Ezra Goodyear Company G, 130th Illinois Volunteer Infantry |
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EZRA GOODYEAR was born in February, 1847 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the second child of four to the first marriage of Benjamin Curtis Goodyear. His mother, Catherine Stoner, died when he was only four and a half years old, and he, along with his siblings, were raised by Benjamin's second wife, Catherine Ramp. His own description of his appearance was that his face was "full of freckles," his hair black and his eyes brown. It is not known why he left home, but in July of 1863 near Harrisburg he joined a group of soldiers of the 8th Illinois Cavalry returning from Gettysburg with the body of General Farnsworth. He rode with them to Alexandria, Virginia, was put into uniform, and sworn in at Culpeper, Virginia on July 18, 1863. The officer who swore him in asked his age and he said he was 18, for fear they would not accept him. He was actually only 16 years and six months old.
Ezra was never wounded in any of these engagements. The 8th Illinois was mustered out on July 17, 1865, at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, MO, and he returned for a time to Plainfield, Illinois, then eventually back to Carlisle. He married Anne Hays, Great Granddaughter of Mary "Molly Pitcher" Ludwig Hays. Ezra died on March 7, 1904 in Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA, and is buried in Westminster Cemetery, Bala, Pa. |
Submitted by Bob Goodyear
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