Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor our war dead.

My 3great-grand uncle Wilson L Starkey paid that ultimate price. He died during the Civil War. 

Wilson was born in 1835 in Greece, Monroe, New York and his parents were Benjamin Starkey and Mary Ridgway. He enlisted in the Illinois Infantry Volunteers, Company C, 15th Regiment at its formation on 24 May 1861. After his father's death his mother remarried a Daniel Lewis.

He  died aboard the Hospital Ship Red Rover on the Mississippi River on 27 July 1862. Although there is a little confusion as to whether he died the 26 or 27. The official records state the 27th. Exactly how he ended up on the Red Rover is not clear. He had remained with his company until after Shiloh and then was detailed to the Signal Corps and assigned to the gun-boat Bragg. Now whether he remained on the Bragg until he got sick and then was transferred to the Hospital ship is unclear. The records do state that he died upon the Hospital ship Red Rover from Congestive Chills (Malaria) and was buried at Spanish Moss Bend on the Mississippi River. Although, where he is presently buried is not clear. His remains may have been moved to Helena Arkansas, but I have not been able to verify this. After the war many soldiers remains were transferred to cemeteries instead of being left in some field.

Wilson was married for a short time in late 1859 early 1860. The record states that he and Eleanora R Stone  were married but no date or place of marriage is given. The record does state that where ever they were they returned to Eleanora's parents home when she became sick. She died in March 1860. Wilson is listed with Eleanora's family in the 1860 Census in Illinois, but she is not. Her parents state in an affidavit that their daughter Eleanora died without issue and that Wilson never married again before his death in 1862.

**The above information came from a Mother's Pension applied for by Wilson's mother Mary R Lewis. 

Wilson L Starkey official Death Record

This week I'm posting the official death certificate for Wilson L Starkey. Wilson L Starkey died during the Civil War and his mother Mary Ridgway Starkey Lewis applied for and received a mother's pension based on Wilson's Military Service.
The official death certificate states Wilson died on the 27th of July 1862. Throughout the pension packet you will find the death date listed as 26 July 1862. All that I can figure is he died during the night and the person reporting his death to Wilson's family assumed he died before midnight and the doctor filling out the certificate assumed he died after midnight. Below is a statement of death from his company, which lists the death date as 26 July 1862.

Wilson L Starkey Marriage

Here is one of the two letters enclosed in the pension packet that indicate that Wilson L Starkey had been married once. The letter is from his ex father-in-law. This was one of the last pages in his mother's pension packet, so would not have been included in a partial packet. Through out the rest of the pension, Wilson is listed as being unmarried and without heirs. Come to find out that only means he was unmarried without any heirs at the time of his death. It did not mean he had never married.

This is one of two such letters. The other one lists the name of his wife and her death date.

Wilson L Starkey Pension Papers

Over the next few posts I am going to be posting various pages from Wilson L Starkey's mother's pension file. There are about 62 pages in the file, so it would be difficult to post all of it at one time.

Here is the official Service Record/ Statement submitted by the Adjutant General's Office

Wilson L. Starkey

Corporal Wilson L. Starkey

Co. "C" Illinois Volunteers

Died at the age of 27 while assigned to Signal Duty

On the Hospital Ship "Red Rover"

Died apparently during the night of July 26th 1862

Service records put his death on the 26th or the 27th.

Official death certificate states 27 July 1862.

He was buried at Spanish Moss Bend on the Mississippi River, Louisiana

Wilson L Starkey was the son of Benjamin Starkey and Mary C. Ridgeway. His brother William Coulton Starkey is my 3great-Grandfather. Wilson was married for a short time to Eleanor R. Stone, who died in March 1860 (She died at her parents house in Rockport Illinios). Wilson was born in Greece, Monroe County, New York.

The information came from his mother's pension records. She had claimed a mother's pension on his service. The mother's statement only stated that he was unmarried and had no living heir. However, in the pension file there are affidavits that state he was married, but his wife had died leaving no heirs.

Memorial Day 2010

Corporal Wilson L Starkey

15th Illinois Regiment Volunteers

Born about 1835

in New York

Died 27 July 1862

(according to the official death certificate,

however some reports put his on 26 July 1862)

Died on the U.S.N. Hospital ship Red Rover

on the Mississippi River.

Buried at Spanish Moss Bend, on the Mississippi River

This is my 3great-grandfather's younger brother.