Individual Details
James Whitfield Kirkpatrick
(30 Jul 1833 - 19 Apr 1883)
James Whitfield Kirkpatrick was born in Morgan County, Illinois, 30 July 1833. He died in Blackhawk Township, Jefferson County, Iowa, near Baker on 19 April 1883. He married Rachel Jane Burge, daughter of Jacob and Rachel (Neal) Burge, 7 September 1854, at New London, Henry County, Iowa. Rachel's parents were Jacob, born in Pennsylvania, and Rachel Neal, born Perry County, Ohio. They came to Iowa with an ox team and settled in Henry County, 1 May 1835. Jacob Burge died 24 August 1876 in Henry County. Rachel was born in Iowa, 14 June 1838, and died 10 January 1916 in Los Angeles County, California, near Lancaster. She is buried in Fairfield, Iowa. She had lived more than 14 years in California at the time of her death.
James Whitfield served with the Union Army during the Civil War. He enlisted at New London, Henry County, Iowa, and was mustered into service for a three year enlistment at Mount Pleasant, 14 August 1862. He served apparently in a regimental band until 16 June 1865. At the time of his enlistment in Company K, 25th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, he was described as having blue eyes, light hair, fair skin and stood 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He was a farmer. He was mustered out at Washington, D.C. in 1865 as a private. He received a pension for this service and the pension was continued to his widow.
James Whitfield left a will dated 2 June 1882. In it he named his wife Rachel as sole heir and as administratrix. The will was witnessed by John Quakenbush and Joseph Francis Kirkpatrick, James Whitfield's brother.
There were seven (7) children born of the marriage.
We have the will and probate records of James Whitfield Kirkpatrick and biographical sketch of him as done by Don Fry. Mr. Fry's account of Whitfield's Civil War Service is lengthy so this will be a shortened version.
Whitfield joined Company K of the Twenty-fifth Iowa Infantry Regiment, commanded by Col George A. Stone. Whitfield enlisted August 14, 1862 and mustered with the rest of the regiment on Sept. 10, 1862 at Camp McKean near Mount Pleasant, IA.
The distances they walked are astonishing. From Memphis to Chattanooga they walked about 400 miles. From Chattanooga to Atlanta they walked 387 miles, and during the campaign in North and South Carolina they marched 485 miles, according to official reports. Whitfield Kirkpatrick was one of the fortunate ones who survived the entire experience. He mustered out on June 6, 1865 in Washington, D.C. and was transported to Davenport, Iowa.
Whitfield and his wife Rachel moved from Henry County to Jefferson County, Iowa and had four more children after the war: Emma, who died at the age of four, Nancy Louisa, Celia Mary and a son, Francis Asbury.
In 1879 Whitfield applied for a pension based on his service and his widow, Rachel Jane collected a pension beginning in 1884, a year after his death at the age of 49. The cause of his death is not recorded, but the rigors of the three year campaign may have shortened his life. Rachel died in 1916 in California at the home of her daughter, Mary Celia Kirkpatrick Crumly, still receiving the widow's pension. Both James Whitfield and Rachel are buried in the McDowell Cemetery, Penn Township, Jefferson County, IA.
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Obituary not found at chroniclingamerica.loc.gov, genealogybank.com or newspaperarchive.com, May 3, 2018.
James Whitfield served with the Union Army during the Civil War. He enlisted at New London, Henry County, Iowa, and was mustered into service for a three year enlistment at Mount Pleasant, 14 August 1862. He served apparently in a regimental band until 16 June 1865. At the time of his enlistment in Company K, 25th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, he was described as having blue eyes, light hair, fair skin and stood 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He was a farmer. He was mustered out at Washington, D.C. in 1865 as a private. He received a pension for this service and the pension was continued to his widow.
James Whitfield left a will dated 2 June 1882. In it he named his wife Rachel as sole heir and as administratrix. The will was witnessed by John Quakenbush and Joseph Francis Kirkpatrick, James Whitfield's brother.
There were seven (7) children born of the marriage.
We have the will and probate records of James Whitfield Kirkpatrick and biographical sketch of him as done by Don Fry. Mr. Fry's account of Whitfield's Civil War Service is lengthy so this will be a shortened version.
Whitfield joined Company K of the Twenty-fifth Iowa Infantry Regiment, commanded by Col George A. Stone. Whitfield enlisted August 14, 1862 and mustered with the rest of the regiment on Sept. 10, 1862 at Camp McKean near Mount Pleasant, IA.
The distances they walked are astonishing. From Memphis to Chattanooga they walked about 400 miles. From Chattanooga to Atlanta they walked 387 miles, and during the campaign in North and South Carolina they marched 485 miles, according to official reports. Whitfield Kirkpatrick was one of the fortunate ones who survived the entire experience. He mustered out on June 6, 1865 in Washington, D.C. and was transported to Davenport, Iowa.
Whitfield and his wife Rachel moved from Henry County to Jefferson County, Iowa and had four more children after the war: Emma, who died at the age of four, Nancy Louisa, Celia Mary and a son, Francis Asbury.
In 1879 Whitfield applied for a pension based on his service and his widow, Rachel Jane collected a pension beginning in 1884, a year after his death at the age of 49. The cause of his death is not recorded, but the rigors of the three year campaign may have shortened his life. Rachel died in 1916 in California at the home of her daughter, Mary Celia Kirkpatrick Crumly, still receiving the widow's pension. Both James Whitfield and Rachel are buried in the McDowell Cemetery, Penn Township, Jefferson County, IA.
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Obituary not found at chroniclingamerica.loc.gov, genealogybank.com or newspaperarchive.com, May 3, 2018.
Events
| Birth | 30 Jul 1833 | Morgan Co., Illinois |  | ||
| Marriage | 7 Sep 1854 | New London, Henry Co., Iowa - Rachel Jane Burge | | ||
| Death | 19 Apr 1883 | Black Hawk, Jefferson Co., Iowa | | ||
| Burial | McDowell Cemetery, Jefferson Co., Iowa | |
Families
| Spouse | Rachel Jane Burge (1838 - 1916) |
| Child | Irenious Roscoe "Ross" Kirkpatrick (1855 - 1920) |
| Child | Jacob Dean "Jake" Kirkpatrick (1856 - 1931) |
| Child | Thomas W. Kirkpatrick (1859 - 1865) |
| Child | Hobart Elmer Kirkpatrick Sr. (1861 - 1903) |
| Child | Emma Kirkpatrick (1868 - 1872) |
| Child | Nancy Louise "Lou" Kirkpatrick (1870 - 1938) |
| Child | Celia Mary "Mamie" Kirkpatrick (1872 - 1966) |
| Child | Francis "Frank" Asbury Kirkpatrick (1873 - 1921) |
| Father | Thomas Milligan Kirkpatrick (1813 - 1886) |
| Mother | Celia Ison New (1816 - 1901) |
| Sibling | Mary Elizabeth Kirkpatrick (1835 - 1905) |
| Sibling | Nancy Louisa Kirkpatrick (1837 - 1886) |
| Sibling | Chauncey Hobart Kirkpatrick (1839 - 1862) |
| Sibling | Harriet Emaline Kirkpatrick (1842 - 1927) |
| Sibling | Ann Mariah Kirkpatrick (1846 - 1846) |
| Sibling | John Henry Kirkpatrick (1846 - 1847) |
| Sibling | Thomas Asbury Morris Kirkpatrick (1848 - 1897) |
| Sibling | Celia Loucetta Kirkpatrick (1850 - 1932) |
| Sibling | Joseph Francis Kirkpatrick (1852 - 1917) |
| Sibling | Alena Pearl Kirkpatrick (1854 - 1886) |
| Sibling | William N. Kirkpatrick (1857 - 1862) |
Endnotes
1. Compiled by Lyllis W. Brown, Topeka, Kansas.
2. Melvin Kirkpatrick & David Hudson, A Kirkpatrick Genealogy - The Family of James Kirkpatrick of South Carolina (n.p: 2nd Edition; 1995, n.d), Page 96.
3. Family Tree Maker Marriage Records Selected U.S./International #403.
4. Melvin Kirkpatrick & David Hudson, A Kirkpatrick Genealogy - The Family of James Kirkpatrick of South Carolina (n.p: 2nd Edition; 1995, n.d), Page 96.
5. Research of Verda Baird.