Mary Jane (Conger) Brainard (1832 - 1905)

Born 3 Jul 1832 in Bangor, Franklin, New York, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Jared H. Brainard — married 20 Nov 1856 in Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois, United States

Died 7 Oct 1905 at age 73 in Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois, United States

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Biography

Mary was a Civil War Nurse.

Mary (Conger) Brainard is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Rockford, Illinois.

Mary Jane Conger was born in 1832. She was the daughter of John Conger and Anna Chaffee. ^[1]

She married Jared Brainard in 1856. ^[2]

They lived in Bryon. ^[3] Later they moved to Rockford. ^[4][5]

Mary passed away in 1905. ^[6][7]

Civil War

When her husband enlisted with the 74th Illinois Infantry, in August 1862, Mary joined him as the regimental nurse. When they left Camp Fuller that September, she was the only woman on the train. When they arrived in Kentucky she was appointed head matron of the Hospital #9 at Lebanon, Kentucky. Her husband was also assigned to hospital duty and from November 1862 to April 1863 they worked together. As matron, she actually outranked her husband who was a private.

In May and June 1863, Jared was listed as sick at Lebanon and she was working at Hospital #14 in Louisville. In September he was sent to Louisville and discharged due to chronic pneumonia. At the same time she fell seriously ill with malaria and they both returned to Rockford.

Because of her work, Mary was awarded a pension by an act of Congress. ^[8] She is listed in the 1929 1929 Illinois Roll of Honor (War Veteran Burials) ^[9]

In April, 1923, the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War named their unit, or "tent" as the national organization called them, after Mary J. Brainard.

Writer

Mary began writing when young. When she was 18 the local paper published her poetry. While she was in Louisville, she wrote for the Courier Journal. She had three books of poetry published after the war, "Esther Gray and Other Poems" in 1871, "Memorial Pictures of War and Peace", reflections on her war experience in 1873 and "Heart Offerings" in 1881. She wrote as "Aunt Mary" for the Golden Censor, a religious publication in Rockford.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCTB-7NQ : 23 December 2020), Mary Conger in household of John Conger, Beekmantown, Clinton, New York, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9L-F18L : 19 February 2021), Jared Brainard and Mary Jane Conyer, 20 Nov 1856; citing Winnebago, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,914,041.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXHV-7W8 : 18 February 2021), Mary Brainard in entry for Jerry Brainard, 1860.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M64M-46S : 28 May 2021), Mary Brainerd in entry for Gerald Brainerd, 1870.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSCZ-7FP : accessed 19 January 2022), Mary J Brainard in household of Jared H Brainard, Rockford Township Rockford city Ward 7, Winnebago, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 145, sheet 6A, family 137, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,356.
6. ↑ Winnebago County Clerk, comp. Winnebago County Clerk Genealogy Records. Winnebago, IL: Winnebago County Clerk, 2008.

   Name: Mary J Brainert

   Death Date: 7 Oct 1905

7. ↑ Winnebago County, Illinois Will Records, 1866-1919; Author: Illinois. County Co Free Image

   Name: Mary J Brainard

   Residence Date: Abt 1904

   Residence Place: Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois

   Will Date: 25 Aug 1904

   Probate Date: 25 Aug 1904

   Probate Place: Winnebago, Illinois, USA

   Inferred Death Date: 1904

   Inferred Death Place: Illinois, USA

   Item Description: Probate Will Records, Vol 3-6, 1895-1911

   Others Listed

   • Pamelia Rood Husband's Sister

8. ↑ "United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N4BT-YZS : 24 March 2016), Mary J. Brainard, 1892.
9. ↑ 1929 Illinois Roll of Honor (War Veteran Burials)

   Name: Mary J Brainard

   Unit: NURSE

   War: Civil War

   War Years: 1861-1865

   Cemetery: GREENWOOD

   Burial Place: Winnebago, Illinois, USA

   Volume: 2; Page: 686

• Find A Grave: Memorial #42964230: accessed 19 January 2022), memorial page for Mary Jane Conger Brainard (9 Jul 1832–7 Oct 1905), citing Greenwood Cemetery, Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, USA ; Maintained by Ernie Fuhr (contributor 46490489).
• Rockford Republic (Rockford, IL) 9 October 1905, page 4. GenealogyBank: accessed 19 January 2022
• Church, Charles. Chicago “Past and Present of the City of Rockford and Winnebago County, Illinois.”. The S. J. Clarke publishing co., 1905. Page 96, 102.
• Becker, Amanda. They went to war together. (PDF) Nuggets of History, Vol. 49. December 2011. Rockford Historical Society
• Winnebago County in the Civil War