Martin Seel was born in Reihen, Baden Germany on February 4, 1837. He came to the United States with his father Georg, his mother Fredericka and his brothers Georg, William, and Jacob in 1853. some point he and his brother Georg moved to Etna PA and later began farming in Shaler Township. Martin enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War and was mustered in to the service on September 14, 1861 as a Private in Company I of the 74th Pennsylvania Regiment. This unit saw action in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Second Manassas, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. In August 1864 the unit was sent to South Carolina where it participated in the siege of Charleston. In September 1864 the regiment was returned to Washington where Martin was mustered out on September 15, 1865.
From the description of Martin Seel papers 1860-1999 1860-1864 [manuscript] (Historical Society of W Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 460724326
