Stetson, Jeremiah, 1810-1869

Jeremiah Stetson (1810-1869), a farmer from Hanson, Mass., served in the 23rd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in the Civil War.

From the description of Jeremiah Stetson papers, 1861-1863. WorldCat record id: 45430073

Jeremiah Stetson was born in Pembroke, Mass., on 27 June 1810. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Stetson and his oldest son, Edwin Leforrest Stetson (b. 1842), enlisted in Company E of the 23rd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. In the absence of her husband and grown son, Jeremiah Stetson's wife, Abbie F. Stetson (d. 1901), called Happy by her husband, maintained the family's farm in Hanson, Mass., tending chickens, fruit trees, and strawberries. At home, there were three other children: Melvina Louise Stetson (b. 1844), called Melly ; Marshall Stetson (b. 1856); and Edith Ruth Stetson (b. 1859).

Jeremiah Stetson saw action in North Carolina and South Carolina, particularly during the capture of New Bern, N.C., but his increasingly bad health apparently prevented him from taking part in most of the later fighting. When able, Jeremiah Stetson performed duties as a carpenter, building barracks for the Army. He died in Hanson, Mass., on 24 February 1869. Edwin Leforrest Stetson participated in the taking of Kinston, N.C., and in various expeditions to destroy railroads near New Bern and try to take Goldsboro, N.C.

From the guide to the Jeremiah Stetson Papers, 1861-1863, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)