Silas Crowell was born in Ohio in September 1844. During the Civil War, he enlisted in the 93rd Ohio Infantry Regiment. He spent time in Libby Prison and lost a leg after being wounded at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in 1864. He corresponded with his brother, Charles Crowell, and uncle, Silas M. B. Simpson, throughout his service. After the war, he returned to Ohio, where he married Almina Burr on November 1, 1882. They moved to Pasadena, California, in the early 1900s, where Silas was a janitor. Silas Crowell died in November 1928. Charles Crowell worked as a fireman in the Eastern Engine House in Dayton, Ohio, during the Civil War, and was promoted to engineer in January 1865.
From the guide to the Charles and Silas Crowell papers, Crowell, Charles and Silas papers, 1861-1883, 1864-1865, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
