Thomas Chester, age 32, serving in Company F of the Maine 30th Infantry Regiment: payments made in 1864 and 1865 to his parents and sister in Robbinston, Maine. Unlike the format of most of the entries, Thomas' name was listed surname first.
Found on numbered page 10 in a ledger of Robbinston, Maine, financial transactions from the mid 1860s to the 1870s.
Payments made on behalf of:
- John Chester, age 61; father
- Elizabeth Chester, age 61; mother
- Rebecca Chester, age 15; sister
Per the 1850 Census of Robbinston, Maine: John Chester, a shoemaker, and wife Elizabeth were born in Ireland, as were Thomas and at least one other sibling. It appears the family then migrated to New Brunswick, Canada, where at least two more children were born. The youngest children were born in Maine.
In Thomas Chester's petition for naturalization, dated 18 December 1854, however, he states that he was born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, on 25 December 1831. He came to the United States in 1837, presumably, with his family to Robbinston, Maine. Bernard Foley of Roxbury, Massachusetts, and James Edwards of Boston stated that Thomas had lived in Boston for six years.
Thomas may have been the Thomas Chester - in a record in the online database U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 - who was 31 when he enlisted in Company F of the Maine 30th Infantry Regiment on 4 January 1864. This Thomas mustered out on 2 June 1865 and appears to have spent time as a prisoner of war. The town Stacyville appears attached to this record - if our Thomas, perhaps he was working there. Stacyville is well over 100 miles from Robbinston.
This pension record from 1883 lists only Thomas' mother Elizabeth.
If you have information on the family of Thomas Chester, please leave a comment or contact me directly.
The ledger measures about 13" by 8" by 1/2" and contains entries for almost 50 families and many pages of other financial transactions. About half of the 178 numbered pages have entries. The ledger is missing its covers; the first page of what remains is shown below.
Soldiers and sailors listed in the ledger
- The numbers in parentheses indicate specific pages in the ledger.
- Many of the men listed below were born in New Brunswick or Nova Scotia and may have returned to Canada after the War. See the map below to see how close New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were, particularly in the Age of Sail.
- If you have information on any of the men listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.
The List, Alphabetized
- Sumner Anderson (page 12), age 22; 6th Regiment, Company D - reportedly killed in the Battle of Spotsylvania on May 10, 1864
- Philip H. Andrews (page 45); 11th Regiment, Company B.
- Benjamin S. Apt (1846-1906), (page 44); age 18; 31st Regiment, Company B.
- George E. Bean (page 6); age 19; 3rd Maine Battery
- John M. Bean (1832-1905), (page 15), age 32; 6th Regiment Company F.
- Samuel Boyden (abt 1828-1891), (page 24), age 35; 6th Regiment; Company G.
- Albert Gallatin Buck (1822-1901) (page 7); age 41; 1st Maine Heavy Artillery, Company D
- Daniel Bugbee (page 55) - perhaps not a serviceman but rather Daniel Bugbee (1810-1875, North Dakota ?)
- Philip Caffrey (page 9), age 20; on US Gunboat Ossipee. Could he be the Navy veteran Philip Caffrey (-1887) buried in the Hampton National Cemetery at Hampton, Virginia?
- Hugh H. Cameron (page 2), age 28; 9th Maine Regiment, Company E; mustered in October 1, 1864
- William H. Campbell (page 8); 11th Maine, Company G
- Thomas Chester (page 10), age 32; 30th Regiment; Company F
- William Embleton, age 41 (page 16); 15th Regiment; Company E. Presumably the William Henry Embleton (1823-1873) who died in a fall to the rocks when building the bridge at Grand Falls, New Brunswick
- Henry H. Frost (page 27), a3-18ge 21; 1st Regular Heavy Artillery, Company D
- John T. Garnett (1843-1933), (page 6); age 21; 15th Regiment
- Rufus Gates (page 49); State Aid Account with Town of Robbinston - perhaps not a soldier and perhaps Legislator Rufus Gates (1816-1887)
- Allen T. Gow (1846-1893), (page 11); 31st Regiment, Company A.
- Ebenezer D. Harlow (page 18), age 28; 18th Regiment, Company D. Ebenezer D. Harlow (1836-1921), son of Jirah Harlow and Lydia (Johnson) Harlow
- Madison B. Hayman (1842-1923), (page 32), age 21; 6th Regiment, Company K.
- John R. Hickey (page 3); age 39; U.S. Navy; transferred from 18th Regt
- Joseph Hinton, Jr. (page 25), age 22; 15th Regiment, Company K
- Frank E. Johnson (1843-1909), (page 34), age 21; 6th Regiment; Company K. Frank Ernest Johnson.
- George E. Johnson (page 17), age 27; 18th Regiment, Company D
- William H. Johnson (page 38), age 21; 15th Regiment, Company A
- William Johnson (page 22); 1st Artillery, Company M. Possibly the William P. Johnson who is shown as having deserted in March 1865 - though there may be another explanation
- Thomas N. Kerr (page 31), age 29; 6th Regiment, Company K; discharged for disability April 18, 1864 with rank of corporal
- George L. Laskey (page 39); 7th Regiment. George L. Laskey (1844-possibly 1867), was "transferred to the Invalid Corps Sept. 7, 1863". This record, from Maine, Veterans Cemetery Records, 1676-1918, gives a birth year of 1844 but no death year.
- Frank R. Leach (page 26), age 23; 1st Maine Heavy Artillery, Company D. Franklin Rodney Leach (1840-1912)
- Frederick Leighton (page 30), age 20; 15th Regiment, Company K; re-enlisted March 1864
- Samuel Leighton (page 29), age 24; 11th Regiment, Company D.; enlisted in October 21, 1864 at Belfast, Maine
- Henry P. Low (page 33), age 22; 1st Maine Battery
- James E. Merry (page 13), age 46; 6th Regiment, Company F; discharged for disability 18 Dec 1864
- Benjamin C. Morrell (page 23), age 24; 1st Regiment Cavalry; Company D; discharged November 20, 1864. Presumably Benjamin Charles Morrell (1840-1911)
- James Morrell (page 20), age 25; 18th Regiment or 1st Heavy Artillery, Company D. Did not survive the war; Ebenezer D. Harlow named guardian of his child. Presumably the James "Morrill" buried in the Poplar Grove National Cemetery in Dinwiddie County, Virginia
- John E. Morrell (page 40), age 21; 11th Regiment, Company F. "Enlisted Novr. 7 /64"
- Maine, State of (page 51); State Aid Account with Town of Robbinston
- Simon O'Brien (page 48); State Aid Account with Town of Robbinston - perhaps not a serviceman
- George Phelps (1840-1923) (page 1); 1864, First Maine Battery, 24 years of age. George Nelson Phelps
- Q? Name partially erased - James Qu?
- Curtis Robbinson [sic] (page 36); 31st Regiment, Company A. He was Curtis Robinson (1846-1865)
- Samuel Ross (page 28), age 29; 11th Regiment, Company D, Mustered in 21 October 1864 at Belfast, Maine. Samuel L. Ross (abt 1832-1914)
- Samuel S. Seeley 2d (page 14)
- Frederick Stanhope (page 35); 18th Regiment, Company M. Presumably Frederick Stanhope (abt 1844-1898)
- George A. Stanhope (1839-1919), (page 19), age 24; 18th Regiment or 1st heavy artillery
- Levi Pierce Stanhope (1840-1922), (page 4); age 26; 9th Maine Regiment, Company A
- Edwin Stanton (page 41); 1st Artillery. "Joseph Stanton died 21 Feb. 1864 at home. Edwin S. was killed in front of Petersburg June 18 /64"
- Charles E. Taylor (page 37), age 25; 6th Regiment, Company G. "Wounded 7th Nov. 1863 at Rappahannock & soon died".
- John Taylor (page 21); 6th Regiment, Company G. "Nurse in a regimental hospital", in the book Maine at Gettysburg, published Lakeside Press in 1898. Possibly this John Taylor (abt 1835/6-1904)
- Thomas Trimble (1846-1914), (page 43); age 19; 31st Regiment, Company A. "enlisted Feb 26/64
- James William Tucker (page 5), age 19; 3rd Maine Battery
- Joseph E. Tucker (1846-1912), (page 42); 3rd Battery. Joseph Edwin Tucker (1846-1912)
- Elisha Vose (1841-1896), (page 9); age 22; Company E of First Maine Cavalry
- Lyman Vose (1839-1929), (page 9), age 24; Company E of First Maine Cavalry
Note: the map below has wording that puts Robbinston, Maine, in Saint Andrews Parish, but that parish is actually across the river in Canada.
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