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I‘m seeking descendants or relatives of Civil War veteran HENRY M. DAY, who served with Company A, 39th Illinois Infantry. Day was born at Troy, New York in 1841 and died in St. Louis, Missouri in 1899. He enlisted in the 39th Illinois at Wilmington, Illinois in 1861. According to several sources - including his private headstone at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery - Day was awarded the MEDAL OF HONOR for "planting the colors on Fort Gregg, Petersburg, Virginia, between two contending armies on 2 April 1865." He was severely wounded during this action and crippled the remainder of his life.
He apparently moved around a lot, both prior to and subsequent to the war. He married HOLLEN ELLIOTT sometime during the late 1860’s and they were living in the Second Ward, Newark, New Jersey in June 1870. A son, HENRY A. DAY, was born in May 1870 in Newark. Another son, LAFORCE DAY, was born two years later in Newark (LAFORCE was employed as a railroad engineer in Kansas City, Missouri in 1920 and was living at the U. S. Soldier’s Home near Leavenworth, Kansas in 1930). A daughter, EMMA E. DAY, was born in St. Louis about 1878 (HENRY M. DAY was a clerk at the main post office in downtown St. Louis at that time - this was prior to the keeping of civil service records so there’s nothing at the NPRC on Marine Avenue).
At the time of his death, Day operated his own insurance agency in his home at 7121 Michigan Avenue in South St. Louis. His widow, Hollen - also called Hollee or Henn - survived him by almost forty years. She died 11 March 1938 and was interred at Jefferson Barracks 21 March 1938. The ten day delay in burial may indicate her remains were shipped from a distance. Oddly enough, the National Archives in Washington loaned his military service record and BOTH of their pension files to the VA several years ago and ALL have disappeared! The files should be in the Chicago Regional Office but there’s no trace. A "supplementary case file folder" was put together after several individuals submitted requests but info contained therein is scant to the point of being useless.
I’ve exhausted all other avenues so it seems my only solution is to locate descendants or relatives. Any assistance will be sincerely appreciated. I’d like to see that Day receives the recognition I feel he deserves.
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