Full Unit History
154th INDIANA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: Early 1865
Mustered In: 4/20/65 Indianapolis, IN
Mustered Out: 8/4/65 Winchester, VA
Regimental History
REGIMENTAL HISTORY:
The 154th Indiana was a one year, eastern theater, infantry regiment. Organized during the final days of the War of The Rebellion, it was not mustered into Federal service until the "shooting" war had, except in isolated instances, all but ended.
The regiment left the state on 4/28/65 and moved to Parkersburg, WV. From there, on 5/2/65, it marched into Virginia's Shenandoah Valley stopping at Stephenson's Depot. The regiment remained there on guard duty until 6/27/65 then travelled to Opequon Creek where - at Winchester, on 8/4/65 - it was mustered into history.
REGIMENTAL LOSSES:
Officers Killed Or Mortally Wounded: 0 ; Officers Died Of Disease, Accidents, Etc.: 0; Enlisted Men Killed Or Mortally Wounded: 1; Enlisted Men Died Of Disease, Accidents, Etc.: 40.
Soldier History
SOLDIER:
Residence: Warren Co., IN Age: 17.11 yrs. (est.)
Enlisted/Enrolled: 3/28/65 Rank: Pvt.
Mustered In: 3/28/65
Mustered Out: 8/4/65 Winchester, VA
Highest Rank: Pvt.
Rank At Discharge: Pvt.
Family History
PERSONAL/FAMILY HISTORY:
NOTE: John Suits' birth - to - death biographical profile was created in October, 2020 during the Covid-19 medical pandemic. It does not contain the depth and detail of other biographies found within this website because military, pension and other veteran-related files housed in Washington, D.C.'s National Archives were not available. At a later time those documents will be obtained and the data therein added to the narrative which follows.
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Although there is no rock solid information, John Addison Suits was likely born in January, 1848. As of this writing no specific date of birth has been located.
The location of John's birth appears to have been Wayne Township Tippecanoe Co., IN. His parents were Alexander (b. ca. 1818 loc. unk. - d. unk. loc. unk.) and Mary (no nee b. 1826 OH d. unk. loc. unk.) Suits. Although not documented, the Suits family appears to have been a farm family.
As best as can be determined based on available U.S. Census data, Alexander and Mary produced eleven children of which John was the third. Older than he were: John Davis (b. ca. 1848) and William C. (b. 1846/'47 IN). Younger than he were: Mary Jean (b. 1849), Alice J. (b. 1851 - d. 1857), Julia (b. ca. 1854), Adelbert E. (b. 1860), Mary Jean (b. 1861), Jennie J. (b. 1861), Harry D. (b. 1863) and Minnie B. (b. 1865 IN). All name spellings and birth years are subject to error and revision.
During the waning days of America's four years of civil war John enlisted in the U.S. Army Infantry. His 3/28/65 enlistment was technically for one year, but with the end of hostilities he was mustered out and returned to civilian life in early August. Although his regiment was not in harm's, without access to Private Suits military service records all we can really say at this time about his enlistment is that he survived.
It is unclear where John settled after leaving the army. At the time of his enlistment he was residing, not with his parents in Tippecanoe Co., IN but in that state's Warren Co., The next we hear from him is the U.S. Census of 1870. At that time he was back on the family farm in Tippecanoe.
At some point around the mid-1870s John married. His bride was Anna Marie "Annie" Loucks. No definitive birth information has been found for Annie, but a preponderance of evidence seems to point towards her having been born in the state of Indiana during August, 1852.
John and Annie produced ten children: Ida B. (b. 2/77 IN), "Minnie" (b. 6/79), James Henry (b. 8/17/80 Tippecanoe Co., IN), Elsie Evelyn (b. 1883 IN), John B. (b. 4/10/85 IN), Claude Edward (b. 3/26/87 IN), Nettie H. (b. 11/12/88 IN), Chester P. (b. 8/31/91 WA), Joseph S. (b. 11/2/95 WA) and Albert L. (b. 1/11/98 WA).
As noted by the birth states of the Suits children, at some point between the birth of Nettie (1888) and Chester (1891) the family quitted Wayne Township Tippecanoe, Indiana and moved westward to the Puget Sound region of Washington Territory/State. What drew them to this part of the Pacific Northwest and exactly when they arrived here are unknowns. The answer to the latter question is also not helped by the fact that most of the 1890 U.S. Census was destroyed by fire.
On 1/23/92 John began the paperwork to seek a U.S. Government disability pension based his days of Civil War soldiering. Although it appears the request was granted, without access to his pension files the details of his monetary stipend remain unknown.
In 1892, the Suits clan was residing in or near the King County community of Duwamish. Now part of Seattle, this was a settlement along the Duwamish River south of Elliot Bay. John's occupation at the time was "laborer."
1900. The dawn of a new century, a new decade and a new U.S. Census. That population tally located the Suits family farming across Lake Washington from Seattle in the small, eastern King County rural community of Preston.
Anna Marie Louicks Suits died sometime 5/24/1902. No details are available pertaining to her passing. She was/is buried in the Tolt (Carnation) Cemetery located near the King County community of the same (Carnation) name.
After his wife's passing John remained in eastern King County. As of 1910 he was living and working as a hired hand in a logging camp in Novelty which is now known as Duvall, WA. With him was his son, Chester.
A decade later, in 1920, John was residing some miles west of Novelty in the Bothell King County home of his married daughter Ida (Huber), her husband and two infant children. Aged 73 years, the old soldier still considered himself working as he noted his occupation as "laborer."
John died on 6/20/27. At passing he was around 79 years and 6 months of age.
Although he died in King County, WA, as of this writing no death certificate has been found. He was/is buried in Tolt (Carnation) beside Anna.
Cemetery
Buried at Carnation Cemetery aka Tolt