Moses F. Souder1,2,3

Family Chart
ID# 19150, (1847 - 1911)

Key Events:

Birth: 14 Aug 1847, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania4,5,6,7
Marriage: 11 Feb 1866, Salem Twp., Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, Hannah Krissy Smith (Jun 1843 - Feb 1904)8,9,10
Marriage: 25 Mar 1910, Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, Sarah E. Reigle (18 Oct 1868 - 13 Apr 1939)11,12,13
Death: 20 Aug 1911, Harveyville, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania14,15,16
Burial: 23 Aug 1911, Bethel Hill Cemetery, Fairmount Twp., Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania17,18
ChartsDescendants of Jacob K. and Christiana Ohl Riegel

Copyright Notice

Narrative:

     Moses F. Souder was born on 14 Aug 1847 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.4,5,6,7 Moses appeared on the 1860 Federal Census of Huntington Twp, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, in the household of George Souder and Hannah Sutliff, who do not appear to be his parents.19
     Moses enlisted as a private in Co. A, 52nd Pennsylvania Infantry 21 Mar 1864 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was mustered out with his company 12 Jul 1865 at Salisbury, North Carolina.20,21
     Moses married first Hannah Krissy Smith on 11 Feb 1866 in Salem Twp., Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, with Rev. W. D. Hamilton officating.8,9,10
     Moses and Hannah appeared on the 1870 Federal Census of Huntington Twp, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, enumerated 25 Aug 1870, reporting no real estate or personal estate. Their son George was listed as living with them.22
     Moses and Hannah appeared on the 1880 Federal Census of Shickshinny, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, enumerated 10 Jun 1880. Their children George, Minnie and Josephine were listed as living with them.23
     Moses appeared on the veterans schdule of the 1890 Census of Fairmount Twp., Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania. The population schedules of that census have not survived, so no record remains showing the other members of his household.24

A Tortuous Pension Process --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---


     Moses applied for an invalid pension based on his Civil War service 18 Jul 1890, claiming disability due to kidney disease. He was living at Ripple, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, but used a Washington D.C. attorney, George E. Lemon, who apparently specialized in pension applications. He filed an identical application 30 July, apparently because of questions about the justice of the peace who certified his application. On 8 Oct 1891 he filed again, claiming disability caused by chronic diarrhea and kidney disease "from expose and use of army food" at Morris Island South Carolina in Jul 1864.25
     A medical board examined him on 25 Nov 1891 and gave him a 6/18 disability rating for kidney disease, 6/18 for heart disease, and 6/18 for general disability. Apparently that did not result in a pension being awarded, as he filed an affidavit 16 May 1892 claiming heart disease for about 15 years. In December the War Department was asked for his medical records while in the army, and reported only treatment for acute bronchitis, in May 1864. Another medical examination, on 12 Apr 1893, found no evidence of the prior disabilities but gave him a disability rating of 6/18 for piles. His own doctor filed an affidavit 27 May stating he had frequently prescribed for rheumatism, chronic diarrhea, and weak heart, but Moses was unable to pay for the drugs so he had advised use of patent medicines. The doctor said he was almost completely incapacitated for manual labor. In December three men who had served with him, a sargeant and two privates, filed affidavits stating he had been sick at Morris Island. Nevertheless, the application was rejected 17 Jan 1894.25
     Moses promptly renewed his quest for a pension. He prepared a new application 18 May 1894, with a new attorney, John P. Pollock of Wilkes-Barre. In a more detailed one ten days later, he claimed to have contracted chronic diarrhea in Jul or Aug 1864, which resulted in piles, and also to have contracted rheumatism about Mar 1864, which had resulted in heart disease. He said he had been treated in the hospital in Alexandria, Virginia in Apr 1864. On 11 Jun each of the three men who had previously filed affidavits about his sickness while in the Army were asked by the Bureau of Pension to make a new statement about what they knew of his disability, which they did. The same day the War Department was asked whether they had been present at the time, and it reported that they had been. A medical examination on 25 Jul found no disability, and his new application was rejected 15 Oct 1894.25
     Apparently not deterred by his earlier rejections, Moses filed a new pension application on 23 Aug 1895, this time without an attorney. He claimed total inability to earn support by manual labor because of kidney disease, rheumatism, heart disease, and dyspepsia. However, a few months later, on 1 Nov 1895, he filed another application with the aid of his previous Washington attorney. To the previous grounds was added "broken skull." In May and June 1896 five men filed affidavits stating that he was unable to do a day's work, two of them the township poor officers who stated that he and his family had become wards of the town as a result. On 20 Oct his application was once again rejected. On 22 Feb 1897 he appointed a new attorney, Alva S. Taber, also in Washington.25

A Near-Fatal Accident --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---


     Despite his disabilities, on 19 May 1897 Moses was working in the lumber woods of Huntington Twp., choping down a tree. A large limb broke from the tree and fell on his head. He was carried to his boarding house unconscious, suffering a wound to his scalp, a cracked skull and a fractured rib.26
     In June a newly elected Overseer of the Poor filed an affidavit again stating that Moses was a ward of the town, unable to work because his head injury which caused dizziness. His doctor filing a statement that he had been unable to half the work of a healthy man before his injury, and was afterwards totally incapacitated for manual labor. On 16 Jul a pension of $8 per month for partial disability was approved, based on his rheumatism, heart and urinary disease, rejecting his claims based on dyspepsia and his broken skull.25
     The following month, on 24 Aug 1897, Moses filed for an increase in his pension based on his "broken skull, weak eyes, soreness in breast and stomach, and general debility," using the attorney who had finally been successful in getting his partial pension approved. A medical review on 21 Jan 1898 found only the previous grounds for disability. Moses and two men working with him at the time of the accident filed affidavits describing it on 1 Mar 1899. On 26 May 1899 his pension was increased to $12 per month effective from 17 Nov 1897, based on the skull injuries in addition to the previously recognized conditions.25
     Moses and Hannah appeared on the 1900 Federal Census of Fairmount Twp., Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, enumerated 27 Jun 1900, reporting they owned their farm, free of mortgage.27
     His wife died in Feb 1904.28,29
     Moses married second Sarah E. Reigle, daughter of John Jacob Reigle and Olive Rogers, on 25 Mar 1910 in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, with John P. Pollock, Wilkes-Barre alderman, officiating. She was the widow of Joseph Souder, who was related to him somehow, but apparently they were not brothers.11,12,13
     Moses and Sarah appeared on the 1910 Federal Census of Fairmount Twp., Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, enumerated 7 May 1910, reporting that they rented their farm. Her children by her prior marriage, Alvin, Gladys and Thelma, were listed as living with them, as was Miles Brown, age 64, listed as a boarder.2
     He was a laborer in 1870. In 1880 he was reported to be working in mines. He became a farmer, owning his farm, by 1900, and renting his farm in 1910. He may well have lost his own farm due to the disabilities he claimed on his pension applications. His occupation was shown as laborer when he died.30,31,32,33,34,35
     Moses died on 20 Aug 1911 in Harveyville, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, at age 64.14,15,16 He was buried on 23 Aug 1911 in Bethel Hill Cemetery, Fairmount Twp., Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.17,18
     
Research Note, 1 Dec 2014:

While his death certificate shows that Moses's father was George Souder, it seems unlikely he was the biological father. Moses appears with his family in the 1860 census, but listed after all the other children rather than according to his birth date as the others are. The informant for Moses' death certificate is unknown to us, did not know his mother's name, leaving this source questionable. Moses was informant for the death certificate of Joseph Souder, who seems clearly to have been a son of George, and did not know his mother's name either, which seems strange if they were brothers.
I conclude Moses was likely the child of a relative, "adopted" by George and his wife, but not their birth son.3,19,36,37

Children:
     Children with Hannah Krissy Smith

Moses and Hannah had five children, two whose names are unknown, and three of whom had died before 1900.41
  • George W. Souder38,39,23 (14 Aug 1866 - )
  • Minnie Alice Souder38,23 (7 Jul 1871 - )
  • Josephine Souder38,23,40 (9 Jun 1873 - 27 Mar 1941)

Children:
     There were no children with Sarah E. Reigle

Citations

  1. [S5124] George Souder household, 1860 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows name as Moses Souder.
  2. [S5121] Moses F. Souder household, 1910 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.
  3. [S5120] Moses F. Souders, Certificate of Death.
  4. [S5122] M. F. Souder and Sarah E. Souder, Marriage License Docket, Luzerne County, shows date, as 14 Aug 1849, and town.
  5. [S5149] Moses Souder, Civil War pension, National Archives and Records Administration, Declaration of Widow for Original Pension 2 Apr 1912, shows date, as 14th, town, and state.
  6. [S5120] Moses F. Souders, Certificate of Death, shows date, as 29 Aug 1847, and state.
  7. [S5147] Moses Souder household, 1900 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows month and year, as Aug 1847, age 52, and state.
  8. [S5149] Moses Souder, Civil War pension, National Archives and Records Administration, Bureau of Pensions information request 16 Oct 1897, response by pensioner 4 Nov 1897, shows her second marriage, and request of 15 Jan 1898 response 4 May 1898 both show date, township, county, state, and officiant; Declaration of Widow for Accrued Pension 2 Apr 1912 and Declaration of Widow for Original Pension same date, both show he was marred to Ann Souder.
  9. [S5148] Moses Sauders household, 1870 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows them apparently living as husband and wife.
  10. [S5147] Moses Souder household, 1900 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows married 34 years.
  11. [S5149] Moses Souder, Civil War pension, National Archives and Records Administration, letter of W. M. Major 28 Sep 1911, Declaration of Widow for Accrued Pension 2 Apr 1912 and Declaration of Widow for Original Pension same date, all show date as 25th, and officiant; duplicate copy of Marriage License and Certificate of Marriage shows date, as 25th, city, and officiant.
  12. [S5122] M. F. Souder and Sarah E. Souder, Marriage License Docket, Luzerne County, shows date, as 19th, certificate returned 25th, county, and officiant, and each was married before.
  13. [S5121] Moses F. Souder household, 1910 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows married 2/12 years, and the second marriage for both.
  14. [S5120] Moses F. Souders, Certificate of Death, shows date, township, as Huntington, and county.
  15. [S5149] Moses Souder, Civil War pension, National Archives and Records Administration, letter of W. M. Major 28 Sep 1911, shows month and year; certification of doctor 2 Feb 1912, and Declaration of Widow for Accrued Pension 2 Apr 1912, both show date; and Declaration of Widow for Original Pension same date, shows date, town, and state.
  16. [S5029] Ephraim E. Culver and Sarah E. Sander, Marriage License Docket, Luzerne County, shows month and year.
  17. [S5120] Moses F. Souders, Certificate of Death, shows date, and Bethel Cemetery.
  18. [S500] Findagrave.com, online, memorial # 19063030, Pvt Moses Souder, includes tombstone photo.
  19. [S5124] George Souder household, 1860 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.
  20. [S5149] Moses Souder, Civil War pension, National Archives and Records Administration, original discharge certificate, shows unit, enlistment month and year (day and place unreadable because of crease), discharge date and place; response of War Department 18 Feb 1891, shows enrolled 2 Mar 1864 and date mustered out; same 20 Mar 1891 shows enrolled 21 Mar 1864 and date mustered out.
  21. [S5145] Moses Souders entry, 1890 U.S. Census, veterans schedule, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows unit, as Company A, 54 Pa Inf, enlistment date, as 4 Mar 1864, and discharge date, as 22 Jul 1865.
  22. [S5148] Moses Sauders household, 1870 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.
  23. [S5150] Moses Souders household, 1880 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.
  24. [S5145] Moses Souders entry, 1890 U.S. Census, veterans schedule, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.
  25. [S5149] Moses Souder, Civil War pension, National Archives and Records Administration.
  26. [S5149] Moses Souder, Civil War pension, National Archives and Records Administration, affidavit of Dr. H. C. Bacon, 22 Jun 1897, affidavits of applicant, Wilson Gibbons, and
    Shedrick L Harrison, all1 Mar 1899.
  27. [S5147] Moses Souder household, 1900 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.
  28. [S5149] Moses Souder, Civil War pension, National Archives and Records Administration, Declaration of Widow for Accrued Pension 2 Apr 1912 and Declaration of Widow for Original Pension same date, both show month and year.
  29. [S5122] M. F. Souder and Sarah E. Souder, Marriage License Docket, Luzerne County, shows year, as 1905.
  30. [S5148] Moses Sauders household, 1870 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows occupation as laborer.
  31. [S5150] Moses Souders household, 1880 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows occupation as "works in mines."
  32. [S5147] Moses Souder household, 1900 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows occupation as farmer, and owned his farm.
  33. [S5121] Moses F. Souder household, 1910 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows occupation as farmer, industry as general farm.
  34. [S5122] M. F. Souder and Sarah E. Souder, Marriage License Docket, Luzerne County, shows occupation as farmer.
  35. [S5120] Moses F. Souders, Certificate of Death, shows occupation as laborer.
  36. [S5122] M. F. Souder and Sarah E. Souder, Marriage License Docket, Luzerne County.
  37. [S5127] Joseph Souders, Certificate of Death.
  38. [S5149] Moses Souder, Civil War pension, National Archives and Records Administration, Bureau of Pensions information request 16 Oct 1897, reponse by pensioner 4 Nov 1897, and request of 15 Jan 1898 response 4 May 1898.
  39. [S5148] Moses Sauders household, 1870 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows them apparently living as parent and child.
  40. [S5151] Josephine Mitchel, Certificate of Death.
  41. [S5147] Moses Souder household, 1900 U.S. Census, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, shows her as the mother of 5, with 3 living, and that they had been married 34 years.