Charles Eben Nordstrom (1840 - 1898)

Born 25 Jun 1840 in Perry, Washington, Maine, United States

Husband of Marie Ursula (Dwyer) Nordstrom — married 24 Sep 1883 in Bexar, Texas, United States

Died 11 Jan 1898 at age 57 in Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States

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Biography

Charles was born 25 June 1840 at Perry, Maine, the son of Swain Nordstrom and Frances Viola Tuttle.^[1]

He enlisted in the U.S. Army 20 August 1862 in Biddeford, Massachusetts at the age of 22. His birthplace was Maine.^[2]

He married Marie Ursula Dwyer 24 September 1883 at Bexar, Texas.^[3]

He passed away in 1898.

Obituary:^[4]

Captain Charles E. Nordstrom, Tenth United States cavalry, on duty at Santa Fe, N.M., as acting United States agent for the Pueblo and Jicarilla Apache Indians, died at 4 o'clock yesterday morning from uremic poison. He was a native of Maine and was 54 years of age.

The following biography is from Captain Nordstrom's Find a Grave Memorial, with information provided by truchasnm #47143330; some information from the Congressional Serial Set and The Black Citizen-Soldiers of Kansas, 1864-1901 by Roger D. Cunningham:^[5]

On 20 Aug 1862, Charles enlisted at Biddeford, Maine with Company E of the 1st Maine Cavalry. He mustered into service on 5 Sep 1862 at Augusta, Maine. He was captured during the Civil War at Thoroughfare Gap, Virginia on 14 Oct 1863. He was confined at Richmond, Virginia on 23 Oct 1863. On 2 Mar 1864, he was hospitalized for intermittent fever. On 21 Mar 1864, Charles was released at Citypoint, Virginia and treated in Division No. 2 General Hospital in Annapolis, Maryland. He was in and out of hospitals for remittent fever until 2 Jan 1865 when he was ordered back to his unit. On 28 May 1865, he was honorably discharged as a Private.

On 18 June 1867, Charles was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant with the 10th Cavalry (Buffalo Soldiers). On 1 Sep 1869, he was promoted to Lieutenant. The 10th Cavalry was involved with the Indian campaigns of the southwest. At Fort Concho, Texas; he was attracted to Miss Mollie Dwyer sister-in-law of Captain Nicholas Nolan. However, she struck up a friendship with Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper the first Black graduate of West Point. Charles and other White officers blamed Lt Flipper for Mollie's refusal to marry Charles. In 1881, Charles and his friend Lt. Louis Wilhelmi were implicated in a scheme to frame Lt Flipper for embezzlement of military funds in his charge. Lt. Flipper was subsequently court martialed and dishonorably discharged. Flipper was later exonerated. Charles eventually did marry Mollie. Charles was court martialed himself, twice. Once for beating an NCO with a club and also for cursing a soldier in front of an entire Company.^[6][7]

On August 20, 1889, regimental quartermaster Charles E. Nordstrom was promoted to Captain. He was acting Indian agent at the Pueblo and Jicarilla Agency in New Mexico. He passed away on 11 Jan 1898 in Santa Fe from disabilities contracted in the line of duty. He was survived by a wife and two children: ages 15 and 17.

On 28 Mar 1898, Charles Nordstrom's widow Marie Ursula Nordstrom filed for his military pension in Washington DC. His units were recorded as "E 1 Me. Cav. & C 10 U.S. Cav." (Pension Card).

In 1900, widowed Mollie U. Nordstrom was enumerated with 2 daughters: Frances and Marie; and her sister Annie Nolan; and niece Elizabeth A. Nolan in Washington DC (1900 Census).

Sources

1. ↑ "Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F434-NCM : 14 January 2020), Charles E Nordstrom, 1840.
2. ↑ "Maine, Civil War Enlistment Papers, 1862-1865," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QB-KDWD : accessed 9 December 2022), Charles E Nordstrom, 20 Aug 1862; citing Biddeford, Biddeford, York, Massachusetts, United States, Maine State Archives, Augusta; FHL microfilm .
3. ↑ "Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV14-323M : 23 February 2021), C E Nordstrom and Marie Ursula Dwyer, 24 Sep 1883; citing Marriage, citing Bexar, Texas, United States, Texas State Library, Archives Division, and various Texas county clerks; FHL microfilm 24,921.
4. ↑ "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5QR-B9DZ : 18 July 2020), Captain Charles E Nordstrom, 1898.
5. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3877252/charles-eben-nordstrom: accessed 9 December 2022), memorial page for Capt Charles Eben Nordstrom (20 Aug 1862–11 Jan 1898), Find a Grave Memorial ID 3877252, citing Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA; Maintained by Governor Gordon Browning Museum (contributor 50169716).
6. ↑ Book Details Life of 1st 'Buffalo' Officer, by Archie Waters.
7. ↑ Henry Flipper, born March 21, 1856.