George Thompson Fonda
Representing: Union
G.A.R Post
- Isaac Stevens Post #1 Seattle, King Co. WA
Unit History
- 7th Missouri Infantry I
Photo courtesy Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room in The Seattle Public Library
Seattle Daily Times Monday, Jul 14, 1913 Seattle, WA Page: 10
Seattle Daily Times Monday, Jul 14, 1913 Seattle, WA Page: 5
Tacoma times Tuesday, Jul 15, 1913 Tacoma, WA Vol: 10 Page: 9
Soldier History
He was cremated. Location of his ashes is unknown. It is assumed they are with family or friends. Find A Grave Memorial 119653323.
George T. Fonda
Residence was not listed;
Enlisted on 6/1/1861 at St Louis, MO as a Sergeant.
On 6/1/1861 he mustered into "I" Co. MO 7th Infantry
He was Mustered Out on 6/14/1864
(Estimated date of enlistment)
Promotions:
* 2nd Lieut
* 1st Lieut
Sources used by Historical Data Systems, Inc.:
- Index to Compiled Military Service Records
- Official Army Register of the Volunteer Force 1861-1865
(c) Historical Data Systems, Inc. @ www.civilwardata.com
Family History
| Highest Rank | 1st Lieutenant |
| Unit | Co. F, 7th Missouri Infantry |
| Date | between 1890 and 1915 |
| Born | April, 1830 |
| Place Born | Fulton County, NY |
| Died | Julyl 13, 1913 |
| Place Died | Seattle, WA |
| Buried | cremation |
| Service Record | Enlisted (age 31; residence Chicago, IL) as a Sergeant 6/3/1861 and 6/26/1861 mustered into "I" Co. MO 7th Infantry; discharged 10/19/1862 for promotion to 2nd Lieutenant; transferred to “F” Co. MO 7th Infantry 8/4/1863; promoted to 1st Lieutenant; Mustered Out on 6/14/1864 |
| Obit/Notes | --Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Tuesday, July 15, 1913, page 7, column C [photo] GEORGE T. FONDA HEARS LAST TAPS Death of Distinguished Civil War Officer--Seattle Pioneer LEAVES MANY FRIENDS Lived Here Thirty-Six Years and for Quarter Century Kept the West Point Light George Thompson Fonda, distinguished officer in the Union army during the civil war, keeper of the West Point light for nearly a quarter of a century and resident of Seattle for more than thirty-six years, died Sunday night at his home near Fort Lawton, in his 84th year. He had not been ill, but the infirmities of age had been creeping upon him during the past few years. He had not felt quite so well as usual for two or three days, and he closed his eyes and passed away like one falling into peaceful sleep. Mr. Fonda was the pioneer inhabitant of the Fort Lawton district. After he left the lighthouse service five years ago he built a cottage overlooking the sea, on a bluff north of the fort, where he could still see the flash of the beloved West Point beacon. Here with his wife he spent the happy evening of his long and useful life. All the older residents of the city knew Mr. Fonda well. His acquaintance among seafaring men naturally was large, and in the Grand Army, especially among survivors of Gen. Grant's Vicksburg campaign, he was greatly honored for his wartime achievements. Mr. Fonda was born at Fonda, N. Y. in 1830. When Fort Sumter was fired on he sought to enlist in a Michigan regiment. Becoming impatient with the slowness in getting the state troops together he went with others to Illinois and then to Missouri, which was nearer to the front and where patriots were urgently needed. He was enrolled as a private in the Seventh Missouri infantry in June, 1861. In May, 1863, when Gen. Grant was in the hottest part of the campaign to open the Mississippi and split the Confederacy by means of the open river, Fonda was a first lieutenant and commander of the sappers and miners in Grant's army operating behind Vicksburg. He had been promoted a little time before for gallantry while serving in the ranks. County Auditor Byron Phelps, formerly an officer of the Third Illinois cavalry, who first saw Capt. Fonda at Vicksburg, and who was his neighbor at Fort Lawton, said yesterday: "Capt. Fond was engineer in charge of all the building of bridges and pontoons across the streams behind Vicksburg and did marvelous work there. He was a magnificent figure of a man, full of energy, a splendid officer. No amount of labor could wear him down. I remember how he impressed me and others as we saw him on the banks of Black river, by his fine physique and his natural force as a leader of men. I knew him only slightly then, but I admired him greatly. He built a bridge across Black river in an incredibly short time, less than one day, using only debris, lumber, logs and cotton bales. The main body of Grant's army crossed the bridge the next day to attack Vicksburg. I was among the troops that rode over the Fonda bridge. Capt. Fonda's bridge building feats made him famous in Grant's army." Mr. Fonda served three years in the army and was offered a majorship when he retired. Mr. Fonda was married July 25, 1864, to Miss Cornelia Matilda Shultes, who survives him as do his two daughters, Dr. Fonda Nadeau, a practicing physician of Seattle, and Mrs. Flora Nadeau, wife of Ira A. Nadeau, manager of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. The funeral will take place today at 11 o'clock under the direction of Stevens post of the Grand Army. |
Cemetery
Buried at CWV CREMATED BURIALS & UNKNOWN BURIALS