CoryEdwardGettysburg1863My interest in visiting Gettysburg was peaked when I learned about my 4th Great Uncle Edward M. Cory. He was born around 1826 in Ontario County, New York one of the younger children of Gideon and Ruth Cory and the younger brother of my 4the Great grandfather John B. Cory (father of Augusta Cory). The family appears to have moved to Michigan sometime between the 1830 and 1840 Census settling in Wayne County. I know nothing of his early life but on 21 Dec 1848 Edward married Clarissa A. Gates in Plymouth, Wayne County, Michigan. Within a year the first of two daughters was born—Miss Mary Ann Cory. Two years later she was joined by Josephine A. Cory. In the 1850 Census Edward was listed as a Farmer but come the time of his enlistment in August of 1862 he was occupied as a carpenter.

Edward mustered in15 Aug 1862 as a Private in Company C of the 24th Infantry. As mentioned in yesterday’s post he was mortally wounded in on 1 Jul in the opening salvos of Gettysburg. He was wounded “through the thigh by a ‘Minnie ball’ and died 14 Jun 1863 of gangrene per his company Chaplain’s testimony in Clarissa’s widow’s pension file. The Champlain states that he was buried at the old burying ground at Gettysburg but there is also at least a stone at Riverside Cemetery in Plymouth, Michigan.

Clarissa was granted a widow’s pension including some funds to aid in raising Josephine as a minor (under the age of 16). I haven’t been able to trace what happened to Mary Ann, but Josephine married Albert M. Button 25 Dec 1868. The couple had one child, Edward, born 22 Jan 1870. At the time of the Census they lived in Plymouth and Clarissa was part of their household. Josephine and Albert appear to have divorced sometime between then and 1880 when she and Edward resided with Clarissa in Plymouth. At the age of 18 Edward married Minnie E. Pulcifer in my hometown of Lansing, Michigan. From what I’ve found so far they had no children—creating yet another dead end in my Cory family.

Happy hunting,

Jess