From Peril to the Pacific During the Civil War, Missouri and Tennessee were claimed by both the Union and the Confederacy. The Union dominance in each of these states was achieved by a difficult struggle on many fronts, and my great-great-grandfather William Ivans (1842-1908) lived through the most terrifying years of the war in these two states. He served for… Read More
First Minnesota Regiment of Heavy Artillery A description of the Civil War unit of my great-great-grandfather Peter Stoltz, from Minnesota in Three Centuries, 1655-1908: 1858 by Lucius Frederick Hubbard, William Pitt Murray, James Heaton Baker, Warren Upham, Return Ira Holcombe, Frank R. Holmes, 1908, Free Press Printing Company, Mankato, Minnesota. The last troops raised in Minnesota for service in the Civil… Read More
That Time My Uncle Robbed a Stagecoach My great grandparents Sumner Dunham (1871-1947) and Cora Belle Ivans (1873-1963) were married on 8 July 1894 in Cummings, Mendocino County, California, with Cora Belle’s parents William and Mary (Wilson) Ivans serving as official witnesses. It’s unlikely Cora Belle’s brother John E. Ivans, my great granduncle, would have been in attendance at the wedding. Then… Read More
A Civil War Enlistment Anniversary Our family reunion in El Paso will come only days before the 150th anniversary of the enlistment of my great-great-grandfather Peter Stoltz in the Union Army. On 21 September 1864, Peter enlisted as a musician in Company B, First Regiment, Minnesota Heavy Artillery. He may have enlisted as a musician because he was too short… Read More