John Henry Callin (1840 - 1913)

Born 10 Aug 1840 in Ashland County, Ohio

Ancestors

Husband of Amanda Lydia (Walker) Callin — married 8 Apr 1874 in Scotch Ridge, Wood, Ohio, United States

Descendants

Died 17 Mar 1913 at age 72 in Fostoria, Seneca County, Ohio

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Cari Taplin [send private message]

Biography

John Henry Callin (William H.-3, John-2, James "1st"-1) was born on 10 Aug 1840 in Richland County, Ohio. He grew up on his father’s farm in Peru Township, Huron County.^[1][2][3]

John was a good student who was accepted into the Western Reserve Normal School in Milan, Ohio, when he was 18. Three years later, in 1861, he began teaching his first classes in Wood County, Ohio. Of course, that April saw the start of hostilities between the states. John dismissed his students in the middle of their term and enlisted in the 21st Battery of the Ohio Light Artillery.^[4]

He acquitted himself well as a soldier and was later credited with leading Detachment B during its deployment in West Virginia. He brought home notebooks full of poetry he wrote on the battlefield, including an account of his unit's part in halting Morgan's Raid. ^[5]

After his discharge at the close of the war, John attended a course at Hillsdale College in Michigan and then returned to Wood County, where he taught school for 22 years.

John married Lucy A Patterson on 27 Oct 1865. It is unclear whether she is any relation to the Captain James W. Patterson who commanded John's unit during the war. Most likely, she is the daughter of Martin Patterson (1818–1891) and Abigail Osgood (1820–1908). If so, she appeared in her parents’ home under her maiden name in 1870. John and Lucy divorced in 1873 in Bowling Green, Wood County, Ohio, according to John’s pension record in the National Archives, with the note that there were no children from this marriage.^[6][7]

John Henry Callin and Amanda Lydia Walker were married on 8 Apr 1874 in Scotch Ridge, Wood, Ohio. Amanda, a daughter of William "Yankee" Walker (1833–1915) and Lydia Anti Bowen (1828–1879), was born on 14 Mar 1857 in Scotch Ridge, Wood County, Ohio. She grew up in Webster, Wood County, Ohio, even appeared in her father’s home again in 1880, after her mother died.^[8][9][10]

Amanda and John lived in Plain City, Wood County, in 1880 and 1886, relocating to Middleton, Wood County in 1900 before retiring to Fostoria, where they lived in 1903. They remained in Fostoria in 1910, and that is where John died on 17 Mar 1913 at the age of 72. He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Bowling Green, Wood County.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

Amanda went to live in Vermilion, Erie County, Ohio in 1920 with her youngest son Ray; she is listed as housekeeper there for Anna Sherrod and Mrs. Morris Ness. She lived with Ray’s family in Florence, Erie, Ohio in 1930. She died on 12 Feb 1933 at the age of 75 in Oberlin, Lorain County, and was buried with John in Oak Grove Cemetery.^[16][17][18]

Amanda’s obituary was printed in Vermillion on February 12, 1933, and was clipped and passed down through the family to Vicki (Callin) Hunt:

“Colonel's Widow Passes On
“Mrs. Amanda L. Callin, former Vermillionite died early Sunday morning at the home of her daughter Mrs. H. G. Heimsath at Oberlin at the age of seventy-six years and eleven months. “Mrs. Callin was the widow of the late Col. J. H. Callin an officer in the Civil War. She was born in Bowling Green, Wood County and the body was taken to that city for funeral services and burial on Tuesday under Government supervision. She leaves four sons, John and Prentice of Bowling Green, H. B. whose home is in Florida and Ray of Florence township, and one daughter Mrs. Heimsath of Oberlin, better known here as Mrs. Matcham. One son was killed on a Western railroad about five years ago. “Mrs. Callin came to Vermillion in 1907 and lived on a farm for thirteen years. She also was a resident of Linwood Park for many years. She was a member of the local Ladies Auxiliary of American Legion and of the Florence Congregational Church. “Col. Callin passed away in 1913.”

(Note: while the highest rank reported in John’s service records was “sergeant,” he was a colonel in the Grand Army of the Republic, the veteran’s fraternal organization that existed from 1866 to 1956.)

Sources

1. ↑ Callin, George W., The Callin Family History, E.M Hubbard, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1911, pg. 10, 13-14.
2. ↑ 1850 United States Federal Census, Place: Peru, Huron, Ohio; Roll: M432_697; Page: 133B; Image: 473.
3. ↑ 1860 United States Federal Census, Place: Ridgefield, Huron, Ohio; Roll: M653_990; Page: 155; FHL Film:803990.
4. ↑ Commemorative Historical and Biographical Record of Wood County, Ohio (J. H. Beers & Co., Chicago, Illinois,1897), page 13.
5. ↑ American Civil War Soldiers [database on-line], Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston MA, Source Citation: Box: 552;Extraction: 16; Record: 1189.
6. ↑ Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993.
7. ↑ The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Record Group Title: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007; Record Group Number: 15; Series Title: U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934; Series Number: T288.
8. ↑ 1860 United States Federal Census, Place: Webster, Wood, Ohio; Roll: M653_1053; Page: 449; FHL Film:805053.
9. ↑ 1870 United States Federal Census, Place: Webster, Wood, Ohio; Roll: M593_1283; Page: 578A; FHL Film:552782.
10. ↑ 1880 United States Federal Census, Place: Webster, Wood, Ohio; Roll: 1078; Page: 261D; Enumeration Dist: 101.
11. ↑ 1880 United States Federal Census, Place: Plain, Wood, Ohio; Roll: 1078; Page: 215D; Enumeration Dist: 098.
12. ↑ 1900 United States Federal Census, Place: Middleton, Wood, Ohio; Page: 3; Enumeration Dist: 0147.
13. ↑ 1910 United States Federal Census, Place: Fostoria Ward 1, Seneca, Ohio; Roll: T624_1229; Page: 6A; Enumeration Dist: 0156; FHL Film: 1375242.
14. ↑ Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2007.
15. ↑ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Memorial #30710100.
16. ↑ 1920 United States Federal Census, Place: Vermilion, Erie, Ohio; Roll: T625_1378; Page: 11B; Enumeration Dist: 37.
17. ↑ 1930 United States Federal Census, Place: Florence, Erie, Ohio; Roll: 1790; Page: 3B; Enumeration Dist: 0003; FHL Film: 2341524.
18. ↑ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Memorial, #30710224.