2nd great-grandfather of Colleen Armstrong

 

Private     Co. K      34th IN Infantry

Dates of Service:   29 Aug 1861 - 03 Feb 1866

 

Harvey Hale was born 28 August 1840 to William and Susan Penrod Hale in Hawkins County, Tennessee. In 1850 he was 10 years old, living with his parents William and Susan in Hawkins County. His siblings listed were Matilda, Andrew, James, Rebecca, and John.

 

Harvey enlisted in the Civil War on 29 August 1861 as a Pvt. In Co. K, 34th Indiana Infantry at Anderson, Indiana. He was promoted to Corpl. 19 December 1861; to Sergt. 13 January 1864; and promoted to 1st Sergt. 22 September 1864. He was discharged on 3 February 1866 at the end of the war. His unit, Company K of the 34 Indiana Volunteers was nicknamed The Morton Rifles.  It had the distinction of fighting the last land battle of the Civil War at the Battle of Palmito Ranch on May 12-13, 1865 (several days after General Lee had surrendered). The last man killed in hostile action of the Civil War was Pvt. John Williams of Co. B 34th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. The unit had duty at Ringgold Barracks 260 miles up the Rio Grande until July 24, 1865, and at Brownsville, Texas until February 1866 when they were mustered out.

 

On 18 June, 1866 just a few months after arriving back home from the Civil War, Harvey married Rachael E. Miller. He was 26 and Rachael was 22 years old.   In 1870 they were living in Richland, Grant Co., Indiana with two daughters, Arminda (Minnie) and Mary. By 1880 they called Richland, Labette, Kansas their home. They had added to their family Stella, Sarah, Ann, and Ida.

 

In the March 1, 1885 Kansas State Census Harvey and Rachael had added to their family a daughter Viola, and a son Harvey H. Hale. His wife Rachael died in January 1888 in Sumner Co. Kansas. Rachael’s obituary was published in the Caldwell Journal, 19 January 1888. It reads: “Mrs. Rachael Hale, wife of Harvey Hale, who lives 8 miles east of this city, died Tuesday forenoon of typhoid fever. This is a very sad affair, as Mrs. Hales leaves 7 children, 3 of them quite young. The sympathy of the entire community is extended to Mr. Hale. He seems to have more than his share of trouble, as his entire family have been sick with this disease.”

 

Two other articles appeared in the Caldwell News in January 1888:

“Mrs. Harvey Hale, of Bluff Township, died yesterday morning. She leaves a husband and seven children to mourn their great and irreparable loss. Mr. Hale and his bereaved family have the heartfelt sympathies of the entire community.”

 

“Our worthy friend Harvey Hale has had a good deal of sickness in his family lately, nearly every member being afflicted. A few nights ago his house caught on fire and, unfortunately, the rope at the well had broken the evening previous and both buckets were in the well. Mr. Hale ran barefooted down to a well in his pasture and carried a bucket of water, finally succeeding in putting out the flames. Harvey is an old soldier and has lots of true grit.”

 

The 1900 Federal Census shows Harvey living in Richland Twp., Labette Co, Kansas, with his son Harvey, age 15, daughter Annie, age 13, and grandson Harvey Peterson age 9.

 

The death of Harvey Hale was covered in the Chronicle News, TRINIDAD, COLORADO, SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 3, 1906. The title of the article is “HALE BLOWN TO HIS DEATH, Colorado and Southern Section Man Meets Fate in Storm of (His Life?) Last Thursday. BODY IS FOUND FROZEN STIFF. Blown From Bridge and Leg Broken – Unable to Help Himself He Slowly Died From Exposure to Cold”.

 

The story continues to be told that as Harvey Hale was crossing a bridge on the Colorado and Southern railroad, a blinding storm was raging. He was on his way to visit his daughter, wife of his railroad section boss H. A. Johnson at Emery Gap in New Mexico. Harvey was a section hand at the time. It is thought that he lost his balance and fell into the ravine. He wasn’t missed because his daughter thought he wasn’t coming due to the storm. Family members alerted their sister in the morning that their father hadn’t returned home. A search was begun, but Harvey wasn’t found until evening because of the snowfall the night before was covering him. Heading home from what was a fruitless search, his boss saw a shoulder protruding from the snow and found the body of his missing father-in-law, and as he told it “frozen quite stiff and hard.”

Harvey Hale’s place of death is listed as Emery Gap, New Mexico, March 1, 1906. He was buried in his home town at the Trinidad Masonic Cemetery, Trinidad, Colorado.

 

Additional information Co. K 34th IN Infantry: Jon Armstrong, and 34th IN records.

 

GRAVESITE: Trinidad Masonic Cemetery, Trinidad, Colorado.

Researched and Written by Wenda Fore, February 2020