Absalom S. Smith

FAMILY LINE AND HISTORY

Absalom/Absolom S. Smith
7th of 8 children of James Smith & Matilda Shade
Born: abt 1834, Elimsport, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania
Died: Jun 9, 1865 (abt age 31), south of Fort Benton, Chouteau Co., Montana; shot by a Blackfoot Indian
Buried: unmarked grave in Montana
Cenotaph erected: abt Jun 10, 2026, Yellowstone National Cemetery, Laurel, Yellowstone Co., Montana
Occupation: Laborer, lumberman
Military: U.S. Civil War, Union Army
Enlists in Fond du Lac, Winnebago, Wisconsin
Pleasants County 191st Militia, Company C, 14th Regiment, West Virginia State Troops
Mar 17, 1862: Wounded at Shiloh, Tennessee; promoted to Full Captain
Sep 7, 1863: Discharged for promotion, Company C, 14th Regiment, Wisconsin
Sep 7, 1863: Commissioned as Colonel of 6th Regiment, Michigan, Colored Troops
Promoted to Full Colonel, Company S, 58th Infantry Regiment U.S. Colored Troops
Oct 31, 1863: Commanding Officer of 860 troops of Negro descent, Mississippi Volunteers, 32nd Regiment, Union Army
Jan 18, 1864: dismissed from Company S, 58th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops

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Timeline and Records

Spellings and information in the census and other records
are retained as in the original documents.
(italicized clarifications or corrections are in parentheses)

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Eight children of James Smith & Matilda Shade
1. Valentine Shade “V.S.” Smith
1815–1893
2. J. Cline “J.C.” Smith (Reverend)
Born: abt 1821–aft 1864
3. Mary Ann Smith
1822–1862
4. Elizabeth Smith
abt 1824–unknown
5. John M. Smith
1826–1902
6. Jane Smith
abt 1827–unknown
7. Absalom/Absolom S. Smith
abt 1834–1865
8. Sarah P. Smith
1836–1852

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bef 1815: Marriage of James Smith & Matilda Shade, the parents of Absalom S. Smith, in Elimsport, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania
Eight children: Valentine Shade Smith, John M. Smith, J. Cline Smith (Reverend), Mary Ann Smith, Elizabeth Smith, Jane Smith, Absalom S. Smith, Sarah P. Smith

abt 1834: Birth of Absalom S. Smith, 7th of 8 children of James Smith & Matilda Shade, in Elimsport, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania

1840: U.S. Federal Census, Jersey Shore, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania:
James Smith: head, male, age between 50 and 60 (age 54)
female, age between 40-50 (wife, Matilda Smith, age 51)
male, age between 15-20 (son, John M. Smith, age 22) (note: age column mischecked)
male, age between 10-15 (son, J. Cline Smith, age 19) (note: age column mischecked)
male, age between 5-10 (son, Absalom S. Smith, age 6)
female, age under 5 (daughter, Sarah P. Smith, age 4)
Note: daughters Elizabeth Smith (born 1824, age 16) and Jane Smith (born 1827, age 13) are not listed, and may have died

Jul 29, 1850: U.S. Federal Census, Mifflin Township, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania:
Matilda Smith: age 52, female, Value of Real Estate owned $1200, born Pa
Absalom S. Smith: age 16, male, laborer, born Pa
Sarah P. Smith: age 13, female, born Pa
Note: Absalom’s mother, Matilda (Shade) Smith, and his younger sister, Sarah Smith

NOTE: Mifflin Township in Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania, was created in 1803 by dividing Lycoming Township at Pine Run and was named after Thomas Mifflin, the first governor of Pennsylvania. The region was heavily timbered with pine and hemlock, fueling extensive lumber operations during the 19th century.

Nov 13, 1852: Death of Matilda (Shade) Smith (age 55), 2nd of 3 children of Sebastian Shade & Mary/Marie Magdeline Ohmensetter/Ohmenseller and the mother of Absalom S. Smith, in Mifflin Township, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania, along with her youngest child, Sarah P. Smith; both of typhoid fever

Registration of Deaths: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: Deaths from 1852 to 1853 (pg 42):
Matilda Smith, age 55 yrs, 3 mo, 13 days, born 26 July 1797 at Clinton County, formerly Lycoming County, dau. of Sebastian and Mary Shade, died 13 Nov. 1852, Mifflin Twsp., Lyc. Co., buried Emery Chapel Church Yard, Mifflin Twsp., cause of death typhoid fever, husband, James Smith, certificate signed by N.W. Sallade, 19 Nov. 1852, recorded 3 Jan. 1853.

Nov 13, 1852: Pennsylvania Deaths
Name Matilda Smith
Gender Female
Death Date 13 Nov 1852
Death Place Mifflin Township, Lycoming County
Registration County Lycoming County
Age at Death 55
Birth Date 26 Jul 1797
Birth Place Clinton, formerly Lycoming, Pennsylvania
Father Sebastian Shade
Mother Mary Shade
Spouse James Smith

Nov 19, 1852: Burial of Matilda (Shade) Smith at Salladasburg Cemetery in Salladasburg, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania. Her death record says Matilda was buried in Emery Chapel Church Yard in Mifflin Township, Pennsylvania, but I find no such cemetery in Mifflin. Her 16-year-old daughter died the same day and is buried in Salladasburg Cemetery, as is Matilda’s husband, James Smith, so I am assuming Matilda is buried with them.

Apr 2, 1859: Death of James Smith (age 73), father of Absalom S. Smith and widower of Matilda (Shade) Smith, in Mifflin Township, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania

Apr 1859: Burial of James Smith at Salladasburg Cemetery in Salladasburg, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania

Smith family plots at Salladasburg Cemetery, Salladasburg, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania

Mary A. Smith: wife 3 of Valentine Shade Smith, 1833-1885
Martha Jane Smith: wife 2 of Valentine Shade Smith, 1817-1849
Valentine S. Smith: son of James Smith & Matilda Shade, 1815-1893
Sarah P. Smith: daughter of James Smith & Matilda Shade, 1835-1852
James Smith: husband of Matilda Shade, 1786-1859
Note: first four headstones all have footstones, shown in photo
“Note the “Gibson” mark on bottom right of James stone. Gibson Monuments has been in business locally for decades.” by Storres Myers

Probably soon after the death of her father in April of 1859, Mary Ann (Smith) Hoy and her six children remove to Omro, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin, where her brother, Absalom S. Smith, resides

Nov 6, 1860: Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th President of the United States, Republican, National Union

Dec 20, 1860: South Carolina secedes from the Union

Secessionists:
When Lincoln was elected, there were thirty-three states in the Union, and a thirty-fourth, free Kansas, was about to join. By the time of his inauguration in March of 1861, just twenty-seven remained, and from the Executive Mansion, rebel flags could be seen across the Potomac on Arlington Heights.
In 1860, most of the nation’s 31 million people lived peaceably on farms and in small towns.
Source: The Civil War, An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward, Ric Burns & Ken Burns

1861: The states of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee secede from the Union

Jan 29, 1861: Kansas is admitted to the Union as a free state

Feb 8, 1861: Jefferson Davis becomes provisional president of the Confederate States

Feb 23, 1861: Texas voters approve secession from the Union

Mar 4, 1861: Inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln. In his inaugural address, he appeals for the preservation of the Union.

The Library of Congress Represents America’s Story from America’s Library:
Lincoln’s inaugural address was stirring. He appealed for the preservation of the Union. To retain his support in the North without further alienating the South, he called for compromise. He promised he would not initiate force to maintain the Union or interfere with slavery in the states in which it already existed. Soon after, Lincoln received word that Fort Sumter, located in Charleston harbor, South Carolina, would have to be resupplied. The situation presented a problem, as tensions between the North and the South were very high. Resupplying the fort might inflame the situation because it was located in a slave-holding state. Yet Lincoln, in his inaugural address, had promised that the Union would not give up control of federal territory, such as Fort Sumter. The fort was resupplied, and Lincoln refused to evacuate it. The Confederates attacked the fort on April 12, 1861. The Civil War had begun, and President Lincoln was thrust into the middle of one of this country’s greatest crises.
Online source: www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi

Map of the Confederate States:

Map Source: The Civil War, An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward, Ric Burns & Ken Burns, Sep 12, 1990, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Apr 12, 1861: Start of the American Civil War. General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard orders his Confederate troops to open fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina.

Apr 15, 1861: Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina, under the Confederate flag:

Source: www.usa-civil-war.com

Sep 8, 1861: Absalom S. Smith (age 27), Mary Ann (Smith) Hoy’s older brother, enlists in the Union Army in Fond du Lac, Winnebago, Wisconsin. Military records state that he has gray eyes and dark hair, is single, and works as a lumberman, residing in Omro (near Fond du Lac), Wisconsin.

Sep 8, 1861: Benjamin Franklin Hoy (age 16), the oldest of the six Hoy children, enlists with Absalom S. Smith (his mother’s brother) as a Private in the Union Army, Co. C, 14th Regiment, Wisconsin, Volunteer Infantry, in Omro, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin.

Oct 1, 1861: Absalom S. Smith is assigned to Company C of the 14th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, officially commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant

Oct 22, 1861: Pony Express service, which began on April 3, 1860, comes to an end. Telegraph service now spans the Continent with its wires.

Dec 6, 1861: Absalom S. Smith heads Pleasants County 191st Militia, Company C, 14th Regiment, West Virginia State Troops. The unit guards railroads and towns, scouts for regulars, and chases small bands of Confederate partisans who are attacking the Northern counties.

Jan 30, 1862: Absalom S. Smith is appointed a second lieutenant in the 14th Wisconsin Infantry

Mar 17, 1862: Absalom S. Smith is wounded at Shiloh, Tennessee; promoted to Captain of Company C

Note: The Battle of Shiloh is named for a small church located in the central portion of the battlefield. The battle is also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing. The battle was the first of many large battles during the war that had in excess of 20,000 casualties and was an omen that the war would last for a much longer time than anyone had anticipated.
Source: Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, Dyer’s Compendium

Mar 17, 1862: Absalom S. Smith (abt age 28) is promoted to Captain of his company

May 27, 1862: Death of Mary Ann (Smith) Hoy (age 40), sister of Absalom S. Smith, in Omro, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin, leaving her six children orphaned. Absalom is involved in overseeing the welfare of her children.

1862: Burial of Mary Ann (Smith) Hoy at Omro Cemetery in Omro, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin; original section, plot 101

April 7, 1862: Absalom S. Smith is wounded at the Battle of Shiloh:

The Battle of Shiloh. Charge and taking of a New Orleans battery by the 14th Regt. Wisconsin Volunteers, Monday, April 7, 1862; sketched by A.E. Mathews, 31st Regt. O.V.; lithograph by Ehrgott, Forgriger & Co. Cincinnati, Ohio
Creator(s): Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co.

Apr 11, 1862: Letter from Absalom to his brother, Rev. J.C. Smith (J. Cline Smith) of St. Louis, Missouri, who forwarded it to the editors of the Morning Sentinel
Published May 24, 1862: Milwaukee Morning Sentinel, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin (pg 2):

Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee
April 11, 1862
My dear brother,
Your kind letter of inquiry for my welfare and that of my fellow soldiers has just come to hand. I was glad to hear that you reached St. Louis and were well.

My regiment, the 14th Wisconsin, left Fond du Lac the 8th of March for St. Louis where we arrived and were quartered at Benton Barracks on the 11th. I was disappointed in not meeting you there. After remaining at St. Louis two weeks, we moved up the Tennessee River under orders to report to General Grant at Savannah. Nothing strange occurred on our way- all safe. We arrived some 8 days before the memorable battle of Shiloh during which time we camped in the suburbs of the village. Our regiment was in good health and buoyant spirits.

When the great battle came off on the 6th of April we were yet at Savannah. About 2 p.m. on Sunday, our regiment started for Pittsburg Landing where it arrived about midnight. It was a dark, rainy night with mud deep. Our regiment stood in the storm without shelter or bed until daylight. During which time we were entertained with the sad and lamentable reports of the terrible fight on Sunday, a description of which is impossible. Two Wisconsin regiments, the 16th and 18th, were in the fight and badly cut up as they were exposed to the fiercest of the battle. Of them I cannot speak farther than to say they fought bravely.

I see by reference to the papers that the conviction is aboard that the 14th Wisconsin was also cut up and suffered a severe loss. I am happy to state that this is a mistake. I am glad to be able to report that there was not a regiment that entered and passed through the fight on Monday the 7th that exhibited more gallantry and bravery, came out in better order, and suffered less casualties than the gallant 14th Wisconsin. Our killed and wounded did not exceed 100.

But I have thus anticipated. When we debarked from the steamer, we stood until daylight when we were drawn up in line of battle and marched to the scene of action which commenced at early dawn by our forces attacking and surprising the enemy. Our regiment was placed in General Smith’s division.

“The first maneuver was to draw on the enemy. To do this, we lay down and rested under the enemy’s fire for 20 minutes or more until they came within 15 rods of us, when the command to rise and advance was given and most cheerfully obeyed, our men charging upon them and driving them back for half a mile. In this charge, we captured a cannon which was spiked by Lieutenant Sealy of Co. D and abandoned.

I tried to rally the boys to keep our position and the gun, but the enemy’s reinforcements compelled us to retreat. We fell back half the distance we had driven them and formed in line again. When the enemy advanced, we charged again, driving them back and capturing several batteries, but were obliged to retreat once more for fear of being flanked and taken prisoners. We fell back to about the same place as before, formed in line of battle again, and charged a third time. We were again successful in driving the enemy, but, as usual, we were obliged to fall back and for the same reason.

We now formed in line for the fourth time and fought for about two hours when I was struck by a piece of shell, knocked down, and had to be helped off the field. The missile struck me in the left side, tearing my clothing and paralyzing my side. It proved not to be as dangerous as first apprehended. Before I received this, I made several narrow escapes; one ball passed through my coat sleeve, and when I mounted a captured cannon to rally my men, another ball took off my cap cover.

But I will not give details. Thousands of brave men stood in the midst of this storm of leaden hail, cool and composed, while hundreds were falling around them. But the fallen have died in a glorious cause. Peace to their ashes and honor to their memory!

As I retired from the field, I met our excellent first assistant surgeon, Dr. Cameron. He was riding at full speed for the front of the battle but halted and examined my wound. I proposed to return to the field, but he forbid me, requiring me to lie down. He has since stated my case to have been very critical.

Allow me a word about Dr. Cameron. He is from La Crosse. When we were at Savannah, he was detailed for post surgeon but finding he was not to accompany the boys to the field of battle, he felt as noble and generous hearted men do- deeply afflicted. An effort with the line officers, however, secured to our regiment his company and his valuable services. He was the first staff officer of the regiment I saw in the morning. He had stayed with us all night in the rain and mud and spent the day on the battlefield, regardless of ball or shell, caring for the wounded. Sometimes he was so far in advance that our colonel had to beg him not to expose himself to such danger. He has the full confidence of the regiment.

About the time I was wounded, the enemy’s ranks began to give way, our forces driving them with fearful slaughter. Our cavalry pursued them for a distance of about 8 miles. The 14th Wisconsin, receiving orders to retire to the river after a hard-fought day, returned in regular order from the field but after stacking arms, the regiment was obliged to stand in the rain and mud all night without any supper.

The next morning, we were put on duty. I say we as I assumed my place but was unable to adjust my belt. About 6 o’clock in the evening of that day we got a little hard bread and raw bacon and proceeded the third night to stand up, exposed as before. The next day we got a camping ground, sent for our camp equipage which had been left at Savannah, but not receiving them until the next day, we braved the mud on foot the fourth night to stand or lay as we could.

Through all these trying scenes, the brave men never complained. It was evident their patriotism was measured only by their lives. When our quartermaster at Savannah heard of our situation, he came to our relief as soon as possible. The name of James Conklin is precious to the whole regiment; his care for us as quartermaster was but little less than that of a father.

Among our killed was the gallant Captain Waldo. When I saw him last, he was waving his sword, cheering on his men. In the color company (C) we lost one killed and 11 wounded. Many of the officers distinguished themselves in the battle among them was the brave Captain Rollis, Co. D, of La Crosse.

You will perceive from the above that because the Wisconsin regiments were not brigaded and the 16th and 18th were cut up, our men are not getting at the bar of public opinion the credit due them. Much more ought to be said, but in addition to my regular office duties (I am acting adjutant) I am illy prepared to give you all the items of interest connected with our gallant regiment. It is now on duty constantly as our colonel was appointed provost marshal of the post at Pittsburg Landing. I have but to add that Wisconsin may feel honored in the conduct of her sons for the part they took in the ever-memorable battle of Shiloh fought on the 6th and 7th of April 1862.
Letter from Second Lieutenant Absalom S. Smith, Co. C, 14th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, Milwaukee Morning Sentinel (Wisconsin), May 24, 1862, pg. 2
Source: https://dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com/2026/04/fighting-for-gun-four-charges-at-shiloh.html

Smith survived his injury and served through the Vicksburg Campaign, which ended with the city’s surrender on July 4, 1863.

Aug 31, 1863: Absalom S. Smith is appointed colonel of the 6th Mississippi Infantry (African Descent), later redesignated the 58th U.S. Colored Infantry.

AI source: Colonel A.S. Smith: On September 7, 1863, he was discharged from the 14th Wisconsin to accept a high-ranking promotion, being commissioned as a Colonel of the 6th Regiment, Mississippi Colored Troops (which was later designated into the United States Colored Troops).

1862: Absalom Shade Tipton is named guardian of the six children of Mary Ann (Smith) Hoy:
Mary Ann’s cousin, Absalom Shade Tipton, living in Centre Co., Pennsylvania, is named by the court to become the guardian of the Hoy children and administer the financial affairs of Hoy estate: Frank (age 17), James “J.S.” (age 15), Valentine (age 13), Emily (almost 12), Adea (not yet 10), and the youngest, Harry (age 6).

According to court records, guardianship of the minor children is to end Oct 19, 1876, after Harry, the youngest (born Aug 1855), becomes 21.

Note: Emily appears to have stayed with her Smith family relatives in Wisconsin until Absalom S. Smith, the younger brother of her mother, Mary Ann (Smith) Hoy, enrolled her in a Catholic boarding school in Wheeling, West Virginia, on Jan 1, 1864. Frank is in the army; the whereabouts of James, Valentine, and Adea are unknown, and Harry may be living with Valentine Shade Smith in Pennsylvania.

Six children of Henry Hoy, Jr. & Mary Ann Smith
1. Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Hoy
1845–1883
2. James Smith “J.S.” Hoy
1846–1925
3. Valentine Shade “V.S.” Hoy
1848–1898
4. Emily S. Hoy
1850–1940
5. Adea Adam “A.A.” Hoy
1852–1926
6. Henry “Harry” Hoy
1855–1906

Sep 1862: Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln, proclaims slaves free in all Confederate states.

Sep 7, 1863: Absalom S. Smith (age 28), brother of Mary Ann (Smith) Hoy, is commissioned as Colonel of the 6th Regiment, Michigan, Colored Troops.

Oct 31, 1863: Absalom S. Smith (age 29) is the Commanding Officer of 860 troops of Negro descent, Mississippi Volunteers, 32nd Regiment, Union Army.

Jan 1, 1864: Emily S. Hoy (age 13 yr, 6 mo) is enrolled in the Wheeling Female Academy, a Catholic Convent/boarding school in Wheeling, West Virginia (later known as Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy). Her uncle, Absalom S. Smith, the brother of her deceased mother, Mary Ann (Smith) Hoy, pays for a year of Emily’s tuition and fees. Total costs for the year are $268: $132 for board, $29 for tuition, $40 for piano lessons, $20 for French lessons, $7.75 for books $19.75 for board during vacation time. Extra fees were paid for singing, piano, music, and French lessons and for living at the Academy during vacation periods. As Emily had no nearby relatives to go home to, and the war was going on) she stayed at school during vacation periods. Emily lives at the school from Jan 1, 1864 until Jun 29, 1868.

Wheeling Female Academy in Wheeling, West Virginia (later known as Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy):

Jan 1864: Absalom S. Smith is placed under arrest for getting “beastly drunk” at the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Smith wrote Major General Nathaniel P. Banks, commander of the Department of the Gulf, asking to be released:
“I have been in the service two years and nine months, and this is the first leave and have had. Have not lost even one day by sickness or otherwise. And if this can in any manner help to mitigate my offence, I would ask to be released from the arrest that I might return to my Regiment at Natchez. Or if not objectionable, send me under orders to General [Walter Q.] Gresham.”

Jan 17, 1864: Nine officers from various regiments signed an appeal addressed to Banks:
“Having learned that Col. A.S. Smith (6th Miss. Vol. D.) was under arrest for improper conduct, from our personal knowledge of him, we cordially endorse these facts — He has faithfully served the U.S. since the commencement of the war, with credit to himself. In no other instance has his conduct been brought in question — He has always been regarded as a gentleman, and the official report of General Ransom shows his conduct as an officer — With our knowledge of him personally, and under the belief that we are serving our cause by so doing, we most respectfully ask his restoration to his command.”

Additional endorsements came from Generals Thomas E.G. Ransom, James B. McPherson, and Walter Q. Gresham as well.

Jan 18, 1864: Despite these letters praising Smith’s character, he is dismissed for “disgracing the uniform of the United States by boisterous conduct.”

Jul 2, 1864: President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Pacific Railroad Act, assuring a railroad line spanning the continent

Jun 12, 1864: Letter from Col. Absalom S. Smith (age 27) to his niece Emily S. Hoy (age 13 yr, 11 mo):
Saint Louis
June 12, 1864
My dear Niece.
I have just received your very nice letter and was glad to here you was well with the exception of a head ache. Hope your better by this time. I received the letter you wrote to me one week ago. I sent it to Frank instructing him to send you ten or twenty dollars which will come to you by express. I want you to have everything you wish but I do not think it best for you to go to Pa. this vacation, it is quite a long distance and it will be very warm weather and it has been a very short time scince you left their, and I know you will not enjoy your self as you think you will, and I know the Sisters will let you spend at least part of your vacation with some of your school mates. Probily with the gentlemans daughter that was agoing to make you a present for me, Mr. Hamlin, I think is the name.

Emily, I want you to have every thing you need but do not get clothing, or more clothing than you can where and before you outgrow them. I will expect you can play Anna Laura when I see you the next time. I have no idea how long I will be here. I am waiting orders from Washington & hope you are contented and learning fast. Write often to me. When I leave here I will let you know. Your uncle rev. J.C. Smith is quite sict (sick), the rest of the family is well. I wrote Ady (Adea) but received no answer. When you write to him tell him to answer my letter. Frank, James, & Valentine are all doing well. I hope Harry and Ady is well, if I had any place for Harry, I would bring him away. Now all I advise, I think is for the best, be carefull of your health and write often,
Your affectionate Uncle, Col. A.S. Smith
Note: Frank, James, Valentine, and Harry are Emily’s brothers; Reverend J. Cline Smith is Emily’s mother’s brother

Summer of 1864: Unemployed and disgraced, Smith heads west to Montana Territory 

Dec 15, 1864: Letter from Absalom S. Smith (regarding his niece Emily, age 14) to Director of the Academy of the Visitation school in Wheeling, West Virginia: Ogden City, U Ter (Utah Territory) Dec 15, 1864
director of the Academy of the Visitation

I have not heard anything from my niece for six months and it is about the time you was receiving some money for another years schooling. I received a letter from Franklin Hoy today with whom I made arrangements with to see her schooling paid for in my absence. He said in the letter he had made application for a Leaf of Absence to come to see her, and square up for another year. If you have not seen him when you get this or herd from him when you get this let me know imediately. He is an officer in the army and can not always get away, and sometimes they are where they can not send the money with safety. If you do not here from him in time by writing to him (Emily knows his address), let me know and I will send you the money. Why does not Emily write to me. I was in Saint Louis a … and never herd from her after writing ever three or four days. I would like to know the reason. Do not let any one take here away from your institution in my absens. My address is Ogden City, Weber Co. U. Territory

Pleas answer. Hoping your Institution is in (?) condition and Emily in good health. I close.
A.S. Smith
Ogden City P.O.
Weber Co., Utah Territory

Apr 14, 1865: Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre (Washington, D.C.) while attending Our American Cousin. Lincoln dies the next day. (1865, photo by Currier & Ives)

Apr 15, 1865: Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes the 17th President of the United States
Note: Republican, National Union

May 26, 1865: The American Civil War ends, with the last of the Confederate troops surrendering in Mississippi.
Note: Over 3 million soldiers battled in the war, and more than 600,000 died—two-thirds by disease.

Jun 9, 1865: Death of Colonel Absalom S. Smith (abt age 31). The brother of Mary Ann (Smith) Hoy fought in the Civil War from 1861 to May of 1865—only to die shortly after it ended, shot with his own gun by a Blackfoot Indian.

From the J.S. Hoy Manuscript (p.60/61):
A TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS
THE KILLING OF COLONEL A.S. SMITH.
Colonel A.S. Smith, an uncle of mine, who enlisted as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 14th regiment of Wisconsin Infantry in 1861 at Fond-du-lac, served until the summer of 1864, when he resigned with the rank of Colonel. He crossed the plains the summer of 1864, on his way to Montana, where he headed a party sent from Virginia City, Montana, to explore and blaze a way for a wagon road to Fort Benton—the head of steamboat navigation on the Missouri river. To get there it was necessary to traverse the country claimed by the Blackfeet Indians, the most implacable of the mountain tribes in their hatred for the whites. Their country or hunting grounds spread far out from and about Fort Benton. They like all tribes were suspicious and jealous of any intrusion by white men within the country they claimed by right of occupancy and agreement with other surrounding tribes. They looked—and rightly too—upon any visits by the whites as being the forerunner or entering wedge that would eventually lead to their expulsion.

While on their return after completing their mission, in the depths of the wilderness, they were met by a party of Blackfeet, one of whom professed great friendship for the Colonel and the whole white race. The leader of this band had strapped to him an army officer’s belt and sword. The Colonel asked to examine them, which request the warrior readily granted. In return he asked to examine the Colonel’s revolver, to which the latter willing assented. The Indian at once presented the muzzle of the weapon against his victim’s breast and shot him dead in his tracks. His two companions were fired upon at the same time, but escaped in the thick brush that fringed the banks of the little stream, one of them being wounded. They made their way to the nearest settlement, where a party was made up, who went to the scene of the tragedy and buried the dead man aged 33. His grave is like that of Moses: “No man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day.”
Note: Copied from original J.S. Hoy Manuscript on Brown’s Park, Colorado (retyped by James G. Hodgson in 1952) located at Colorado A&M College Library, Fort Collins, Colorado

Jun 1865: Absalom S. Smith is buried by his friends in an unmarked grave in Montana

Jun 24, 1865: Montana Post, Helena, Lewis and Clark Co., Montana (pg 3):

1993: SMITH, Absolom S. – Capt., Co. C, 14th Regt., Wis. Vol. Inf.
Absolom resided at Omro and enlisted there on Sept. 8, 1861. He was assigned as above and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in that company on Oct. 1, 1861. Absolom was wounded at Shiloh, Tennessee and he was promoted to Captain of his company on Mar. 17, 1862. Absolom was commissioned as Colonel of the 6th Regt., Mississippi Colored Troops on Sept. 7, 1863. He eventually returned to Wisconsin and was named as a party in a civil suit in Omro in Aug. 1893.
Source: Civil War Veterans of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Vol 1, by David A. Langkau, published 1993
Note: Absalom/Absolom S. Smith died on Jun 9, 1865. Regarding the Civil suit, the date appears to be incorrect, or someone else with that name was named in the suit.

circa Jul 10, 2026: A government-issued veteran memorial headstone is erected at Yellowstone National Cemetery in Laurel, Yellowstone Co., Montana, by the group “Shrouded Veterans” for Colonel Absalom S. Smith, honoring Absalom for his Civil War service.

Cenotaph: A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb, or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the majority of cenotaphs honor individuals, many noted cenotaphs are also dedicated to the memories of groups of individuals, such as the lost soldiers of a country or of an empire.
Source: Wikipedia

Shrouded Veterans: A nonprofit organization rescuing the neglected graves of 19th-century veterans by identifying, marking, and restoring them.

Sep 13, 2026: Link to the more complete history of the murder of Colonel Absalom S. Smith, by Frank Jastrzembski of Shrouded Veterans:

Shrouded Veterans: Shiloh, Vicksburg Veteran Murdered in Montana

2026: Researched and compiled by siblings Catherine (Clemens) Sevenau and Gordon Clemens. Thank you to fellow Find-A-Graver Storres Meyers for his cemetery knowledge and headstone photos of many of our buried, and to Frank Jastrzembski, president of Shrouded Veterans; he contributed immensely to this post, adding new information, clarifying others, and providing a death date and burial information for Absalom. He also requested the erection of the cenotaph for Absalom.

Direct line of Gordon and Catherine:
Johann Albert/Albrecht Hou/Heu & Susanna Snaveley (ggg-grandparents)
Henry Hoy, Sr. & Catherine Elizabeth Vonada (gg-grandparents)
Henry Hoy, Jr. & Mary Ann Smith (gg-grandparents)
Emily S. Hoy & Finley McLaren “Frank” Chamberlin (great-grandparents)
Nellie Belle Chamberlin & Charles Henry Chatfield (grandparents)
Noreen Ellen “Babe” Chatfield & Carl John Clemens (parents)

Note: The cemetery headstone photos from Find A Grave contained herein are the property of those who photographed them.