Taken in Lancaster, Kentucky in May 1863

Standing:
Thomas Osgood Reynolds
Warren J. Hills
Nathaniel West
Jeremiah C. Ordway (flag bearer, Co. C)
Daniel S. West, Color Guard
William E. C. Coolidge
Edmund T. Robie
Dudley J. Marston
James M. M. Elliott
Nelson Gillingham (from Co. A)
Seated:
Capt. William R. Patten
Lieut. John Charles Currier

Twelve men from Chester enlisted with Company I in Sept. 1862.
Sgt. John Underhill and Pvt Sewell Tenney, both wounded at Fredericksburg, were discharged in Mar.-Apr. 1863. Privates Stephen Underhill and Cyrus Roberts are missing from photo.

Photo from the History of Chester, New Hampshire (1926), pg 472b

A Chester native, born 30 Jan 1833

Attended local schools and several secondary academies in NH, graduating from Dartmouth College, Class of 1858

Engaged in teaching, and was principal of Nashua High School for several years, before he left to teach out in WI and IL

Superintendent of Schools in Fall River, MA, 1868-1872, before becoming an agent for a New York publishing house

​Died in Malden, MA on 5 July 1882. He was buried in the Village Cemetery.

Graduated from Dartmouth Medical College, Class of 1858

Asst. Superintendent at the Vermont Asylum for the Insane, Brattleboro, VT, from 1858 to 1862.
Employed at Manhattan Asylum for the Insane in New York City, 1862.

Returned home to enlist, on 16 Sept 1862, and was commissioned Asst. Surgeon of the 14th NH on the 23rd

En route to New Orleans in March 1864, following a furlough back home, he took cold while passing through New York.

He died from diphtheria at the New England Soldiers' Relief Association Hospital, New York City, on 28 March 1864. His body was returned home for burial in the Village Cemetery.

A native of Chester, NH, born 8 March 1837

Graduated from Brown Univ. in 1853, at age 18, and from Yale in 1856. Admitted to the bar when 21 years old, and began practicing in Farmington, NH in 1859.

Captain of Company A, First New Hampshire Infantry, in 1861.
Commissioned Lieut. Col. of the 4th NH Infantry in Sept.1861
Promoted to Colonel in May, 1862

Mortally wounded by a Confederate sharpshooter during the Battle of Fort Fisher, NC, on 15 Jan. 1865, while leading his brigade.

His body was returned home for burial in the Village Cemetery.

Manchester, NH's GAR Post was named in honor of him, as was a Sons of Union Veterans Camp in Farmington. 

Col. Bell, on several occasions, temporarily filled the brigadier general seat when needed. Due to this, many newspapers called him "Gen. Bell" following his death, and his family included this rank on his gravestone. The New Hampshire Statesman, on Feb. 3rd, 1865, wrote that Secretary Stanton had posthumously promoted Bell to Brevet Brigadier General, but later reports claim this was not true.

In the Forest Hill Cemetery of Derry, New Hampshire, stands a veteran stone for a member of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry: John MacPherson (ie Mcpherson) of Company D. A headstone was ordered in 1940 for the soldier; the application lists no date of death. 

For years, it was questioned why he was buried here, and what was his connection to Derry. Even more so is the fact that the same veteran has a stone in Arlington National Cemetery [see Find a Grave memorial #57196241], having died in Washington, DC on 4 Oct 1920. 

If John McPherson was buried in Arlington, was the stone placed in Forest Hill an error and, if so, who is actually buried there?

A clue to that is inscribed on the gravestone that sits directly beside him: the family of Ida MacPherson, Clara J and Charles Chase.

A quick look at census records found no Ida MacPherson in Derry. However, with a shift in search methods, that soon changed. She was Ida PHERSON, and was the wife of JOHN F. PHERSON.

John was a veteran, though his known service was prior to the Civil War. As seen in the following images from the US Register of Enlistments (click on them to enlarge), they show John F. Pherson of Bedford, NH enlisting on 2 April 1851 for 5 years, with the Company D, US Mounted Rifles. On 6 Feb 1856, he reenlisted for another 5 years, same unit. He was discharged for disability at Fort Bliss, Texas on 1 Mar 1859.

Private Pherson applied for, and received a pension (under “O.W.” ie Old War), for $6. a month. Following his death, his widow Ida (not Ada as on index card) applied for his pension, but was rejected (reason unknown - pension file not yet ordered). 

The 1890 Veteran Schedule for Auburn, NH lists John F. "Phirson", with a note that he had served 8 years in Co. D, 1st Regiment, Mounted Rifles. It also says "1st Mass", with no dates.

He died in Derry on 3 Jan. 1896. An obit was published in the Derry News, on Jan. 10th, 1896 (pg 1):

The "MacPherson" family stone looks like a "newer" marker, and entries found on Find a Grave indicate there were earlier individual stones for, at least, the two Chase names. Perhaps the single stone was placed following Ida's 1953 death, and the erroneously spelled surname done at that time (based on the veteran stone beside her).

How the burial place of John F. Pherson was somehow mistakenly changed to that of John McPherson/MacPherson is not known. His widow Ida would have been alive at the time that veteran stone was ordered as well (though living in Haverhill, MA).

The following is the family of John, wife Ida, and their two children:
​
JOHN F. PHERSON was born abt 11 May 1830 (based on age at death) in Bedford, Hillsborough, NH, the son of William and Mary Pherson. He died in Derry, Rockingham, NH on 3 Jan 1896 from cancer, aged 65 yrs, 7 mos, 23 das. He was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Derry [NH Death Rec].

He was married, date not yet found but circa 1890, to IDA M. ALLEN. She was born in Malden, MA on 2 Aug 1875 [MA VR: birth registered in Medford, MA], the dau of Thomas K. and Margaret A. (Nichols) Allen. She died in Haverhill, MA in 1952 [MA Death Index; gravestone]. She was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Derry [her father also buried in this cemetery, in adjacent lot to her and John].

They had two children:

i. CLARA JANE PHERSON, born 21 Jan 1891 in Auburn, NH [“Phersons” on birth rec; father was age 60, mother 15 yrs, 5 mos]. Died in Haverhill, MA in 1938 [MA Death Index; gravestone]; buried in Forest Hill Cem., Derry. She married in Derry, NH on 5 Sept 1908 to FRED ELMER CHASE Jr, son of Fred and Aletta (Young) Chase [NH Marr Rec].
1. Dorothy May Chase, born in Derry, NH ca 1911
2. Charles Henry Chase, born in Derry, NH on 12 Jan 1913; died in Haverhill, MA on 26 Dec 1913 [not 1915 as on stone], aged 11 mos, 14 das, from broncho-pneumonia [MA Death Rec]. Buried in Derry, NH.

ii. EMMA PHERSON, born 14 Feb 1895 in Derry, NH [from death rec]. She died on 1 Jan 1919 in Haverhill, MA from influenza and pneumonia [MA Death Rec]. She was bur in St. Patrick Cem, Hav. Married on 13 Mar 1915 In Haverhill, MA to DANIEL MURPHY.

On June 30th, 2012, the town of Derry, New Hampshire held a "Derry Civil War Days" event, as part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial. It was held at the First Parish Church and neighboring Forest Hill Cemetery. Civil War artifacts and the GAR flag of the Upton Post No. 45 were on display. At the cemetery, wreath laying ceremonies took place at the graves of several Civil War veterans buried there. 

(Below) George Hesenius, U.S. Navy

John Macpherson, Co. D, 54th Massachusetts Infantry
Note: There was a clerical error in the ordering of this veteran stone back in 1940, with this burial spot being that of John F. Pherson.

John F. Pullen, a Confederate soldier with the 15th Virginia Cavalry.

The Gilman E. Sleeper Post, No. 60, Grand Army of the Republic, was granted its charter on the 1st of July 1881. The following Civil War veteran soldiers were listed as the original members in the History of Salem, NH (pg 337), followed by the officer positions in their first election:

Benjamin E Chase, Junior Vice Com.
James A Troy, Senior Vice Com.
Moses D Rowell
Joseph D Bradford
William L Bradford
Thomas D Parish, Quartermaster
Benjamin R Wheeler, Commander
Charles W Grant, Adjutant
J C S. Twitchell, Officer of Day
George C Howard, Surgeon
James J Walch
Isaiah N Webster
David Sloan
Charles C Foster, Officer of Guard
Charles T Maxwell
Issachar O Foster
[Charles O Kelly], Chaplain

They first met in the Union Hall, Troy's Block, in Salem Depot (first and third Sat). They would later meet at the town hall and, at the time of the printing of the History of Salem, NH (1907), they were meeting in the Masonic Hall on the second Saturday of each month. That year, there were 20 members on the books. Since its organization, there had been sixty enrolled members.

The Sleeper Post, No. 60, disbanded prior to the April 1917 (50th) Encampment of the New Hampshire Department of the GAR. 

​Gilbert, Edgar. History of Salem, N.H. Concord, NH: Rumford Printing Co. 1907, pg 337

GILMAN EMERY SLEEPER was born in Kingston, NH on 10 May 1831, the son of David and Abigail (Grant) Sleeper. His mother died in 1836 and his father passed away in 1839, leaving Gilman an orphan just three months shy of his eighth birthday.

As a 19-year old, Gilman enlisted on 6 Oct 1849 in Boston, MA with Co. A, US Engineers, as an engineer at the West Point Military Academy. He was discharged, with a rank of artificer, in Newburgh, NY on 16 Apr 1852. A month prior to his discharge, he had married Sarah Elizabeth Cook of Salem, NH.

He returned to Salem, and to his employment as a shoemaker. He would also start a waltzing school with Kimball Poor of Atkinson.

He enlisted on 27 April 1861 with Company K, First New Hampshire Volunteers, and was commissioned captain on the 30th. Being only raised for three months, he was discharged on 9 Aug '61. Following his mustering out, he quickly recruited Company C of the 4th NH Infantry, and was mustered in as its captain on 18 Sept 1861. The following May, he was promoted to Lieut. Col. of the regiment. In Nov 1863, due to poor health, he had to resign his position, and returned to Salem, NH. He died there from consumption on 22 Oct 1864.

The Sleeper Lot in Pine Grove Cemetery, Salem, N.H. To the left is the stone of son George Eddie, who died 13 Aug 1864, aged 3 yrs. Wife Sarah Elizabeth (Cook) is on the right; she died 4 Jan 1868.

​The G.A.R. post for Salem, No. 60, was named after Lt. Col. Sleeper in 1881. When the Sons of Union Veterans camp was organized in 2006, they requested the use of the "No. 60" in their name, honoring both the veteran and former Grand Army Post.

Links/Notes:
Hutchinson, John G. Roster, Fourth Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers: Photo of Col. Sleeper, pg 65; Bio, pg 78
​Poor, Alfred. Historical and Genealogical Researches and Recorder of Passing Events of Merrimack Valley, Volume 1, pg 108
Rockingham County Probate: File #13517 (father David's probate)
​Rockingham County Deeds: Vol. 336, pg 366 (Gilman and siblings sell land in Kingston)