Biography of Henry W. Riegel

Henry W. Riegel
Company E
1833-1911

Henry W. Riegel was born in Clark County, Ohio on July 6, 1833. On January 13, 1859, he was married to Lydia A. Thrawl in Springfield, Ohio. She was born in Hagerstown, Maryland on April 4, 1837.

Henry served in both the land and naval branches of the service. He, first, enlisted in Company E of the 60th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, from which he had an honorable discharge. After being paroled following their capture at the Siege of Harpers Ferry, both Henry and his brother, Levi, joined the Navy with their older brother John. All three brothers served as landsmen on the USS Grampus, a confederate riverboat that had been scuttled and then raised by the federals. They also served together on the U.S. Steamer Benton. Henry, then, served on the USS Moose and was discharged August 2, 1865, a few weeks later than the other two brothers. Shortly thereafter, in April 1866, Levi died from tuberculosis contracted while serving with the Navy. Both John and Henry received pensions for disability due to "lung disease" contracted while stoking the boiler on the USS Benton.

After being discharged, Henry and Lydia started a family. To this union, five children were born. One boy, Grover, died in infancy. Ida J. was born in Clark County, Ohio on February 20, 1864 and died January 15, 1944. John Edmond was born in Clark County, Ohio on July 25, 1867 and died October 16, 1946. On August 1, 1869, Albert Thomas was born in Caldwell County, Missouri and died January 1, 1915 in Carbondale, Colorado. Their last child, Ion Elmer, was also born in Caldwell County, Missouri on September 13, 1873 and died November 7, 1955.

Shortly after the birth of John, the family migrated migrated to Caldwell County in Missouri from Ohio in September, 1867 or 1868. Henry bought 160 acres in the South Victory community. The farm was divided into four equal parts of 40 acres each for each child. Ida lived on the home place; John built next to her; Albert had the next 40 acres with the school house on it; Ion Elmer lived on the South. Ion Elmer bought Albert's place, as Albert was then a resident of Carbondale, Colorado.

Henry built many buildings. He built a school house on one acre to be used as long as it would be used for a school. He also built the Black Oak Church. All the children of John's and Ion Elmer's went to school at South Victory and to church at Black Oak. Henry was also a blacksmith and had his own shop. He was known to hundreds of his friends as "Squire" Riegel.

He was a member of the old Elk Grove post of the G.A.R. while it existed, and then transferred to the post at Braymer, taking great interest in the affairs of the same until it also went gradually to pieces. Henry came to Missouri about forty-two years prior and settled in Caldwell county, in the same place he occupied at the time of his death. He had been a member of the Methodist church since 1862, having joined the day before he enlisted in the army.

Henry died at his home three miles southwest of Braymer on Wednesday evening, January 11, 1911 from heart trouble, from which he had been a patient sufferer for years. He was 78 years of age and had lived here for years, being known and respected by a large circle of acquaintances and friends. A number of his former comrades attended the funeral and paid the last tribute of respect to their friend. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Braymer, Missouri.

Henry had been married 54 years, and was a man of kindly disposition, generous to a fault, and one who was sadly missed in the neighborhood and community in general. Henry was survived by his widow and four living children, one child being deceased. The living were: Miss Ida J. Riegel, J.E., Albert T. Riegel, who lived in Carbondale, Colorado, and I.E. Riegel. All of the children, except Albert, were living on the home place here. His wife, Lydia, died several years later. She died June 15, 1915 and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Braymer, Missouri.

Source for Henry W. Riegel and descendents, from material submitted by Ida Riegel Crain and published in Caldwell County, Missouri History, Volume 1, Caldwell County Historical Society, 1985, pages 194-195.

A special thanks to Daniel Riegel for contributing this information. Henry W. Riegel was his great great grandfather.