Alphius Jaquette

Civil War veteran Alphius (also spelled as Alpheus) Jaquette of Scipio, NY had the respect of his neighbors when he returned from the War.
His was I believe one of the marriages I mentioned in my last post. I did look his name up in the Complete Record of Officers, Soldiers and Seamen from Scipio completed by the Town Clerk, Allen Shorkley.
This book tells us some additional details about Alphius Jaquette's life post-Civil War. He resided in the neighboring town of Fleming when he came home; he had been born there in 1844. He served his country as a Private in the 111th NY Volunteer Infantry.
Alphius enlisted on April 19th, 1861 from Scipio, for a term of three years. The town paid a $50 bounty. He was discharged to Fleming, and married.
I also looked at the Special Census of 1890 for surviving soldiers, sailors, marines and widows. The census listed Alphius as a veteran, and his wife as Ann (perhaps a nickname for Dannis, or perhaps another Alphius) as his widow. This record showed he had enlisted in the 3rd NY Light Artillery on May 13, 1861, and served for 2 years and 19 days, coming out on June 2, 1863; no mention of the 111th.
This name is unusual enough for the size of Scipio at that time, so I believe this may be the same person. There are some possible explanations for some of the discrepancies; he could have enlisted in the 111th then transferred to the 3rd. He could have enlisted in the 111th for the bounty, not an unusual occurrence, then enlisted a second time with the 3rd LA and actually served with that unit.
This example shows why it is a good idea to be thorough in your research and use as many source documents as you can find. I will continue to look for information to clarify this matter.
The 1890 Special Census also tells us that Alphius had suffered a gunshot wound to his right arm. It also stated that he was a hard working man.
Not a bad record for an ordinary man who served his country when it was needed.
On this Veteran's Day, let's take a moment to thank Alphius and all our veterans, for all they have done through the years for all of us. Thanks, ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate it.