Paul Brey Served His County by Proxy

Paul Cornelius Brey

In the History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois the biography of Paul C Brey ends with the following sentence. "In 1861 he was solicited by some of his young friends to raise a company for the Forty-ninth regiment Illinois volunteer infantry, (Col. Morrison's regiment), but being a newly married man he declined, but served the United States afterward by proxy." This sentence peaked my interest. What did it mean? I had already searched Civil War records and did not find any evidence of Paul serving in the Union Army, so I set out to find out what service by proxy meant.

During the Civil War there was a draft to raise soldiers for service in the Army. If a man was drafted they could provide a substitute to serve for them. This was known as service by proxy. During a visit to the National Archives in Washington DC I was able to locate the records of the 12th Congressional District of Illinois which included Monroe County where Paul lived. An enumeration was conducted in July 1863. This was a list of men between the ages of 20 and 35 and unmarried men eligible for service between the ages of 35 and 45. Paul was listed on line 6. He was a 28 year old merchant.

Quotas were set for each congressional district based on population. If a sufficient number of men from the district volunteered to serve, a draft was no necessary.  Draft cards were completed for each man listed on the Consolidated Lists. Cards were divided by sub district and were placed in a box. A man was blind folded  and he drew the predetermined number of cards from the box. Another man recorded the names that were pulled in the Descriptive Books of Drafted Men as they were drawn. The men whose names had been drawn were notified. They were required to report or provide a substitute who could serve in their place as long as they passed the physical examination. Men who were physically disqualified were given exemption certificates. Deserters and men who failed to appear were arrested.

The 12th Congressional District did not have enough volunteers so the draft was conducted beginning on Monday, 19 September 1864 with the sub districts in St. Clair County. On Friday, 14 October 1864, Paul Brey's name was pulled as number 352 of the 358 men selected for the draft in the sub district that included Burksville.

Paul hired Valentine Siger to serve as his substitute. Valentine was mustered in as a Private on 23 October 1864 and served as a substitute in Company B, 30th Infantry Regiment Illinois. The term of his service was one year. He was mustered out in Louisville, KY on 17 July 1865. Valentine was an 18 year old farmer who was 5 feet 4 inches tall with blue eyes, light hair, and a fair complexion.

In 1864 Paul had two small children and a store to run. He had the financial means to make a choice to hire a substitute. Paul served his community in other capacities through his lifetime. He was Postmaster in the town of Burksville from 1867 to 1874; County Clerk for Monroe County from 1873 to 1894; and County Judge for Monroe County from 1894 until his death in 1905.

Sources
Combined History of Perry, Monroe and Randolph Counties (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J.L. McDonough & Co., 1883), 321.
Consolidated List Class I Illinois 12^th Congressional District, Volume 201, Page 68, Records of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau (Civil War), Record Group 110, item 172, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Proceedings of the Board of Enrollment Illinois 12^th Congressional District, May 1863-April 1865, unpaginated, arranged by date, Records of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau (Civil War), Record Group 110, item 5803, National Archives, Washington.

Descriptive Books of Drafted Men, Illinois 12^th Congressional District, Volume 21, Page 90, Records of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau (Civil War), Record Group 110, item 5805, National Archives, Washington.

Valentine Siger, compiled military record, (private, Company B, 30^th Infantry Illinois), Records of the Record and Pension Office of the War Department, Record Group 94, National Archives, Washington.
Record of Appointment of Postmasters 1832-September 30, 197; M841, (Washington: National Archives), Roll 30, vol. 32.
Internal Revenue Assessment Lists for the State of Illinois, 1862-1866, M764 (Washington: National Archives); Roll 57, Target 3 Annual Lists 1864, page 87. Paul Brey is listed twice, once for retail dealer and one for dealing in liquor. He was taxed a total of $30.00. Only businesses with more than $600 in annual revenue were taxed.
“Death Doings – Judge Brey Secumbs [sic] to Paralysis After Brief Illness,” Waterloo Republican, Waterloo, Illinois, 13 December 1905, Page 1, column 3.

Death of John Theodore Coakley

The railroad bridge over the Columbia River was an exciting event for the city of Vancouver. The construction brought workers to the area which was good for the merchants in town. However, it would lead to the tragic death of John Theodore Coakley.

Columbia River Railroad Bridge from Wikipedia.org

The bridge was built by the Portland and Seattle Railway over the Columbia river between Vancouver and Portland. The construction began in January 1906 and the first train crossed the span on October 23, 1908.

Caisson IX Ready to Launch Sep 18 1906

Construction of Columbia River RR Bridge at Vancouver 1906-1908

John was a "sand hog" who worked in the caissons. The caissons are filled with compressed air and the sand hog moved mud and rock from the work space to a water filled pit, connected by a tube to the surface. Even today this is a dangerous job. In 1906 if a worker left the compressed atmosphere of the caisson and rapidly reentered normal conditions they could be paralyzed. Doctors didn't know what caused the paralysis and if not treated it could lead to death. This is what happened to John on September 9, 1906 he passed away after six hours of suffering at the age of 40 years and 4 months.

John's Death Certificate

John's family was living in Kansas City, Kansas at the time. When news of his death reached them, his wife, Rosina  Shaumeyer Coakley and three of his children, probably Anna, John, and Margaret,

traveled to Vancouver for his funeral.

Obituary from the Vancouver Columbian, September 20, 1906

He was buried in St. James Acre cemetery on September 16, 1906. The compressed air workers union erected the monument on his grave and his fellow railway bridge workers took up a collection for the family.

Tombstone of John Theodore Coakley

After John's death his wife Rose and their seven living children had a difficult time making ends meet. Anna Josephine was 14, John Leonard was 13, Margaret was 8, Frank Thomas was 6, Catherine Rose was 4, Thomas Theodore was 2, and Florence Marie was 7 months.

Instead of moving to the Pacific Northwest where their father had been working and planning on living the family remained in Kansas City, Kansas. Rose and the family lived near her parents, George Christian and Rosina Schrade Shaumeyer, at 375 S Boeke. Anna and Rosina helped care for the younger children while Rose worked for the railroad in Kansas City. Less than two years later on May, 24, 1908 tragedy struck the family again; Anna and Thomas were drowned in a flash flood in Brimson, Grundy County, Missouri.

When Rosina's health deteriorated she was no longer able to care for the children. In 1910 Frank, Catherine and Margaret were living in St. Vincent's Orphanage in Levenworth, Kansas. John quit school shortly after his father's death and went to work to help support the family.

Sources

1. Death certificate #513 of John Coakley obtained from Clark County, Washington County Courthouse. 
2. Microfilm of Vancouver Columbian Weekly newspaper, Feb 1, 1905 to Sec 26, 1907 borrowed on interlibrary loan from the Washington State Library.
3. Article on Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6 on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlington_Northern_Railroad_Bridge_9.6
4. Burial record from St. James Acre cemetery obtained by member of Clark County Genealogy Society and Library.
5. 1910 US Federal Census, Microfilm T624, roll 444, enumeration district 82 sheet 7 b, enumeration of residents at St. Vincent Orphanage. 
6. 1909 City Directory of Kansas City, City Directories of the United States, microfilm 048135 at the Library of Congress, page 67.