GEORGE EDWARD QUELCH -- 118th INFANTRYLOTS OF QUESTIONS - George Edward Quelch had 1865 Town Clerks' Recordsfor Beekmantown, Plattsburgh and Saranac. All say he enlisted inPlattsburg, however, the Saranac Town Clerk's record states thatGeorge's parents were George Quelch and Elizabeth Everlith, and he diedof disease contracted in the Army at Point of Rocks Hospital in Virginiaon November 12, 1864, and was buried there. In the book, "The History ofClinton and Franklin Counties", he is listed in the Beekmantown andPlattsburgh sections, but not in Saranac.The AdjutantGeneral's Roster from 1865, says he enlisted on August 9, 1862, inBeekmantown. The Beekmantown Town Clerk's records said his parents wereGeorge and Mary Quelch. In the American Civil War Database, it notesthat he was the only George Quelch who enlisted in the Union Army, sowhy the discrepancy in parents' names and death status? George wasmustered into Company H on August 30th after being recruited into thecompany by its captain, William H. Bailey. He didn't even get to theregiment's first engagement in the field at Yorktown on April 20th. HisMuster Roll Abstract says that on April 19, 1863. he was absent becausehe was sick at the General Hospital in Washington, and on April 30th, hewas still sick, but at the Finley Hospital in Washington. It also saysthat on May 18, 1863, he was transferred to the Veterans Reserve Corpsdue to some infirmity and in June 1863, he was on detached duty at theFinley Hospital.The Beekmantown Town Clerk's records show he was discharged on May 16,1864. He had applied for and started receiving an Invalid's Pension inMarch.In 1890, the Veterans Schedules indicate he was living in Beekmantownand suffering from "ulsers". It also said he was in the military for 1year and six months.George's obituary was in the Plattsburgh Sentinel on June 10, 1919 --"George Quelch, a veteran of the Civil War, died at the Champlain ValleyHospital, on Friday, June 6, to which institution he was taken about twomonths ago, from his home on Champlain Street, where he lived alone.Mr. Quelch was a native of Beekmantown, where he was engaged in farminguntil about 20 years ago when he removed to this city and where he hassince continued to live.Mr. Quelch was 73 years of age. When a young man, he enlisted for theWar and served with distinction through those trying years with the118th NY Volunteers. He was a widower and leaves no family. His nearestliving relative is Mrs. William Reeves, a granddaughter, who lives inthis city.The funeral will be held from Brown's Chapel this afternoon at 2o'clock. The services will be conducted by Rev. Brown McDonald, pastorof the First Baptist Church of this City. The interment will be inRiverside Cemetery." A check of Riverside Cemetery in Plattsburgh andRiverview Cemetery and all other Clinton County Cemeteries shows nogravesite.Needs more research - that\'s for sure.
