Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State - Thomas Cheetham

8^th MINNESOTA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: Summer/Fall, 1862
Mustered In: Summer/Fall, 1862 By Companies
Mustered Out:  7/11/1865 Ft. Snelling St. Paul, MN

REGIMENTAL HISTORY:

The 8^th Minnesota was a three year infantry regiment. During the American Civil War (ACW), it began its existence fighting not Johnny Reb in the South, but Native American hostiles then preying upon settlers along Minnesota’s western border which was, then, America’s western frontier.

As they were mustered into Federal service as “mounted infantry,” companies of the 8^th were sent to Ft. Ripley and then assigned to various areas along Minnesota’s western border. In this vein, Co. “A” was assigned to Anoka and Princeton counties. During this period, small detachments of the unit experienced many skirmishes with the Indians.

In 5/1864 several companies of the 8^th came together for the first time to pursue the hostiles who, the previous summer, had been driven west of the Missouri River. At the battle of Killdeer Mountain (7/28-29/1862) the natives were pushed even further to the west.  At a battle which the Indians called Waps – Chons – Choka (8/6/1864) 5000 hostiles were driven for twelve miles losing over one thousand (1,000) braves. As for the soldiers, they lost approximately 100 men, 9 of whom were killed.

After returning to Ft. Snelling in mid-10/1864, the 8^th moved southward into Tennessee to deal with Rebel forces. The unit’s reputation as an “Indian” regiment having preceded it, the 8^th was given the front during an attack along the Wilkinson Pike which routed the gray backs, but cost the 8^th ninety killed and wounded within thirty minutes.

The 8^th was next ordered to North Carolina. Reaching New Berne in 3/1865 it fought at Kinston and occupied Goldsboro before joining the forces of Union Gen. W.T. Sherman. Provost (military police) guard duty preceded returning home for final muster.

REGIMENTAL LOSSES:
Officers killed or mortally wounded: 1; Officers died of disease, accidents, etc.:0  ; Enlisted men killed or mortally wounded: 26; Enlisted men died of disease, accidents, etc.56.

SOLDIER:
Residence: Inf. Not Avail. Age: 29.8 yrs.
Enlisted/Enrolled: 8/13/1862 St. Francis Anoka County, MN   Rank: Pvt.
Mustered In: 8/13/1862 St. Francis Anoka County, MN
Discharged: 3/22/1864
Highest Rank: Pvt.
Rank At Discharge: Pvt.

PERSONAL/FAMILY HISTORY:
 

Thomas James Cheetham may have been born sometime during the calendar year 1831.  However, an Ancestry.com entry denotes his birthdate as being 12/11/1832.

The 12/11/1832 notation does not provide a birth location. Other sources denote his birthplace as England or “at sea.”

No documental information has been found identifying Thomas’ parentage. The same holds true for possible brothers and sisters.

Thomas   married on 4/15/1855 in Wrentham, MA. His bride was Mary E. (nee Farnsworth no. b. d. or loc.). The couple produced three children: Charles Cheetham (b. unk.), Carrie Cheetham (b. unk.) and Emily Maria Cheetham (b. unk.).

At some point the Cheethams moved to Minnesota. But, when hostilities with Native American tribes broke out there in 1862, Thomas sent Mary back to Massachusetts where she died of consumption (tuberculosis).* As for the children, the girls were reportedly  adopted by other members of the Cheetham clan while Charles was – at some point - brought back to Minnesota by his father and died there as a teen.

In 1862, with his family out of harm’s way, Thomas joined the U.S. Army. His unit was the 8^th Minnesota Infantry. As previously noted, the 8^th first clashed with the Indian hostiles before turning its attentions to Johnny Reb. Private Cheetham survived both ordeals and returned to civilian life.

On 11/18/1866 Thomas, in Minneapolis, MN, remarried. The second Mrs. Thomas Cheetham was Phidelia M. Phillips. Phidelia reportedly had been born during 1/1847 in Ohio.

Thomas and Phidelia produced at least seven children of whom five were sons and two were daughters. They were: George A. Cheetham (b. unk.), Martha Cheetham (b. 4/1873), Clarence S. Cheetham (b. 7/1884), Orville C. Cheetham (b. 6/1887), Charles C. Cheetham (b. unk), T.J. Cheetham (b. unknown) and Jeannette Cheetham (b. unk.). All were apparently birthed in Minnesota. **

The U.S. Veterans Census of 1890 tallied Thomas, Phidelia  and family in Anoka County, MN. A decade later, at the dawning of the twentieth century, the U.S. Census enumerated them as still residing in Minnesota, but then in Thomastown Township in Walden County.

Not long after the census tally of 1900, Thomas and Phidelia moved from Staples, MN to Bellingham Whatcom County, WA. Although it is not documented, one can surmise that the westward move was made because most of their adult children had settled in this region of the Pacific Northwest.

Thomas James Cheetham, then a carpenter by trade, died in his South Bellingham home (2118 Mill Ave.) on 4/3/1909 following an illness of ten days. He was/is buried in Bellingham’s Bay View Cemetery.

Dropping back some decades, on 3/20/1886 former Private Thomas Cheetham applied for and was granted a U.S. Government disability pension based on his days of Civil War soldiering. While we know the pension was certificated, without accessing the old soldier’s pension records the details of his monthly stipend remain unknown.

Following Thomas’ death, Phacelia, on 4/14/1909, petitioned the government to grant her at least a portion of her late husband’s pension payment. While we can assume her request was granted, without accessing her widow’s pension files, the amount of her monthly windfall remains shrouded.

Phacelia Phillips Cheetham died in her Mill Avenue home in 1910 following a “brief illness.” She was/is buried with Thomas in Bay View Cemetery.
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*Other documentation indicates Mary died in Bellingham Whatcom County, WA on 4/3/1903

**Birth order not confirmed.

Posted: 11/10/2023
Updated: 

Buried at BayView Cemetery Whatcom Co.
Row: SECTION L, Lot 877
Site: Grave 1-A