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.