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PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 3:56 pm 
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I am seeking any information on my grandfathers uncle, private George W. Harkins, of Co. “D”, 1st U.S. Sharpshooters. He died 6 July 1864 (after being accidentally shot by an “acquaintance”) in Norwich, New York, while a member of the Invalid Corps so I presume he must have been injured or ill when he left the sharpshooters. Also, would anyone know whether the book “Berdan’s United States Sharpshooters In The Army Of The Pontomac” by Capt. C.A. Stevens or any other books on the subject have George W. Harkins name listed on the roster? Thank you. Greg


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:23 pm 
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Greg,

There is a George Hawkins listed, he might be listed incorrectly. The soldiers and Sailors systems does list him as George W. Harkins

http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:06 pm 
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Thanks David,


When I request his enlistment papers at NARA I'll add Hawkins as an alternative name.


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:38 pm 
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Greg,

My sources also list the last name as "Hawkins." Good luck with your search!

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 3:02 pm 
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Thanks Brian


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:32 pm 
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Haskins, George W. (poss: Harkins)
1st Regt. Company D
Age:18
Hieght: 5' 9.5"
Complex.: Fair
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Light
From: Otsego, New York
Occ: Farmer
Enlisted: 11/28/61
At:Roseboom, NY
By: Geo S. Tuckerman
Discharged: 3/18/63
For: Disability Regt Book-Discharged March 18,1863 for disability

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 5:51 pm 
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Thanks David,


That certainly looks to me like it could be him. I looked at a map of NY and found that Roseboom is only about 40 miles from his hometown of New Berlin, so perhaps he was working as a farm hand away from home when he enlisted. Can I ask you what your source was for that record?

If you don't mind I'd like to show you what I've found on the web about him.

His father John went by "Harkin" with no "s" and mentions George in a letter to his wife on this site about the 76th NY Infantry by Conrad Bush. http://www.bpmlegal.com/76NY/76harkin.html.

On the 1850 US census at a time when they lived a couple of years at Harmony, PA the name is spelled "Harkin" http://www3.telus.net/public/a7a61394/1 ... arkins.jpg while back at New Berlin in 1860 it is misspelled "Hawkins" http://www3.telus.net/public/a7a61394/1 ... arkins.jpg.

Using the info you gave me I did a search for "George Hawkins and sharpshooters" and a site came up about a Cyrus Hardaway of Co. "D", 1st USSS which you may already know about. On the site are many letters he sent to his mother over a couple of year period as a member of Co. "D" and also a roster with George Hawkins listed. I wonder if this is the same roster that you guys have (with 85 names) http://external.oneonta.edu/unadilla/ci ... 621018.pdf? I did a search on Ancestry.com and also Civil war Soldiers & Sailors System for George Hawkins and George Haskins as Sharpshooters and nothing came up. If the Company was that small then in all probability George Hawkins, George W. Haskins, and George W. Harkins were one and the same, that is, if someone dosn't have a roster with all these names on it at the same time?

In the Aug 10 1862 letter Cyrus Hardaway wrote to his mother he says "They boys from New Berlin are all well now except Haskins and he is getting along first rate" http://external.oneonta.edu/unadilla/ci ... 620810.asp (perhaps a transcription error).

In this 1864 Chenango Telegraph newspaper extract on George W.'s unusual death they got the name correct at the beginning of the clipping, then slid into using Haskins (please scroll about half way down the page) http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nychenan/1880-14.htm.

And finally a couple more, US Civil War Soldiers 1861-1865 http://www3.telus.net/public/a7a61394/G ... 1-1865.jpg and his Tombstone record http://www3.telus.net/public/a7a61394/1 ... record.jpg the date of which coincides with the Chenango newspaper report.

I'll add Hawkins as well as Haskins for alternate names when I request his files from NARA and thanks again for the new info.

Greg


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 11:13 pm 
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Just thought I would update this thread with new information on George W. Harkins. After NARA twice failed to locate his Compiled Military Service Records I e-mailed them all the info I had on him and what do you know, third time lucky. From his Muster Rolls I found out he did 6 months of active service before contracting Typhoid Fever (his elder brother John H. Harkins of Co. H 17th NY Vol. Inf. died of Typhoid 9 months previous http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... id=3255490). George W. then spent the next 5 months in Hampton and Craney Island hospitals before being discharged. Here is his Disability Discharge Certificate. http://www3.telus.net/public/a7a61394/1 ... ficate.jpg

Greg


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PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2010 12:00 pm 
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Photographs of George W. Harkins and his brother John H. Harkins' headstones can be viewed at the Headstones section of the Forum.

Some of you may be interested in my correspondence with the book publisher Morningside Books (publisher of Berdan's United States Sharpshooters in the Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865 by Capt. C.A. Stevens).

> To whom it may concern,
>
> I would very much like to correspond with the editor in charge of
> correcting historical inaccuracies. The book in question is Berdan's
> United States Sharpshooters in the Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865 by
> Capt. C.A. Stevens.
>
> My great great uncle was George W. Harkins of Co. D, 1st U.S.S.S..
> Due to a mistake somewhere probably at the adjutant generals office
> the name George W. Harkins was misspelled as "George Hawkins". That
> same misspelled name was then applied to the company roster and then
> perpetrated onto the various literature such as Capt. C.A. Stevens
> book.
>
> In the interest of historical accuracy and in righting a wrong that
> resulted in a soldier being forgotten and unknown for 146 years I
> would like to see his name corrected to "George W. Harkins" in future
> editions.
>
> I have various documents to prove what I say is true and would be
> more that willing to send them to you.
>
> Thank you, Greg Taylor

Dear Mr. Taylor:

As you say, I see George Hawkins listed in Company D, 1st USSS (New York) roster in Berdan's United States Sharpshooters. According to my records this book was originally published in 1892 and we first reprinted it in 1972. We last reprinted 1500 copies in 2003 and still have 900 copies for sale so I don't expect we will be reprinting it again for a number of years.

I will put a copy of your Email in our printing file for this book and if you want to send us copies of any documentation showing the correct name as Harkins I will also add it to our file.

Sincerely yours,

Mary Younger
Morningside Books
260 Oak St
Dayton OH 45410-1334
800 648-9710


If anyone knows of any other books with "George Hawkins" listed on the roster of Co. D, 1st USSS I would like to hear from them.

Greg


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 12:28 pm 
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Here is a link to an article the County Historian found containing a more detailed account of George W. Harkins' unusual death. http://www3.telus.net/public/a7a61394/1 ... arkins.jpg


Greg


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