Martin Wheat, Union Army Veteran, And His Family

1927 - Martin Wheat and his wife, Virginia Caroline Shanks Wheat.



CIVIL WAR DOCUMENTS:  Private, Union Army, Co. F., Reg. 31 MO Inf. Vol., and Co. A., Reg. 31 & 32, Consolidated Regiments., Missouri Infantry Volunteers, enlisted 21 Aug 1862. Mustered 13 Jun 1865, 34 months served.

Source:  United States Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War, 1890, FamilySearch, Missouri > Phelps > All > image 8 of 39; citing NARA microfilm publication M123 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).



On November 30, 1910 he was admitted into the Federal Soldier's Home of Missouri in Saint James, Phelps County, Missouri:



Please see two pages below from Martin's pension request. I tried my best to brighten and define this copy of a copy of a copy. My source is a generous researcher named "feesk1" on Ancestry who first shared this on her tree in May of 2014. It is rich in details. I hope that Ancestry soon makes available a whole database of similar pension applications. 


Martin's nephew, David Edward Wheat (son of Richard Wheat and Rachael Markley Wheat) was born in Marion, Indiana on December 3, 1869 and died August 17, 1938 in Medora, Macoupin County, Illinois. His family left his descendants (and a happy sister-in-law) a wonderfully detailed obituary. This from the Alton Evening Telegraph newspaper on Thursday, August 18, 1938, page 3, in Alton, Illinois, via Newspapers.com:



Martin's father, James Wheat (1813-1899) met with a sad ending:


James Wheat's wife and children. (Other fam.historians show other children, but I've not yet sourced them)



Martin's older brother's Findagrave memorial: Richard Wheat (1836-1922) 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157654511/richard-wheat


Richard in the Union Army:

Source:  U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 via Ancestry


Richard Wheat's death certificate from the Missouri Secretary of State's database online: