George Solifelt-- Court Martial file May 1867

I've read the file of the court-martial of George Solifelt of Co. A, Permanent Party.  See the summary following my list of key points and further research.

I cannot be certain that this is the same George Solifelt who died in Iola, Kansas.

• This court martial happens during a time in which I've not accounted for him elsewhere.
• He could have re-enlisted, since a soldier's life was all he knew.
• Drinking was what got him in trouble in his previous court-martial
• The location is not too far from the area in which he lived.
• Why would he not mention this service(Company "A," Permanent Party)? 
• The file mentions him as George W Solifelt in several instances. He has used a W, H, and T as his middle initial in some records, so I can't use that as weight to say this is or isn't him.
• I don't recognize the names of other associates of George in this file. 

Questions and items to research

• Was the 1st court-martial sentence actually carried out? He would have served 2 years at Fort Delaware unless that could have been reduced. It was recommended that it be considered more of an indiscretion. 
• Cross-check with other known associates
• Find the records for Co. A Permanent Party
• Records for Fort Delaware(1865-1867)
• Records for Fort Wood(1866-1867)

Lots of questions and lots more research!

Summary:

Private George Solifelt, Company "A," Permanent Party.

Charge:  "Violation of the 45th Article of War"

Specification--In this, that he, Private George Solifelt, Company "A, "Permanent Party, at Fort Wood, Bedloe's Island, N.Y.H., being a member of the guard detailed to take charge of a prisoner, to conduct to the General Court Martial in New York city, on or about the 3d day of May, 1867, did become so drunk as to be totally unfit to perform his duty.

This at or near New York City on or about the 3d day of May, 1867.

Plea
To the specification, "Not Guilty"
To the charge, "Not Guilty"

Finding and Sentence
The Court, after mature deliberation on the evidence adduced, finds the accused, Private George Solifelt, Company "A, "Permanent Party--

Of the specification, "Guilty"
Of the charge, "Guilty"

And does therefore sentence him, Private George Solifelt, Company "A, "Permanent Party, " To be confined, under charge of the guard, for one(1) month, and to march daily, Sundays, excepted, n front of the guard house every alternate hour from reveille to retreat, carrying a weight of twenty-four (24) pounds."

Source:  Court Martial Case Files, OO-2280; Record Group 153; Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General(Army); National Archives, Washington, DC. [Cases tried by General Court Martial "At New York City", Headquarters, Dept of the East, Philadelphia, PA, 31 May 1867. Private George W Solifelt, Permanent Party, Company A]

George Solifelt and wife in Columbus Ohio(Nov. 1902)

 I've been trying out a GenealogyBank subscription and found an additional mention of George H Solifelt in one of the newspapers images.  The paragraph about George contains an amazing amount of information considering it is only 3 sentences long. 

The Details

• George H Solifelt(58) & wife(32) 
• Passed thru Columbus Saturday(Nov 22nd or 29th)
• They were traveling from Pittsburgh to western KS
• They claim to have friends in KS
• They are entirely destitute & plan to take the trip on charity passes
• County Infirmary directors gave them train tickets good as far as London OH

This wife would be Mary who is enumerated with him in the 1900 Census in Granville, Mifflin Co., Pennsylvania(E.D. 135 Sheet 3B). He sides steps the questions about a wife multiple times in his application for a pension and pension increases.  This is likely the one he married in TX and who was born in Mississippi.  His 1st wife, Kate divorced him by publication and her death which occurred about a year prior was covered in a number of newspapers.  Presumably George and Mary didn't make it out to Kansas.  They leave a paper trail in Fort Smith Arkansas and later he and Tennie after Henry F Hill's death do end up in KS.  There is evidence to suggest that Mary was still alive and in Ft Smith(AR) at least until 1926.  George and Tennie came to Iola, KS in April of 1909.

I need to make a timeline. 

Source:  

“Brevities,” Columbus(Ohio) Evening Dispatch, 29 Nov 1902, p. 7, col. 7; digital image, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/ : accessed 17 Apr 2023).

Trip from Pittsburgh to Columbus(OH) and on to London OH 
Note that this example is shown using present day roads.

George's Time at Eastern State and Western State Penitentiary

I haven't written about George Solifelt in awhile as I've been focused on the Cook research with my new discoveries but I did want to update with the information about the time period in which he was an inmate at Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania.

Date/Time Served:  29th Jun 1870 thru 12th Jan 1872

Eastern State Penitentiary:   29th Jun 1870 to  13th Jun 1871 (Prisoner # 6718) The following image is from the Warden's Daily Journal on the day he was received at Eastern State.

George and 26 other prisoners were transferred June 13th 1871 "by virtue of an act of assembly"  The Eastern State Penitentiary Warden's Daily Journal for that date says that they were sent under the charge of Michael J Cassidy and five other of our officers without carrying with them pistols or other fire arms.

The entry for the 14th says they received a telegram at 1:20pm announcing the safe arrival of the prisoners at Pittsburg.

Western State Penitentiary: 14 Jun 1871 to 12th Jan 1872 (Prisoner # 4026)The following image is from the Warden's Daily Journal on the day he was released from Western State.

Part of the Intake process requires that they log descriptions of the inmates

The description of George's tattoo 

Western State Penitentiary: Descriptive Register (Roll 412)

Image 208 of 268

Sources:

Eastern State Penitentiary of Pennsylvania,. “Eastern State Penitentiary Warden's Daily Journals_Image00001”. Eastern State Penitentiary: Wardens’ Daily Journals (Roll 6608), Warden's Daily Journals (PA) 1829-1961, 01856. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/psa/islandora/object/psa%3Awdjpa_2630.

State Penitentiary for the Western District of Pennsylvania,. “Western State Penitentiary: Warden’S Daily Journals (Roll 7788)”, Wardens Daily Journals (PA) 1869-1875, 1875. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/psa/islandora/object/psa%3Awdjpa1860_521.

State Penitentiary for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Western State Penitentiary: Descriptive Register (Roll 412)”, Descriptive Register (PA) 1826-1876, 1826. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/psa/islandora/object/psa%3A537669.

Examining Tennie's Claim That She Is George's Niece

I'm looking at Tennie Hill's claim that she is the niece of George Solifelt and gathering what evidence I have for analysis. Below is a "play by play" of Tennie's correspondence with the Veterans Administration who by 1935 was in charge of Union Pensions.

• Tennie writes to the Veterans Admin to let them know George has died. She asks them to send forms so you can get any pension due to him because she took care of his expenses.  Also included in her correspondence with the VA is a copy of his death notice and a notarized statement from the funeral home showing that she was the one who paid for his funeral expenses..
• Veterans Admin. writes back saying they need a certified Death cert.
• Tennie sends one along with a notarized statement from the minister who preached at George's funeral
• Veterans Admin. sends letter to Notary in error.
• The notary attaches a noted letter explaining that the wife mentioned that George's death record is deceased and that Tennie is his sole surviving heir. (screenshot below)

• Veterans Admin sends letter to Tennie asking her to clarify what the death cert. of George says.  It said he was married and gave his wife's name.  If the wife is a survivor they need to know that as she would be the one who would qualify for any money due him.  If she is deceased they need to have a sworn statement of that with her date of death.
• Tennie returns that letter with a notarized statement typed at the bottom.  (screenshot pg 307)

• Veterans Admin sends a letter to Tennie letting her know that accrued pension is not an asset of his estate and is not payable to heirs and is not liable for the payment of debts but may be paid to reimburse the person who bore the expenses of his last sickness and burial or who is held responsible for the payment thereof only in case he did not leave sufficient assets to meet such expenses or is not survived by widow or a minor child under the age of 16 yrs at the date of his death.  They enclose form for her to use if that is the case.
• Tennie completes the file and sends it back.

KEY STATEMENT FROM Pg. 1 of Reimbursement Application

KEY STATEMENT FROM Pg. 2 of Reimbursement Application

• She is awarded an accrued pension amount of $95 and they note that there is possible additional aid of $150 towards the remaining expenses.  She claimed  $3448 they approved only a certain amount for items of which the $150 possible deduction was subtracted leaving $753.60 I don't see anything on the document that give any indication that they paid anything other than the $95 amount to her and merely suggested she might be able to get $150.  

Let's look at what is being said and compare it to known information.

I tried to make a list of all the possible ways that Tennie might be George's niece but she seems to have explained it in the above snippets from the reimbursement application.....or does she?  Tennie's mother is Susan Carson of Williamson Co TN.  Susan's 1st husband John Ferguson was Tennie's father.  His family was also from Williamson Co TN  I am familiar with both families and that of Susan's 2nd husband(Tennie's stepdad, James Polk Cook)  Tennie is on the census in the household of her Stepdad and her Mom in 1870 and 1880.  Susan Carson was not a sister of George.  If Susan Carson is not Tennie's Mom then the 1/2 sister that Tennie names in her will(and also listed as a survivor in obituary) would not be her half-sister.  That half-sister's father is James Polk Cook.  What we know about George from his early life and that of his Mom, Eliza, and his sister Wilhelmina is that they were all in Pennsylvania up until at least 1870 and that is documented. While Penn is sometimes mistaken for  Tenn(Which does happen in indexing a good bit)that is not what is happening here. Tennie consistently gives her state of birth as 1862 in Tennessee.  George's only sister of record Wilhelmina married in 1870 and is living with her new husband, Henry Walters, and her mom Eliza Solifelt(Saufeld in entry) in Lewiston, Dauphin Co PA.  There are no others in the household with them.

Tennie is the informant on George's death certificate yet she cannot name his parents.  That would be her maternal grandparents and you would have thought she would have at least attempted a guess at their place of birth.

All the evidence I have found, census records, kinships, death certificates, and even her own will, provide clues that suggest that her statement about her being by birth the daughter of George's sister is false.  I believe she claimed to be his niece for several reasons.  There was money to be gained not only from the reimbursement but also she was still drawing her widow's pension and I don't know if she could have continued doing that after she and George left Arkansas and came to Kansas without having some backstory of why she was living with a man. The obituary that she included was one of two obituaries for George and I believe that it was written by Tennie.  I don't claim to know what, if any other relationship existed between George and Tennie, but I am 99.9% certain that they were not uncle and niece by blood.

Sources: 

"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ57-SLQ : 29 May 2021), Willamina Walters in entry for Eliza Saufeld, 1870.

George Solifelt(Pvt., Co. E, 20th PA Cav., Civil War), pension application no. 580,089,

certificate no. 950,395, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil

War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National

Archives, Washington, D.C.

“Mrs. Tennessee Hill Funeral Tomorrow,” The Iola Register, 12 May 1946, p. 1, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 23 Dec 2022).

"Will of Tennessee Hill," File #6782; Allen County Kansas Clerk's Office, Dated 14 Mar 1946. 

"George H Solifelt Standard Certificate of Death," State of Kansas, State Board of Health Division of Vital Statistics, Certificate #8581, DOD 30 Jan 1935, Filed 15 Feb 1935, informant Mrs. Tennie Hill.

"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD8F-ZLD : 25 October 2022), Tennessee Cook in entry for James Cook, 1870.[Tennie is listed under the Cook surname.  Her half sister Sofie who is listed in her will is also in this census]

"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDQ2-DMM : 15 January 2022), District 10, Bedford Co., Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district 10 , sheet 12D, Household of James P. Cook.

[Tennie is again listed under her Stepdad's surname ]

Union Soldier's Letter Home from Danville(Va.)

Gathering information on George Solifelt and found a few new items. One item is a letter home that was published in the Lewistown, PA paper. The letter was written by Union soldier, Joseph Tice who was captured during the Civil War and held at Danville.  The majority of the guys he mentions are part of Co E 20th PA Cavalry.  The only soldier I found by the name of Samuel Wasson for PA was from the 9th PA Infantry.

Danville, C.S.M. Prison

February 2, 1865
Dear Mother:-- This is the first opportuni
ty I have had to write to you since I am a
prisoner, and I hope these few lines will
reach you.  I was captured on the 19th of
July, at Ashby's Gap, along with Geo. Soli-
felt, Larry Brought, John Crawford, James
Summers and Harrison Cupples, from Free
dom Forge.

We are all well and in good spirits, and
expect to be exchanged soon.  Lewis Briner
and John Miller are well also. Samuel Was
son, from Mt. Union, died on the 8th of Nov
1864; please inform his relatives. We all
send much love and expect to hear from you
as soon as you receive this.  Your son,
                            Joseph Tice
P.S. Please inform the boys' friends of 
their welfare.
Direct:--  C.S.M. Prison, No. 1, 
                    Danville, Va.
Care Lt. Col. R.C. Smith

Source:
Lewistown Gazette(Lewistown, Pennsylvania) 1st March 1865 Page 3 Col 1 (at Newspapers.com) 

Researching Tennie-- including a few To-Do items

I've always loved census records because they provide me with so much information along with a time and place framework for finding more documents and more information. After all, pretty much every document you find will lead you to another document.   I'm currently studying a "shirttail relative."  Tennie was the step daughter of my paternal Grandfather's paternal uncle. 😀  The following update on my research detailing the census records that led me to wills, marriage records, newspaper articles, pension files and a number of other records will give you an idea of what can be found if you know where to look.  With the advances in indexing. finding our folks when they are in an unexpected location is so much easier than it used to be.  If you are interested in seeing the sources I mention in this post, they can be found in my tree at Ancestry.  If you don't have an Ancestry subscription, try accessing it thru your local library. 

Tennessee "Tennie" Ferguson's Census entries

• Two entries(1870 & 1880) find her in Bedford Co TN as a Cook(her step Dad's surname)
• One entry(1900) finds her in Sebastian Co AR as Tennie Hill with 2nd husband, Henry F Hill
• Four entries(1910, 1920, 1930 & 1940) find her in Allen Co. KS with George H. Solifelt. She is listed as his Niece.  That relationship remains unproven.
• I also have her in one state census(1925) and a city census(1943)
• The 1900 census is the only census where there is evidence that Tennie had children.  She is listed as Mother of 1 child 0 children living.  I don't know if that was from her marriage to Henry or from her 1st marriage which I can't seem to find much about other than enough info to prove I have the correct Tennie.
• Never enumerated under her actual maiden name.
• Never enumerated under her 1st married name.

Henry F Hill's Census Entries

• Three census(1850, 1860 & 1870) records with parents in Washington Co, Morgan Co and Perry Co of Ohio.
• One entry(his final in 1900) w/ wife Tennie in Sebastian Co AR(They married in 1886 in Franklin Co Ark)
• Not Census Related but worth mentioning:  Henry was a US Pension Agent and a US Civil War Vet.  I've ordered his pension and also a file which contains information on a fraudulent practices investigation against him during his time as a pension agent.  Can hardly wait to see what new info those provide.

George H Solifelt Census Entries

• Census entries with Tennie(1910, 1920 & 1930) in Iola Allen Co KS and their State Census from 1925
• 1900 US Federal Census Mifflin Co PA where he is known to have been

George is a complicated character.  

• He has a paper trail laid out in his obit(likely written by Tennie)which doesn't exactly match the one I've finding in records. 
• He is also a veteran who was a POW and was in the Pennsylvania Eastern State Penitentiary in August of 1870.
• His surname has a variety of spellings:  Solifelt, Solifell, Solifeld, Sollifield etc. and then he has two aliases George Sullivan and Theodore Sullivan which are listed on his pension index card.  
• He was in TX when he filed for his pension in 1886.  I have the Application and the Certificate #s and need to get a copy of his pension papers as well.

Tennie did file for a widow's pension and I also need to get copies of those files.  I'm hoping to find more info about Tennie's first husband, Hugh Clawson as well.  

George H. Solifelt(1843-1935)

In a previous blog post about Tennessee Ferguson Hill I had found that she moved to Iola KS after she was widowed with a George Solifelt.  The paper and census records list Tennie as his niece but I have not been able to find any connection.  If there is a connection it would likely have to be thru Tennie's deceased husband.  

Death

Info from George H. Solifelt's Obituary

• Born 4th July 1843 in Lewistown, Pennsylvania
• Died 30 January 1935 in Iola
• Served in PA Calvary during Civil War
• Moved to Texas after leaving Army
• Worked several years in Texas on a cattle ranch.
• Then moved to Rosebud, Miss --Farmed for many years[This would be Leake Co.]
• Later Came to Ft Smith Arkansas(lived in town)
• 28th of April 1909 came to Iola along with niece(Mrs Tennie Hill)
• Father killed in Mexican War(while Mr. Solifelt was an infant)
• Only Brother killed in Civil War
• Mother and two sisters deceased
• Mrs. Hill his niece is his only known family

Source:  “Obituary(George H. Solifelt),” The Iola Register, 2 Feb 1935, p. 2, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Oct 2021).

Info from George H Solifelt's death notice.

Civil War Veteran Dies
End Comes to George H Solifelt at Age of 91--He lived in Allen County Since War

• Died at Residence 421 South Buckeye
• Funeral Friday(Feb 1 1935)
• Burial at Highland
• Came to county shortly after the close of Civil War. 
• Spent virtually all remainder of life in country or Iola where he came to live in 1909
• Only remaining family a niece Mrs. Tennie Hill with whom he was living
• Member of Presbyterian church

Source:  “Civil War Veteran Dies End Comes to George H Solifelt at Age of 91.” The Iola Register, 30 Jan 1935, p. 1, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Oct 2021).

Pension Records

From First Card

Subject:  Solifelt, George H

Pri Co H 126 Reg't PA

Record & Pension Office

War Department Sep 2 1896

#457725

William H Settle, Atty

Lewistown, Mifflin Co PA

X Alias Theodore Sullivan

Source:  Date of Reply or Final Disposition.  Sep 3, 1896

"United States Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDTJ-77L : accessed 19 Oct 2021), George H Solifelt, ; citing NARA microfilm publication M686 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,527,989.

From Second Card

Subject:  Solifelt, George H

Co C 2 PA Inf 3 mon 1861

Co H 126 PA Inf

Co E 20 Reg't Pa Inf

Co C 1 Reg't PA Prov  Cav

Record & Pension Office

War Department Oct 22 1896

#460588

For Full Mil. History

X alias Theodore Sullivan

See also Nos.:  #457725

Date of Reply of final disposition.  Oct 27, 1896

Source:  "United States Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDTJ-77G : accessed 19 Oct 2021), George H Solifelt, ; citing NARA microfilm publication M686 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,527,989.

Court and Penitentiary Records

I'd entered what little information I had on him at Ancestry and found an inmate record which I believe is him in the town where he was known to have lived.

Pennsylvania Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1929-1971

# 6718 George Solifelt

Age: Twenty-Seven

Native of Philadelphia

Bound: Not

Trade:  Baker & Laborer

Complexion:  Light

Eyes:  Grey

Hair:  Brown & Curly

Stature:  5 ft 6  Foot 10

Marks:  Female Figure on left arm & ? right arm

No of convictions:  First

Parents:  Motherless

Reads & Writes:  Both

Temperate:  Moderate

Married:  Married & 1 child

Property: Not Any

Crime:  Highway Robbery

Sentence:  One Year 6 months

County and Court: Mifflin;  Oyer & Terminer

Sentenced:  August 27, 1870

Received:  August 29, 1870

Remarks:  (no text in this area but 2 years Army written across top of his entry)

Source:  Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1829-1971 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Eastern State Penitentiary > Convict Reception Registers > 1869 - 1886 > images 65 of 725.

The record of his time at the Penitentiary sent me in search of a court case which I located on FamilySearch.  Below is the information contained in that case file.

Transcript from the Docket of Joseph S Warcam J P  

Augt. 20 1866 Warrant issued to A Wagner Constable on oath of Dennis Igo that on the 20th Augt 1866 whilst going from the Lewistown Bridges to the Lewistown Depot a person whom he believes to be George Solifelt asked him what time of day it was and when he took out his watch said person jerked the watch out of his hand with the purpose of feloniously appropriating it to his own uses.  Alias Warrant issued Nov 1 1866 to George Miller  Feb 12 1868 Deft brought up bail requests in $300 Same day deft committed--March 22 1868 Dennis Igo held in $50 to appear and testify in the above cases

July 2nd 1870 2nd Alias Warrant issued to G W Woods Cmo

July 2nd 1870 Deft brought up

George Solifelt }  each held in $300 that George Solifelt the

Henry A Walters }  deft shall be and appear at this next court of Quarter Sessions to answer such charges

as may be brought against him on the part of the

Commonwealth and not to depart said court without leaves

taken and acknowledged before me July 2nd 1870 J S Warcam J P 

Mifflin Co SS Certified from the Records Augt 19th 1870

Jos. S Warcam J P

Costs:(This was written in the left margin of case)

J S W  .75 paid by Igo

J S W 2.25

A.W.   .62 paid by Igo

A.W.   .50

G W W  .62

Source:  Mifflin Co PA Court Papers, Quarter Sessions Papers Aug 1870-April 1875 imaged at Familysearch.org: accessed 18 Oct 2021, img 32 of 1472  

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-J3D8-93DS?cat=53132

Draft & Military Service Records

Residence:  Lewistown

Name: Sullifelt, G T 

Age 1st July 1863:  21 Yrs old  White Laborer Single 

Place of Birth:  Ohio 126th Regt PA

Remarks Dis 20th May 1863

Source:  Ancestry.com. U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Pennsylvania > 17th > Vol 1 of 1> Image 607 of 627.

Also found  two men named George Solifelt listed in Court Martial records in the National Archives Catalog.  

I think the top one is probably him since the Company and Regiment matches on that is in his service and pension file but the one in New York is likely a different guy as I did find one that was in New York City.  I'd like to check both if I get the opportunity.  

Other service records on Ancestry list him as a POW on 19 Jul 1864 at Ashby's Gap, Virginia.  He was very hard to find in census records prior to living in Kansas.  I found him in the ones he should be in there 1910, 1920 & 1930 Federal as well as the Kansas State Census for the years 1915 & 1925.

George and Tennie are buried side by side in the Highland Cemetery at Iola, Kansas. Their entries are listed on FindAGrave along with a picture of their gravestones.