After posting yesterday I did a little more searching for my 4th great uncle Oliver. I had limited success but did discover a few more details. The ship he was on was the USS North Carolina. A 74 gun ship of the line ! A three masted frigate moored in New York.
Of the American ships-of-the-line, the Columbus,, North Carolina, and Delaware saw substantial service before the Civil War. The Columbus and Ohio were active during the Mexican War. Like the American frigates, the American 74s often carried guns in excess of their rate. The North Carolina reportedly carried over 100 guns during some Mediterranean cruises. During the civil war she sat moored in New York harbor serving as a " receiving " ship. These ships, usually the old frigates, served as floating dormitories. As required these new recruits would be sent to their final duty station. Oliver however got sent to the hospital ! He had a hernia. I found the record of his admission and release from the hospital. I even found a document showing his personal belongings. Interesting to me was it listed his hammock, along with his clothing. What happened after that I have yet to discover. I don't know if he was discharged from the service or not. Given that he was 38 years old and drafted I tend to believe he was discharged. His widow applied for a pension, after his death. Oliver was born in 1824 and died in 1891. He may have been in Manhattan at the time of his passing, although I can't prove that conclusively. I would have to mail off for the death certificate. I am a bit of a stickler when doing my ancestry stuff. I try not to jump to conclusions about records. Now, I have found a record that says Oliver G King passed away Feb. 1891 in Manhattan. The record says he was born in 1824. The record doesn't say his middle name was Gibson or that he was from East Hampton. It is possible that it was not my Oliver Gibson King. My Oliver is buried in Cedar Lawn at East Hampton.
I really enjoy these little forays into the past. It is always surprising the things you may discover. Now I know that Uncle Oliver had a hernia. I do not know how that would have been treated in 1862 but I'm guessing it wasn't good ! He survived to tell the tale though. I also found his date of death. The website Find-A-Grave had him listed there. It is what I would have expected. Finding a listing of his clothing was interesting. I can tell you he didn't have much but it was typical of the times I suppose. I even went and found a picture of that ship. The USS North Carolina was one of the last Ships of the Line that the Navy kept in commission. Four ships in Naval service have been named such. One ship of the line, two battleships and one submarine. Much remains to be learned. I will continue again another day but am content for now.
Of the American ships-of-the-line, the Columbus,, North Carolina, and Delaware saw substantial service before the Civil War. The Columbus and Ohio were active during the Mexican War. Like the American frigates, the American 74s often carried guns in excess of their rate. The North Carolina reportedly carried over 100 guns during some Mediterranean cruises. During the civil war she sat moored in New York harbor serving as a " receiving " ship. These ships, usually the old frigates, served as floating dormitories. As required these new recruits would be sent to their final duty station. Oliver however got sent to the hospital ! He had a hernia. I found the record of his admission and release from the hospital. I even found a document showing his personal belongings. Interesting to me was it listed his hammock, along with his clothing. What happened after that I have yet to discover. I don't know if he was discharged from the service or not. Given that he was 38 years old and drafted I tend to believe he was discharged. His widow applied for a pension, after his death. Oliver was born in 1824 and died in 1891. He may have been in Manhattan at the time of his passing, although I can't prove that conclusively. I would have to mail off for the death certificate. I am a bit of a stickler when doing my ancestry stuff. I try not to jump to conclusions about records. Now, I have found a record that says Oliver G King passed away Feb. 1891 in Manhattan. The record says he was born in 1824. The record doesn't say his middle name was Gibson or that he was from East Hampton. It is possible that it was not my Oliver Gibson King. My Oliver is buried in Cedar Lawn at East Hampton.
I really enjoy these little forays into the past. It is always surprising the things you may discover. Now I know that Uncle Oliver had a hernia. I do not know how that would have been treated in 1862 but I'm guessing it wasn't good ! He survived to tell the tale though. I also found his date of death. The website Find-A-Grave had him listed there. It is what I would have expected. Finding a listing of his clothing was interesting. I can tell you he didn't have much but it was typical of the times I suppose. I even went and found a picture of that ship. The USS North Carolina was one of the last Ships of the Line that the Navy kept in commission. Four ships in Naval service have been named such. One ship of the line, two battleships and one submarine. Much remains to be learned. I will continue again another day but am content for now.
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| and there she is ! The USS North Carolina |
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