Port Byron Nurse in the Civil War

Here's an interesting article I found today.  Katherine Adelia Baker, reported as a Port Byron native and married Pvt. John L. Crane, a soldier of the 9th Heavy Artillery who enlisted at Auburn.

The article goes on to say that she followed her husband to the battle field and served as a nurse.  Her husband was commissioned Captain of Co. H of the same regiment on September 8, 1862.  Capt. Crane was discharged on Nov. 12, 1864.

There are two head of household of the Baker surname in 1840, being G. Baker and J. Baker as well as Rachael Baker.

The Clyde Herald

Wednesday May 31, 1933

MRS. ADELIA CRANE, OLDEST RESIDENT IN GALEN, DEAD AT 95 

Port Byron Native, She Went To Civil War as a Nurse With Her Husband 

Death claimed Oalen's oldest resident Mrs. Kathleen Adelia Crane at her home at Caroline and Reese Streets shortly after midnight Saturday night.  She was 95 years, two months and 26 days of age.  She had been ill in recent weeks.

A native of Port Byron, March 1, 1838 Mrs. Crane as a young woman married John L. Crane, a Captain in the Civil War, and went with him to act as a nurse in that conflict.

They lived in a camp on the Potomac with Mr. and Mrs. Lape and Delia Lape and Mr. and Mrs. Wadley and James Wadley, all of whom have died. Tunis Conklin,

a nephew of the late Hiram Burton, did errands for them in Washington. Soldiers came to the camp to receive supplies from Captain Crane. A baby girl was born at
the camp to a wife of a general and she is believed to be residing in Auburn now.

For many years after the war Mr. and Mrs. Crane resided in Clyde. Mr. Crane practicing law in partnership with the late Charles T. Saxton, New York State's lieutenant-governor, 1904-1906.

Mr. Crane died in the west many years ago. An only daughter, Nellie, an accomplished musician, died at the age of eighteen. She would have been over 60 now.  Mrs. Crane maintained the homestead until her death, Mrs. H. B. Exner caring for her in recent years.

Mrs. Crane is survived by one sister Mrs. Lura O'Neil and one brother, Home Baker, both living here and both more than 80 years of age.  Several nieces and nephews survive her.

Funeral services were conducted at 2 O'clock Wednesday afternoon at the Gelder and Lacey home by the Rev. R.F. Smithson.  Burial was in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Note:

Maple Grove Cemetery at Galen, Wayne County, NY records the following burials:
Crane, Adelia C. wife Capt. John L. 1838-1933
Crane, Nellie dau John L. & Adelia C. 1867-1887

Future Nurses Club

I continue to be amazed at the wonderful things waiting to be found in Port Byron's history.  Here's an article that says Port Byron established the first Future Nurses Club in Cayuga County.

Click the link above to read the 1958 article.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to fultonhistory.com for providing digital newspapers of the past that fills in so many details about our region.

Congrats to Port Byron School for making such an unusual record in Cayuga County!

Doctor Cayuga

Courtesy of Fold3.com

Today's post is dedicated to Kevin Faatz who attended one of my classes and expressed interest in Indian soldiers.  It is a topic that I have not collected data on to date, so I know Kevin will read this post with interest.

I'd like to share a little information on an Indian by the name of Doctor Cayuga of the Cayuga Tribe of the Six Nations.  Dr. Cayuga reported that he was 14 years old when he was living at the Indian reservation at Buffalo and placed into Capt. Littlebeard's Company of New York Militia.  His application for pension benefits in  1871 indicates he was born about 1791, so his exact age is not known.

He saw service at Black Rock and present when Buffalo was burned.  His unit crossed over Niagara River to the Canadian side opposite Black Rock where he did picket patrol and skirmishes.  He was in the battles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane.  He served with Chief Black Squirrel who was of the Seneca Tribe and reported to be loyal to the American cause.  Some pages of the pension application suggest he saw service under Capt. Pollard.

While he was awarded 160 acres of bounty land (112,273) under the Act of 1855 for his service, he was denied a pension because he was not a Citizen of the United States and as such would not be able to "pledge an Oath of Allegiance" as required in the Pension Act.

His residence in 1871 was listed as Alabama, Genesee County, NY and had since moved to the Seneca Tribe, so perhaps he was living at the Tonawanda Creek Reservation located in that township as he is reported as living with the Senecas.

There is also an equipment claim for him:

No.: 10,087

NAME OF WARRIOR.: Doctor Cayuga,

CLAIMANT.: George Skye, Administrator

Here is some additional resources from the American State Papers about the Northwestern Indian Tribes which mentions Chief Littlebeard.

Another resource for those interested in learning more about the Indian land struggles resulting from the 1812 War.