I’ve transcribed the entire 1860 Federal Census of Gettysburg in the ongoing effort to learn more about the residents of the Borough at the time of the battle.  (I might even add all of the residents in a future version of our smartphone app, Pocket Gettysburg.)

The transcription process was time-consuming because I frequently found myself asking questions like “What the heck is a ‘mantua maker’?”, “What’s a ‘saddle tree maker’?”, and “What’s the difference between a domestic and a servant?”  So, of course, I got sidetracked while looking for those answers.  But it has all been great fun and a quite a learning experience!

The census was taken over the first 18 days of June, 1860.  Here’s the breakdown on some of the types of data that were recorded:

Total People	2390
Number of dwellings	421
Number of families	474
Avg. size of household	5.68 people

Sex and Race
	Male	Male%	Female	Female%	Total	Total Percent
White	1109	46.40%	1103	46.15%	2202	92.13%
Black	69	2.89%	88	3.68%	157	6.57%
Mulatto	16	0.67%	15	0.63%	31	1.30%
Total	1194	49.96%	1206	50.46%	2390	100

Average Age
Male	23.93
Female	25.84
Total	24.89

Age Distribution
Age	Male	Male%	Female	Female%	Total	Total Percent
0-10	347	14.52%	310	12.97%	657	27.49%
11-20	272	11.38%	255	10.67%	527	22.05%
21-30	197	8.24%	237	9.92%	434	18.16%
31-40	124	5.19%	130	5.44%	254	10.63%
41-50	101	4.23%	118	4.94%	219	9.16%
51-60	90	3.77%	84	3.51%	174	7.28%
61-70	37	1.55%	48	2.01%	85	3.56%
71-80	13	0.54%	12	0.50%	25	1.05%
81-90	3	0.13%	10	0.42%	13	0.54%
91+	0	0.00%	2	0.08%	2	0.08%

Other
	Count	Percent
Married within the year	38	1.59%
Attended school with the year	578	24.18%
Over 20yrs and cannot read or write	53	2.22%
Deaf	1	0.04%
Convict/Prisoner	5	0.21%
Foreign born	171	7.15%

Age Distribution of People Who Were Married Within the Year
Age	Male	Male%	Female	Female%	Total	Percent
17-20	1	2.63%	4	10.53%	5	13.16%
21-30	9	23.68%	13	34.21%	22	57.89%
31-40	5	13.16%	0	0.00%	5	13.16%
41-50	2	5.26%	2	5.26%	4	10.53%
51-60	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
61-70	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
71-80	2	5.26%	0	0.00%	2	5.26%
Total	19	50.00%	19	50.00%	38	100.00%

Age Distribution of People Who Attended School Within the Year
Age	Male	Male%	Female	Female%	Total	Percent
4-10	150	25.95%	123	21.28%	273	47.23%
11-20	164	28.37%	131	22.66%	295	51.04%
21-30	7	1.21%	2	0.35%	9	1.56%
31-40	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
41-50	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
51-60	0	0.00%	1	0.17%	1	0.17%
Total	321	55.54%	257	44.46%	578	100.00%

Place of Birth
	Count	Percent
Pennsylvania	1965	82.22%
Maryland	188	7.87%
Germany/Bavaria/Prussia, etc.	132	5.52%
Virginia	21	0.88%
Ireland	19	0.79%
New Jersey	12	0.50%
France	10	0.42%
Ohio	10	0.42%
New York	8	0.33%
Delaware	4	0.17%
England	4	0.17%
Indiana	3	0.13%
Connecticut	2	0.08%
Holland	2	0.08%
Illinois	2	0.08%
Canada	1	0.04%
English Channel	1	0.04%
Georgia	1	0.04%
Massachusetts	1	0.04%
Missouri	1	0.04%
New Hampshire	1	0.04%
Scotland	1	0.04%
Switzerland	1	0.04%

As is generally known, coach making was the biggest industry in Gettysburg in 1860.  When you count all of the coach-related trades like wheelwrights and coach lace weavers, it represented a little more than 11% of the work force in the Borough.  Of course, that population is limited to the 672 people (28.12%) whose occupation is specifically listed in the census. For many people (including 16% of males between the age of 18 and 60), no occupation was listed — so some occupations were probably under-represented (e.g., farmers).  Lastly, it is acknowledged that the grouping of occupations into industries is somewhat subjective.

But with those caveats, here are the top 10 industries in Gettysburg in 1860:

Industry	Count	Percent	Includes
Coach Making	75	11.16%	Coach/Wagon Maker, Coach Painter, Coach/Carriage Trimmer, Coach Smith, Coach Lace Weaver, Body Maker, Wheelwright, Carriage Seller
Service	73	10.86%	Domestic, Housekeeper, Help, Waiter, Coach Driver
Clothing	72	10.71%	Tailor(ess), Seamstress, Hatter/Milliner, Shoemaker/Cordwainer, Mantua Maker, Clothier
Construction	62	9.23%	Carpenter, Plasterer, Stone Cutter, Stone Mason, Brick Maker/Layer/Carrier, Mason
Labor	55	8.18%	Day Laborer, Hireling
Equine	48	7.14%	Blacksmith, Harness Maker, Saddle/SaddleTree Maker, Livery Keeper, Hostler
Education	22	3.27%	Teacher, Professor
Merchant	21	3.13%
Furniture	18	2.68%	Cabinet Maker, Chair Maker, Furniture Dealer
Clerk	18	2.68%

As for specific occupations, these are the most common among men, including their average estate (real estate + personal estate):

Occupation	Count	Avg Estate
Day Laborer	53	$319
Coach Maker	33	$644
Blacksmith	30	$752
Shoemaker	29	$622
Carpenter	23	$470
Merchant	21	$10747
Clerk	18	$272
Farmer	17	$5541
Printer	14	$60
Cabinet Maker	13	$790

(For this purpose, each category includes journeymen, apprentices, and masters).

These are the most common occupations among women:

Occupation	Count	Average Estate
Domestic	56	$37
Mantua Maker	10	$317
Tailoress	9	$55
Teacher	9	$200
Milliner	8	$325
Housekeeper	7	0
Help	5	0
Nurse	3	$33
Seamstress	3	$41
Laundress	2	$137

Oh, and the difference between a domestic and a servant?  Domestics were generally white (44 of 50 or 88%) and servants were generally black (5 of 7 or 71%).

I’ll post more analysis with respect to individual residents once I finish cross-checking name spellings against other records.

Bob Velke
SegTours, LLC

Segway Tours of Gettysburg is prominently featured today on the front page of the Travel section of USA Today! LBG Charlie Fennell talks about Segway tours of the battlefield and the challenges that the borough will face on the 150th anniversary. Our own Meghan Ogley is also featured in photos and video!

Here’s the full article and video.

How many men were awarded the Medal Of Honor for their action in the Gettysburg Campaign?

That question was raised on the Facebook Page “Test Your Knowledge On The Battle of Gettysburg”.

It is traditionally said that 64 Medals of Honor were awarded for service in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. That includes two for actions in Fairfield and Millerstown, PA on July 3rd.¹

But by almost all accounts, the Gettysburg Campaign started a month earlier, on June 3rd, as Robert E. Lee slipped away from Fredericksburg, VA and headed toward the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Historians commonly say that the Gettysburg Campaign ended with the Battle of Falling Waters on July 14th when the last Confederate brigade re-crossed the Potomac River². But the National Park Service infers that it ended at the close of the Battle of Manassas Gap, VA on July 24th.³ The Official Records, however, say that the campaign ended on August 1 with the (2nd) battle at Brandy Station, VA.⁴

For the sake of completeness, therefore, we will use the range June 3 – August 1, 1863 for the Gettysburg Campaign and list the 75 recipients of the MOH during that period as follows:

#	Name	Unit	Action
1	PMus. John T. Patterson	122nd OH Inf.	14 Jun 1863 Winchester, VA
2	Pvt. Elbridge Robinson	Co. C, 122nd OH Inf.	14 Jun 1863 Winchester, VA
3	2Lt. James R. Durham	Co. E, 12th WV Inf.	14 Jun 1863 Winchester, VA
4	Pvt. Nathan M. Hallock	Co. K, 124th NY Inf.	15 Jun 1863 Bristoe Station, VA
5	Col. Louis P. Di Cesnola	4th NY Cav.	17 Jun 1863 Aldie, VA
6	Pvt. Thomas Burke	Co. A, 5th NY Cav.	30 Jun 1863 Hanover, PA5
7	Sgt. James M. Rutter	Co. C, 143rd PA Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
8	LtCol. Henry S. Huidekoper	150th PA Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
9	Cpl. J. Monroe Reisinger	Co. H, 150th PA Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
10	Capt. Francis Irsch	Co. D, 45th NY Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
11	Cpl. Francis A. Waller	Co. I, 6th WI Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
12	Mus. Richard Enderlin	Co. B, 73rd OH Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
13	Sgt. Jefferson Coates	Co. H, 7th WI Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
14	1Sgt. Edward L. Gilligan	Co. E, 88th PA Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
15	Maj. Alfred J. Sellers	90th PA Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
16	Sgt. Harvey M. Munsell	Co. A, 99th PA Inf.	1 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
17	Cpl. Harrison Clark	Co. E, 125th NY Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
18	Capt. John Lonergan	Co. A, 13th VT Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
19	Capt. James Pipes	Co. A, 140th PA Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA6
20	Lt. James J. Purman	Co. A, 140th PA Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
21	2Lt. Edward M. Knox	15th NY Battery	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
22	Capt. James Parke Postles	Co. A, 1st DE Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
23	Cpl. Nathaniel M. Allen	Co. B, 1st MA Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
24	Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain	20th ME Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
25	Sgt. Andrew J. Tozier	Co. I, 20th ME Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
26	Capt. John B. Fassett	Co. F, 23rd PA Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
27	Pvt. Charles Stacey	Co. D, 55th OH Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
28	Cpl. Thaddeus S. Smith	Co. E, 6th PA Res. Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
29	Cpl. Chester S. Furman	Co. A, 6th PA Res.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
30	Sgt. John W. Hart	Co. D, 6th PA Res.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
31	Sgt. Wallace W. Johnson	Co. G, 6th PA Res.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
32	Sgt. George W. Mears	Co. A, 6th PA Res.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
33	Cpl. J. Levi Roush	Co. D, 6th PA Res.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
34	Sgt. Thomas Horan	Co. E, 72nd NY Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
35	Sgt. Hugh Carey	Co. E, 82nd NY Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
36	Bglr. Charles W. Reed	9th Ind. Batt., MA Light Art.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
37	1Sgt. George W. Roosevelt	Co. K. 26th PA Inf.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA7
38	Pvt. Casper R. Carlisle	Co. F, Ind. PA Light Art.	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
39	MG Daniel E. Sickles	U.S. Volunteers	2 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
40	Cpl. William H. Raymond	Co. A, 108th NY Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
41	Capt. Morris, Jr. Brown	Co. A, 126th NY Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
42	Sgt. George H. Dore	Co. D, 126th NY Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
43	Pvt. Jerry Wall	Co. B, 126th NY Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
44	2Lt. George G. Benedict	Co. C, 12th VT Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
45	Pvt. Elijah W. Bacon	Co. F, 14th CT Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
46	Cpl. Christopher Flynn	Co. K, 14th CT Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
47	SgtMaj. William B. Hincks	14th CT Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
48	Col. Wheelock G. Veazey	16th VT Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
49	Cpl. Joseph H. De Castro	Co. I, 19th MA Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
50	ColSgt. Benjamin F. Falls	Co. A, 19th MA Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
51	Sgt. Benjamin H. Jellison	Co. C, 19th MA Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
52	Maj. Edmund Rice	19th MA Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
53	Pvt. John H. Robinson	Co. I, 19th MA Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
54	Pvt. John B. Mayberry	Co. F, 1st DE Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
55	Pvt. Bernard McCarren	Co. C, 1st DE Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
56	Cpl. Henry D. O’Brien	Co. E, 1st MN Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
57	Pvt. Marshall Sherman	Co. C, 1st MN Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
58	Sgt. James B. Thompson	Co. G, 1st PA Rifles	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
59	Maj. William Wells	1st VT Cav.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
60	Pvt. Oliver P. Rood	Co. B, 20th IN Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
61	Capt. William E. Miller	Co. H, 3rd PA Cav.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
62	Sgt. James Wiley	Co. B, 59th NY Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
63	Sgt. Martin Schwenk8	Co. B, 6th U.S. Cav.	3 Jul 1863 Millerstown, PA
64	Pvt. John E. Clopp	Co. F, 71st PA Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
65	Cpl. John Miller	Co. G, 8th OH Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
66	Pvt. James Richmond	Co. F, 8th OH Inf.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
67	Sgt. Frederick Fuger	Battery A, 4th U.S. Art.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
68	Pvt. George C. Platt	Troop H, 6th U.S. Cav.	3 Jul 1863 Fairfield, PA
69	BG Alexander S. Webb	U.S. Volunteers	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
70	1Lt. Alonzo Cushing	Battery A, 4th U.S. Art.	3 Jul 1863 Gettysburg, PA
71	Maj. Charles E. Capehart	1st WV Cav.	4 Jul 1863 Monterey Mt, PA
72	1Sgt. Charles M. Holton	Co. A, 7th MI Cav.	14 Jul 1863 Falling Waters, MD
73	1Lt. Carle A. Woodruff	2nd U.S. Art.	24 Jul 1863 Newby’s C.R., VA9
74	Capt. Smith H. Hastings	Co. M, 5th MI Cav.	24 Jul 1863 Newby’s C.R., VA9
75	1Lt. John W. Clark	6th VT Inf.	28 Jul 1863 Warrenton, VA


Sources
– Congressional Medal of Honor Society (CMOHS)
– National Park Service

Notes
¹Updated to add 1Lt. Alonzo Cushing who was awarded the Medal of Honor on 6 Nov 2014.
²Coddington, Edwin B., “The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command” (New York: Touchstone, 1997), p. vii.
³Civil War Battle Summaries by Campaign.
⁴OR s1, v27, pt2, pg 5-7.
⁵The record at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society (and apparently the citation itself) says Hanover Courthouse, VA but the 5th NY Cavalry was in Hanover, PA on this date. The Battle of Hanover Courthouse, VA was on 27 May 1862.
⁶Also for service at Reams Station, VA on 25 August 1864.
⁷Also for service at Bull Run, VA on 30 August 1862.
⁸AKA Martin, George
⁹Newby’s Cross Roads, also known as Battle Mountain, Amissville, VA.

Related posts on this blog:
1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing – One Step Closer to the Medal of Honor, 11 March 2010.
Fun Facts about the Medal of Honor, 14 March 2010.

PRESS RELEASE

Pocket Gettysburg for Android, iPhone, and iPad

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – 30 April 2013 – SegTours, LLC announces the long-awaited release of the Android version of Pocket Gettysburg, the popular smartphone app for researchers and visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park. In this 150th year after the battle, technology finally makes it easy to learn about the monuments, military organizations, and people that are connected to this critical battle of the American Civil War.

Like the Apple version of Pocket Gettysburg before it, the new release for Android phones and tablets includes a virtual encyclopedia of information about the battle in three integrated and searchable databases.

First, Pocket Gettysburg includes a massive catalog of the monuments, plaques, wayside markers, and historical markers on the Gettysburg battlefield and throughout greater Adams County, Pennsylvania, including their locations, full inscriptions, and photographs. An integrated map lets the user navigate the area while optionally tracking his own position among those monuments.*

Then there is a record of each of the 860+ military units (regiments, brigades, divisions, corps, and armies) that were present, noting the unit’s succession of commanders as they were killed, wounded or captured over the course of the three-day battle. The database also includes the strengths and losses of each unit, the types and number of cannon in each battery, and a detailed history of each regiment for the duration of the war, among other types of data. An “Order of Battle” details the command structure and organization of those military units within the Union and Confederate armies.

Finally, there is a database of more than 45,000 of the soldiers and citizens who played a part in the battle, including the commanders at each level plus the name and rank of every person who is mentioned on a battlefield monument. In many cases, the app also includes photos and biographical information about those people. For the first time, researchers also have an easy way to search for any people who were buried by name in the Soldier’s National Cemetery, including its Annex.

The databases are not only searchable; they are painstakingly cross-linked with one another. So, for instance, researchers can easily find a list and map of all of the monuments that are related to a specific military unit. Or conversely, the app can be used to find more information about the military unit(s) and people that are mentioned on a given monument. Web links frequently point to resources for further reading.

“Pocket Gettysburg is a unique and extremely useful app for both on-the-field use and as a research tool,” said Les Fowler, Licensed Battlefield Guide. “It is packed with an amazing amount of detail,” he added, “placing the equivalent of a very large stack of books in the palm of your hand. I will use it every day that I’m on the field.”

“We are very pleased with the popularity of Pocket Gettysburg for iPhone and iPad,” said Bob Velke, President of SegTours, LLC, “and we are happy to reward the patience of Android users with this new release.” He went on to say, “It is especially gratifying to see the app embraced as a reference tool by many of the undisputed experts on the battlefield, the Licensed Battlefield Guides.”

Pocket Gettysburg is available from the Google Play and iTunes app stores. A “Lite” version is also available for visitors to the Park who want to navigate the map and monument database without the extra details about military units and people that are of special interest to researchers.

*Some mapping features require a GPS-enabled device.

About the company:
Segway Tours and Rides of Gettysburg (SegTours, LLC) was established in 2008 to provide tours of the Gettysburg battlefield using Segway Personal Transporters™ and Licensed Battlefield Guides. For each year since its inception, the company has provided the highest-rated tour on the battlefield, according to the popular travel site, TripAdvisor.com.

Contact:
SegTours, LLC
www.SegTours.com
pocketgb@segtours.com
22 Springs Avenue
Gettysburg, PA 17325
717-253-7987

###

On 25 January 2013, a post on Michael Waricher’s Battlefield Perspectives Facebook page showed a photo of Colonel Patrick Henry O’Rorke’s tombstone in Rochester, NY.

Col. O’Rorke commanded the 140th New York Infantry (3B, 2D, 5C, AOP) and died on the second day at Gettysburg as he famously led a bayonet charge down the southwest slope of Little Round Top.

In the resulting Facebook discussion, Licensed Battlefield Guide Deb Novotny asked if anyone knew the burial location of Col. O’Rorke’s widow. I did a little research and this is what I found:

“Madame Clara O’Rorke”¹ (née Clarissa Wadsworth Bishop²) was born in Rochester, NY on 29 March 1837³, daughter of Edward and Helena/Hanna Bishop.⁴ She married Patrick Henry O’Rorke at St. Bridget’s Church, Rochester, NY, on 9 July 1862⁵. Just a week before their first anniversary, Colonel O’Rorke was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. On 14 September 1863, Mrs. O’Rorke applied for and received a widow’s pension of $30.00 per month.⁶ She took her vows and entered the Society of the Sacred Heart on 19 March 1865,⁷ serving later as Mother Superior in convents in Detroit, Michigan, Albany, NY, and lastly Providence, RI.

Madame O’Rorke (photo above)⁸ died on 18 Feb 1893⁹ and was buried in the cemetery of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Elmhurst¹⁰, (736 Smith Street¹¹) in Providence, RI. In 1960, the convent sold the 29-acre¹² property and moved the convent and associated school (“Academy of the Sacred Heart, Elmhurst”¹³; later “Elmhurst Academy”¹⁴) to Portsmouth, RI.¹⁵ The original buildings in Elmhurst (photo on left)¹⁶ were razed and the remains of those interred in the cemetery were moved to the Boston area.¹⁷ The original convent area is now the home of a modern medical center.¹⁸

Madame O’Rorke was reinterred in St. Joseph Cemetery,¹⁹ West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Field of the Sacred Heart, Lot #1, grave #36.²⁰

Addendum 1:
Pursuant to our original post, LBG Deb Novotny visited St. Joseph Cemetery on 7 Apr 2013 and provided this photo of Madame Clara O’Rorke’s tombstone:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Addendum 2 (29 Nov 2017):

On FindAGrave.com, “EFB III” offers this early photo of Clarissa Wadsworth Bishop O’Rorke:

 

Notes and sources:
¹ “Sadliers’ Catholic Directory, Almanac and Ordo, For the Year of Our Lord 1883 with Reports of the Dioceses in the United States, British America, Ireland, England, and Scotland”, 51st Annual Publication (New York: D. & J. Sadlier and Co., 1883), p292.
² Despite a variety of online sources which identify her as “Clarrisa” or “Clarrissa,” it was spelled “Clarissa” on her marriage record and in her own hand on her widow’s pension application.

³ “Annual Letters of the Society of the Sacred Heart,” 1892-1893, Part II, pg 270.
⁴ Her parents are recorded as Edward and Hannah in the 1860 census but the marriage record (translated from Latin) lists them as Edward and Helena.
⁵ Marriage Record, St. Bridget’s Church, Rochester, NY, 9 July 1862.
⁶ Federal Pension File, Patrick Henry O’Rorke, Widow’s pension application #32785 (14 Sep 1863), certificate #6885.
⁷ “Annual Letters of the Society of the Sacred Heart,” ibid.
⁸ Michael Pera, Assistant Archivist, Society of the Sacred Heart U.S. Province Archives, St. Louis, MO.
⁹ “Rhode Island, Deaths, 1630-1930” on Ancestry.com. Next of kin is listed as “Jane Orne”.
¹⁰ United States. Army, 155th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, “Under the Maltese Cross, Antietam to Appomattox: The Loyal Uprising in Western Pennsylvania, 1861-1865” (Pittsburg [sic]: The 155th Regimental Association, 1910), p738.
¹¹ Providence City Directory, 1892.
¹² Steiger, Ernst, “Steiger’s Educational Directory for 1878” (New York: E. Steiger, 1878).
¹³ “The Official Catholic Directory,” (New York : P.J. Kenedy & Sons, 1952), p521.
¹⁴ Portsmouth Patch Newsletter, http://portsmouth.patch.com/blog_posts/the-glen-a-history-of-the-land
¹⁵ Portsmouth Patch Newsletter, http://portsmouth.patch.com/blog_posts/the-glen-elmhurst-academy
¹⁶ Photo: http://www.athomeinprovidence.com/2012/05/green-dreams-elmhurst/mytest-cropped_449/
¹⁷ Sister Catherine, of St. Pius V Catholic Church (Elmhurst Ave, Providence, RI), who grew up in the area and whose grandfather was the caretaker of the convent grounds; interviewed 28 Jan 2012.
¹⁸ Google Maps, lat: 41.838427 lon:-71.435423
¹⁹ Michael Pera, ibid.; interviewed 30 Jan 2013.
²⁰ Holyhood Cemetery Association (St. Joseph’s Cemetery), 990 LaGrange Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132.

Everyone is discovering that Segway Personal Transporters(tm) are the most fun and efficient way to travel!

At Segway Tours and Rides of Gettysburg, we wish you a joyous holiday season. Although we have no scheduled hours until March, we ARE open by reservation. So let’s hope for some mild winter days so we can take a glide around the battlefield together.

Of course, gift certificates are always available and make a great gift! Just call us at 717-253-7987 and we can mail them to you – or email them so that you can print them yourself.

Merry Christmas!

(Cartoon used by permission of Casey Shaw. Thanks, Casey!)

At the beginning of the Civil War, one of the country’s best marksman, Hiram Berdan, organized a regiment of similarly-talented marksmen. It became the 1st Regiment United States Sharpshooters and Berdan became its Colonel.

The qualifications to be a “sharpshooter” were strict: “No man would be enlisted who could not put ten bullets in succession within five inches from the center at a distance of six hundred feet from a rest or three hundred feet off hand” (i.e., standing without a support).

“Berdan’s Sharpshooters,” as they were known, were equipped with special green uniforms that helped to camouflage them in the woods. Leather leggings protected their shins as they ran through the underbrush. And since standard brass buttons would glint in the sun and give away their position, their coats were fastened with dark black rubber buttons. The rubber buttons were patented by Goodyear in 1851. (Yes, that Goodyear.)

Berdan’s Sharpshooters were present at the Battle of Gettysburg. In fact, they famously crossed the field from the Peach Orchard to Pitzer Woods at about noon on July 2nd and encountered a large force of Confederate infantry (Alabamians) moving to their left to attack Devil’s Den and Little Round Top. The resulting skirmish of some 20 minutes caused a critical delay in that Confederate attack and gave more time to the Union army to reinforce its left flank.

Due to the relatively small numbers of sharpshooters and the fact that these buttons can’t be found with metal detectors, they are among the rarest Civil War Infantry buttons.

We have one of these rubber buttons in our collection, however. It was found by chance while digging at an old privy site.

We invite you to come by and see it!

We’re rotating some of our fleet and this is an excellent opportunity to buy a really-good used Segway. We are selling three Segway I2s that are 4-5 years old and have about 10k miles on them but they are in excellent condition.

In fact, they have BRAND NEW:
– Tires
– Wheels (yes, wheels)
– Wheel covers (aka hub caps)
– Fenders
– Foot mats
– Entire Leansteer frame
– Hand grips
– Infokey dock
– Console trim/cover

So they look brand-spanking new! Each comes with two Infokey Controllers. Also included are brand new manuals, CD, wrenches, and power cable – in their originally packaging, fresh out of a new I2 box.

A great Christmas gift!

Batteries will still go at least 16 miles under normal conditions – which is more than most people would ever ride between charges.

Price is $3900 firm. That is, no negotiating: they will certainly sell at this price! Free delivery to the DC/Baltimore area. Shipping anywhere else in the continental U.S. is $115, including an original I2 factory box.

Call 717-253-7987 or
info at segtours dot com

PRESS RELEASE

Gettysburg for Your Smart Phone

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – 27 September 2012 – As the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg approaches, SegTours, LLC is proud to announce the release of “Pocket Gettysburg”, an encyclopedia of the battlefield that you can carry in the palm of your hand.

“Pocket Gettysburg” includes a massive reference database of the monuments, plaques, wayside markers, and historical markers on the Gettysburg battlefield and throughout greater Adams County, Pennsylvania, including their locations, full inscriptions, and photographs.

A second database integrates details about each of the 860+ military units that were in the battle, including the succession of command, strengths and losses, armament, and a full regimental history. An “Order of Battle” details the command structure and organization of those military units within the Union and Confederate armies.

Yet another database includes information about more than 40,000 of the soldiers and citizens who played a part in the battle, including the 1200+ commanders at various levels and all of those who are buried by name at the Soldier’s National Cemetery.

A powerful map lets you navigate the Gettysburg National Military Park while optionally tracking your own position among the monuments. The list of monuments can be sorted to show those that are closest to you and will automatically update as you travel through the battlefield. Satellite and hybrid maps will even help you find monuments in relation to buildings, fences, and other features on the ground.

Most importantly, these searchable databases are painstakingly cross-linked with one another. So if you are interested in a particular military unit, for instance, you can easily see all of the monuments to it on the battlefield. Or when you encounter a monument, you can easily find more information about the military unit(s) and/or people that are mentioned on it, and so on.

“An integrated reference tool of this type has never before been available,” said Bob Velke, president of SegTours, LLC, which developed the software. “It will be an indispensable tool for the casual visitor to Gettysburg, as well as to the more serious student of the battle, ” he said.

“Pocket Gettysburg” for iPhone and iPad is currently available from the AppStore. Development for Android users is underway and is expected to be released soon. Mapping features require a GPS-enabled device.

About the company:
SegTours, LLC was established in 2008 to provide tours of the Gettysburg battlefield using Segway Personal Transporters™ and Licensed Battlefield Guides. SegTours offers the highest-rated tour on the battlefield, according to the popular travel site, TripAdvisor.com.

Contact:
SegTours, LLC
support@segtours.com
22 Springs Ave.
Gettysburg, PA 17325
717-253-7987

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If you’ve been to the SegTours shop recently, you may have noticed the collection of Civil War relics on display at our front desk. This modest sampling includes a variety of bullets, buttons, plates, coins, jewelry and other personal effects that were dropped or discarded by soldiers.

Most were found with a metal detector by the owner of SegTours, Bob Velke. Bob grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, on a site that served as a hospital during the Civil War. The relics were dug on private properties throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

To answer a common question: no, they were not found on the Gettysburg battlefield. In fact, it is illegal to even possess a metal detector while on National Park property.

The relic display and our shelves of research books are designed to encourage discussion about the wide variety of weapons and accoutrements that were carried by soldiers on both sides of the battle.

Many of the artifacts on display are very personal in nature, however. Pieces of a harmonica, a broken clay pipe, a pocket knife, and other relics remind us that the participants were not merely statistics. These items give us a window into the lives of real people with interests and hobbies not unlike our own. These were some of the objects that the men carried in their pockets to occupy the quiet times in camp and to remind them of the lives that awaited them back home.

What must it have taken, then, to inspire these men to leave their comfortable homes and families, travel hundreds of miles by foot into unfamiliar territory, slog through the mud, camp in the rain and snow, and survive on an uncertain and often-insufficient food supply?

Just how patriotic would you have to be in order to exchange the comfortable life that you know for the hardships of life in the army? How devoted would you have to be to a cause in order to leave your wife and children to fend for themselves while you took the very real risk that you’d end up in an unmarked grave far from home? After all, the biggest killer in the Civil War was disease, claiming more than 1 in every 10 soldiers!

And if you happen to survive all that then, oh yeah, there’s a few hundred thousand people who are trying very hard to kill you.

When we talk of sacrifice in the Civil War, we tend to think of the 620,000 brave men who gave their lives. But these relics of everyday life remind us that, in risking everything, every soldier sacrificed something.

The very least that we can do is remember them for it.

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To see a truly remarkable collection Civil War relics, including many that were simply picked up from the fields of Gettysburg in the months and years following the battle, we encourage you to visit the Gettysburg Museum of History, just a few blocks from our location. This FREE museum has more than 4000 relics on display, including weapons, uniforms, flags, and other items, many of which are documented with personal stories.

This small private museum also houses fascinating artifacts from every era of American history, including a lock of George and Martha Washington’s hair, Abraham Lincoln’s opera glasses, John Wilkes Booth’s splint, Hitler’s personal silverware, the flag that flew over Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941, the keys to the car in which JFK was assassinated (and samples of bloodstained upholstery), shell casings from Ruby’s gun that killed Oswald, and much more. You’ll discover something new every time you visit!