Ramsdell, Julius Frederic, 1845-1910.

Julius Frederic Ramsdell was born 29 October 1845 in Lynn, Massachusetts. Estranged from his father at an early age, Ramsdell moved to Woburn, Massachusetts, to live with his aunt and uncle, Lydia and Charles Choate.

In December 1863, at the age of nineteen, Ramsdell enlisted as a private in K Company, 39th Regiment of the Massachusetts Infantry. He served in eastern Virginia until August 1864 when he was taken prisoner by the Confederate Army after the battle of Weldon Railroad. He was a prisoner at Belle Isle in Richmond until he was paroled and exchanged in October 1864. After time in a hospital at Annapolis, Maryland, and a brief furlough at home, Ramsdell returned to eastern Virginia where he served until the end of the war.

After his discharge from the army in June 1865, Ramsdell returned to Woburn and resumed an apprenticeship in the leather trade that he apparently had begun before he entered the army. He remained in the leather business for a number of years, managing his own factory until it merged with another company. He also served at various times as an officer in three local banks.

When Ramsdell died in early October 1910 he was survived by his wife, S. Elmira Ramsdell, and three daughters.

For further information, see the photocopy of Ramsdell's obituary in folder 8 of these papers.

From the guide to the Julius Frederic Ramsdell Papers, ;, 1864-1869, 1910-1911, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)