This is the fifth blog post in a series on James Fielding, one of my more fascinating ancestors. After his early life, his stint in the Civil War, having to change his profession, and his police officer days, he changed careers yet again, this time becoming a chiropodist. During this time period, he was also heavily involved in the Grand Army of the Republic.
First, let's dig a little into the history of the Grand Army of the Republic, because it was a fascinating secret society in its heyday.
The Grand Army of the Republic was organized and chartered first in Illinois in 1866. It was the brainchild of a enlisted Army surgeon by the name of Benjamin Franklin Stephenson. By 1890, it had reached its peak with over half a million members in over 8,000 posts, including five presidents.
Three objectives were the basis for organization; fraternity, charity and loyalty . They had local meetings and "camp-fires" that were actually pretty popular. There were annual state and national meetings, called encampments in which railroads had special trains and discounts and tents were set up so that veterans could relieve their war days. There was a special fund for needy veterans, widows and orphans. Through the GAR, soldier's homes were set up. The Civil War was significant in reuniting a divided nation and the GAR helped raise funds for memorials and memories to remind people of this.
To become a member of the GAR, one had to have been honorably discharged from one of the branches of the US military between April of 1861 and December of 1865. He could not have been part of the Confederacy and he had to apply to his local post, where the post decided his membership by vote. The posts were organized similar to Masonic lodges, with similar rituals.
Members wore a double breasted coat that was dark blue with bronze buttons and had gold cord. They also wore a bronze star badge on their lapels so that they could be easily identified as a member of the GAR. They referred to their brothers as "comrades" and held votes for post positions.
James Fielding was a member of GAR Post #3, also known as the Gen Alex. Hays Post. Alexander Hays was a general who started out in the Civil War as the colonel of the 63rd Pennsylvania Regiment and was promoted a few times through the course of the war before his death on 5 May 1864 in the Battle of the Wilderness. (The 63rd Pennsylvania Regiment was the regiment John D. Wood served in that I wrote a history of long ago. His son Charles married Birdie Fielding, James' youngest daughter.)
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| Photograph of Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays that was taken sometime between 1860 and 1864. Photograph source: Library of Congress |
As the GAR grew, so did its focus from being just a fraternal organization to a political one. As the GAR grew, so did the idea that the organization could present demands upon legislators. Pension bills became a point in which the GAR lobbied hard. In fact, because President Grover Cleveland vetoed a comprehensive pension bill that Congress enacted in 1887, he lost the 1888 election because G.A.R. members pushed the pension rhetoric into the polls, helping to elect Benjamin Harrison as president instead.
It is not known when James first joined Post #3 of the Grand Army of the Republic, but on 9 January 1888, he was elected as inside guard in the post. He may have joined the GAR because of the pension issue, as several claims he made to increase his pension were rejected before he was elected an officer in the post.
James Fielding was working as a chiropodist at the time he was elected officer. Chiropodists worked on feet, removing ingrown toenails, calluses, and corns. Sometimes they plied their wares as street traders, but by the time of James Fielding's tenure as a chiropodist, many had established offices. In 1888, James had an office at 543 Wood and in 1889, he had an office at 811 Penn Avenue, which appears to have been an office building of sorts in Pittsburgh, per searches of the newspapers of the day. He appeared to have this job off and on until 1898, per city directories. Interestingly enough, he took out an advertisement right under his listing in the 1891 Pittsburgh area directories that read:
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| J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1891/1892 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1891), 318, "Fielding Jas, chiropodist, 7 Jackson, A(llegheny)" Source: Historic Pittsburgh |
On 21 April 1888, James filed a Re-Rating Arrears and Increase of Pension claim stating he needed his pension corrected because his rate of pension of $4 a month was "unjustly low and disproportionate to the degree of his disability." John Burke and Samuel Moore, both of Pittsburgh, were his witnesses, and P. J. Lockwood was his attorney. A notation on the front of the claim stated "Claimant objects to being sent to the board before which he was last examined." On 3 April 1889 the pension was increased to $12 per month, as this was the first successful claim.
This coincided with the Grand Army of the Republic's biggest victory in politics, as President Harrison signed into law the Pension Act of 1890, which allowed any and all persons who had served ninety days in service in one of the branches of the United States military during the Civil War, were honorably discharged, never part of the Confederacy, and who were suffering from some sort of disability that incapacitated them from manual labor to receive funds from the United States. The pension was to be at least six dollars a month, but not exceeding twelve dollars a month. It was also the first time in the history of United States pension acts that the soldier or sailor's rank was not considered.
On 1 Dec 1890, James was elected as officer of the guard to Post #3. Though the post was in the city of Pittsburgh at the time, James was still living in Allegheny City, where he resided at 7 Jackson Street. This was the address listed on his daughter Emma's marriage license application in December 1890 when she married William McKim.
In December 1894, the GAR ran this about him in The Pittsburgh Press "Comrade James Fielding, Post 3's old warhorse, had returned from Williamsport and will reside permanently in this city. As usual, he will have charge of the annual distribution of Christmas turkeys to the widows of the Post."
The reason for his relocation to Williamsport lies in his Appeal for Reconsideration that was received 8 August 1892 which states: "...he believes injustice has been done him. He feels that the Allegheny Board must be prejudiced against him. He respectfully requests that he may be ordered to Washington D.C. for reexamination at the time of the GAR Encampment, or the Williamsport, Pa." On 15 February 1893, James was examined again by doctors, this time in Williamsport. The physicians felt he was entitled to a pension increase for both his dislocated shoulder and for his bayonet wound. But he never received those pension increases due to the Pension Act of 1890.
For whatever reason, James returned to Allegheny City and took up his duties as a comrade of Post 3 again. He resided on Leland Avenue, where wife Sarah was charged $21.11 cents for sewer repairs in December of 1898. It is very likely that while James moved to Williamsport for a period of about a year, his family stayed in Allegheny City.
In September of 1895, Louisville in Kentucky became the first city south of the Mason-Dixon line to host the annual Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic. It was the largest convention ever in the city.
James Fielding was part of the advance guard of the Pittsburgh posts, which left, probably by train, on 5 September 1895. He was instructed with procuring headquarters for the Pittsburgh contingent, which he found in room 17 at the Law Temple on Green and Fifth streets. The encampment was a success, though several were killed due to a cannon explosion the morning of the parade and a grandstand collapsed at the fireworks display. It was reported later in September that "Comrades H. A. Moore and James Fielding came in for a great deal of praise for the manner in which they performed their duties at Louisville."
The Grand Army of the Republic dwindled because Union veterans began to die off, with the last remaining member, Comrade Albert Woolson, dying in 1956.
James' story continued though, as he owned a house in Allegheny City for many, many years. But that's a story for another post.
Sources:
Ancestry.com, "1890 Veterans Schedules," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 July 2016), Entry for James Fielding, Year: 1890, Census Place: Allegheny Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 88, Page: 1, and Enumeration District: 174.
Appeal for Reconsideration Filed for James Fielding, received 8 August 1892; Scanned copy provided in the pension file for James Fielding from NARA sent to Kelley Wood-Davis 29 Jan 2020 by Deidre Erin Denton, genealogist; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Celebration Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine, "The Evolution of Podiatry: Historical Insights You Should Know," Celebration Orthopaedic, Celebration Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Institute, 17 May 2021 (https://celebrationorthopaedics.com/podiatry-in-celebration/ : accessed 21 October 2021).
General Affidavit, case of James Fielding, late of Co. E, 155th Regt. Penna Vols filed by Dr. J. H. Wright, 2 Dec 1886; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.
"The Grand Army of the Republic and Kindred Societies," article, Library of Congress Researcher and References Service Division (https://www.loc.gov/rr/main/gar/garintro.html : accessed 19 November 2021), Information on the Grand Army of the Republic.
Invalid Claim for Increase for James Fielding, co E, 155 Pennsylvania, no 11390, filed 30 Jan 1890; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.
Invalid Increase for James Fielding, Co. E, 155th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, number 11390, filed 4 June 1889; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.
Invalid Pension Reissue to Allow Additional Disability for James Fielding, cn 11390, Co E, 155 Pa Vol Inf (Present claim filed 18 June 1889); citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.
Invalid, Re-Rating & Increase for James Fielding, Co. E, 155th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, number 11390, filed 21 April 1888; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1888/1889 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher and Thurston, 1888), 343, "Fielding Jas, chiropodist, 543 Wood, h 7 Jackson, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1889/1890 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher and Thurston, 1889), 356, "Fielding Jas, chiropodist, 811 Penn av, h 7 Jackson av A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pennsylvania, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1890/1891 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1890), 287, "Fielding J. chiropodist, 7 Jackson av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1891/1892 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1891), 318, "Fielding Jas, chiropodist, 7 Jackson, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1892/1893 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1892), 320, "Fielding Jas, chiropodist, 7 Jackson, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1893/1894 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1893), 326, "Fielding Jas, chiropodist, 7 Jackson, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1894/1895 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1894), 317, "Fielding Jas, Leland av, n Charles, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1895/1896 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1895), 331, "Fielding J, Physician, Leland av, n Charles, A(llegheny), h same"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1896/1897 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher and Thurston, 1896), 348, "Fielding Jas, chiropodist, Leland av, n Charles, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1897/1898 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher and Thurston, 1897), 352, "Fielding Jas, chiropodist, Leland av, n. Hawkins av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, Unversity of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 July 2016).
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Medical Evidence Affidavit of J. Stickel, M.D., in the Claim of James Fielding, pvt, Co E, 155th Pa Vols, number 11390 for Increase, filed 4 August 1892; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.
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