News:
Now in the library; "Genealogy of the Cooke and Cook family". New under the Moments in Time section: my "I Love Me Wall". (purely self-indulgent, I know.)
honoring our relatives that have served this country. This list is "in progress" and by no means comlete. If you feel we've overlooked someone please contact us using the "Suggest" tab on the top of their page.
The country was still mourning the thousands killed at the battle of Malvern Hill when, on 4 July 1862, President Lincoln shocked the nation by calling for three hundred thousand additional troops. The town of Natick MA was expected to provide one hundred and three men. (enough to staff a company). On 28 July there was a town meeting. United States Senator Henry Wilson, Captain Ephraim H. Brigham, and others addressed the crowd. After a series of town meetings the town of Natick provided one hundred and twenty seven men. Twenty four more than expected.
Before the war Captain Brigham was Deputy Sheriff of the town of Natick. He was discharged from the army 25 Aug 1862. He went on Disability on 5 Sep 1864. In time of peace he was a Commission merchant.
He enlisted on 29 Jun 1861, for three years. On 16 Jul 1861 he mustered into the 13th Regiment Company K Massachusetts volunteers. He was discharged in Virginia, 2 Apr 1862, by reason of disability. He was afterward mustered 25 Sep,1862, in the 51st Regiment Company E, M. V. M. He served in North Carolina and Maryland . He was discharged at Worcester, Massachusetts 27 July 1863, at the expiration of his service.
Born in 1923, at the time of the 1930 census Frank was 6 years old and lived at 33 Elizabeth Street with his father George, a lumber yard dealer, his mother Adelphine, and a sister, Marion, age 4. He had completed 4 years of high school and was single when he enlisted for duty in Hartford on July 9, 1941. He gave his occupation as truck driver. Assigned to the 320th Bomber Squadron, 90th Bomber Group, 5th Air Force, he was a radioman / gunner on a B24. His Army Serial Number was 11010936
On January 9, 1943, near the island of New Britain in the Southwest Pacific, Frank's aircraft (serial number 772, the "Little Eva") was tracking a Japanese convoy that had been sighted by another aircraft. Flying at 7,000 feet, they spotted the convoy and prepared to make a bombing run against it. At that point 8 Japanese Zeros, flying in groups of four, attacked the bomber from head-on, making repeated runs against the plane. On the sixth attack the nose gunner on the bomber was presumably hit, as he stopped firing. On one of the last runs, the pilot was severely wounded by a bullet that then passed through Sgt. Brigham's left shoulder, also severely wounding him.
The co-pilot took over the controls and dove for cloud cover. The aircraft lost power and the co-pilot prepared the crew for a water landing. The navigator had, by this time, treated Sgt. Brigham's wound the best he could under the circumstances. The wounded pilot helped the co-pilot land the aircraft in the water.
The plane had broken up and was burning when the co-pilot got out of it. He found two empty life rafts, but no other members of the 9-man crew, including Sgt. Brigham, survived. He was in the raft for 9 days before landing on an island, and was eventually picked up after another 4 weeks had passed. Attempts to locate the aircraft and recover the bodies of the crew were fruitless. There is a monument to Sgt. Brigham at Fort William McKinley in Manila, The Philippines. He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He enlisted 8 Aug 1864, for one year. On 12 Aug 1864 he mustered into Company E 4th Heavy Artillery Massachusetts Volunteers He was discharged in Virginia 17 Jun 1865 at the close of war. He made his living as a mechanic.
He enlisted in July of 1862 as a Sergeant of Company D 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. He was promoted several times making Captain on the 26th of June in 1864. He was wounded at the battles of Gettysburg, Morton's Ford and Reams Station. He was discharged for health reasons on the 8th of Dec 1864.
Service Record:
Enlisted as a Sergeant on 16 July 1862.
Enlisted in Company D, 14th Infantry Regiment Connecticut on 20 Aug 1862.
Promoted to Full 2nd Lieutenant of Co. I on 16 Nov 1863.
Promoted to Full 1st Lieutenant of Co. B on 28 Mar 1864.
Promoted to Full Captain As of Co. B on 26 Jun 1864.
Discharged from Company D, 14th Infantry Regiment Connecticut on 8 Dec 1864.
Wounded 7/3/1863 Gettysburg, PA
Wounded 2/6/1864 Morton's Ford, VA
Wounded 8/25/1864 Reams' Station, VA
He was assigned to Company I, 47th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart. On August 19th, 1918, he was on patrol with another soldier behind enemy lines. The two men attacked a German machine gun emplacement killing two enemy soldiers and destroyed the machine gun nest. Although he was wounded (then) Corporal Brigham refused medical treatment until the mission was completed.
He was a student at the High School of Commerce in Worcester Massachusetts. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at Worcester, 7 Aug 1918; was examined in Boston; sent tot Paris Island, South Carolina 21 Aug.1918. He remained there nearly three months before shipping out to Naval Training Station at Great Lakes Illinois to study aerial gunnery. He then went to Miami Florida where he was attached to Platoon G, Aviation Force. He hen went to Port au Prince, Haiti, where he remained until 2 Aug 1919 when he was transported to Philadelphia Naval Station where he was discharged 10 Sep 1919.
He enlisted 27 Jun 186 for three years On 16 Jul 1861 he mustered into the 13th Regiment Company K Massachusetts Volunteers. He was transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps, Feb. 15, 1864; and was discharged at Washington, D.C, 16 Jul 1864 at the expiration of his service.
Henry enlisted on August 12, 1861. He reenlisted at Columbus, Ohio on January 1, 1864. He entered the 2nd Ohio Cavalry as a farrier. A farrier is a blacksmith that specializes in shoeing horses as well as caring for their hooves. He was shot in the hip at the Battle of Cedar Creek, near Strasburg, Virginia on October 19, 1864. They were unable to remove the projectile and it caused him problems for the rest of his life.
He was again shot, this time in the right arm on March 31, 1865 at the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House at Dinwiddie County, Virginia. He was discharged July 16, 1865 due to disability.
Educated at Norwich, Vermont, Military Academy. He was a drummer boy in the Mexican War at age l6.
He became 1st Lieutenant then government clerk at Washington DC in 1861, a paymaster in volunteer service at the head of the Pay Department of the Gulf from 1863 to 1865. In Regular Service he was stationed at Detroit.
He was a Lieutenant in the War of 1812. He came to Chautauqua Co. NY, soon after his fathers death. He settled on the land owned by his father. A few years after, he went to Buffalo with Captain Perkins by lake, taking with him a wagon for sale, for which there was no need in this wooded county; He returned on foot; and when in the 4 mile woods, about a mile beyond Cattaraugus Creek, he heard the report of a gun, and felt a pain, similar to a "bee sting". On looking around, he spied a young Indian beside a tree, preparing to load his gun to fire again, but having broken his ramrod, he could not get the ball down. He shook his cane at the young redskin, and made some threats. He soon found he had been shot through the body; the ball having passed through the fold of the intestines and out in front, 2 inches from the navel. Beginning to feel intense pain, and becoming weak, he feared he could not reach safety, and on a scrap of paper, wrote with a piece of lead, an explanation of his condition. He succeeded , however, in getting near Mack's ferry, where he was heard calling for assistance. He was carried to Mack's Tavern, where he was for several days deranged and unconscious. Surgeons from Buffalo attended him and he was confined for 2 or 3 months. On the return of consciousness he thought he could identify the offender. if brought into his presence. Mr. Mack had a number of Indians brought before him. He at once recognized the offender, Longfinger, about 17 years of age. He was found guilty, and imprisoned in Buffalo jail, for 30 days. Though he lived many more years, his injuries are supposed to have hastened his death.
A private under Captain Howe, Colonel Ward following the 19 Apr 1775 alarm that the British were on the march from Boston. He was a Member of the Committees of Correspondence and Shadow governments organized by the Patriot leaders of the 13 Original Colonies.
There was John, a corporal, and John, a private, from Princeton, and probably it was the service of one man. As a corporal he served only 27 days in Oct., 1777; marching to reinforce Gen. Gates at Saratoga ; as a private he served a little over 3 mos. in Col. Rand's Worcester Co. Regiment in 1780. Resided first at Alstead, New Hampshire and went to Ackworth in 1805.
