Continued from Part 2, published May 13, 2021.
Meanwhile, from 1865 until his death in 1913, Sarah’s father, William E. Geer, made a life for himself in Wisconsin. On April 26, 1868, he married Julia Trumbull, the foster daughter of Maiden Rock’s founder and leading citizen, John D. Trumbull, and his wife, Betsy Lyon Trumbull. Julia was 18 years old at the time of her marriage to William, who was 38. They had no children.
If William ever considered returning to Virginia, he must have pushed the idea further and further back in his mind as the years passed. Did he receive an occasional letter from his mother with word about Sarah? Was he plagued by feelings of guilt for not returning to see them? Did Sarah feel abandoned by him? Did the pain of his mother’s letter telling him not to come home continue to trouble him? He left no record to answer these questions.
Evidence from the Maiden Rock Press indicates that William’s life in this tiny village on a bluff above Lake Pepin was busy and full. For a time, he apparently operated a restaurant and saloon. When he sold his business, the Pierce County (Wisconsin) Herald ran this notice on the March 29, 1877:
Religion, since the decision of the Commission, seems to occupy a permanent place in the thoughts of the sedate people of the “Rock.” Mr. Wm. Geer, who has been keeping a restaurant and saloon in the village, experienced a change of heart and immediately sold out. Ed Eldridge will fill the vacancy.1
Some time later, William began delivering mail. His mail runs took him from Maiden Rock to six other towns in the area around Lake Pepin. After William had carried the mail for ten years, he calculated his total miles traveled. He gave these figures to the Maiden Rock Press:
The following is the distance traveled by our mail carrier, Mr. W. E. Geer, in a period of ten years: From Maiden Rock to River Falls, in three years, 9,984 miles; from Red Wing to Reed’s Landing, in three years, 12,480 miles; from Maiden rock to Rock Elm in one year, 1,664 miles; from Maiden Rock to Lake City in three years, 7,488 miles; from Maiden Rock to Frontenac, 730 miles; from Maiden Rock to Ellsworth in three years and three months, 7,006 miles; from Maiden Rock to Hersey in three years and four months, 18,712 miles; making a total of 65,542 miles travel in ten years. 2
The Press also reported that William was instrumental in chartering a post of the Grand Army of the Republic. He had found camaraderie with a group of war veterans in Maiden Rock, and together they organized Grand Army of the Republic Post 158. William enjoyed planning Memorial Day programs at the Maiden Rock Cemetery. Eventually, because of his active participation, his loyalty, and his story of sacrifice for the Union, the post was named for him. To this day, it retains the name, “W. E. Geer American Legion Post 158.”
Highlights in the lives of the village’s citizens inevitably ended up in the Maiden Rock Press. In December of 1905, a momentous occasion for William received the headline, “An Old Soldier’s Romance”:
W. E. Geer received what was probably as greatly appreciated a Christmas
remembrance as was received by any one in town. It was a box from his daughter, who lives near Saltville, Va., and contained numerous pictures of his daughter and her son, their home and a bird’s-eye of the salt works; also of the village in the “Gap.” In the last picture he can easily locate the homes of his daughter and of his sister; also the old stone spring-house where he drank many a refreshing draught of cool water in his early days.
Among other presents was a cake, a portion of which Mr. Geer divided among his
friends. Ye editor received a liberal portion, and we can testify that it was fine. The reception of the box brought up a flood of remembrances of former days.
Mr. Geer has not seen his daughter since he left her, a motherless child, 1½ years
old, in the care of his mother, when he was compelled to leave home in 1862, because of his strong northern ideas. He was first taken as a conscript, in the year above mentioned, and was compelled to join Co. G, 48th Virginia regiment. But, on July 3, 1863, at the battle of Gettysburg, he and his brother Tom, escaped and made their way to the Union lines. The brothers became separated that day and have never met since.
Mr. Geer fell in with a company of Union soldiers, and later enlisted in Co. G, 1st
Connecticut cavalry, as a teamster. Later he was promoted to wagon master—a position
he held till the close of the war.
When Grant took command, Co. G (made up largely of southern men) was ordered to Ft. Snelling to fill a vacancy. After being mustered out of the service, Mr. Geer received word from his mother that it would be unsafe for him to return to the home of his boyhood; so he remained in the north. After spending a few years around St. Paul, Prescott, and other places, he came to Maiden Rock, where he has since made his home. He has often thought of visiting the old home, but his health will not permit the journey.
Thus, at this season of good cheer, was he remembered by the daughter he has not seen for 43 years; and to say that he was pleased is but a mild expression of what he felt when he opened his Christmas box.3
This “Christmas box” initiated a correspondence between Sarah and her stepmother, Julia Geer, a correspondence that lasted until Sarah’s death in 1928. In her letters, Julia addressed Sarah as “Dear Daughter” embracing her as the daughter she never had, and Julia even specified in her will that Sarah should receive all her earthly belongings.4 Unfortunately, Julia never revised her will after Sarah’s death. Therefore, none of Julia’s estate, worth about $400.00, could be passed on to Sarah’s son Martie because he was not related to Julia by blood. Instead, Julia’s estate reverted to the state of Wisconsin.5
1 According to Lelynn Trumbull, a nephew of Julia Geer, “The ‘decision of the Commission’ . . . probably was a pre-Prohibition restriction of the sale of alcohol.” Lelynn Trumbull. Personal note attached to newspaper article sent to Lois Troutman, 8 Feb. 1991.
2 Maiden Rock Press. N. dat. N. pag.
3 “An Old Soldier’s Romance,” Maiden Rock Press, February 1905, n. pag. After searching Civil War records, I have found that parts of this story are not true: (1) Wm. E. Geer volunteered in 1861; he was not taken as a conscript in 1862, although he was forced to return to service after he left without leave in 1862. (2) William and his brother did not “[escape and make] their way to Union lines” during the Battle of Gettysburg. Records show that William was actually captured on July 5, 1863, during a dramatic retreat from Gettysburg and imprisoned at Fort Delaware. He signed the oath of allegiance on Oct. 1, 1863, and joined the Union army then. Thomas continued his Confederate service until the end of the war, in spite of being captured on May 12, 1864, at Spotsylvania and imprisoned at Point Lookout, Md., and Elmira, N. Y. (Chapla, p. 124).
4 A copy of the will is in the possession of the author. The original is in a Will Book at the Pierce County Court House, Ellsworth, Wis.
5 A copy of the Petition for Probate of Will for Julia E. Geer and a copy of The Final Account and Petition for Assignment of Estate is in the possession of the author. The originals are in the Pierce County Court House, Ellsworth, Wis.
More to come . . .
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| William E. Geer in front of his home in Maiden Rock, WI, c 1910. |
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| Julia and William E. Geer, c. 1880. |
1 According to Lelynn Trumbull, a nephew of Julia Geer, “The ‘decision of the Commission’ . . . probably was a pre-Prohibition restriction of the sale of alcohol.” Lelynn Trumbull. Personal note attached to newspaper article sent to Lois Troutman, 8 Feb. 1991.
2 Maiden Rock Press. N. dat. N. pag.
3 “An Old Soldier’s Romance,” Maiden Rock Press, February 1905, n. pag. Records show that parts of this story are not true: (1) Wm. E. Geer volunteered in 1861; he was not taken as a conscript in 1862; however, he was forced to return to service after he went AWOL in 1862. (2) William and his brother did not “[escape and make] their way to Union lines” during the Battle of Gettysburg. Records show that William was actually captured on July 5, 1863, during a dramatic retreat from Gettysburg and imprisoned at Fort Delaware. He signed the oath of allegiance on Oct. 1, 1863, and joined the Union army then. Thomas continued his Confederate service until the end of the war, in spite of being captured on May 12, 1864, at Spotsylvania and imprisoned at Point Lookout, Md., and Elmira, N. Y. Source: John D. Chapla, 48th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, VA: H. E. Howard, Inc., 1989), p. 124.
4 A copy of the will is in the possession of the author. The original is in a Will Book at the Pierce County Court House, Ellsworth, Wis.
5 A copy of the Petition for Probate of Will for Julia E. Geer and a copy of The Final Account and Petition for Assignment of Estate is in the possession of the author. The originals are in the Pierce County Court House, Ellsworth, Wis.
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