William H. Lenhart - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

William H. Lenhart spent his growing up years in Baltimore, Maryland, with his parents, Henry and Catharine, both natives of Germany.  His father (Henry Linehart) was listed as a wheelwright in the 1850 census.

By the 1870 census, the family had moved to Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware.  It was in Delaware that William enlisted for service in the military in 1862.  On October 13, 1862, he joined Company A, 5th Delaware Infantry, and served until August 10, 1863 when the unit mustered out.  Their duty in this unit was largely serving as guards for Fort Delaware, where Confederate prisoners were kept until their exchange and Union soldiers stayed when convicted on a court martial, and for securing the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad line.  

 

Delaware was really a border state during the war in that they allowed slavery, but they remained loyal to the Union.  A vote to secede in January, 1861, failed.  No Confederate military units were assembled in Delaware, yet some of her men fought for the Confederacy, while others remained Union supporters.  This was a state that never supported Lincoln in either of his elections.

Unidentified soldiers from the 1st Delaware Cavalry - photo U.S. Army Military History Institute

 

After a brief respite, William Lenhart once again enlisted, this time in Company C of the 1st Delaware Cavalry and later in Company F. He enlisted on February 26, 1864, and was discharged on June 30, 1865 when the unit mustered out.  He went in as a private and came out as a sergeant.

 He married Lydia Holton in Delaware in 1870.  The marriage contract was signed by Lydia's father, George, and by William Lenhart.  It seemed to be a surety that the marriage would take place with $200 on the line if it did not.

 By 1880, William and Lydia (Grace) had made their way to Defiance where they were settled at 515 Clinton Street, perhaps in a duplex.  William was 39 and working as a machinist.  His wife was called Grace and they had a son, William, 3, who would die in childhood.

William reported his military information for the 1890 census and in 1900, he and Lydia Grace lived on Holgate Avenue in number 425.  With them, were two daughters, Reba, 19, a milliner, and Mary, 15, in school.

In 1910, William was 68 and living at 309 Wayne Street, renting a home with his family.  He still worked as a constructor in a machine shop.  Reba was single and not working at 29, while Mary Lenhart was 24, single, and employed as a teacher in the public school.  The family had a roomer, Frank Stetter, 42, who owned a restaurant.  Lydia had had four children, but just these two daughters survived.

William lived until January, 1913, when he passed away at the age of 70.  He is buried in Riverside Cemetery.  His obituary appeared in the Defiance Daily Crescent News on January 14, 1913:

By May, 1913, the government had approved a $12 a month widow's pension for Lydia, who was then living at 633 Holgate Avenue.  She lived on until 1919.  The Crescent-News reported her death on August 9, 1919:

"Mrs. Lydia Lenhart passed away Sunday evening at her home on Holgate Avenue after a serious illness of several months  She is survived by a sister residing at Philadelphia and two daughters, Reba and Mary, both of this city.  The funeral service will be held Wednesday afternoon from the house at 2:30 P.M.  Rev. W. H. Shepter officiating."
 
(This is part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city.  Formed in 1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop, Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of wounds received in battle.  The veterans' photos are part of a composite photo of members that has survived.  If you have other information or corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the comments!)