Henry Enlists!

My grandmother, Eleanor, had shared that her father served in the military.  Fortunately, she had saved his military papers and had given them to my mother.  My mother shared them with me when I first became interested in family history due to a school project in middle school.  

Back then as a new researcher, and probably just a name and date collector, I was really only drawn to two pieces of information – Henry was 21 years old and born in Shelby, Ohio.  

This gave me a time range and location to search for Henry in census records. This was the early 1980s, digital records were non-existent.  I would have to beg my mom to drive me to the historical society so I could peruse reels of microfilm to learn more.

Looking at the papers today with more research experience, I see much more interesting detail than just a date and place:

• Henry J McGraw enlisted 12 October 1898 as a private with the 8^th Regiment Cavalry Troop E for 3 years.  I assume he enlisted in Cleveland, Ohio but I don’t know for certain.
• At the time of enlistment, Henry was 21 year 3 months of age, a railroader, born in Shelby, Ohio.  He was 5’7” inches, had ruddy complexion, dark brown hair and eyes.  This gives me a description of what Henry looked like – remember I have no pictures.
• Henry was discharged 16 May 1899 at New York, New York; however, Camp Carpenter Cuba was crossed out.  Did Henry actually go to Cuba?  Henry was paid in full $78 at the time of discharge.
• His discharge papers indicated he was of good character, single, had no previous military experience, served in the Spanish American War in Cuba, received no wounds during his service, and was of good physical condition at time of discharge.  His service was honest and faithful.

Why did Henry enlist?  Did he enlist with friends or family members?  Did he actually sail and serve in Cuba?  My grandmother spoke of his service – there was never any mention of him going to Cuba.

The Spanish American War was a short war.  The US declared war with Spain in April 1898 after the US Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor in February that year.  President McKinley asked for volunteers.  Fighting took place that summer in Cuba and the island surrendered in July.  Peace was signed in Paris in December 1898.

Henry enlisted in October 1898 with the 8^th Cavalry Troop E – this was after Cuba had surrendered.  According to Wikipedia details, the 8^th Cavalry Headquarters and 6 troops went by train to Camp AG Forse in Alabama and sailed for Cuba from Savannah.  They were went to protect American citizens and property in Cuba.  If Henry did go to Cuba, he probably arrived just before peace was signed.

As a young researcher, I was anxious to look for census records for Henry both before and after the War.  I knew he returned to Ohio but perhaps they could shed some light on his parentage.  At the time, I was unaware of the details military records could hold.

Henry's Story

Henry Joseph McGraw was my great-grandfather.  Sadly, I have no pictures of him...just shared family stories.  

He was born about 1880 presumably in Ohio of Irish descent.  He was a railroad man with ties to Cleveland.  He worked the Cleveland to Cincinnati (3C) line which had a stop in Delaware.

In Delaware, he met my great-grandmother, Mary Rowan.  They married there and had 2 children, George and Eleanor, my grandmother. 

Railroad work brought the family to Columbus, Ohio.  They first lived in Flytown, later East Columbus, and then Clintonville.

Before dementia robbed my grandmother of her memories, she shared stories of her parents, Papa and DeeDee:

• Henry had been in the military
• Henry had a brother/relative named George in Cleveland (my grandmother as a teenager would visit and stay with his daughters)
• Henry was injured on the job
• Mary died young from routine surgery leaving a void in the family
• Henry, later in life, would wander the streets of the Short North, and had to be committed

As a child who had not yet been infected with the genealogy bug, the most intriguing story was something her father told her and she also passed on...he thought he was not the son of his parents but the son of an older sister raised by her parents.

So began my decades long search of Henry's story.