Henry F. Hopkins - Civil War Soldier Buried in Farmer Cemetery

He died so young.

Henry Hopkins was just a boy when the census enumerator found him in Farmer Township in 1860.  Living with his parents, S. and Harriet, and siblings, Truman, 18; Mary, 16; and Herman, 11, Henry's age was given as 14.  Truman was born in New York, but all the other children were Ohio born.

Enlistment records showed that Henry enlisted into the 111th Ohio Infantry, Company F on August 18, 1862, and it was a three year enlistment.  He was approximately 17 at the time.

This is not Henry Hopkins.  This young soldier is unidentified.

His unit was organized at Camp Toledo and by September, they were marched to Louisville, Kentucky.  They chased Bragg around Kentucky, but at some point, Henry became ill.  So ill, that he was transported back across the Ohio River to the military hospital set up at New Albany, Indiana.  New Albany was a strategic spot for the Union, with hospitals set up and supply depots.  The fairground there was turned into Camp Noble for training troops.

The records indicated that Henry died in the hospital on December 15, 1862, of pneumonia at the age of 17 years, 3 months and 2 days.  His body was taken back to his home and he was buried in Farmer Cemetery.

In the late summer of 1902, Company F held a reunion and Henry was remembered among his fellow soldiers.  

Defiance Democrat - September 4, 1902