Daniel G. Heltzel Casualty Report
(As seen on The Helsel Page)
Daniel G. Heltzel
My great-great-grandfather Daniel G. Heltzel (an earlier version of Helsel)
seemed a natural place to start considering that I had information on him
that I do not of others. Some years ago mom learned that she had an
ancestor that had been a soldier in the Civil War and some how acquired
copies of his casualty, muster info, and pensions records. It’s not a lot
but it is interesting. My copy is terrible by the way; I hope to acquire
another clearer copy and perhaps more info in the near future. It might be
awhile however, I’m still learning how to do such research. I’ll scan in
what I have and make it all available to download in the near future after I
figure out how to operate my parent’s scanner. I’m having trouble with it
this morning.
Daniel was born 8 Aug 1841. At 19 years of age he married Julia Ann Exline
on 30 Dec 1860, (this is actually my birthday). While I find it interesting
I doubt they were thinking that 121 years from that day, their great-great
granddaughter would be born. But we’ll never know will we. Their first child
Albert E. Helsel was born a little less than a year later on 8 Oct 1861.
Less than a year later from that he enlisted in the Union Army on 29 Aug
1862 into the 138th Pennsylvania regiment. For those uninformed such as my
sister Gayla, this regiment would be in the North or Blue side. I have not
yet found any regimental history on the 138th Pennsylvania. I’ll keep
looking. I have an inventory paper that came with his casualty sheet that
gives all sorts of random info. He was 5 feet and 6 inches, which would be
fairly tall for his time period. He also is written to have a fair
complexion, brown eyes, and red hair. I can now trace the origin of my
brother Bobby’s strawberry brown facial hair. It also records his
occupation as “Lawer” or “Sawer”, or “Hawer”, This particular word is hardly
legible or at least I can’t read it. Perhaps you guys could download the
scanned in record, look at it and tell me what you think. Just assuming
from the dates, Julia would have been pregnant again when he enlisted, but
it seems early enough that they may or may not have known this. Daniel’s
military service was not long; a few days more than two months. He died in
a regimental hospital, in an encampment called Camp Relay, in Maryland; of
Typhoid fever on 1 Nov 1862 at 21 years of age. About five months before
his daughter Mary Amanda Helsel was born; 12 Apr 1863.
Julia did remarry two years later to Simon M. Feather on Sept. 17, 1865.
She also had ten more children. Mom had found a copy of her pension
records. Julia petitioned to the Bedford county orphans court on Nov. 19th
1866 (little more than a year after she remarried) in behalf of her two
oldest children. According to this record they were raised by their mother
and step-father.
I am curious about a William Heltzel that I noticed had enlisted the same
day as Daniel into the same regiment. There’s a brief comment that William
filed with Heltzel, Daniel G. I’m assuming that Daniel and a relative
enrolled together. It may have been a cousin or something because none of
his brothers, that I so far can tell, are named William.
I found a military service record on www.ancestry.com
Name: Daniel G Heltzel
Enlistment Date: 29 August 1862
Distinguished Service: DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
Side Served: Union
State Served: Pennsylvania
Unit Numbers: 2122 2122
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 29 August 1862
Enlisted in Company E, 138th Infantry Regiment Pennsylvania Union on 29 August 1862.
Died Company E, 138th Infantry Regiment Pennsylvania Union on 01 November
1862 in Relay House, MD
Source Information:
Historical Data Systems, comp.. American Civil War Soldiers [database
on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 1999. Original data: Data
compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA from the following list
of works at www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/military.
Copyright 1997-2000, Historical Data Systems, Inc.,
PO Box 35,
Duxbury.