1.      Obituary for Mary Virginia Cusac Carnes

2.      Obituary for Jesse Carnes

      3.   A letter from Captain Isaac Cusac describing the 21^st OVI’s movements during the Battle of Chickamauga 19 – 20 September 1863.

4.   A letter mentioning the death of Alice S Cusac

5.      An Article about Isaac Cusac and the Apple Tree

1.   Obituary for Mary Virginia (Cusac) Carnes (William, Andrew John?)

      FUNERAL OF MRS. CARNES WILL BE HELD MONDAY

      Funeral services for Mrs. Mary Virginia Carnes, 72, widow of Jesse Carnes, and mother of Norwood Carnes, who died at the family residence, 513 West Highland avenue , yesterday at noon, after an extended illness, will be conducted at 10 o’clock Monday morning in Beech Grove chapel, with the Rev. Charles E. Watkins in charge. Interment will follow in Beech Grove Cemetery .

      Mrs. Carnes was born in Erville, O., and for a number of years taught school in Ohio and Illinois , becoming principal of an Ohio school when 21 years of age. She had resided here for thirty years and was well known. Mrs. Carnes was a life-long member of the Presbyterian Church and was actively identified with church interests until her last illness.

2.   Obituary for Jesse Carnes (husband of Mary Virginia Cusac, William, Andrew John?)

      FUNERAL OF JESSE CARNES

      The funeral of Jesse Carnes, the well known florist, who died at his home, 1120 South Jefferson street , Tuesday evening, will be held from the residence this afternoon at 2 o’clock, the Rev. B. M. Nyce, of the First Presbyterian church, officiating. Burial will be made in Beech Grove cemetery. Mr Carnes is survived by a widow and the following sons and daughters: Norwood Carnes of Muncie; Lewis Carnes, of Aurora, Ill; W. W. Carnes, of Chicago; E. K, Carnes, of Kansas City; Mrs. Joseph Lydick, of Paris, Ill; Mrs. Dora Ingersoll, of Palestine, Ill.; and Mrs. Emma Probat, of Robinson, Ill.

3.   A letter from Captain Isaac Cusac describing the 21^st OVI’s movements during the Battle of Chickamauga 19 – 20 September 1863. (Daniel J, Andrew John)

McComb - Ohio March 13, 1909

Mr. E A Carman

Dear Sir

      I having in my hand a letter written to a member of the 21st OVI requesting information in regard to the location of the 21st at the Battle of Chickamauga. I was Capt of Co. G 21st OVI and was not away from the co. or the regt at any time during the battle and I think I remember all the moments and locations of the regt.

      On the night 19th, the 21st lay on their arms about one half mile east of the Dyer Farm to the east and directly in front of the 21st was a field partly cleared and reached to the lafayette road. This field and road was held by the confederates, our lines being very close to each other.

      On the morning of the 20th, we discovered that the confederates had moved to our left and there appeared to be no enemy in front of us. The brigade was ordered to move to the rear until it reached the Dyer Farm and then north until it reached what is known as the Snodgrass House, at the east end of the ridge (about 10 o'clock am). A road passes through this farm on the east of the house, running in a north-west direction, the 21st regt was deployed on this road, directly east of the house. With the right reaching to the south end of the lane and near the woods, an open. In front of us severe fighting was going on at this time three or four hundred yards to the southeast of our line, we could see the federal troops moving to the rear and we expected to fight where we were at the time. We threw down the fence on the east of us and piled the rales so as to protect us from the bullets of the enemy soon after we had arranged the fence to suit us we were ordered away from our position and were detached from our brigade and saw no more of our brigade that day.

      We marched by the right flank out of the lane and filed right and moved west or a little south of west in woods about one fourth of a mile west, and a little south of the Snodgrass House, our line was formed along the southeast of the ridge facing to the south a ravine in front of the left of the regt and timber on all sides (11 o'clock) there was an old house to the rear of us, but it was more than two hundred yards north and could nto be seen from where we were[.] The 21st held this position for seven hours without being relieved by any other troops notwithstanding reports to the contrary. The regt. That was sent to relieve us laid down in our rear for a short time and then moved away. Soon after we had taken our position on the ridge, two pieces of artillary took position to our left was one hundred yards to the east of us and was where the steel observatory west of the Snodgrass House is located. I do not know where they belonged, but they remained but a short time, firing a few shots and then disappeared. I do not remember any artilary to our right until late in the day when General Steadman's division moved in, then for sometime there was quite heavy cannonading to our right. As to where captured[,] Major McMahan and I do not altogether agree. When we were out of amunition about sundown we moved to the rear a few rods when we were secured from the fire of the enemy we were in that position but a short time. When an officer rode up to me, as I stood in front of the regt and ordered me to take the men on the line. On being informed that we were out of amunition, he ordered me have them fix bayonets and go on the line[.] I directed him to the major and he have him the same orders. We were then partly in the rear of the left of the 89th Ohio, the regt next to us on our right. When the major gave the order, it was forward march. While we should have moved to left or the right so as not to come in contact with the 89th, the result was that as we moved straight forward on double quick that we struck the left of the 89th, and I with Co. G and B went straight forward to the line and halted were where the center of the 21st had been all that afternoon. The regt with the exception of Co. G and B swang to the right and rear of the 89th and were captured were and at the same time with the 89th while I with Com. G and part of Co. B were taken near to the line the regt had previously ocupied a tablet, that the confederates have placed showing where the captured the 21st Ohio the 89th Ohio and the 22nd Michigan will show that I am correct. That is located I think a little less than 100 yds to the west and north of our position during the afternoon as to where the 21st monument is located it is about a 100 yards west of the steel observatory west of the Snodgrass House and about where the left of the 21st was located during the afternoon I was selected by the members of the regt to locate our monument. I set the stake further to the west about where the center of the regt was but for some reason they placed it at the left there is also a tablet placed about sixty in the rear of where we were located east of the Dyer Farm and est of the Brotherton Field to mark the position we were in on the 19th.

      I suppose I have written more than you will care to read, but I can not close without saying that the 21st never was creted [credited] for what they did on the 20th having colts revolving rifles, they were able to and did hold the enemy in chick for at least two hours without any help except a few straglers that fell in with us, and never during that time were we meet against less than twice our number. And had Gen. Brannon wished to do us justice, he would have made a different report.

      Hoping that what I have written may prove satisfactory.

      I am very truly yours

      I. Cusac

      Late Major 21st OVI

MMS-1404 Transcript: Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University

      According to this letter, Isaac placed the stake for the 21^st Ohio Volunteer Infantry’s monument at the battleground at Chickamauga, GA. He states that the permanent marker was eventually placed in the wrong location, that it was too far East, that it was not on the actual location of the 21^st’s position during the battle.

      Captain Isaac Cusac was captured on the 20^th of September 1863 and was held in prison until February 1864. He was held in Columbia Military Prison and may have been held elsewhere. Isaac was promoted to Major on 29 February 1864 and mustered out with his regiment on 13 April 1865.

4.   A letter mentioning the death of Alice S Cusac (Isaac, Daniel J, Andrew John)

      This letter was from a series of letters written between Minerva J. “Jennie” Bysel and Ira Conine while he was serving in Company G, 118^th OVI during the Civil War. He served between 22 August 1862 and 17 June 1865. They married 27 September 1865 after he returned from the war. They were both from the McComb, Hancock Co, Ohio area.

      This excerpt is from a letter written by Jennie to Ira probably sometime between Christmas and New Years Eve. In his letter dated 01 January 1863 Ira mentions receiving her letter dated 27 December 1862…

      Findlay, Ohio,

… I have nothing more of any concequence to write. O yes, David Vansicle and Kate Grice was married Christmas Eve.. Capt. Cusics child died last Thursday. The Capt. Was in Cincinnattie They telegraphed to him He came home this evening The child will be burried to morrow as they have kept it so long. It was the Capts favorite child They say he is prettie near crazy!

MS-673 Transcript: Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University: A Letter from Jennie Bysel to Ira Conine (late December 1862)

      If I have the date of this letter correct, Alice died Thursday 20 December 1862 and was buried Friday 28 December 1862. I have not yet located Alice’s grave. If she is buried in the McComb Union Cemetery she does not have a grave marker. She is not buried with her grandparents in Maple Grove Cemetery (Findlay, Hancock Co, OH).

      It is interesting that there is no marker to be found for this “favorite child”. It is possible that her tombstone deteriorated and was not recorded when the DAR (early 1950’s) and Hancock County Genealogical Society (1990’s) read the cemeteries.

5.   An Article about Isaac Cusac and the Apple Tree (Daniel, Andrew John)

      This article was sent to me from Earl Cusac (Wilbur R, Amos N, William, Daniel J, Andrew John)

      McComb History

      by Parlee C. Grose

      ISSAAC CUSAC AND THE APPLE TREE

      If I were to cast my vote for the one man whom I regard as the most prominent figure in McComb life during the last half of last century, my vote, I’m quite sure, would go to Captain Isaac Cusac.

      Isaac Cusac was thirty-one when the Civil War came along. He organized Co. G, of the 21^st O.V.I. of which company he was captain. He was among those taken prisoner after going through the bloody battle of Chiskamauga (as earlier pieces in this series have shown). He spent seventeen months in Southern prisons. He was twice wounded. Back with his regiment in 1864, he was promoted to major.

      Prior to the Civil War (1858) he had been elected county commissioner. Following the Civil War (1865) he was sent to the State Legislature, serving two terms.
      Now those of us who have been following the newspaper accounts dealing with the “Virgin Birth Controversy” that so stirred the United Presbyterian Church in its general assembly at Indianapolis recently, may or may not know that a prominent McComb man, and Presbyterian, once had a part in an earlier such church dispute, the famous Heresy Trial of Professor Briggs, which resulted in the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church suspending Prof. Briggs and in the Union Theological Seminary severing its connection with the Presbyterian Church.

      AT WASHINGTON, D. C. IN 1893

      In May 1893, the Washington Post carried a short biographical sketch (including picture) of Isaac Cusac of McComb, Ohio. Mr. Cusac along with Rev. J. R. Mitchell of Findlay, was a delgate to the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church meeting at Washington that year.

      HOW CUSAC AND MITCHELL VOTED ON THE BRIGGS CASE

      In the Herald of June 7, 1893 there is this item: “Mr. Isaac Cusac returned from the Presbyterian assembly at Washington last Saturday. We noted in the published record that his vote was cast against Prof. Briggs, and Rev. Mitchell’s was on the opposite side.”

      Thus in addition to his participation in earlier events of great moment, Isaac Cusac had a part in a great intellectual and religious debate that has become known in American history as the “Briggs Controversy.”

      THE APPLE TREE

      So it was that in 1894 McComb had a very prominent citizen named Isaac Cusac. It also had a rather notable apple tree that stood on Isaac Cusac’s back yard. Let thee Herald of July 18, 1894 tell about these two:

      “In the rear of the residence of Mr. Isaac Cusac stands an apple tree which is 105 inches, or nearly 9 feet in circumference. Its branches spread to a distance of over fifty feet. This tree is one of two that remain from an orchard planted by Benjamin Todd nearly 60 years ago. The tree furnishes a delightful shade under which Mr. Cusac finds comfort in these hot afternoons.”

      TWO YEARS LATER

      Two years later (July 15, 1896) the Herald has this to say:

      “The old apple tree in the yard of Capt. Cusac is going the way of all the earth, it load of fruit having split the trunk down the center. The tree is a landmark, being nearly 70 years old. It is over 9 feet in circumference around the waist.”

      At that time Mr. Cusac (born in 1829) was 67. Thus for many years two of McComb’s stalwarts, Capt. Cusac and his apple tree, almost of the same age, went down the years together.

6.   Photograph search

      One fascinating part of researching the Cusac family history has included looking for family photographs in order to preserve them for future the generations. These rare photographs are a treasure in their own right and help to personalize the heritage that we have been given.

      I would certainly appreciate being sent a copy of any photographs (people, homesteads, tombstones, ect.) so that they may be reproduced and shared with others who are looking for their roots among ours. I am willing to pay for any postage or copying involved. If you need a photograph scanned, I can do it for free. Just send it to me and I will return it to you. All that is needed is a copy. You will retain full control of the original.

      Copies of all photographs will be added to a collection that I plan to distribute among all of the Cusac researchers. Eventually I would like to place copies of my work and of the photographs I have collected with selected libraries in the areas where the family settled.

7.   Correction to issue 8: Mary A. Mulford, Retreat Mission

That's it for issue #9. If you come across any obituaries, documents, essays, photographs, weddings, births, or stories on your line from Andrew John Cusac that you would like to share, please pass them along to me. Feel free to forward this newsletter to others in the family who may have an interest in Andrew John Cusac's history or genealogy. Free back issues will be available for the asking. Do you have a question you want asked of the group? Email it to me and I'll include it in the next issue. Email: skratze@wcnet.org or skratze@bgnet.bgsu.edu                      Best wishes... Sheila