of doing so of which left many questions to be as to whether she was divorced from Page or Page had divorced her and remarried to Cummings or where was some kind of common law relationship between the latter two. There is no indication Amy ever received any payment.  When Amy died and where she was buried is not known.

Buried at Evergreen Cemetery Everett
Row: 26
Site: 313

Dennis Lawler WCWA WA