Civil War Nurse Lydia Weager Stewart

I did some exploring at www.fultonhistory.com and found obituaries for some Civil War nurses from our area. One such nurse was Mrs. Lydia Stewart. GAR Post #37 was named for her husband Charles H. Stewart, a Colonel in Company G of the 19th NY Volunteers. In 2005, I was able to obtain scanned copies of the charter for this Auburn NY Post from the NY Archives in Albany, which listed 61 members by name. This and other GAR Post information can be found at http://www.cayugacounty.us/portals/0/history/military/stewart_37.html

MRS. LYDIA A. W. STEWART, CIVIL WAR NURSE, DIES - Aged Auburn Woman Passes Away After a Lingering Illness—Funeral to Be H e l d Tomorrow. SPECIAL t o THE POST-STANDARD. — AUBURN. May 21. —Mrs. Lydia Anne Weager Stewart, 84, widow of Colonel Charles H. Stewart, died at her home, No. 4 John Street, today after a lingering illness. Mrs. Stewart served during the Civil War as a nurse, while her husband, for whom the Charles H. Stewart G. A. R. Post was named, was gaining renown on the battle line. She is survived by one son, Charles C. Stewart of New Haven, Conn., and a sister, Miss Jane Conger of San Gabriel, Cal. The funeral will be held at the house Sunday at 3 o'clock. Rev. Charles Gorman Richards, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church officiating. The Women’s Relief Corps, of which Mrs. Stewart was a member, and other G. A. R. organizations will attend in a body and take part in the burial services at Fort Hill Cemetery. Syracuse Post Standard Saturday, May 22, 1915.

A second obituary provides a bit more detail:

1915 MRS. LYDIA A. STEWART DEAD

Shock Fatal to Widow of Army Officer living here nearly 70 years.

Following an apopleptic stroke suffered Saturday from which she never regained consciousness, Mrs. Lydia A. Stewart, 84, widow of the late Colonel Charles H. Stewart, died early this morning at her home, No. 4 John Street. For nearly 70 years Mrs. Stewart had resided in Auburn.

The deceased, although a remarkably active woman all her life, had been in failing health for the past eight months. Hers was a life of action such as few women have experienced.

For some time during the Civil War she braved the dangers and hardships of the battlefield as a nurse, fighting against the yellow fever which at times broke out in the army of the North. She worked side by side with her husband, the late Colonel Stewart, who passed away in May 1874 when all Auburn went into mourning.

Both the Charles H. Stewart Post, No. 37, G. A. R., and the C. H. Stewart Relief Corps, No. 11. were named after Mrs. Stewart's illustrious husband.

The deceased was a member of the Eastern Star Lodge here. She was born in Amsterdam, N. Y., January 22, 1831, and removed to this city when a girl. She was active in church work as well as taking part in the activities of the Relief Corps.

Her maiden name was Lydia A. Weager.

Mrs. Stewart is survived by one son, Charles C. Stewart of New Haven, Conn., and one sister, Mrs. Jane Conger of San Gabriel, Calif.

Funeral services will be held from the family home, No. 4 John Street, Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock, the -Rev. Charles Gorman Richards, D. D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church officiating. Burial will be made in Fort Hill Cemetery.

A Civil War Nurse from Scipio

The men of the Union Army suffered deprivations we can only imagine. The women and children left behind, some forever, struggled as well with meeting their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter. Our ancestors were a determined people, or we would not be here today.
Some women heard the call to duty on the battlefields themselves. From Scipio and surrounding areas, some women became nurses and gave the men comfort and care during the midst of sometimes horrible circumstances.
Many of us know of the work done by local legend Harriett Tubman, a woman of valor and courage rarely surpassed. You may be surprised to learn of some other local women who followed our troops into battle and helped many survive the cruel wounds and unsanitary conditions of battlefield hospitals and emergency surgeries.
One such woman was "Mother" Mary Brown Newcomb. Born in Scipio, she was totally untrained but chose to serve as a nurse for about 4 years. When her husband Hiram signed up with the 11th Illinois Volunteers, Mary accompanied him. Hiram died of his wounds early in the war, and after seeing to his burial, Mary returned to the battlefields and continued as a nurse.
She did receive a nurse's pension, and she wrote a book about her experiences that provides much detail to the conditions she and our patriots endured titled "Four Years Experience in the War." There is a copy of this book at the Scipio Town Offices.
A book has also been written about her, titled "Mother Mary Ann Brown Newcomb: Effingham Civil War Nurse" by Linda Hatke Ruhall RN PhD. Linda had contacted me when I was doing some research on "Mother Mary" and shared that Effingham IL was the final resting place for this brave woman.

Grand Army of the Republic

After the Civil War, Union soldiers formed Grand Army of the Republic or GAR Posts. Much has been written about these posts; today in honor of Memorial Day, here is a transcript of the application for a GAR Post charter for #632 Selah Cornwell in the town of Scipio:

Scipio Cayuga Co NY             July 10 1888

Assistant Adjutant General of the Department of New York

Grand Army of the Republic

We, the undersigned honorably discharged Soldiers and Sailors of the Army and Navy of the United States, now residents of Scipio, County of Cayuga, State of New York, do respectfully apply for a CHARTER for a POST of the Grand Army of the Republic, to be located at Scipio County of Cayuga under the jurisdiction of the Department of New York, G. A. R., subject to the regulations of the Grand Army of the Republic, an the Department of New York thereof.

Benj. S. Cain

T. C. Tallman

Leonard Williams

Frederick R. Hart

Wilbur M. Clark

Erastus Jordan

Samuel Winters

Chester Sincerbox

Philip Strong

Francis Flynn

A.W. Jaquett

P. T. Shorkley

James H. Hartnett

Morto Palmer

J. D. Adams

Crossed out:

D. P. Lapuer (?)

Benj. T. Gould

A. A. Austin

We recommend that Post Commander Frederick Cossum of Seward Post muster Cornwell Post

Please return Charter to Rev. D. P. Lapuer (?) Scipio Center NY

Clark and Fordyce Families of Ensenore and Scipio

Summer in central New York means many things, but one of the most popular is the yard sale. On a sunny Saturday morning you are bound to find one in your travels.

Every few years I pick my way along the annual “Route 90 Sale” looking for things I don’t need. I am always browsing for old books, and this year I found one that lends itself to a Scipio story - Little Loo by W. Clark Russell.

A prolific writer, Russell authored a total of 57 novels; collections of short stories and newspaper articles; a volume of historical essays; popular biographies and a collection of verses.

When I opened the front cover of Little Loo, I found that it had been a Christmas gift in 1900. The flyleaf is inscribed “Presented by Grandma Clark to Alpha Clark December 25, 1900.”

I thought those names were familiar, so I checked into the historical family records I have for Scipio and there it was. Grandma Clark was actually Joanna Malvina Johnson, wife of George Clark who built and ran Ensenore House. Her son Frank and his wife Emma had two girls – Alpha and Louisa.

In June of 1863, George Clark registered for military service in the 24^th Congressional District. The register shows he was a 22-year-old unmarried carpenter. He was mustered in to the 1^st Engineers (or Serrell’s Engineers) on February 16, 1863. As a Private, his pay would have been $13 a month. By September of 1863, he married Malvina.

In the spring of 1865, Mr. and Mrs. Clark bought the Hiram Close farm and took up their residence in the town of Scipio about one mile west of Ensenore where they resided for over 40 years.  

In the 1900 census, I found that George and Malvina were still living in Scipio, right next door to his son Frank, his wife Emma and their children Alpha and Louisa. In fact, after George Clark died in 1906, Malvina moved in with Frank’s family until her own death in 1916.

You may already know that George Clark built a four-story hotel and named it the Ensenore Glen House, which opened in June of 1875. It had 40 rooms, a huge hotel for our area. Each room had access to porches that encircled the hotel, with a large observatory at the top. In 1875, it cost two dollars a day to stay (about $40 in 2015 dollars) and another fifty cents for meals. The Ensenore House had a black walnut staircase and a large barroom with an L-shaped bar.

Captain Clark had 10 boats, supplies for croquet and other games, and of course you could get a ride on his steamer The Owasco, which was later renamed The Ensenore. The featured attraction that drew people from far and wide was a walk up through the Glen to the falls. Clark had constructed stairs for the trail, some of wood and some carved right out of the native stone, which ended with a downward view of 437 feet – almost one and a half times the length of a football field!

The recipient of Little Loo, Alpha Clark, married to Dr. Benjamin Fordyce, a well-known and respected man of Scipio who spent over two years accumulating the cobblestones from Lake Ontario to build their home in 1843; it still stands just west of Scipio Center.

I can't wait to see what treasures I find in this year's yard sales!

Looking For A Few Good Stories

If you look at the post just below this one, you'll understand my title. I would love to apply for the Pomeroy Foundation Grant and commemorate one or more of the good old legends of Scipio. If I knew the approximate location of the "Tracy and the Bear" escapade (see a previous blog entry), I would apply right now - maybe you can help. Or perhaps, you know another story? Let me know!

Know Any Good Stories About Scipio?

A Scipio Coverlet Story

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