GENEALOGY OF REVEREND VICTOR M. DEWEY
AHNENTAFEL OF REVEREND VICTOR M. DEWEY
SERMON OF REVEREND VICTOR M. DEWEY
LIFE OF REVEREND TIMOTHY DEWEY (Victor's Grandfather)
CIVIL WAR JOURNAL OF REVEREND VICTOR M. DEWEY
5TH UNITED STATES COLORED ARTILLERY (HEAVY)
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In September of 1865 he united with the Central Illinois Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church on Probation. He then served two years and was ordained deacon. His first year in the ministry was at Metamora, the county seat of Woodford County, IL. His second year was spent at Dallas City, Hancock County, IL, and his third was at Blandinsville, McDonough County, IL. He was made a Deacon of the church on September 1, 1861.
Victor continued his circuit preaching in central Illinois for the next year until August 12, 1862, when he enlisted at Colchester, McDonough Co., IL, as a private in Company "D" of the 124th Illinois Infantry, where he served two years. On approximately February 19, 1863, he contracted chronic diarrhea caused by exposure during an extreme storm while "destitute of suitable clothing and without shoes," near Memphis TN. He was treated at Jackson General Hospital at Memphis, TN. On September 23, 1863, Victor wrote a letter to his father discussing the war which showed the effect the war had on the conscience of the Union Army at the time.
The letter follows:
Camp Near Vicksburg Mississippi
September 23rd A.D. 1863Dear Father
Having a few leasure moments this morning I thought I would improve them by writing you a few lines to let you know that I am alive and as near well as I have been for two months past. Since I wrote to you the 7th (illegible) I have been to the Camp of the 45th Ill's to see Chas Fulford. Found him well and had a pleasant chat of half an hour with him. He is the first man that I have seen from Madison Co since I left there, which will be nine years next March. How swiftly time has passed away. It seems but as yesterday since I mingled with those of my boyhood days. But how many changes have taken place since then. Many that bid fair for a long life then are now in the land of Spirits where they will remain until the Triumpes of the archangel shall call them to judgement. Mr. Fulford informs me that many of my former acquaintences are now "traitors," opposed to the war and the administration. God Knows, I pity such characters as that. They neither display courage or common sense and are the most despicable objects on earth. Compared to them Benedick Arnold was a just man. They have enjoyed the blessing of the best Government on earth all their lives, and should know how to appretrate it but it was not so with arnold. He had never enjoyed those blessings. I think that many of them have begun to see the error of their ways before this time if they would be honest enough to confese it. When the war is over these verry men who have been Copperheads during the rebellion, will swear that They always were Union men. Many did do that in Southern Illinois, when they heard of the fall of Vicksburg, and I shall not be surprised to hear that Gen. Gilmore and his Greek fire have made many more converts to the Union cause down in S.C. I only hope he will not leave one stone upon another in the City of Charleston. It would be a blessing to our country if the entire state of S.C. were sunken by an earth quake. Our latest advices from there are encouraging and we expect to hear soon that Charleston is ours. When that work is Accomplished the rebellion will have received a severe blow, if not a fatal one. I hope that the time is not far distant when peace will be restored and we permitted to return to our homes and friends again. Quite a number of our furloughed men have returned to the regiment. They all look as though northern air aggreed with them. Many of them went away sick but return hole and healthy. I do not know when i shall go north, perhape not this fall. yet I would be glad to if I could for I believe it would be a benefit to my health, which has not been good since I came down here. Yet I do duty in the company nearly all the time. Have only been excused from duty a few days of the time. I am receiving the American Wesleyan regular now but there was about a month when I first came here that I did not get it. I had no idea of your having any of my letters published, was surprised when I saw the one of July 4" in the esleyan. I designed it only for your own eyes, did not have time to give the particulars of the Seige & Surrender as I would have been glad to have done.We have but little to interest us here in Camp now. Our life at present is rather a monotonous one, but I shall not be surprised to hear a order to leave here soon. It is rummored that our Div is going up the river, but I would as soon think we would go down as up. We have remained here now longer than any other place since we have been in the service. It has been our lot to march and fight a greater part of the time since we came out. It would be something strange if we should remain much longer here. It matters but little however where we are or what we are doing so that we are helping to put down the rebellion and bring the war to an end. May that happy period hasten, and make thousand of hearts happy at the return of friends. But O how many, many, families will be left to mourn the loss of loved ones who have fallen victims to the death winged bullets of the enemy or to disease which is more to be dreaded than the enemies guns. Thousands are to day prining away and dying in the different Hospitals. What a fearful retrifution is awaiting the instigaters of this rebellion. Upon their skirts rests the blood of the thousands of murdered Fathers and Brothers of our Country loving patriotts. But I believe that God intends that the wrath of man shall yet praise him and will bring great good out of evil, In making this war a means to strike off the shackles from the thousand, yea millions of bond-men who have been enslaved to hard task-masters. But the time of their deliverance has come and Thank God they have the privilege of striking for themselves in this great work. They exhibit a will to do, and have shown beyond a doubt that they are equal to the white troops in making rebels bite the dust. They have fought some desperate battles within the last 3 months. I confess my willingnes to have them do the fighting as they will be equally benefited with us by the surpressing of the rebellion. But I am becoming tedious with this letter and will bring it to a close for the present. I hope this will find you and the Family well. Give my respects to all enquiring friends. Let me hear from you as often as convenient. If it is not too much trouble please send me that reciept for the Diarrhea as I have lost the one you did send. My bowels have not been regular more than a week at a time since I came into the service. The diet of The army does not agree with me. We do not get as much vegatable diet as we should have. Bread and meat is our principle diet. Once in a great while we get a verry few potatoes. But I will close.
From your son
V.M. Dewey
Co "D" "124" Ill's VT. 1st Brig.
Logans Div. Vicksburg Miss
From March 11 to April 14, 1864, he was granted leave during which he was married by the Reverend Henderson Ritchie of the Methodist Episcopal Church on March 21, 1864 at Utica, La Salle County, IL, to Marilla Calista James, daughter of Albert Allen & Betsey (Near) James of Forestville, Chautauqua County, NY. Victor was 5' 8 3/4" tall, had a light complexion, blue eyes and light hair.
He was discharged on August 12, 1864 at Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi, and was re-enlisted and promoted to Division Master Sergeant in Company "G", 5th Regiment of the U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, by Colonel I.H. Howell. Four months later he was again discharged for promotion on January 27, 1864 at Vicksburg. Here he was given the rank of Second Lieutenant in the same company and regiment, by Lieutenant Colonel E.M. Orvan. As Second Lieutenant he served as aide-de-camp to Major General Thomas J. Wood, commander of the Mississippi at Vicksburg. On May 20, 1866 at Vicksburg, Victor was discharged, "by reason of Special Orders, No. 81 Extract 4 dated. Headquarters Department of Mississippi, Vicksburg, Miss., April 10, 1866; the services of the Regiment being no longer required by the government," this order was signed by Captain and Brevet Lieutenant Colonel George A. Williams.
He would have been proud of the fact that today his name appears (on plaque number A-13) next to so many brave African American soldiers at the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C.
After his discharge he returned to Carthage, Illinois, and was employed in a mercantile business for one year, and preached for two. On April 13, 1867 in Dallas City, Hancock County, Victor and Marilla's first son, Harry Ernest Dewey, was born. Harry would grow up in Kansas and move on to Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, and Ukiah, California, where he was a prominent rancher and active in local affairs. On January 12, 1869 their second son, George Oscar Leslie Dewey, was born in Carthage. George also grew up in Kansas, moving on to St. Louis, Missouri, where he was an attorney and a postman, then to Osceola, Missouri, where he operated a freight and passenger boat service, and worked as a freight agent for the Frisco Railroad.
Early in 1871, Victor moved his growing family to Thayer, Kansas, where he became a circuit preacher in Montgomery, Elk, and Wilson counties. On March 1, 1871, his only daughter, Mary Betty Dewey was born during a trip her mother took back to Forestville, NY. Mary Dewey was a milliner before her marriage to Ernest V. Hunt, a painter in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1872, Victor moved the family a few miles south to Independence, Kansas where he remained a Methodist preacher for the next twelve years. On June 29, 1875, in Independence, Victor and Marilla's last child, a son, was born. Eddy Near Dewey would grow up in Independence and move to St. Louis, Missouri, where he became a postman.
During Victor's last year as a minister in Independence he and his wife and two eldest sons were among the first members of Chapter 60 of the Sons of Temperance in Independence. In 1884 he entered commercial business where he remained until 1888, in which year they moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Victor held several jobs over the next four years, with H.K. & Co., Potter and Cottrell Printing, B. Miller Furniture, and Armstrongs. While in Kansas City he kept up his ministry work by helping form the Ministerial Alliance when the Reverend Mitchell preached at Grand Avenue Methodist Church. He and Marilla were also active members of the Olive Branch Lodge, Daughters of Rebekah. In 1895 he was one of the main organizers of the International Order of Odd Fellows in Kansas City.
In 1901 Victor and Marilla Dewey moved to Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, where their eldest son and family had settled. He said of their first cabin, "we had troubles there in the shape of leaky roofs and cold shivers while sitting hear a hot stove." He worked at Liberty Park in the Salt Lake District. He was there as a missionary partly as a watch-dog of the Mormon people to help insure they keep faith with the 1890 Anti-Polygamy Manifesto and partly to give the growing non-Mormon population of Utah a choice of faith. The Methodists were the second largest faith in Utah around the turn of the century, but there were many others. They were admitted to the Pacific Branch of the National Home for D.V.S. (veterans) on October 1, 1904.
Victor had begun the process of getting pension papers in order for himself and Cornelius D. Trout, his son Harry's father-in-law. They were all destroyed in a fire sometime before the end of 1904. A letter dated July 10, 1910, from fellow Civil War veteran E.L. Hobart, author of "A Boy Veteran," "Vicksburg & Jackson," and "The Truth About Shiloh," the last of which contains a war era photo of First Lieutenant V.M. Dewey, Staff Chaplain, says, "I will be glad to help you out in your dilemma caused by the fire you had that burned your papers."
At the beginning of 1905, Victor was to spend three months at the Sawtelle Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church near Los Angeles, California. He spent a great deal of this trip at sermons, meetings, reflection and developing friendships. One entry in his journal was used to remind him of the 60th anniversary of his mother's death. On March 22nd, he returned to Salt Lake by train and from April 4th to the 22nd he helped a neighbor build a barn.
In 1908, Victor and Marilla returned to Kansas City, Missouri, where they moved in with their daughter. He says of this arrangement. "The location is not all that we could desire, as we are eight blocks from sidewalks and street cars, daughter has a nice new cottage, six plastered rooms, besides pantry and closets, also an attic, and a stone basement under entire building." The Olive Branch of Daughters of Rebekah had maintained the Dewey's dues for the entire seven years while they were in Utah.
On December 24, 1912, Victor and Marilla moved from their daughters home to the Odd Fellows Home in Liberty, Missouri. A post-card to his son George dated the 28th says, "We Came here on Tuesday morning 11 o'c'. Secured a lovely room in the new building, 13X15. All in 1st Class order." Then from December 1914 to June 24, 1915 they lived at the Soldiers Home in Sawtelle, California, returning to Liberty after this. Marilla was now all but totally blind and Victor's health was declining rapidly. Around June of 1920 they moved to Osceola, Missouri, with their son George and his wife Sarah (Corman), though they were not officially discharged from the D.V.S. until October 4, 1920.
Victor Dewey died September 4, 1922 at the home of his son on Congress Hill. Services were held the next day with Reverend Woodcock reading Revelations 21 and using as a text 2 Timothy 4-7. Songs sung were "How Firm A Foundation," "Asleep in Jesus," and "In The Sweet By And By." Marilla was stricken with paralysis in March of 1923 and was now totally blind. She died on September 24, 1923. They are both buried in Osceola, Missouri.