John was the son of Harrison & Mary Miller Waite of Martinsburgh, Va.(then).. He was born about 1821. On May 19, 1845 he married Isabella McDonald also of Martinsburg. They had 3 children:Mary M.,Robert W.,and Louisa (Lulu). The family lived in Darkeville, Va.
John ran a school, did a little farming and was a constable,all to make ends meet. He named the farm which was purchased by Isabella's father, Pine Grove after his childhood home.
In 1855 John was living and working as a clerk in Circleville Ohio. He appears to have left his family. John enlisted in the 13th Ohio Rgmt. volunteer infantry in May of 1861 for a period of 3yrs. However, he was discharged in Alabama June 21, 1862 at the due to increasingly poor health. His discharge states that he was 5ft.5 inches tall with brown hair and eyes. After an unsuccessful attempt to re-enlist, John made his way back to Circleville where he died.
John and his sister Ann Waite Sommerville were frequent correspondents. There are letters between Ann and John that demonstrates how close they were. John's brother-in-law, Robert Sommerville wrote to the postmaster of Circleville attempting to locate his brother-in-law, only to discover that he was barely alive. His condition was so deteriorated, the postmaster brought in the local physician, who stated that John would be dead in a matter of days from a severe lung and liver ailment. That letter was followed shortly thereafter by another verifying the fact that John had died. It included his discharge papers. John's friends saw to it that he had a funeral with military honors and his casket was carried through the town to the soldier's plot at Forest cemetery. John was destitute when he died. He had 60 cents and his army discharge certificate.
The name on his tombstone was based on his name on the discharge. The handwritten discharge appeared to say John McWaite. For that reason John is buried under the name McWaite. No family ever got to the Ohio gravesite and never knew John's name had been misspelled.
John's sister Mary Ann had a son in the Union Army. Upon receiving a letter from his mother about the death of his uncle, her son Waite wrote back expressing his sorrow at her loss.
John ran a school, did a little farming and was a constable,all to make ends meet. He named the farm which was purchased by Isabella's father, Pine Grove after his childhood home.
In 1855 John was living and working as a clerk in Circleville Ohio. He appears to have left his family. John enlisted in the 13th Ohio Rgmt. volunteer infantry in May of 1861 for a period of 3yrs. However, he was discharged in Alabama June 21, 1862 at the due to increasingly poor health. His discharge states that he was 5ft.5 inches tall with brown hair and eyes. After an unsuccessful attempt to re-enlist, John made his way back to Circleville where he died.
John and his sister Ann Waite Sommerville were frequent correspondents. There are letters between Ann and John that demonstrates how close they were. John's brother-in-law, Robert Sommerville wrote to the postmaster of Circleville attempting to locate his brother-in-law, only to discover that he was barely alive. His condition was so deteriorated, the postmaster brought in the local physician, who stated that John would be dead in a matter of days from a severe lung and liver ailment. That letter was followed shortly thereafter by another verifying the fact that John had died. It included his discharge papers. John's friends saw to it that he had a funeral with military honors and his casket was carried through the town to the soldier's plot at Forest cemetery. John was destitute when he died. He had 60 cents and his army discharge certificate.
The name on his tombstone was based on his name on the discharge. The handwritten discharge appeared to say John McWaite. For that reason John is buried under the name McWaite. No family ever got to the Ohio gravesite and never knew John's name had been misspelled.
John's sister Mary Ann had a son in the Union Army. Upon receiving a letter from his mother about the death of his uncle, her son Waite wrote back expressing his sorrow at her loss.
John was the son of Harrison & Mary Miller Waite of Martinsburgh, Va.(then).. He was born about 1821. On May 19, 1845 he married Isabella McDonald also of Martinsburg. They had 3 children:Mary M.,Robert W.,and Louisa (Lulu). The family lived in Darkeville, Va.
John ran a school, did a little farming and was a constable,all to make ends meet. He named the farm which was purchased by Isabella's father, Pine Grove after his childhood home.
In 1855 John was living and working as a clerk in Circleville Ohio. He appears to have left his family. John enlisted in the 13th Ohio Rgmt. volunteer infantry in May of 1861 for a period of 3yrs. However, he was discharged in Alabama June 21, 1862 at the due to increasingly poor health. His discharge states that he was 5ft.5 inches tall with brown hair and eyes. After an unsuccessful attempt to re-enlist, John made his way back to Circleville where he died.
John and his sister Ann Waite Sommerville were frequent correspondents. There are letters between Ann and John that demonstrates how close they were. John's brother-in-law, Robert Sommerville wrote to the postmaster of Circleville attempting to locate his brother-in-law, only to discover that he was barely alive. His condition was so deteriorated, the postmaster brought in the local physician, who stated that John would be dead in a matter of days from a severe lung and liver ailment. That letter was followed shortly thereafter by another verifying the fact that John had died. It included his discharge papers. John's friends saw to it that he had a funeral with military honors and his casket was carried through the town to the soldier's plot at Forest cemetery. John was destitute when he died. He had 60 cents and his army discharge certificate.
The name on his tombstone was based on his name on the discharge. The handwritten discharge appeared to say John McWaite. For that reason John is buried under the name McWaite. No family ever got to the Ohio gravesite and never knew John's name had been misspelled.
John's sister Mary Ann had a son in the Union Army. Upon receiving a letter from his mother about the death of his uncle, her son Waite wrote back expressing his sorrow at her loss.
John ran a school, did a little farming and was a constable,all to make ends meet. He named the farm which was purchased by Isabella's father, Pine Grove after his childhood home.
In 1855 John was living and working as a clerk in Circleville Ohio. He appears to have left his family. John enlisted in the 13th Ohio Rgmt. volunteer infantry in May of 1861 for a period of 3yrs. However, he was discharged in Alabama June 21, 1862 at the due to increasingly poor health. His discharge states that he was 5ft.5 inches tall with brown hair and eyes. After an unsuccessful attempt to re-enlist, John made his way back to Circleville where he died.
John and his sister Ann Waite Sommerville were frequent correspondents. There are letters between Ann and John that demonstrates how close they were. John's brother-in-law, Robert Sommerville wrote to the postmaster of Circleville attempting to locate his brother-in-law, only to discover that he was barely alive. His condition was so deteriorated, the postmaster brought in the local physician, who stated that John would be dead in a matter of days from a severe lung and liver ailment. That letter was followed shortly thereafter by another verifying the fact that John had died. It included his discharge papers. John's friends saw to it that he had a funeral with military honors and his casket was carried through the town to the soldier's plot at Forest cemetery. John was destitute when he died. He had 60 cents and his army discharge certificate.
The name on his tombstone was based on his name on the discharge. The handwritten discharge appeared to say John McWaite. For that reason John is buried under the name McWaite. No family ever got to the Ohio gravesite and never knew John's name had been misspelled.
John's sister Mary Ann had a son in the Union Army. Upon receiving a letter from his mother about the death of his uncle, her son Waite wrote back expressing his sorrow at her loss.
Inscription
Due to a clerical error made in 1863 John's army discharge misspells his name. The stone wasn't
placed until the 1890's.
No one knew his name was not McWaite
Gravesite Details
died away from home in Virginia;given a military funeral by his friends;buried in a soldier's plot
Family Members
Siblings
Half Siblings
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