52 Ancestors :: Week 6: Favorite Name

Salathiel Stanley

I couldn't resist choosing this name to research for my post this week. It is so alliterative, and sounds like it could be the name of a character from Harry Potter. The Sorting Hat would have sent him straight to Slytherin! But, as you can see from this photo, apparently Salathiel was one of the good guys, as evidenced by the star on his vest. 

I really appreciated the chance to look a little more closely at his life this week. He was one of my husband's ancestors, so I didn't know much about him going in.

I found this photo on Find A Grave - I have learned so much from this wonderful, free web site![1] You can also contribute to the site, and help others who are looking for their family. I used it for many years before I could afford an Ancestry account, and found it very valuable and accessible. Take a minute and look up some of your family members - see if they are accounted for, and if their information is correct. If not, make suggestions for edits, and add photos if they are missing - you'll be hooked from there! 

I've studied Salathiel's daughter, Diana Jane, through her marriage to John Bechtel. They both died in Iowa, but spent about 25 years in Nebraska, where they were married in 1873, and John was a minister for the Church of the United Brethren.[2] I hadn't understood why Jane was in Nebraska until I took a closer look this week. I found homesteading documents for Salathiel on Ancestry, which show that he applied for land as a disabled Civil War veteran.[3] According to his application, the family arrived in April 1871, and their first home there was made of sod. Again, from Find A Grave, Salathiel's obituary reads: ​

​Salathael Stanley, father of Mrs. Roy Crom, died last Friday of apoplexy at the home of the latter. Deceased was eighty-three years of age and one of the early settlers in this country. - Nebraska Signal, Geneva, Nebraska, June 8, 1906.

Salathiel and his wife, Sarah Ann Hickey, were living in Illinois with eight children when the Civil War broke out.[4] He was 40 years old when he enlisted as a Private in the Union Army in Coles County. He was assigned to Company H in the 79th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry. He was discharged for disability on 16 July 1863 in Louisville, Kentucky, and it was this disability which qualified him for applying for his land in Nebraska. Apparently it was not severe enough to limit his farming efforts, and I am also happy to report, Salathiel and Sarah Ann had one more child, Amanda Della, in 1864 (the Mrs. Roy Crom mentioned above).[5]

I read about the history of the 79th Regiment on The Illinois Civil War Project - it looks like he may have been injured at the Battle of Stones River, Northwest of Murfeesboro, Tennessee, or possibly the Battle of Liberty Gap a few months later (June 1863), Southeast of Murfeesboro.

I don't have any Civil War participants in my family history, so I am always curious when one pops up on my husband's side. In this case, I felt like I could understand Salathiel's story better because our family visited the Carnton Plantation battle site, in Franklin, Tennessee, a couple of years ago, while we were visiting my aunt. In fact, the 79th Regiment played a part in the Battle of Franklin. Even though it took place in 1864, after Salathiel was discharged, our visit helped me to envision his experience.

By the way, remember the star on his vest? At first I thought he may have been a sheriff in his later years, but context and closer examination lead me to believe that he was photographed wearing a commemorative medal given to him and other Civil War veterans by the Grand Army of the Republic, such as the one pictured here. From what I have learned so far, it seems to me that Salathiel Stanley was definitely one of the good guys.

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1. Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 11 February 2018), memorial page for Salathiel (Salathael) Stanley (16 August 1822–1 June 1906), Find A Grave Memorial no. 33011463, citing Chelsea Cemetery, Fillmore County, Nebraska; photo credit Zelda Capehart.

2.​ “Useful Life is Ended,” Earlham Echo (Iowa), 6 December 1923, p. 1, col. 4; digital image, search term “John Bechtel,” Community History Archive (http://earlham.advantage-preservation.com/  : accessed 18 October 2017).   

​3. “U.S., Homestead Records, 1863-1908,” database with images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 February 2018), entry for Salathiel Stanley, 26 September 1878, Beatrice, Nebraska, Application Number 7325, Final Certificate Number 3792; citing National Archives Record Group Title “Records of the Bureau of Land Management, 1685-2006,” Record Group Number 49: Land Entry Case Files: Homestead Final Certificates.

4. 1860 U.S. census, Coles County, Illinois, population schedule, East Oakland Township, p. 5 (penned), dwelling 36, family 36, Selathiel Stanley household; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 February 2018); citing National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M653, roll 171.

5. Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 11 February 2018), memorial page for Amanda Della Stanley Crom (20 July 1864-21 March 1935), Find A Grave Memorial no. 27707057, citing Grasston Union Cemetery, Kanabec County, Minnesota.