Rinaldo Kimmel Appeared

An update -

Thanks to a descendant of Rinaldo Kimmel, a photograph of him now appears on the blog post that appears here:

http://defiancecountyohiogenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/rinaldo-kimmel-civil-war-soldier-buried.html

Eli E. Castor - Civil War Soldier Buried in Farmer Cemetery

Castor belonged to the Evans Post in Bryan, OH.

Born in Richland County, Ohio, Eli Castor lived in Farmer Township by 1860 with his parents, P. and Susanna and siblings, John and Martha.  Eli was 18 and a carpenter, but eventually the war called and he enlisted in Company G, 128th Regiment on December 8, 1863.  



The regiment was assigned to guard the Confederate soldiers who were imprisoned on Johnson's Island, Ohio.  In 1863 - 1864, there were about 3,000 prisoners held there.

It was during Eli's time that a plot was hatched by someone to free these prisoners, but the guards prevented that.

Read more about the sketch and the island here.

 Eli Castor was mustered out at the end of the war at Camp Chase, Ohio, on July 13, 1865, having served 1 year, 7 months, and 6 days.  His widow reported on the 1890 Veterans Census that he had no disabilities due to the war.

Eli and his wife, Catharine, settled in Farmer Township and together had ten children, of which eight survived. Their farm of 24 acres, as seen in the 1866 plat book, was in the far northeast corner of Farmer Township, in Section 1, just adjacent to Eli's father, Paul's, 140 acres. 

In 1880, Eli was 40 and Catharine, 38, and they were farming with children: Mabel, John, Susan, Jennie, Geo. R., Willie, 8, and Sadie E. 4.  They lived next door to Eli's parents, Paul and Susan Castor, and a granddaughter, Frances, 16.  One source noted that twin boys were born to the Castor family that year, as well.

Tragedy struck in the early fall of 1885, when Eli took on the threshing with a rented machine.  A horrific explosion occurred and he was killed, along with his helper, Wesley Hanna.

The tragedy was described in the Bryan Press on September 12, 1885:

DESTRUCTIVE EXPLOSION.

Two Men Killed and Several Wounded.

(unreadable) ...o'clock Monday morning a diesel engine exploded on the farm of B. F. Lord, in Farmer township, Defiance county, two and half miles southeast of Williams Center, instantly killing Eli Castor and Wesley Hanna and injuring slightly, by a cut on the back of the head, George Castor a son of Eli, aged about 16 years, and spraining B. F. Lord's arm.  Mr. Castor was proprietor of the machine and Mr. Hanna was employed by him as a helper.

A (Press?) representative arrived at the scene of the disaster in the afternoon during the progress of the inquest that was being held by W. H. Lane, J. P., of Farmer township, and from the testimony gleaned the following facts: 

The first witness called was F. M. HEMMINGWAY, the only member of the threshing crew left, excepting the Castor boy, to tell the story.  He testified that 'the thresher set as near the east door of the barn as it could be set.  The engine set west of the barn.  Eli Castor sat on the foot-board of the separator which was to the west toward the engine, when I started to the engine to start it.  Hanna stood at Castor's right hand, on the north side of the separator.  The tank stood on the north side of the engine.  I went around on the north side of the tank, and had just got to the tank when the explosion occurred. 

The engine (and boiler combined) rose from the ground, flying in a northeast direction, striking one of the upper beams of the barn on the north side of the floor, turned southeast and down to the floor and lying northwest and southeast.  Castor was found under the heater of the engine on the floor, took hold of him and drew him out; he was then dead.

Hanna was found lying east of the barn about 25 feet from where he stood at the time of the explosion.  He gasped twice after I saw him.  He lived about five minutes after the explosion.

CONDITION OF THE ENGINE.

I was at the engine five minutes before the explosion.  When at the engine the last time, the gauge showed 55 pounds of steam.  The __ water gauge indicated two and a half inches of water in the glass.  The engine had two water gauges; we only used the lower one.  I did not test the gauge the last time I was at the engine.  I looked at it, simply looked at the glass.  With two and a half inches in the glass, the flues would be covered.  The crown sheets of the boiler over the firebox gave way, making a rent about two and a half feet long; fourteen rods were pulled out.  I attribute the explosion to the weakness of the boiler.  Had threshed 100 bushels this morning, were about to start for the fourth run when explosion took place.  I tried the lower water cock this morning and found it all right; the pump was working all right.  The escape valve was all right so far as I know; it did not blow off this morning but I have heard it blow off while working with the machine this season.'

RINALDO KIMBLE, the second witness stated: 'Was standing about seven feet south of the west end of the machine.  Mr. Castor was leaning against the foot board, standing on the floor.  The first thing I heard was a noise which indicated the escaping of steam and hot water.  I was about to speak to someone and ask what was wrong when the explosion took place.'

ALEXANDER RASELEY, of Bryan, testified that low water was the cause of the explosion.  After explaining the theory of the explosion, and the formation of gas in the boiler, he said, ' I have examined this boiler; it was an old one, but it should be good for 120 pounds of steam prest to the square inch.  Steam pressure may be generated sufficient to burst a boiler, but there is a great difference between the bursting of a boiler and an explosion.  This has been an explosion.  I notice that the pipe to the lower end of the glass water indicator is closed with a hard sediment, so that no water could pass out of the gauge.'

Other witnesses were examined as to the condition of the boiler, which developed the fact that the boiler was a ten horse power and had been in use about ten years; that it had been repaired, that it leaked around the boiler heads, and was otherwise defective.  It was the property of Barrows & Lloyd of Farmer Center, and was rented to Castor for a share in the season's work.

CONDITION OF THE BODIES.
Dr. B. F. Miller, of Farmer Center, testified: 'I examined the body of Wesley Hanna and found an injury of the head, the lower part of the abdomen and the left leg.  I found a lacerated wound of the abdomen and back extending from left side of spine forward from the middle line of the body with the internal organs protruding.  There was a fracture of the left leg midway between the knee and ankle.  On the head were lacerated wounds, both on the left side, top and right side, also a penetrating wound through the left ear; also left hip and bones of pelvis were broken, either of which were enough to produce death.'

Dr. A. H. Seger testified: 'Found Eli Castor dead.  Found a combinated fracture of the left thigh and leg, also a fracture of the left hip, a lacerated wound near the extremity of the spine, also a fracture of the bones of the chest, in connection with which were injuries which resulted in immediate death.'

THE VERDICT.
State of Ohio. Farmer Township, Defiance County, Ohio 
We, the undersigned jurors, impanelled and sworn on the 16th day of September, 1885...
Jurors: L. E Conkey - Wilson Nichols - Randal Lord - M. Struble - 
Reason Scott _ James Crary"

The panel decided that the men died because of the explosion of a steam thresher engine boiler and that the explosion was caused by low water. 

An additional report was found in the Defiance Democrat of September 17, 1885:

The obituaries for Wesley Hanna and Eli Castor appeared in the same unidentified Bryan, Ohio newspaper:

"Eli E. Castor was born in Richland county, this State, December 12, 1840, and while a boy, moved to Defiance county with his parents, and in 1861, married Catharine Zigler.  To them were born nine children, five sons and four daughters, one of the latter being married.  
His death leaves his family in strengthened circumstances, and to add to their unfortunate condition, the eldest son is an imbecile and is lying at the point of death.  
Mr. Castor was a soldier in the war, serving in the Company G of the 128th Regiment, O. V. I.  He was a member of the Evans Post, No. 149, G. A. R., and was buried by the Comrades of the Post in accordance with the impressive ceremony of the order, and was followed to his grave by nearly every family in the vicinity of his home and of Farmer and Williams Center."    

The Defiance Democrat also had a short obituary for Eli in its September 24, 1885 edition: 

 
      

Catharine carried on raising their eight living children, while her name appeared occasionally in the newspapers as receiving some benefits through the Soldiers' Relief Commission, as administered through the county.  The sums ranged from $5 a month to $30 a month.  That, and her widow's pension, and whatever could be raised from the farm must have been her income.  

In 1900, the census taker found Catherine, 58, and daughter Mabel, 38, and sons Archie E. and Arthur E. (the twins), both 18 in Farmer.  All the children were named as farm laborers.  By 1920, Catharine, 77, and Mable, 57, were alone.

Catharine lived just one more year, passing away in 1921, and Mable in 1936.

Rinaldo Kimmel - Civil War Soldier Buried in Farmer Cemetery

Member of the Farmer G.A.R.

Born in Williams County, Ohio, on January 22, 1840, Rinaldo Kimmel experienced more than many men during his war years.  At the age of 21, he enlisted near the beginning of the war on September 19, 1861 into Company E, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

He was captured at Chickamauga and spent about a year and a half in three different Confederate prisons.  Seven months of that were spent in the worst of the prisons - Andersonville.  Once freed, he found himself on the ill-fated boat, the Sultana, where he saved himself from an almost certain death after it exploded.

In the Defiance Crescent-News of November 2, 1961, an interview was conducted with Mrs. Minnie Fickle Kimmel, then 89, who was then living in half of the Kimmel homestead.  The home that once belonged to her father- in-law, Rinaldo Kimmel, was located "on the road a mile east of Mason beach - gravel pit, northwest of Ney and northeast of Farmer."  Minnie was married to Granger Kimmel, Rinaldo's son, on September 25, 1898.  Minnie had saved in a scrapbook a letter of Rinaldo's, describing his war experiences: 

At the end of the war, the South delivered some of the Union prisoners home via the ship, Sultana.  When the ship exploded, Rinaldo escaped on a raft - basically a stick of wood - and floated down river "where he was rescued by sympathizers who found him nearly chilled to death," Minnie explained.  

Rinaldo Kimmel

In the book, the Loss of the Sultana & Reminiscences of Survivors, Chester Berry, Editor, 2005, this account of Rinaldo's experience was given on page 199:

"Rinaldon Kimmell.  Was born in Williams Center, Ohio, January 22, 1840 and enlisted in the service of the United States at Farmer, Ohio, Septembe 11, 1861, in Company E, 21st Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry.  Was captured at the Battle of Chickamauga, September 20, 1863, and confined in the following prisons: Pemberton building, Richmond, Va; Dansville, Va.; Andersonville, Ga., a prisoner for eighteen months and eleven days.

He was on board the 'Sultana' when the boiler exploded, and asleep at the time.  On awakening, called to his partner Dunafin, who was sleeping with him, but received no reply.  Could not swim, and the alternative of burning to death or drowning presented itself.  He chose the latter.  Securing a small board before leaving the boat, he threw it in and jumped after it, managing to get hold of it when it came to the surface; it helped him through.  He was among the first to leave the boat.  Floated down to Memphis, just at daybreak, and was taken from the water nearly lifeless.  Was not in his right mind for several hours.  Left Memphis April 29th.  Dunafin was never heard from."

"This all happened before Granger's birth in 1870.  He was two years old when his parents, Rinaldo and Olive Lord Kimmel, sister of William Lord, purchased the present Kimmel farm."

After the war, Rinaldo filed a claim for money taken from him when he was a prisoner of the Confederates.  He asked for $150 and his claim was approved.
On May 6, 1865, at the end of the war, he mustered out, having served 3 years, 7 months and 18 days.

Rinaldo and Olive settled in Farmer Township after the war and were found there by the census enumerator in 1870.  They had two sons, Granger, 9, and Wilber, 7.  Rinaldo began his farming and by 1878, it was reported that he was building a new house on his land.  

Newspapers reported rather frequently of his illnesses and in 1882, he had an accident that some thought would be fatal.

Defiance Express, July 13, 1882

As it turned out, Rinaldo suffered a broken collar bone, but did survive. However, in 1884, it was reported he suffered from neuralgia of the heart.  It seemed that the physical hardships suffered during his war years continued to plague him throughout his life.

By 1890, the county atlas reported that he owned 140 acres in Section 12 of Farmer Township, but his health declined once again.  In April of that year, a newspaper reported that he was very sick "with little hope for recovery."         

The Bryan Press reported on November 20, 1890:

"Rinaldo Kimmel, an old soldier of the 21st O.V.I., living in Farmer township, was in Andersonville prison 17 months and was on the ill-fated Sultana when she was blown up.  He is one of the greatest sufferers from pain we have ever met.  These pains have been coming on his gradually for many years until at the present time, it seems almost impossible for him to get his breath when he is thus attacked.  Oh! that the men who are responsible for the treatment these men received while in prison could be made to share this comrade's suffering.  It is true, he gets a pension of $24 a month, but this is not enough to even pay his doctor bill, and we understand that a special effort will be made at the next term of congress by the G.A.R. boys, through Hon. M.M. Boothman, to have his pension increased to $72 dollars a month."


Rinaldo died on March 25, 1891, at 51 years old.

Difficult to read.