THOMAS E. STARK

CIVIL WAR SOLDIER

BERKSHIRE FARMER

by John W. Quist

      Thomas Ewing Stark was born on March 7, 1838 in Berkshire Township, Delaware County, Ohio. ⁽¹⁾  His farmer father, James Rosecrans Stark, was born in Armstrong or Wilkes-Barre, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania on August 12, 1808.  His parents were Paul (1769-1818) and Catherine (Rosecrans) Stark (1775-1860).  On September 29, 1830 in Kingston Township, Delaware County, James married Elizabeth (“Betsy” or “Betsey”) Van Sickle, who was born on November 23, 1810 in Sussex County, New Jersey.  Her parents were Peter G. (1783-1870) and Elizabeth (Stephens) Van Sickle (1784-1863). ⁽²⁾  James and Elizabeth had ten children:  Cordelia E. (born in 1831), Catharine E. (1834), Oscar F. (1836), Thomas E. (1838), Louisa L. (1840), Henry C. (1842), Selah J. (1844), Maria S. (1845), Sarah J. (1847), and Mary L. (1850). ⁽³⁾ 

      “James left the family before the beginning of the Civil War and lived with his Daughter Elizabeth Catherine Stark who was married to John Hartman.  [James] died in 25 Mar 1883 in Fort Wayne, [Allen County,] Indiana.  He is buried there in Prairie Grove Cemetery, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.  Betsy raised the rest of the children, alone off what she made on the farm and growing flax and making linen sheets.  When her youngest child and daughter, Mary Stark married to Joseph Fuller, Betsy made her home with them.” ⁽⁴⁾  “Betsy” died on April 30, 1889 at Kingston Center, Berkshire Township ⁽⁵⁾ and was buried at Berkshire Cemetery, rural Sunbury. ⁽⁶⁾

      When the Civil War broke out in April 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to help quell the rebellion by southern states.  Men of Ohio responded quickly, and several new regiments were enrolled for a term of three months’ service, which was considered to be sufficient to end the war.  The Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment (4^th O.V.I.) was organized on April 25 at Camp Jackson in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. ⁽⁷⁾  Thomas Stark enlisted on April 21at the age of 23 as a Private, and was assigned to Delaware County’s Company I. ⁽⁸⁾  The regiment was then moved to the newly constructed Camp Dennison (north of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio) on May 2, where it served three months on garrison duty until June 4.  On June 5, many of the men joined the newly reorganized three years regiment.  The three months men who chose not to re-enlist were mustered out on July 24.

      The regiment was moved to Grafton, Virginia (now West Virginia).  It served and saw action in western Virginia throughout 1861.  It participated in the Battle of Winchester, VA (March 23, 1862) and Battle of Port Republic (June 9).  After suffering serious losses in a prolonged firefight at Antietam (September 17), their brigade was given the nickname “Gibraltar Brigade” because of its firmness in battle. ⁽⁹⁾  Following the Antietam battle, Thomas was sent to a hospital in Washington, D.C., where he remained until March 1863.  He was detailed to the ambulance corps at Second Corps headquarters in December 1863 and served in this capacity until his discharge with the rest of the 4^th O.V.I. on June 21, 1864. ⁽¹⁰⁾

      Two of Thomas’ brothers served in the Civil War.  Private Henry C. Stark (listed as “Shark” on the roster of Co. I, 4^th O.V.I.) was wounded on July 2, 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg, MD and died on July 10, 1863. ⁽¹¹⁾  Private Selah J. Stark of Co. I, 32^nd O.V.I. was killed on May 8, 1862 during the Battle of McDowell, VA. ⁽¹²⁾  Later in 1862, his mother applied for a U.S. government pension as the mother of a deceased Civil War soldier. ⁽¹³⁾  In an 1883 report about pensions, it is stated that “Betsey” started receiving the pension in August 1863 and in 1883 the amount was $8.00 per month. ⁽¹⁴⁾

      Following the war, Thomas returned to farming in Berkshire Township, Delaware County.  On November 4, 1869 in Delaware County, ⁽¹⁵⁾ he married Sarah (“Sallie”) Jane Hays, who was born on July 28, 1847 in Ohio ­­⁽¹⁶⁾ to William (died 1888) and Sarah (Crist) Hays (died 1859).  Both parents were buried in Berkshire Cemetery. ⁽¹⁷⁾

      Thomas and Sarah had four children:  Selah Van (born in 1870), Margie A. (c.1876), William Joy (c.1879), and James E. (c.1886).  All were born in Ohio, except James who was born in Kansas. ⁽¹⁸⁾

      On September 13, 1881, Thomas applied for a U.S. government pension as an “invalid” veteran of the Civil War. ⁽¹⁹⁾  In the 1890 Veterans Schedule, it states that Thomas was suffering from “chronic diarrhea” and receiving a pension of $6.00 per month. ⁽²⁰⁾

      In August 1882, the Lawrence A. Myers Post Number 252 of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was formed in Sunbury.  Thomas (at an unknown date) was mustered into the Post. ⁽²¹⁾

      On March 1, 1885, Thomas and his family appeared on the Kansas State Census, living in Valley Township, Reno County.  When they returned to Delaware County, Ohio is not known, but it was before the 1900 U.S. census.

      Sarah Jane Stark died on October 24, 1917 in or near Sunbury and was buried in the Berkshire Cemetery. ⁽²²⁾

      Thomas Ewing Stark died on June 24, 1922 at Delaware and was buried next to Sarah in the Berkshire Cemetery. ⁽²³⁾

Compiled by John W. Quist
Delaware, Ohio
July 11, 2011

FOOTNOTES

1  “Thomas Ewing Stark.” Time Passages, Rootsweb’s World Connect Project, Ancestry.com (online)
 

2  “James Rosencrans Stark.” 300 Year Tree of the Ancestors & Descendants of William A. Van Sickle…,      Ancestry.com
 

3  Footnote 1

4  “James Rosecrans Stark.” Find A Grave Memorial, Findagrave.com (online)

 5  “Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Vansickle.” Footnote 2
 

6  Berkshire Cemetery records, Rural Sunbury, Ohio
 

7  “4th O.V.I.” Wikipedia.com (online)
 

8  “Thomas Stark.” American Civil War Soldiers, Ancestry.com
 

9  Footnote 7
 

10  The Military History of Ohio. H.H. Hardesty, Publisher; New York, 1886 (with special section for Delaware County); page 315

11  “Henry C. Shark.” Fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company I, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1961-1866, Vol. II, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1886, page 117

12  “Selah J. Stark.” Thirty-Second Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company I, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1961-1866, Vol. III, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1886, page 509
 

13  “Selah J. Stark.” Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934,
 Ancestry.com 

14  “Betsey Stark.” List of Pensioners, Ohio, Delaware County, The Executive Documents Printed by Order of the Senate of the United States for the Second Session of the Forty-Seventh Congress, 1882-'83. Vol. V-Part 3, page 82

 15  “Thomas E. Stark.” Ohio, County Marriages, 1790-1950, Familysearch.org (online)

 16  “Sarah Jane Hayes.” Time Passages, Rootsweb’s World Connect Project

 17  Footnote 6

 18  “Thomas E. Stark.” U.S.censuses of 1880 and 1900

 19  “Thomas E. Stark.” Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934

 20  “Thomas E Stark.” 1890 Veterans Schedules, Ancestry.com

 21  The Military History of Ohio. H.H. Hardesty, Publisher; New York, 1886 (with special section for Delaware County); page 326

 22  Footnote 6

 23  Ibid

^(09/28/2011)