James Fielding: The Stay at the Home for Disabled Veterans and Death

This blog post is the seventh in a series on my ancestor, James Fielding, one of my more fascinating ancestors. After his early life, his stint in the Civil War, having to change his profession, his police officer days, and his involvement in the GAR, and the house on Norwood Avenue, this was the next logical step.  This is the story of his final days.

Like my hangman's ropemaking ancestor Jacob Bupp,  James Fielding spent his final years at the Central Branch of the Home for Disabled Soldiers in Dayton Ohio.  This blog post on Jacob Bupp's stay there has some research on the start of the Central Branch.  Of course, since James was there almost fifteen years after Jacob's stay, the home had changed a bit.

The Soldier's Home at Dayton in 1902, taken by Underwood and Underwood
Source: Library of Congress, Stereograph Cards, digital id cph 3b41068, photo in the public domain

**Note here - There are more images of the home online, but many of them are not in the public domain or I cannot ascertain the rights for them - one such site is My Genealogy Hound -  others can be googled if you are interested in seeing what the home looked like.**

James was likely sent to live at the home when his disabilities became too great for his widowed daughter and sons to care for him at the home on Norwood Avenue.  After all, Nellie Fielding Anderson also had to care for her ailing elder brother, James Henderson.  Since James the elder was eligible for care at a Soldier's Home because of his Civil War service and the injury he sustained then, the family probably took advantage of that resource.

James likely traveled by train to get from Pittsburgh to Dayton, Ohio as that was the most convenient means of travel at the time.  It is not known if anyone accompanied him.

On 13 January 1909, James Fielding was admitted to home with defective vision (almost blind in right eye), loss of teeth, bayonet would to his left foot, slight cardiac hypertrophy, arteriosclerosis and hypertrophy of prostate.   Interestingly enough, his page from the historical register for the Soldier's Home listed his occupation as wagoner, a trade not reflected in any of his directory listings.  It also made no mention of his shoulder injury.  

Veterans living at the home had to follow a code of conduct subject to the Articles of War.  This allowed for a structured environment for the former soldiers who lived at the home.  They were organized into companies with a captain and had a ranking system similar to the military in which they once served.  The entire home was overseen by a governor, who at the Central Branch in 1913 was "Colonel W. J. White."

James, like all of the men, was required to wear a uniform, likely one of the surplus of uniforms from the United States Army.  He probably attended the Protestant weekly prayer meeting held on Sundays and listened to concerts at the bandstand that was located on the campus. Because he was literate but blind in one eye, he likely did not take advantage of the library on the campus but may have visited the menagerie.  Because he was a member of the Grand Army of the republic, he likely attended meetings that they held on the campus, despite his ailing health.

Of course, all of this is circumstantial, given the lack of evidence on what exactly James did while he lived at the home.   But veterans living there at the time James did were afforded all of these amenities.

What is known is what James was treated for in the home.  From a page of his pension file, this was listed:

Certificate of Medical History for James Fielding, Form Number 147, Filed by the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 16 April 1913; 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

As once can see, he had many health issues that needed to be addressed.  Given his advanced age, these conditions had to have been debilitating for him.

James lived in the home from January 1909 until his death on 18 February 1913.  He probably had family members visit, as visitors were encouraged at the home and the trains ran from Pittsburgh to Dayton.  

He was enumerated in the 1910 Federal Census on 10 May 1910 as a widowed inmate at the home, with no occupation listed for him.

James was awarded $18 per month beginning 6 June 1912 and then $21 per month beginning 14 September 1912, the higher amount the result of the Pension Act of 1912.  However, in a letter written in 1919 by daughter Nellie, he never received the final pension amounts, as "he was entitled to the increase of $1.00 per day for all old soldiers over 75 years of age, had been advised of the fact in May 1912 but he had never received but $15.00 per month till his death."  This was likely because the certificate that did finally grant him these amounts was issued over a month after his death, since the certificate issued on 29 March 1913.  This would cause issues for his children later.  

On 18 February 1913, James Fielding died in the hospital at the Central Branch of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers at the age of seventy-five.  His death certificate and records found in his pension files list his cause of death as diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis and senility.  Interestingly enough, his death certificate also lists his occupation as "teamster."

His body was shipped back to Pittsburgh by the undertakers J. P. Boyer and Sons from Dayton, Ohio with permission from the governor of the Home, Colonel W. J. White.  

James Fielding was buried on 21 February 1913 at Union Dale Cemetery in Division 1, Section G, Lot 5, Grave 4. Funeral Services were provided by R. T. Rodney, Funeral Director at 715 Arch Street on the North Side of Pittsburgh.  The total cost of the funeral services was $42.80 for a hearse, 3 carriages, fee to open the grave, cost of the permit for opening the grace and services rendered, as well as notices posted in the newspapers and a telegraph sent to Washington D.C.  

One obituary noted that he was survived by four sons, three daughters and four brothers, including his brother John, who was a former councilman in Pittsburgh.  Incidentally John was listed erroneously as James' son, not his brother, on James' page from the register of the National Soldier's Home.

**Note here:  John was the subject of an article I wrote, The Pittsburgh Steam Engine Accident, where he lost his leg as a teen... He still lived a long life and became councilman and did a number of great things and eventually I may write about him.**

John was also the executor of James' will, which left a great deal of his possessions to the children that still lived in the house he owned on Norwood Avenue.  But the execution of that will and the incidents that followed are a subject for another blog post on another day.  For there is more to this story, but that's for another blog post.

Sources Used

"1910 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 July 2016), Year: 1910, Census Place: Jefferson Montgomery, Ohio, Roll: T624_1218, Page: 26A, Enumeration District: 0135, and FHL microfilm: 1375231.

Application for Reimbursement, certificate number 11390, deceased pensioner James Fielding, E, 155th Pa Inf., dated 11 April 1913; 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.

Burns, Carolyn Johnson. Soldiers Home of Dayton, Ohio: Information about the Central Branch of the National Military Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers known today as the Dayton VA Medical Center (http://www.carolynjburns.com/soldiers/ : accessed 21 January 2021).

Central Branch Home for D. V. S. Admittance report for James Fielding, dated 16 Jan 1909; 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.

Certificate of Medical History for James Fielding, Form Number 147, Filed by the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 16 April 1913; ; 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.

Claim for Pension for James Fielding filed 5 June 1912; 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.

"Daily Life at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers," article, National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/articles/daily-life-for-disabled-volunteer-soldiers.htm : accessed 3 February 2022).

"Fielding," death notice, The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 20 February 1913, Page 29, death notice for James Fielding; online images, Google News (https://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 27 July 2016).

"James Fielding," obituary, Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 21 February 1913, Page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 July 2013).

"James Fielding," death notice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 20 February 1913, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 March 2020).

"Fielding," death notice, The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 20 February 1913, Page 29, death notice for James Fielding; online images, Google News (https://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 27 July 2016).

Gasbarro, Norman. "Old Soldiers' Homes," Civil War Blog: A Project of PA Historian, 9 May 2012 (http://civilwar.gratzpa.org/ : accessed 6 November 2019).

Letter from Mrs. Nellie Anderson to the Pension Agent in Washington D. C. dated 9 Jan 1917; 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"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

"Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 27 July 2016), James Fielding, 18 Feb 1913; citing Jefferson, Montgomery, Ohio, reference fn 11097; FHL microfilm 1,953,599; citing data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.

"Ohio Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2007," database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 July 2016), Entry for James Fielding, died 18 Feb 1913; Montgomery, Ohio; Volume 1008, Certificate 11097; citing "Ohio Department of Health. Index to Annual Deaths", 1958-2002. Ohio Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit, Columbus, OH, USA. and Ohio. Division of Vital Statistics. "Death Certificates and Index, December 20, 1908-December 31, 1953". State Archives Series 3094. Ohio Historical Society, Ohio; Index only, no certificate.

"Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 July 2016), Entry for James Fielding, born 1837, died 2-18-1913; citing Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1777–2012. Digital Images, 3–5. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Plante, Trevor K. "The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers," Prologue Magazine, Spring 2004; online, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue : accessed 11 November 2019), information on the Dayton Home.

Powell, Lisa. "Dayton’s soldiers’ home was among the country’s first to care for veterans," Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio), 24 May 2019, information on the history of the Dayton Home; online archives (https://www.daytondailynews.com/ : accessed 6 November 2019).

Receipt of Payment for Funeral Services For James Fielding from Mrs. Nellie Anderson to R. T. Rodney, Funeral Director; 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.

Unknown note reporting death and no payment made in pension file of James Fielding; 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.

"U.S., Burial Registers, Military Posts and National Cemeteries, 1862-1960," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 July 2016), Entry for James Fielding, died 18 Feb 1913; citing Burial Ledgers. The National Cemetery Administration, Washington, D.C. (Original records transferred to NARA: Burial Registers, compiled 1867-2006, documenting the period 1831-2006. ARC ID: 5928352. Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773–2007, Record Group 15. National Archives at Washington, D.C. and Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Quartermaster General. (09/18/1947–08/01/1962). Burial Registers of Military Post and National Cemeteries, compiled ca. 1862–ca. 1960. ARC ID: 4478151. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C; Listed in the burial records for the Dayton branch of the Home for Disabled Veteran Soldiers.

"U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 July 2016), Entry for James Fielding born abt 1837, admitted 1909 to Dayton, Central Branch.; citing Historical Register of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1749, 282 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

U. S. Congress, The Statutes at Large, Treaties and Proclmations of the United States of America, vols. 19-125 (United States Government Publishing Office: Washington, D.C., 1876–2011), : 1912, 11 May 1912, "An Act Granting pensions to certain enlisted men, soldiers, and officers who served in the Civil War and the War with Mexico," 123

Will of James Fielding (1913), Probate Records of Allegheny County: Will Book 120, Number 20, Page 34; Register of Wills, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

James Fielding : Early Years

I have been spending some of my personal genealogy research time focusing on my Fielding family, because, well, they fascinate me so.  I don't know if it is because they are the quintessential blue-collar family, or just because I did not know much about them when I was growing up.  Anyway, here is another blog on my Fielding family.

My pap's maternal grandfather was a man named James Fielding, who had lived a very full life, according to multiple documents.  I wanted to find out more about him, as the Fielding family once was one of the biggest brick walls in my tree, and certain records I stumbled upon led me to find a landmine of information.  After spending a great deal of time processing his Civil War Pension file, I knew I wanted to write about him as well.  But I had too much information to write just one blog post on him, so bear with me as I tell the tale of this wonderful man in a series of them.

James was the son of the shoemaker John Fielding, who already has a post written about him, as he is one of my elusive family members.

James Fielding was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania on 14 September 1837 as the third son and one of several children of the aforementioned James Fielding and his wife Martha.  His father at least was English, having been born in Manchester.  

John, I have discovered since I wrote his blog post, likely came over as a "servant" aboard the packet ship Columbia, which arrived on 21 January 1828 in New York City. 

James' mother's parentage remains a mystery, as does her correct surname, but I will keep checking for cracks in that brick wall.

While James is not listed by name on the 1840 census, he is enumerated as one of two free white male children under the age of five in his father’s household in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, where John was listed as "Jno. Fealding".  Brother Joseph was enumerated as the other son. James was listed as living with his parents and family on the 1850 census where the family was enumerated in Allegheny City's Fourth Ward. He was marked as having attended school that year, and both of his parents could read and write since neither was marked as illiterate on the census.

By 1860, James had been trained as a machinist and was living on Ohio Street in the Fourth Ward of Allegheny City with his parents, though the census enumerator for that district simply listed each member of the family by their first initial and misspelled their surname, putting Fielden instead of Fielding.

Machinists in the period before the Civil War saw a great deal of change in the way they worked, as many different machines were being invented to make machining more precise and uniform.  After all, it appears that precision machining got its biggest push from the event known as the Mexican-American War, when the U.S. Government requested bids for rifles with interchangeable parts.  Tools, such as planers, presses, and various machines, were invented that allowed machinists to make higher quality and more uniform parts faster.   Apparently, there was still a great deal of hand shaping needed for parts cast by machines, and James was likely trained in this kind of work, as later pension documents suggest.

While no documents state where he was employed, James first appears as a machinist in city directories in the 1861 Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities, residing at 104 Ohio.  Thie address was his father John's and brother Cooper's address of residence as well.  As his father was listed as living on Ohio Street in city directories as early as 1850, it could be assumed that James lived there for a period of years with the family.  Ohio Street was the borderline for the Third and Fourth Wards of Allegheny City according to the 1855 map, The Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny With Parts of Adjacent Boroughs, Pennsylvania, and since the family lived on the Fourth Ward side in the 1860 census, they had to have lived on the south side of the street.

On 27 November 1861, James married a young woman by the name of Sarah Virginia McDonald (also spelled MacDonald).  

Sarah was the daughter of Henderson McDonald and Emeline Peterson and the stepdaughter of Elmon McLaughlin.  She was born 1 September 1839 somewhere in Allegheny County as Henderson and Emeline's eldest daughter.  Through her mother, she was descended from Anthony Morris, one of the English Quaker founders of the city of Philadelphia, and of whom I am still doing research.

Unlike James' family, the McDonald family appears to have moved around a bit.  In 1840, Sarah was listed as the one free white female under the age of five in the household of Henderson McDonald in Pittsburgh's South Ward on that census, and in 1850 was living probably on Federal Street in Allegheny City's Third Ward, as that census and the 1850 city directory state.  In 1860, she was living with her widowed mother and sister in Allegheny City's First Ward in the household of one Ann Aiken.

The couple was married on 27 November 1861, just as the Civil War was taking place.

Where the couple was married is a bit of a mystery.  It was somewhere in Allegheny County, that much is known, but conflict exists in just where in Allegheny County.  When sent a form asking personal questions in regards to his pension in 1898, James Fielding answered that he and Sarah had been married in Sharpsburg, which was upriver and up the railroad tracks from Allegheny City.  However, a small blurb in the Pittsburgh Presbyterian Banner in March of 1862 gave the following:

"On the 27th of November, at the residence of the bride's mother, by Rev. John Williams, Mr. JAMES FIELDING to Muss SARAH V. McDONALD, all of Allegheny City." ~ 

"Married," Pittsburgh Presbyterian Banner (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 March 1862, page 3

Since the marriage was listed in a Presbyterian paper, it can be assumed that Rev. John Williams was a Presbyterian minister.  However, further research on the man did not yield any information, leaving it a bit difficult at present to locate a church with which the marriage might be registered. 

The city directory for the 1861-1862 period for Sarah's mother lists Emeline as living on Robinson in Allegheny City.  It is possible she resided briefly in Sharpsburg in November of 1861, but it is more likely that James' recollection of where he was wed by 1898 was a bit fuzzy.  

The marriage had but a brief interlude, for James, like most of the young men of his generation, went off to the war.  But that's a story for the next post.

More posts on James Fielding:

• James Fielding: Man of Many Hats
• James Fielding: Police Officer
• James Fielding: The Grand Army of the Republic and the 1890s
• James Fielding: The House on Norwood Avenue
• James Fielding: The Stay at the Home for Disabled Veterans and Death

Sources Used:

Ancestry.com, "1840 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 July 2016), Year: 1840, Census Place: Pittsburgh South Ward Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 441, Page: 373, Image: 764, and Family History Library Film: 0020536 (Entry for Henderson McDonald).

Ancestry.com, "1840 United States Federal Census," database online Entry for Jno Fealding and household, Year: 1840, Census Place: Allegheny Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 440, Page: 290, Image: 592, and Family History Library Film: 0020536.

Ancestry.com, "1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 July 2016), Year: 1850, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 3 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M432_744, Page: 152B, and Image: 310 (Entry for Henderson McDonald and family).

"1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 July 2016), Entry for John Feilding and household, Year: 1850, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 4 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M432_744, Page: 217B, and Image: 440; citing Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Ancestry.com, "1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 July 2016), Year: 1850, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 4 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M432_744, Page: 217B, and Image: 440.

Ancestry.com, "1860 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 July 2016), Year: 1860, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 1 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M653_1067, Page: 635, Image: 102, and Family History Library Film: 805067 (as Emaline McDonald and daughters).

Ancestry.com, "1860 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 July 2016), Entry for J. Fielden and family, Year: 1860, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 4 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M653_1068, Page: 676, Image: 63, and Family History Library Film: 805068 (enumerated as J. Fielden and family); citing 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

APIAMS, "The History Of Precision Machining," American Precision Industries, American Precision Industries Metal Specialties, 30 November 2017 (https://apiams.com/blog/appreciating-the-history-of-precision-machining/ : accessed 24 June 2021).

Application for Reimbursement, certificate number 11390, deceased pensioner James Fielding, E, 155th Pa Inf., dated 11 April 1913; 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.

The Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny With Parts of Adjacent Boroughs, Pennsylvania (New York City, New York: J.H. Colton and Company, 1855); digital images, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 24 June 2021), viewed Ohio Street.

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1861-1862 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1861), 93, "Fielding James, machinist, 104 Ohio, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1861-1862 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1861), 218, "McDonald Emily, widow Henderson, dressmaker, Robinson n Darragh, A(Allegheny)".

Fahnestock's Pittsburgh directory for 1850: containing the names of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, & vicinity : their occupation, places of business and dwelling houses : also, a list of the public offices, banks, &c, 1850 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Geo. Parkin & Co, 1850), 30, "Fielding John, shoemr, Ohio, Al"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016).

Fahnestock's Pittsburgh directory for 1850: containing the names of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, & vicinity : their occupation, places of business and dwelling houses : also, a list of the public offices, banks, &c, 1850 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Geo. Parkin & Co, 1850), 61, "McDonald Henderson Capt. Federal, Al(llegheny)".

"Married," Pittsburgh Presbyterian Banner (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 March 1862, page 3; online images, NewspaperArchive (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 12 January 2021).

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 July 2016), Entry for Sarah V. Fielding; died 4 October 1907; Certificate number: 95518; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Smith, Robert F. "Machining and Machinists," article, The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia (https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/machining-and-machinists/ : accessed 24 June 2021).

Soldier's Application for Increase of Pension for James Fielding, filed 14 Sept 1907; Scanned copy provided in the pension file for James Fielding. 

Voucher circular questions for James Fielding, certificate number 11390, dated 5 July 1898; Scanned copy provided in the pension file for James Fielding.

Chasing the Elusive: John Fielding Sr.

Occasionally I write about some of my more elusive family members, in hopes that one day I can break.  I call them "Chasing the Elusive" and John Fielding is one such member, being a maternal great-grandfather of my grandpap.  He was the grandfather to another Chasing the Elusive subject, Mark Fielding.

John Fielding was born sometime in 1801, and was likely baptized 16 August 1801 in Anglican church in the parish of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester, England as the son of one Mathew Fielding.  His mother's name may have been Mary, although records don't give a name for his mother.  Later children's baptisms in the same parish (for Cooper, William and Martha) link Mathew to a Mary, surname unknown.

It is not known when John immigrated to the United States, but it had to have been sometime before 1833 when his eldest son was born in Pennsylvania.  Sometime before that point, he married Martha Gibson (some sources state her surname was Cooper), who was born in Pennsylvania, though her age fluctuates on census records, putting her birth sometimes between 1809 and 1814.

The couple had nine children.  Cooper was their eldest, born March 1833.  Son Joseph was born in 1835, and son James was born 14 September 1837 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania.  At some point as well came a daughter who remains nameless at this point, who was born sometime between 1835 and 1840 (she likely died very young).  The 1840 census enumeration lists four children in the household of John Fielding of Allegheny City, as well as John and wife Martha.  The remaining five children were born after that enumeration. Martha was born 16 September 1841. Amos was born 9 February 1844. John was born 10 December 1846.  William was born 28 July 1850.  The youngest, Mathew, was born sometime in 1853 or 1854.

John was a shoemaker by trade, at least from 1850, when he was listed as such in the federal census enumeration.  He was listed as a shoemaker in several Pittsburgh area directories, living on Ohio Street in the Fourth Ward of Allegheny City.

In 1863, son John was injured in an accident involving a steam fire engine, eventually losing a leg from the accident.  John Fielding Sr. sued the company (Oakland Railway Company) that was tasked with maintaining the street on which the accident occurred for medical bills and his son's lost wages.  He won his suit on 22 December 1863, and recouped $1800.  The suit was brought by the company to the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who in October of the following year ruled there was no error in the original judgement.

It is not clear however if John Fielding Sr. was able to enjoy his winnings, however.  On 23 July 1864, a petition of guardianship was filed four his four youngest sons in the Allegheny County Orphan's Court, listing them as the minor children of John Fielding, deceased.  The petition was granted and lawyer J. D. Hancock was awarded guardianship of Amos, John, William and Mathew.  Another lawyer, Thomas J. Keenan was awarded letters of administration in the probate of John's estate, as he died intestate. Both of these lawyers handled his suit against the railway company, so it is not altogether surprising that they were involved in handling his affairs after his death.

This is where I am chasing the elusive: I have not found either the date he died or how he died.  Since death records were not a thing in Allegheny City (nor where they a county or state thing either yet), I have not been able to find any mention of a death for either him or his wife in the 1860s.  I have checked available cemetery records available online, online newspapers (though I may not be searching with the correct parameters, as the searches are all OCR readers, so it's likely a death notice does exist somewhere), probate records, even land records available for that time period.  I know he was alive in December of 1863 when he won his suit, and had passed before July of 1864 when his sons became the wards of J. D. Hancock, but the date remains elusive. Given that the four boys show up living with elder brother Cooper on the 1870 census, it is likely that Martha also died in this time period.  Again, no record can be located for her as well.

I may never find the record, or I may crack the case.  Who knows.  One thing is for certain, though.  I will have fun doing the research either way.

Sources Used:
"1840 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 July 2016), Entry for Jno Fealding and household, Year: 1840, Census Place: Allegheny Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 440, Page: 290, Image: 592, and Family History Library Film: 0020536; citing Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 July 2016), Entry for John Feilding and household, Year: 1850, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 4 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M432_744, Page: 217B, and Image: 440; citing Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1860 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 July 2016), Entry for J. Fielden and family, Year: 1860, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 4 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M653_1068, Page: 676, Image: 63, and Family History Library Film: 805068 (enumerated as J. Fielden and family); citing 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"1870 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 March 2020), Entry for Cooper Fielding and family, Year: 1870, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 4 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M593_1291, Page: 367B, and Family History Library Film: 552790; citing 1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"Coroner's Inquest," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 13 April 1863, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

"The Death of Young Reams," The Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 13 April 1863, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

Directory of Pittsburgh & vicinity for, 1857-1858 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: George H. Thurston, 1857), 62, "Fielding John, shoe maker, h Ohio n West"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu : accessed 30 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh & vicinity for, 1858/1859 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: George H. Thurston, 1858), 78, "Fielding John, shoemaker, h Ohio n Middle, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1861-1862 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1861), 93, "Fielding John, shoemaker, 140 Ohio, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1862-1863 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1862), 90, "Fielding John, shoemaker, 140 Ohio, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1863-1864 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1863), 100, "Fielding John, shoemaker, 40 Ohio, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016), I believe the 40 should be 140, that it was a typo.

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1864-1865 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1864), 95, "Fielding John, shoemaker, 140 Ohio, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digitial Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 7 April 2020).

"Distressing Accident: A Man Killed and a Boy Maimed by Steam Fire Engine," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 11 April 1863, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

Fahnestock's Pittsburgh directory for 1850: containing the names of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, & vicinity : their occupation, places of business and dwelling houses : also, a list of the public offices, banks, &c, 1850 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Geo. Parkin & Co, 1850), 30, "Fielding John, shoemr, Ohio, Al"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu : accessed 30 July 2016).

"Heavy Verdict," The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 8 April 1864, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

"Heavy Verdicts," The Daily Evening Express (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 15 December 1864, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 March 2020).

"Important Trial in the District Court," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 24 December 1863, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

"Lease for Sale," advertisement, Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 6 July 1866, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

"Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 24 March 2020), Allegheny County Orphans' Court docket 19, June term 1864, page 199, no. 109, entry for petition of Amos, John, Matthew and William Fielding for guardianship, filed 23 July 1864, image 127 of 650; FHL microfilm number 866215; citing county courthouses in Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 24 March 2020), Allegheny County Orphans' court docket, v. 21, page 226, No. 75, petition of Martha Caskey in estate of John Fielding, deceased, filed 9 June 1866; image 141 of 679; FHL microfilm number 872591; citing county courthouses in Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 24 March 2020), Allegheny County Orphans' court docket, v. 21, page 456, no. 18, Account of Thomas J. Keenan administrator of John Fielding Sr., deceased, filed 3 Dec 1866, image 262 of 679; FHL microfilm number 872591; citing county courthouses in Pennsylvania.

"Sad Accident - Man Killed and Boy Seriously Injured," The Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 11 April 1863, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

Woodward & Rowlands' Pittsburgh directory for 1852: containing the names of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh and Allegheny, 1852 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: W.S. Haven, 1852), 107 (page 7 of Allegheny Directory), "Fielding John, shoemr, 7 Ohio st."; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu : accessed 30 July 2016).

Wright, Robert E. State Reporter, Pennsylvania State Report, Volume 48 (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Kay and Brother, 1865), 320-328; online images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books : accessed 24 March 2020).