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| Alfred Mellin Thurston (b. 06 May 1842, d. 31 Mar 1927) |
Alfred Mellin Thurston was reportedly born to John Thurston and Keziah (Black/Blake) Thurston in Wellington, Piscataquis County, Maine on May 6th, 1842. He had five siblings I have found. I have virtually no information on his early life. I did find him in the 1860 US Federal Census:
Surname GivenName Age Sex Race Birthplace State County Location Year
THURSTON ALFRED 17 M W ME WI DUNN SPRING BROOK 1860
Head of household is listed as Seth Webb, so he's likely boarding away from home at school.
The next time I find him is during the Civil War. Alfred fought for the Union Army and was wounded, gunshot wounds to the right thigh and left arm:
Name: Alfred Thurston
Residence: Springfield, Wisconsin
Enlistment Date: 24 Aug 1861
Side Served: Union
State Served: Wisconsin
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 24 August 1861.
Enlisted in Company C, 8th Infantry Regiment Wisconsin on 24 Aug 1861.
Received a disability discharge from Company C, 8th Infantry Regiment Wisconsin on 28 Mar 1863.
Sources: 97
Source Citation: Side served: Union; State served: Wisconsin; Enlistment date: 24 Aug 1861..
Source Information:
Historical Data Systems, comp.. American Civil War Soldiers [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.
Original data: Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA form the following list of works.
Copyright 1997-2000
Historical Data Systems, Inc.
PO Box 35
Duxbury.
Alfred returns to Wisconsin, where he regains his health. Once again we see him enlist:
Name: Alfred Thurston
Residence: Oasis, Wisconsin
Enlistment Date: 2 Nov 1864
Side Served: Union
State Served: Wisconsin
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 2 November 1864.
Drafted into Company K, 1st Cavalry Regiment Wisconsin on 2 Nov 1864.
Mustered Out Company K, 1st Cavalry Regiment Wisconsin on 29 Jul 1865.
Sources: 97
Source Citation: Side served: Union; State served: Wisconsin; Enlistment date: 2 Nov 1864..
Source Information:
Historical Data Systems, comp.. American Civil War Soldiers [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.
Original data: Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA form the following list of works.
Copyright 1997-2000
Historical Data Systems, Inc.
PO Box 35
Duxbury.
Alfred survives this enlistment and returns home to a wife and a life of farming. Alfred married Barbara Ann Messing (b. 07 Sep 1842 in Hesselhurst, Ortenaukreis, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, d. 03 Nov 1909 in Cavour, Beadle County, South Dakota) on 04 Jul 1863 in Oasis, Waushara County, Wisconsin. They will have nine children to help with the farm chores.
The next time we see him, he's still in Wisconsin, and it's for the 1880 US Census:
A. M. THURSTON HouseholdAround this time, Alfred is awarded a pension for his Civil War service of $6.00 per month. The pension data shows him living in Cavour, Beadle County, South Dakota already, so he's moved fairly soon after the 1880 Census in Wisconsin.
Male
Other Information:
Birth Year <1842>
Birthplace ME
Age 38
Occupation Farming
Marital Status M <Married>
Race W <White>
Head of Household A. M. THURSTON
Relation Self
Father's Birthplace ME
Mother's Birthplace ME
Source Information:
Census Place Knowlton, Marathon, Wisconsin
Family History Library Film 1255433
NA Film Number T9-1433
Page Number 282A
Beadle County, Dakota Territory 1883 List of Pensioners on the Roll Date of Original
Cert# Name of Pensioner P.O. Address Cause for which pensioned Monthly Rate Allowance
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
217,795 Thurston, Alfred M. Cavour g. s. w. rt. thigh and lt. arm $ 6.00 Sept.,1882
Not long after, we see Alfred being issued a Land Patent in Beadle County, South Dakota:
Names On Document Land DescriptionsIt doesn't show military rank, so this would seem to be a more usual homestead issue, and not a military grant. Alfred and family moved to South Dakota prior to this Land Patent being granted, however, as their 8th child, Ida May Thurston, was born July 4th, 1883 in Liberty Township, Beadle County, South Dakota. Ida May was my paternal great-grandmother.
Patentee THURSTON, ALFRED M
Map State-Meridian Twp-Rng Aliq. Sec. Srv. # County
Show land description on map SD - 5th PM 112N-060W NE¼ 30 Beadle
Military Rank: ---
Document Numbers
Document Nr: 649
Misc. Doc. Nr: ---
BLM Serial Nr: SDMTAA 123545
Indian Allot. Nr: ---
Survey Information
Total Acres: 160.00
Survey Date: ---
Geographic Name: ---
Metes/Bounds: No
Miscellaneous Information
Land Office: Montana State Office
Tribe: ---
Militia: ---
US Reservations: No
Mineral Reservations: No
Authority: April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566)
SDMTAA 123545 PatenteeTHURSTON, ALFRED M 11/20/1884 649 SD 5th PM 112N - 060W NE¼ 30 Beadle
The last official record I have found yet is from the 1910 US Federal Census, which shows Alfred still living in Liberty Township, Beadle County, South Dakota:
Surname GivenName Age Sex Race Birthplace State County Location YearAlfred stayed in the area, but probably moved with one of his children slightly west in Hyde County, South Dakota, after Barbara died in 1909. Alfred finally died as well on 31 Mar 1927 in Orient, Hyde County, South Dakota, and is buried in Shue Creek Cemetery Lot 3, 6 miles east, 5.5 miles north of Huron, Beadle County, South Dakota next to his wife.
THURSTON ALFRED M 68 M W ME SD BEADLE LIBERTY 1910
The photo above is the only image I have of Alfred Mellin Thurston, and was cropped from a larger family photograph showing all of his family members:
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| The Alfred Mellin Thurston family circa 1907. Back: Roderick, Jennifer, Joseph, Ida, Edward. Middle: Stephen, Erminnie. Front: Alfred, Stella, Barbara |
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