Yesterday I posted the obituary of James Quigley (1846-1944) from the
Napa Journal.
The obituary mentioned his Civil War service and stated he was the last living Civil War veteran living in Napa, California.
I decided to do some investigating on his Civil War service.
I checked first on the internet and found several websites devoted to regiment histories.
I found a James Quigley in a roster for the 11
th Wisconsin Infantry, Co. B. which stated he enlisted 28 Dec 1863, transferred in, and mustered out 4 Sep 1865.
| Quigley, James | B | 12/28/63 | Transfered | 09/04/65 | Mustered out |
So far the roster matches the obituary.
But what is this about being transferred in?
On another website about the Co B. Mendotta Guard, I found this information:
| Quigley, James | Boscobel | Dec 28, 1863 | From 33rd Wis. Inf.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
So he possibly transferred in from the 33
rd Wisconsin Infantry regiment.
His hometown is listed as Boscobel, a town in Grant County, Wisconsin.
The Medotta Guard was the popular name for the 11
th Infantry.
Next I looked at the roster for the 33
rd Regiment and found James Quigley in Co. B.
| Quigley, James | B | 12/28/63 | Enlisted | 07/22/65 | Transferred |
It clearly shows that James was transferred out on July 22, 1865.
Reading the history of the 33
rd Regiment, the regiment was mustered out 8 Aug 1865.
The obituary also mentioned that James Quigley was just sixteen when he enlisted. If he enlisted 28 Dec 1863, that would make him just seventeen. I do not yet have a birth record for James, but from the California Death Index, he was born 9 Nov 1846.
The 1900 Federal census has his birth date as Nov 1849.
The following two censuses have his age consistent with the 1900 census: age 60
and 71,
but the 1930 census indicates his age at 84, consistent with the 1846 birth date in the death index.
Conclusion & Further Research
My conclusions so far are: James Quigley probably served with the Wisconsin Volunteers both in the 33rd and 11th Regiments. He probably enlisted at a young age of either 16 or 17. My next step would be to search for his Civil War service record and a possible Civil War pension record.
“Roster for 11th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment,” Wisconsin Genealogy Trails
“Roster for 33rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment,” Wisconsin Genealogy Trails
Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past