Jeremiah Pope, a Revolutionary War Soldier

This imposing obelisk is eye-catching at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey.

The stone is inscribed with information and dates for three generations of the Pope family: Jeremiah Pope and Mary Van Emburgh; their son, Samuel Pope and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards; and their son, Samuel Pope and his wife, Eliza Rose.

JEREMIAH POPE

A SOLDIER IN THE REVOLUTION

ALSO IN THE WAR OF 1812

BORN AT BASKING RIDGE

SOMMERSET CO, NJ

OCTOBER 17, 1749

DIED IN 1814

ALSO HIS WIFE

MARY

DAUGHTER OF

DR VAN EMBURGH

OF HACKENSACK NJ

BORN SEPT 10, 1762

DIED DEC 1846

SAMUEL POPE

A SOLDIER IN THE WAR OF 1812

BORN AT HACKENSACK NJ

JAN 23, 1790

DIED IN 1814

ALSO HIS WIFE

ELIZABETH EDWARDS

BORN AT DANBURY CONN

MAY 5, 1790

DIED IN 1830

SAMUEL POPE

BORN

BETWEEN SENECA AND CYUGA LAKES

IN THE STATE OF NY

OCTOBER 11, 1811

DIED MARCH 21, 1889

ALSO HIS WIFE

ELIZA

DAUGHTER OF MARTIN AND MARY ROSE

OF NORTH HAVERSTRAW, NY

BORN JUNE 4, 1811

DIED JUNE 23, 1910

Jeremiah was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Samuel also served in the War of 1812. The cemetery did not exist at that time, so they were buried elsewhere.

In 1839, Jeremiah's wife, Mary filed for a widow's pension for his service in the Revolutionary War. In the transcript of the family bible, Jeremiah's death was January 11, 1813. The year 1814 is inscribed on the gravestone.

These pension documents are available at Fold3.com (pay site).

A book from 1882 has a few paragraphs about this family. The History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men is available on Google Books.

Pictures of the stone and transcripts of the inscriptions are provided here to aide anyone researching this family or these conflicts.

2020: The Last Civil War Pensioner

He was a Civil War soldier.

This is engraved on the gravestone of Moses "Mose" Triplett (1846-1938) in the Triplett-Hall Cemetery in Elkville, North Carolina.

Moses fought on both sides.

He is in the news lately because his daughter died May 31, 2020. Irene Triplett was the last person collecting a pension from the Civil War- 155 years after the War ended.

Moses died in 1938 when Irene was eight years old. See how a child of a Civil War soldier was still alive?

Death certificate for Mose Triplett, died 1938 in North Carolina.
(Ancestry.com)

There are probably more children among us, though they do not collect pensions. Irene qualified because she was considered a dependent "incapable of self-support by reason of physical or mental defect."

In the 1930 federal census, Irene was enumerated with her parents in Elk, Wilkes County, North Carolina. Irene was three months old. Her mother, Elida was 34. Mose was 83 years old.

Lydia Hall and Mose Triplett were married in 1924.

The 1890 Veterans Schedule lists Moses Triplett's service as the 3rd Regiment of Company F, North Carolina Mounted Infantry. They fought for the Union.

Moses originally served with a Confederate unit, the 26th. He deserted from a hospital in Danville, Virginia, on June 26, 1863- five days before this unit fought at the Battle of Gettysburg.

If anyone knows how many children of Civil War veterans are still out there, please comment below. There are still people alive today whose fathers served in the Civil War.

John Magai 1843-1916 Civil War Veteran

A stone for a veteran of the Civil War surfaced at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Montclair, New Jersey.

The stone is inscribed: SERGT JOHN MAGAI  CO I  4 U.S. CAV.

I wanted to find out more about this soldier. He was in a family plot. Locating him in a census with his family would help to identify him.

LLOYD OTTO MAGAI

1893-1953

ANN E MAGAI

1902-1986

John Magai, age 39, born in Austria (probably present-day Slovenia) was living in the Town of Union, Hudson County, New Jersey, in 1900 with his wife, Eliza [Gutberlet or variation], and their many children, including Loid [Lloyd], born in 1893. This fits the Lloyd on the tombstone next to John.

The Town of Union became part of Union City in 1925. Lewis Street became 38th Street.

John may have returned home in Europe a few times. He applied for a passport in New York in 1873, listing his birthdate as May 14, 1843.

An obituary for John Magai appeared in the Jersey Journal on August 18, 1916. He was a veteran who served the 5th New York Cavalry, which does not match the stone.

Next I viewed records at Fold3. John Magai, also known as Johannes Maggai, served in Company E of the 5th Regiment from 1864-1865, then Company I of the 4th Regiment of the New York Cavalry from 1865-1868.

For some reason, the 4th Regiment is on the gravestone, while the 5th Regiment is mentioned in the obituary.

John and Elizabeth probably married as he completed his service. The children were born from 1869-1893. All but Lloyd appeared to have been born in New York.

Lloyd served in the Army in World War I. His application for a headstone can be viewed in color at Ancestry.com.