Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State - Aaron Powers

11^th ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: 4/30/61 Springfield, IL
Mustered Out: 7/30/61 Baird’s Pt., MO

8^th ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: 7/25/61 Cairo, IL
Mustered Out: 5/4/66 Baton Rouge, LA

REGIMENTAL HISTORY: (11^th)

   Organized as a 3 month regiment in July 1861 the 11^th was reorganized as a 3-year unit which, until its final muster, was to see hard service throughout the Western Theater of the war.

   Early months of 1865 found the unit engaged in operations against Mobile, AL, which were to result in the fall of that city to Federal forces. The 11^th next moved to Baton Rouge, LA where it was disbanded.

 REGIMENTAL HISTORY: (8^th)

   Organized as a 3-month regiment, in July 1861 the 8^th was re-mustered for three years.  Active service “throughout the west” was to follow with engagements at Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Mobile, and many “lesser known” locations.

   By mid ’65 the 8^th was encamped at Marshall, TX where it performed guard duty and took part in “occasional expeditions for the protection of government property and officials.” Lastly, the unit moved to Baton Rouge, LA where it received final muster. 

SOLDIER: (11^th) 
Residence: Brookfield, LaSalle Co., IL   Age: 35.9 yrs.
Enlisted/Enrolled: 2/28/65 Springfield, IL   Rank: Pvt.
Mustered In: 2/28/65 Springfield, IL
Transferred Out: 7/14/65 (to the 8^th IL.)
Mustered Out: 2/27/66
Highest Rank: Pvt.

SOLDIER: (8^th)
Residence:  Brookfield LaSalle Co., IL   Age: 36.2 yrs.
Transferred In: 7/14/65 (from 11^th IL)
Mustered Out: 2/27/66
Highest Rank: Pvt.

FAMILY/PERSONAL HISTORY:

NOTE:  The original birth – to – death biographical profile of Aaron Powers was written during the early years of the Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State project. As a result it was limited in both size and the availability of research resources.
 

The biography which follows was created in May, 2019. While it is much more detailed than its predecessor, it lacks the depth of more recent additions to this website which draw heavily upon veteran-related military, pension and other records housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

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  According to a family source, Aaron F. Powers, a descendent of one of the families that came to America on the Mayflower, was born 4/20/29 in St. Clair Co., IL. His parents were John (b. 1804 MA) and Nancy (b. Ford b. 1808 MA) Powers. The Powers family was a farm family.

Aaron was the second of eleven children born to John and Nancy. However, only ten of those – including Aaron are identified in available documents.  The name of his older sibling is not known. Those younger than he that are named are: John H. (b. 1831), Mary (b. 1834), Nathaniel H 1837 d. 1837) Charles R. (b. 1837), Lucy J. (b. 1838) Harriet Ann 1840 d.1847) and Susan (b. 1843) Clara Amelia 1847) All were born in Illinois.

Aaron learned the duties of farm life at an early age. At 25 he started a farm of his own in or near Brookfield Lasalle Co., IL.

 In 1856 Aaron married Margaret S. Leech/Leach (b. 1836 OH). Aaron and Margaret produced three children: Robert Watts (b. 4/6/1857 LaSalle, IL d. 2/16/1845 WA), John F. (b. 4/30/59 IL – d. 2/1/1860 IL), and Aaron S.  (b. 5/13/61 – d.  6/7/1862 IL). Margaret Powers also died on 2/26/62 in Lasalle Co., IL. No details are available pertaining to her passing.

  In 1865, at the age of 35.2 years Aaron entered in the U.S. Army with the 11^th Illinois infantry. It was while with this unit at Springfield, IL and at Mobile, AL that he contracted chronic diarrhea and rheumatism. With the ending of the War of the Rebellion and the dissolution of the 11^th IL Private Powers transferred to the 8^th IL.

  Leaving the army in 1866 Aaron resumed farming in Brookfield. He remained there until sometime in   1874 when he moved to West Blue Township, Adams Co., NE. There he homesteaded 160 acres of farm land.  He also acquired a timber claim and a tract of railroad land. While living in Nebraska Aaron became active in community affairs, was a member of the board of education, and   responsible member of the local Presbyterian Church.

  Dropping back a bit, In 1867 Aaron Powers had remarried.   His new bride was Ann Clark (b.10/18/46), a native of Scotland.

The union of Aaron and Ann produced  nine children: John T. (b. 12/26/67 IL d. 1867 IL), Aaron Clark (b. 6/15/69 IL d. 1933 IL), Agnes May (b. 1871 – d. 1879), James Aaron (b. 1872 – d. 1879), Ann E. b. 1874 – d. 1879), Bertha  (b. 1876 – d. 1879), Inez E. (b 4/30/80 NB d.), Ida Ann (b. 8/20/82 NB d. 1966 WA) and  Phoebe (b. 9/6/86 NB d. 1975 WA).

1879. A bitter sweet year for the Powers family. On one hand, on 9/27/79 they received the patent (deed) to their homestead. On the other, Aaron and Ann lost four of their children that year. Undoubtably their deaths came from some terrible epidemic of Cholera that swept across Nebraska and elsewhere that year.

The Powers family farmed in Denver Adams Co., NB until 1897. That year saw them move to Snohomish, Snohomish Co., Washington Terr. /State. What prompted the move to the Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest is not documented, but some of their adult children lived in the area.  

Aaron died in Snohomish, Snohomish Co, WA on 2/20/05. The cause of his death was, apparently, heart failure. He was/is buried in the Grand Army Of The Republic (G.A.R.) Cemetery in Snohomish.

After Aaron’s death Ann remained in Snohomish. In 1910 she was residing with married daughter Ida and her family. In 1920 and ‘30 she was with the family of married daughter Phoebe.

Ann died on 12/15/77. She was/is buried beside Aaron in the Snohomish G.A.R. Cemetery.

Buried at Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery Snohomish
Row: 7
Site: 5

John E. Corbally & Family
Snohomish, WA