Richard R. Luce

Private, Co. E, 93^rd Illinois Infantry

Maple Hill Cemetery

Osceola, Clarke County, Iowa

Sgt. John Danforth Burr

Co. K, 2nd Minnesota Infantry

He was born on September 23, 1839 in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana and was the son of Plat Theodore & Frances Elizabeth (Danforth) Burr. His father died in 1849 and John and his family seem to have never stayed in one place for very long. In 1850 John was in St. Genevieve, Missouri, and by 1860 he had removed to Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota, where he was a cabinet maker. It was there where enlisted as a private and was mustered into Company K of the 2nd Minnesota Infantry. He was promoted to corporal and then to sergeant. He was sited in Col. James George’s Supplementary Report on the Battle of Chickamauga, having specially distinguished himself in the line of duty, on the battlefield at Chickamauga, credited with gallant and soldier like conduct. He was mustered out at the expiration of his term of service on August 26, 1864.

By 1870 he had removed to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he was a machinist. He married before 1870 to Imogene J. (--?--), who was born between 1846 & 1848 in Michigan. And together they had 4 children: Dewitt, b. between 1871 & 1873 in Minnesota; Fannie/Nancy, b. about 1875 in Michigan; Edith D., b. about 1882, probably in Creston, Union County, Iowa, and Ralph, b. 1885, probably in Iowa.

The 1880 Census shows the Rev. Burr, now a Baptist minister, residing in Creston, Union County, Iowa. South central Iowa must have appealed to him, as in 1885 & 1886 he was living in Greenfield, Adair County, Iowa, and in 1895 in Osceola, Clarke County, Iowa. He died on February 1, 1896, and is buried in Section 5 in Osceola’s Maple Hill Cemetery near the obelisk erected by the Women’s Relief Corps “In Memory of Our Fallen Heroes.”

SOURCES: Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System; 1850 Federal Census for St. Genevieve, St. Genevieve Co., MO; 1860 Federal Census for Owatonna, Steele Co. MN; 1870 Federal Census for Ward 2, Minneapolis, Hennepin Co., MN; 1880 Federal Census for Creston, Union Co., IA; 1885 Iowa State Census; 1885 Iowa State Census; 1895 Iowa State Census; Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars, p. 144; Judson W. Bishop, The Story Of A Regiment : Being A Narrative Of The Service Of The Second Regiment, Minnesota Veteran Volunteer Infantry, In The Civil War Of 1861-1865, p. 223-5; William L. Alexander, List of Ex-Soldiers, Sailors and Marines Living In Iowa (1886), p. 490; The following databases on Ancestry.com, Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Veterans 1879-1903, Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, Gedcom file of Lee Currey; Gedcom file of Ruth Allaire on Rootsweb

William S. Busick

Private, Company A, 24th Indiana Infantry

William S. Busick was born in Indiana about 1842. In 1860 he was living in Marion Township, Lawrence County, Indiana and he was still residing in Lawrence County when he enlisted as a private in Company A of the 24th Indiana Infantry on July 31, 1861. He was mustered out of the 24th Indiana Infantry on July 30, 1864.

It is likely that he is tha same William S. Busick who resided in Lawrence County, Indiana when he enlisted as a corporal in Company I of the 13th Indiana Cavalry on October 28, 1864 and mustered out of that organization on October 27, 1865.

By 1885 Mr. Busick had been widowed and was residing in Washington, Township, Clarke County, Iowa. He died there on February 2, 1894 and is buried in Section 5 in Osceola’s Maple Hill Cemetery near the obelisk erected by the Women’s Relief Corps “In Memory of Our Fallen Heroes.”

SOURCES: Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System; Maple Hill Cemetery, Osceola, Clarke Co., IA; Clarke County, Iowa Genealogical Society, Clarke County, Iowa Cemeteries, Volume 1: Maple Hill Cemetery, p. 67; 1860 Federal Census for Marion Twsp., Lawrence Co., IN; The following Ancestry.com databases: Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903, Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, American Civil War Soldiers

Merrill Paris

Private, Company F, 123rd Indiana Infantry

Merrill Paris, a shoe and harness maker, was born in Kentucky between 1824 & 1825 and was probably married before 1845 to Jane (--?--) who was born between 1826 & 1827 in Virginia. They had the following children:

John Allen W., born about 1845 in Indiana
Martha I., born about 1847 in Indiana
Sarah F., born about 1849 in Indiana
Alice J., born between 1851 & 1852 in Indiana
Lucy A. C., born between 1853 & 1854 in Indiana
James M., born between 1855 &1856 in Indiana
Orville M., born about 1857 in Indiana
Oliver L., born about 1859 in Indiana
Mary A., born about 1862 in Indiana
May O., born about 1863 in Indiana

The Paris family resided in Orange, Fayette County, Indiana in 1850 and by 1860 they had removed to Union, Rush County, Indiana.

On March 7, 1864 Merrill Paris enlisted as a private in Company F, 123rd Indiana Infantry at which time he listed his residence as Greencastle, Putnam County, Indiana. He was mustered out of national service on May 11, 1865.

By 1870 Jane Paris had died the Paris family had moved once again, this time to Doyle Township, Clarke County, Iowa. It was in Clarke County, that Alice J. Parris married Valentine Nelson on July 18, 1871, and her Mary J. Paris married David E. Webb the following September 14th.

Merrill Paris married secondly between 1870 & 1880 to Lydia Ann (--?--), who was born about 1852 in Ohio. They had the follwing children:

Ruby A., b. about 1877 in Iowa
Winfred P., b. August 14, 1879 in Iowa

Merrill Paris and his family were enumerated in the 1880 Federal Census for District 103, Lucas & Jackson, Lucas County, Iowa where he was a music teacher, but by January 1, 1883 they had moved back to Osceola, Clarke Couty, Iowa.

As a result of his military service he suffered from chronic diarrhea, dropsy and kidney disease. He was granted a pension, certificate # 61,008, and received $12 a month from the United States Government for his service during the Civil War. He died in Osceola, Iowa between January 1, 1883 when he was enumerated on the pension roll and May 28, 1884 when his wife Lydia Ann Paris filed for a widow’s pension. He is buried in Section 5 in Osceola’s Maple Hill Cemetery near the obelisk erected by the Women’s Relief Corps “In Memory of Our Fallen Heroes.” His son, Winfred P. Paris, died March 16, 1891, Clarke County, Iowa & is buried in Section 6 of Maple Hill Cemetery.

SOURCES: Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System; United States Pension Bureau, List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883, p. 677; Clarke County Genealogical Society, Clarke County Cemeteries Volume 1: Maple Hill Cemetery, p. 67, 74; 1850 Federal Census, Orange, Fayette County, Indiana; 1860 Federal Census, Union, Rush County, Indiana; 1870 Federal Census, Doyle Township, Clarke County, Iowa; 1880 Federal Census, District 103, Lucas & Jackson, Lucas County, Iowa; 1885 Iowa State Census for Clarke County, Iowa Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, American Civil War Soldiers & Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903 databases at http://www.ancestry.com/; Clark County Genealogical Society, Clarke County Iowa Early Marriages 1852-1873, p. 18 & 25

Women’s Relief Corps Monument

Located in Section 5 of Maple Hill Cemetery in Osceola, Iowa. This obelisk, erected in 1903 by the Osceola Women’s Relief Corps, is “In Memory Of Our Heroes 1861-1865.”

The following soldiers are buried near the monument:

Merrill Paris
Co. F. 123rd Ohio Infantry

W. S. Busick
Co. A 24th Indiana Infantry

Sgt. J. D. Burr
2nd Minnesota Infantry

Amon Wheeler
Co. B 116th Illinois Infantry

Z. T. Pettit
U. S. Soldier

Jos. Brease
Co. E 25th Iowa Infantry

Samuel Peter
Co. A 1st Nebraska Cavalry

C. C. Hargis
Co. B. 18th Iowa Infantry

Corp. Leonard S. Wilson
Co. L 3rd Iowa Cavalry

Samuel Fink
Co. D. 33rd Wisconsin Infantry

George Davis
Co. C 121st Ohio Infantry

Thos. Turk
Co. D. 5th U.S.C. Cavalry