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Emigrants arrival

Belgians in America

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C.W. Soldiers

Belgian Civil War soldiers in pennsylvania

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Biography :

Adolphe Meersschaert, 40 y.o., was a passenger of  the ship Rhein, from Liverpool, a shoemaker by trade, arrival in new York on August 14, 1863.  After having being discharged, he went to numerous places. When he was naturalized on October 12, 1865, he was living at 166 Mulberry Street, New York city, no birth date given, occupation: soldier, and the additional note of “Hon. disch. July 17, 1865, US Army” was added on his card.

He went to California and we find hil in San francisco in 1870, a bootmaker, and in the California voter registers till 1875. Back in New York in 1880, 55 y.o. and married to Adelia, 30 y.o. born in Ireland. A shoemaker living East tenth Street. In the Veteran Census of 1890, he is in St Louis, Missouri, 713 Locust Street. The St Louis directory of that year gives his occupation: shoes.  

That year he was admitted to the Soldiers' Home Central branch  in Dayton, Ohio a widower with residence Washington D.C., his nearest relative, his nephew, A. Castello in Boston.  He was discharged and the end of April 1891. He is listed on two ships in New York coming from Boulogne,  France. First on April 19, 1893 and the second time on April 20, 1898, still a shoemaker with last residence Marseille and with destination Washington D.C. Anew admitted in the Soldiers' Home on July 27, 1904 et died soon after of “acide colitis” on October 14.

At that moment, if he was still a widower, no nearest relative was mentioned. He is buried in the Hampton National Cemetery, section C site 8746. The intriguing fact is that many years latter an application for widow pension was filled, dated June 21, 1917, and approved. Till I’ll be able to see those documents by myself, I wonder who was that widow!

Sources :
Southern Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Hampton, Virginia