Frank Earl Marble was born in LaFayette, N.Y. on May 24, 1839. He lived in the village most of his life. He was certainly living there when the war began, as according to village historian Peg Nolan he did not move to Marcellus, N.Y. until he returned from the war and married Ellen Gilbert.



A C.D.V. of Captain Marble from the Co. C, 2nd U.S.S.S. website.



His small personal stone.



His larger family stone.

He was apparently interested in new technologies as according to Nolan he was a professional photographer for a time. In 1882 he won a job in the U.S. pension office and after that he became a Pension-Officer-at-Large, whatever that means. He had a son named Louis and a daughter named Nellie.

He died in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1894 of an infection brought about by a broken leg.

My question here is this: Captain Marble commanded Company G, of the 1st U.S.S.S.. So, then, how is it that someone who was born and lived in Upstate New York before retiring to Massachusetts at one point put in charge of a company of men from Wisconsin?

Under what circumstances would this have happened? Was Co. G so decimated in leadership at one point that marble outranked everyone in this company and was sent over? Is it possible that he actually signed up with this company rather than one of the New York companies? Did the Badger Staters just like him so much that they wanted him to come over?

Any guesses?

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Mr. Jason G. Wolczanski
Co. C, 2nd U.S.S.S.

Jason,

The records indicate that Marble was living in Beloit, Wisconsin at the start of the war. It's possible that he simply moved west for a time to take up a job or start a business then decided to enlist in Company G when it was being raised in the state. This is not uncommon; in fact many men who enlisted in state organizations were born elsewhere. While not sharing exactly the same circumstances as marble, Benjamin Giroux who resided in Connecticut, joined Co. C (Michigan) 1st U.S.S.S. in Washington D.C. as a private in October 1861, and was immediately commissioned it's captain! I suspect that Giroux had prior experience in the militia and was simply needed to fill a vacant captaincy when Benjamin Duesler, Co. C's original captain, resigned almost immediately.

Frank Marble enlisted on 9/6/61 at Madison, WI and was commissioned the same day as 1st Lieutenant. He was promoted to captain of Co. G on 7/29/62 and was wounded in the knee on 5/3/63. He mustered out on 9/22/64.

The attached photograph is a post-war view.

_________________
Brian White
Wambaugh, White, & Company
http://www.wwandcompany.com
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Randolph Mess, U.S. Sharpshooters

Mr. White,

Weird! According to the village historian in Marcellus he had an address in LaFayette at the time of the war. That's one commute from Syracuse, N.Y. to Beloit, Wis in the 19th century, eh?

You are most likely correct, like most adventuresome people he was probably out west making a new life for himself when the war started. It's easy to imagine he left an address "back home" for some matters.

Thanks for the insight! I'm going to forward your info on to Peg Nolan...I can't wait to hear her reaction to hearing that he was wounded at Chancellorsville, and especially to getting a new photo of the man.

_________________
Mr. Jason G. Wolczanski
Co. C, 2nd U.S.S.S.