Marfleets in the American Civil War (1861-1865).
There were three brothers, sons of George and Elizabeth Marfleet, both natives of England, who had emigrated to the United States in early life and who had married in New York where they lived until moving west in 1857, when they settled in Portland township, Whiteside county, Illinois.

Pearson Kirkman MARFLEET, [G.012A] born December, 1835, in Westfield, Chautauqua County, New York, U.S.A.
George T. MARFLEET, [G.012B] born 18th November, 1837, in Westfield, Chautauqua County, New York, U.S.A.
Philip T. MARFLEET, [G.012C] believed to be the youngest and born around 1839 in Westfield, Chautauqua County, New York, U.S.A.

Of these brothers,

Pearson (or Pierson) became a prominent lawyer of Prophetstown, Illinois.
George remained in New York with the rest of the family until he was sixteen years of age when he travelled overland to Portland township, Whiteside county, Illinois, where he engaged in farming for three years. Returning to the east he attended school for a year before returning to Whiteside county where he took up a teaching position at the school in Tampico township during the winter months and working on farms during the summer season. This situation continued for about five years.
On the 7th September, 1861, the day of its formation, he enlisted with Company 'B' of the 34th Illinois Infantry Regiment (Rock River Regiment), signing up for three years, but before his term expired he was discharged for disability at Louisville. George then lived until he was 88 years of age during which time he was variously a farmer, a teacher and a butcher before giving his attention to the ice business and the founding of the Rock Falls Ice Company. He died on the 20th May 1925 and is buried, with other members of his family, in the IOOF Cemetery at Rock Falls.

I am most grateful to the Office of the Secretary of State, Illinois State Archives for providing a photocopy of the Muster and Descriptive Roll of Company B Thirty Fourth Infantry Regiment of Illinois Volunteers which shows that Private George T Marfleet, 23 years of age and 5' 7" in height, had light hair, gray eyes and a dark complexion. He was single and a farmer, and born in New York State. He Joined for Service and Enrolled on (Saturday) the 7 Sept '61 at Camp Butler by H.W. Bristol for 3 years, and was Mustered Into Service on the 7 Sept '61 at Camp Butler by Capt. Pitcher. His Residence was Tampico, Whiteside, Illinois and he was "Disc for Dis" (discharged), date unknown, at Louisville, Kentucky, through "Deafness". (Other entries show discharges at Louisville on April 18 '62 and June 18 '62.)

George married Frances C. POST on Wednesday the 13th December 1865 and who was, at 19 years of age, nine years younger than George's 28 years. The couple had two children who were both born in Tampico, in 1867 and 1869.
Philip was a farmer of Prophetstown. He also enlisted in 1861 in the Union Army, and he died at Springfield,Illinois, in the winter of 1862.

P.T. MURPHLETT enlisted in Battery "F" 1st Illinois Light Artillery as a Private on the 17 October 1861 and enlisted in on 25 February 1862. There are two separate dates given for his death in Camp Butler, Springfield, IL., February 18, 1862 or, as listed in Ancestry.com - American Civil War Soldiers (by subscription), 25 February 1862. There was a smallpox epidemic in the camp at the time of his death. His Unit Numbers were 442 442.

[Any further information of any of these brothers, particularly Philip, would be most gratefully received. Thank you.]

Click here for more information on
Illinois in the Civil War.

Go to Contents Page

Last updated: 16th January 2007.
(Converted to XHTML 10/08/2005)

Click here for more information on Illinois in the Civil War.

Click here for more information on
Illinois in the Civil War.