Franklin Duck - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Franklin Duck and his wife, Elizabeth, were nicely settled in Defiance Township when the census enumerator visited in 1860.  Married on the day after Christmas in 1859 to Elizabeth Cannon, Franklin Duck was ready to begin his life farming.

However, on July 26, 1862, he enlisted, along with many other Defiance men, into the 100th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company D.  He left two young sons at home with his wife - George, born in December, 1860, and William born in January, 1862.  It must have been a difficult decision, but later his name came up to be drafted in 1863, but he was already in service.


The 100th fought all through the south and was present at the storming of Atlanta.  Franklin Duck was captured at Utoy Creek, Georgia on August 6, 1864, according to Civil War records, and taken to Andersonville Prisoner of War Camp in Georgia.  The Andersonville records indicated that he escaped on September 12, 1864.  It was in August, 1864, that Andersonville reached its peak population of 33,000 men in a space meant for 1/3 of that.  So, the Confederates were busy transferring men to different prison camps to ease the load on Andersonville.  It may be that Franklin escaped during a transfer or during a work detail outside of the camp, but apparently he was captured again.  First, his name did not appear among the just 32 Union men who successfully escaped from Andersonville, and secondly, the Andersonville records noted that he was there until the close of the war.  He mustered out with his company on June 20, 1865 in Greensboro, North Carolina





















It appeared that Franklin and family moved to Cedar Creek, Allen County, Indiana, and were there for the 1870 census.  Franklin Duche, farmer, and wife, Lisey, 22, and children George, 9; William, 8; Benjamin, 2; Mary, 9 months were enumerated there.  Marion Duche,19, was hired as a farm laborer.

The younger children of Franklin and Elizabeth did not survive, and so by 1880, just the two older sons lived with their parents back in Defiance on Warren Road.  Franklin had a job as a laborer and William worked in the wheel factory.  The older son, George, had ague (malaria) at the time of the census-taking and had had it or was recovering for four months.

In 1890, Elizabeth died at the age of 53.  Her funeral notice appeared in the Defiance Daily Crescent on July 14, 1890:

At some point after that, Franklin went to live with his son, George, a hotel keeper in Harvey City, Cook County, Illinois.  George was married with several children by then.  Franklin was there for the census in the summer of 1900, but on October 6, 1900, he was admitted to the Soldiers' Home in Sandusky, Ohio.

His admission papers were available on FamilySearch.org and indicated that he received a $12/ month pension and had a general disability.  He was born in Tuscarawas County on September 26, 1837, and had two living children: George and William.  He died in Sandusky on April 28, 1904, of "cerebral softening" (brain hemorrhage) and was brought back to Defiance for burial.

Defiance Crescent-News, April 28, 1904

The location of his burial could not be found.

(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!)