Vital Records, Norwich, NY, January 22, 1868

 Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, January 22, 1868

Marriages

In this village [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 18th, by Rev. P.B. McNulty, Mr. Thomas Grippen to Miss Mary Nealon, both of Norwich.

At the residence of the bride's father, Jan. 14th, by Rev. E. Tyler, Mr. Lafayette M. Bartlett to Miss Mary Aramitha Boynton, all of Smyrna [Chenango Co., NY].

In Guilford [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 15th, by Rev. W. Burnside, Mr. Lucius Shelton to Miss Mary A. Bowen, both of Guilford.

In Norwich [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 9th, by Rev. Thos. Harrown, Mr. Josiah Miles, of Otselic [Chenango Co., NY] to Miss Rosella Bennett of Plymouth [Chenango Co., NY].

In Smyrna [Chenango Co., NY] Dec. 25th, by Rev. John H. Hall, Mr. Jonathan Bosworth of Pharsalia [Chenango Co., NY] to Miss Ellen A. Park, of Preston [Chenango Co., NY].

In Smyrna [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 7th, by Rev. John H. Hall, Mr. William Reed, of Plymouth [Chenango Co. NY] to Miss Jane E. Roe of Smyrna.

In Greene [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 11th, by Rev. I.B. Hyde, Mr. Eugene V. Hall of Triangle [Broome co., NY] to Miss Eliza? Rathbone of Greene.

In Sherburne [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 14th, by Rev. S.S. Cady, Mr. Marvin E. Millihen to Miss Adelia Harris, all of Sherburne.

In Georgetown [Madison Co., NY], Jan. 1st, by Rev. Mr. Crain, Mr. Ira Truman of Otselic [Chenango Co., NY] to Miss Julia Brown of Lebanon [Madison Co., NY].

At the house of the bride's father, Jan. 8th, by Rev. J.E. Crawford, Mr. Charles M. Sholes of New Berlin [Chenango Co., NY] to Miss Ann Elizabeth Russell.

Deaths

In this town [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 14th, of old age, Mr. Thomas Snow, aged 88? years.

In Preston [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 16th, of consumption, John L. Brown, Esq., son of Dudley Brown, aged 33 years.

We are pained to announce the death of John L. Brown, Esq., of Preston, on Thursday last, of consumption.  He was an exemplary young man, universally esteemed in the community in which he resided, and in politics an enthusiastic Democrat. At the time of his death, he held the office of Justice of the Peace of the town.  His funeral was attended on Sunday by a large number of the Masonic Fraternity of this and adjoining towns, he being a member of Norwich lodge.  He was son of Dudley Brown, Esq., and his age 33 years.

In Guilford [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 5th, Mr. John Hayes, aged 76 years.

In Pharsalia [Chenango Co., NY], Dec. 19th, Mr. Paul B. Main, aged 86 years.

In Oxford [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 7th, Mr. Simon A. Hovey, aged 39 years.

In Sherburne [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 2d, Mr. Joel Cutler in the 90th year of his age.

In Greene [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 12th, Sarah N. [Ireland], wife of William S. Ireland, aged 62 years.

In Greene [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 13th, Mr. Patrick Dowd, aged 45 years.

In Greene [Chenango Co., NY], Jan. 7th, Sheridan P. [Robinson], son of Uri Robinson, aged 8 months.

At Schuyler's lake, Otsego Co [NY], of diptheria, John L. [Garlick], son of Rev. M. Garlick of Greene [Chenango Co., NY], aged 7 years.

The remains of the late Philander B. Prindle, Esq., whose sudden death we announced last week, were on Wednesday morning last, at eleven o'clock conveyed to Emmanuel Church in this village [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], followed by a large concourse of our citizens.  At the Church, funeral services were held, by Rev. Mr. Lewis. The stores and business places were very properly closed between the hours of eleven and twelve o'clock, and at the conclusion of the exercises, the friends of the deceased started with the corpse for Johnstown [Fulton Co. NY], his native village, and final resting place.  Many friends accompanied the remains to the outskirts of the village, while the church bells tolled as the mournful cortege moved through the streets.  The saddened faces of all attested the sorrow felt at the loss of one whose memory will remain forever green in their hearts.

Died:  Ward Balcom has died from the effects of a gunshot wound he received while out beyond the Rocky Mountains, an account of which we published a few weeks since.  We shall give our readers further particulars of the sad affair as soon as received.  Oxford Times

Oxford Times, February 12, 1868

Black Hills, Dakota Ter., January 22d, 1868

Dear Times:  I have received a letter from home and among its items was a request for an account of the accidental shooting, and death of Ward Balcom, formerly of Oxford [Chenango Co., NY].  I wrote some time ago an account of the sad affair, and its fatal termination, but it seems the letter did not reach Oxford.

Ward with a small party started on a prospecting tour (for gold) on the 6th of November.  On the 14th at noon, he and Asa Denton started ahead of the pack mules to make a camp for the night.  The mules loaded with Elk, Deer and mining tools failed to come up to the camp.  Ward and Denton sat up till midnight, then fired their guns, but got no answer from the men with the mules.  They piled up brush and went to sleep, Denton, with a thin coat on and Ward in his shirtsleeves amid the snows of this region.  In the morning they started for the Tie Camp of the Union Pacific Railroad, some twenty miles distant, reaching there at noon the 15th. As they were crossing a log bridge about a half mile from their home, and near the Railroad Sawmill, Denton went down to the creek to get some water.  Ward was on the bridge.  Denton stooped to get a cup of water for Ward, when he heard the gun, and Ward cry out that he was shot.  He called the men from the mill, and they carried him to the house. The gun was one of the short Spencer army carbines, large ball.  In taking it from his shoulder it slipped thro' his hands, the hammer struck one of the logs, broke it off, drove it on to the cartridge and discharged it.  The ball struck him on the right side at the point of the eighth rib and came out through the right shoulder blade near the top. They sent for the surgeon and myself at Fort Sanders.  I did not get the news until the next day at 10 A.M.  We started, it was thirty-five miles, and it was twenty-seven hours from the time he was shot until we reached him. We carried him to a more comfortable house about half a mile from the mill and did all we could for him. For twenty days he seemed to be gaining, and we thought he would recover, the Surgeon said he would live if internal mortification did not set in. the wounds were such that nothing could be done save to keep down internal inflammation, but in spite of all efforts mortification set in and at noon Dec. 8th, he died.  I brought the body to Fort Sanders and with the assistance of the boys at the Post, buried all that remained of Ward. All the residents at the Post followed him to the grave.  He had many friends, and all felt badly to lose him, for he was one to win and keep people's friendship.  \

Yours truly, Samuel F. Balcom