Did any of the Bedford Co Rice's Serve in the Civil War?

Nicholas Cornelius Rice, born in Bedford County, PA on November 11, 1836, is my great-great paternal grandfather. Here is how we are related:

Nicholas Cornelius Rice (1836 - 1918)

is your 2nd great grandfather

 

Simon Cornelius Rice (1868 - 1956)

Son of Nicholas Cornelius

 

Jacob Glenn Rice (1898 - 1981)

Son of Simon Cornelius

 

Thomas C Rice (1929 - 1983)

Son of Jacob Glenn

 

James Michael Rice

You are the son of Thomas C

 

 Nicholas Cornelius served as a Private in the Union Army's 78th Pa Volunteers Company K. The 78th Pennsylvania Infantry was organized at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and mustered in for a three year enlistment on October 12, 1861 under the command of Colonel William Sirwell. Cornelius Rice (who often did not use 'Nicholas'), mustered into the Regiment on February 28, 1865, and completed his service on September 11, 1865. See http://www.pa-roots.com/pacw/infantry/78th/78thcoknew.html. Cornelius served in Nashville, TN, where the 78th was assigned to Garrison duty. From Regimental records, it appears that Cornelius's Company K was a replacement unit when 'old veterans' completed their 3 year enlistment in October 1864.

For a complete record of the 78th Volunteers service, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/78th_Pennsylvania_Infantry. Interestingly, there are several books about veterans of the 78th Volunteer;, one is titled The Life and Times of Kimber M. Snyder: A Soldier in the 78th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.  Could Kimber Snyder be related to my Aunt Leona Snyder Rice (married to Archie Rice, my father's older brother)? We shall see.

Now, why did Cornelius not serve until so late in the Civil War? My guess is as follows - and this is the most interesting part of the Rice Civil War story:

Cornelius had 3 older brothers - 1 died before the Civil War, and 2 served starting in 1861. He had 3 younger brothers - 2 served starting in 1861 (I will try to highlight all of the brothers in a later blog report, an amazing story!), and one was only 14 at the start of the Civil War. Think about this - Cornelius's father, Jacob, was a farmer, and ALL his sons 'of age' left to serve in the Civil War! Somebody had to stay behind and help Jacob at the farm at the beginning of the Civil War. I believe it was Cornelius, until 1864, when he was either drafted (into a replacement company) or finally enlisted.

Also, Cornelius married Jane Layton on May 9, 1864 - before he served in the Civil War. Did their marriage plans affect his military service?

Can you imagine how Jacob and Elizabeth, Cornelius's parents, felt with FIVE sons serving in the Union Army? Just amazing.

What Does the 'C' Stand For in Thomas C Rice?

My father's name is Thomas C. Rice (1929-1983). Our family has always wondered, 'What does the 'C' stand for? Why didn't my father's birth certificate have a full name? Here is an educated guess, with the facts first:

Tom's grandfather's name was Simon C. Rice (1868-1956). I've attached a photo of his gravestone, which is at Stevens Chapel in Mattie, PA (Bedford County, PA). Hmmm,  what does the 'C' stand for?

Tom's great-grandfather's name is Nicholas C. Rice (1836-1918). Hmmm, what does the 'C' stand for? Did Pap name my Dad after Pap's father or grandfather?

Well, looking at the census and other records, Nicholas used his middle name all his life and dropped 'Nicholas' . And his middle name was...Cornelius (see his Civil War Registration, Number 7 on the document, as an example). And Nicholas gave his son the name Simon Cornelius Rice!

So, did Pap and Gram name their son Thomas Cornelius Rice? My educated guess is 'yes'. But why make it only 'C' on his birth certificate? And why did my father never provide any indication that he had the family name 'Cornelius'?

My guess - Gram didn't like the name Cornelius! I cannot yet find that name anywhere in the Pennell family history. I'm guessing Gram reluctantly said 'ok' to Pap, but I'm sure she was in charge of filling out the birth certificate. And I'm willing to strongly suggest that Pap knew Gram didn't like it, and this strong willed couple agreed not to make a big deal of it, and that was the end of 'Cornelius'.

One other note - perhaps Tom found out at some point that C stood for Cornelius, and really didn't like it. So, he too went with the 'C'.

Any other thoughts?

Welcome Rice and Pennell Family!

Welcome Rice and Pennell Family! The purpose of this blog is to post and collect historical stories about the Rice Families and Pennell Families originating in Bedford County, PA. I am James M. Rice, son of Thomas C. Rice, son of Jacob Glen ('Pap') Rice. And on from there. Because Pap married Ina Mae ('Gram') Pennell, Gram's ancestors will also be featured prominently in this blog. I hope stories will come from my own research, and more importantly, your contributions. I also hope that we can use this to collaborate regarding the Rice and Pennell Family history!

Enjoy and contribute!