Cyrille (Asselin) Ashley (1844 - 1930)

Born 20 Jul 1844 in Sorel, Richelieu, Canada East

Ancestors

Husband of Angelique Desourdis — married 12 Jul 1869 in Plattsburgh, Clinton, New York, United States

Died 2 Sep 1930 at age 86 in Harvard, McHenry, Illinois, United States

Biography

Cyrille (Asselin) Ashley served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: Nov 16, 1863
Mustered out: Mar 29, 1865
Side: USA
Regiment(s): Company I, 118th New York Infantry

Cyrille was born in 1844. ^[1] He is the son of Isadore Asselin and Marguerite Paquin. On 14 Oct 1868 he became a Naturalized citizen of the United States at Plattsburgh where he declared he immigrated at the age of one year old. ^[2] The following year in Plattsburgh on the 12th of July he married Angelique Desourdis at St-Peter’s Church. ^[3]

The following story comes from the Clinton County, NY, Civil War Records 1861-1865 Facebook Page:

HEALTH RUINED IN SOUTHERN PRISON - In November and December 1863, about 40 men who enlisted in Plattsburg, joined the 118th Infantry while they were camped at Newport News, VA. The regiment had been in the area as part of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina since August of that year.

Silas Ashley was one of these men. He was born in Canada about 1846 to Louis and Marguerite Ashley and was living with his parents in Plattsburgh when he enlisted. By the end of January 1864, the regiment marched 25 miles to Williamsburg where they camped until February 6th when they went on the expedition to Bottom's Bridge on the Chickahominy. They camped near Williamsburg for a few days and were back in Newport News by the 15th and got on transports and railroad cars headed for Getty’s Station before crossing the James River to fight near the Dismal Swamp and engage in several minor skirmishes.

On April 20th they got on transports to go upriver to Yorktown and from there traveled upriver to the battlefields near Petersburg. They landed at Bermuda Hundred on May 6th and marched to near Point of Rocks, on the Appomattox. The battles at Port Walthal, Swift Creek and Proctor’s Creek followed within a week. On May 15th they were holding the captured works near Fort Darling on Drewry’s Bluff and the next day the bloody battle began. ^{[4] [5]} During the battle of Drewry’s Bluff with the XVIII Corps of the Army of the James, Silas was captured in action and taken South. Forty of his comrades were left dead in the field and another fifteen died later. He spent the summer and early fall as a prisoner and was taken to Annapolis to be paroled in October. He was so weak, he stayed there until he got well enough to travel and was sent home on furlough. Later, March 29, 1865. He was discharged for disability.

Silas started receiving his Invalids Pension in 1865. He married and he and his wife, Angelique, had two children. After Angelique died, Silas took his children to live in Illinois and when he could no longer work, he lived with his daughter, Emma and her husband who was a railroad engineer. He is buried in the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Harvard, IL, about 70 miles northwest of Chicago.

Sources

1. ↑ "Canada, Québec, registres paroissiaux catholiques, 1621-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-899Q-QCMB?cc=1321742&wc=HC4S-GP8%3A22381401%2C22381402%2C24119101 : 16 July 2014), Saint-Pierre-de-Sorel > Saint-Pierre-de-Sorel > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1841-1848 > image 288 of 626; Archives Nationales du Quebec (National Archives of Quebec), Montreal.
2. ↑ "New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGRW-7YHF : 2 March 2021), Salas Ashla, 1868; citing Naturalization, Clinton, New York, United States, citing multiple County Clerk offices of New York; FHL microfilm 005411177.
3. ↑ Pontbriand, Benoit, Ed. Mariagés (1830-1880) Comte de Clinton (New York). Sillery, Québec:1984.
4. ↑ Plattsburgh Republican—Wounded in leg
5. ↑ Wounded

• PRDH/ Repertoire des Actes de Bapteme, Mariage, et Sepulture, et des Recensements de Quebec Ancien XVIIe Siecle, Jacques Legare & Hubert Charbonneau, Les Presses de Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, (PRDH-IGD Baptism Record)

• Rosters Of The New York Infantry Regiments During The Civil War—118th New York Infantry

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZZF-6RQ : 14 January 2022), Silas Ashley, Plattsburgh, Clinton, New York, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm

• "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS44-9NR : 9 March 2022), Silas Ashley, 1900.

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MK6W-TJN : accessed 28 March 2022), Silas Ashley, Harvard Ward 2, McHenry, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 126, sheet 18A, family 360, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 304; FHL microfilm 1,374,317.

• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJ35-DWT : 1 February 2021), Silas Ashely in entry for Hale Zeller, 1920.

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSPY-NW5 : accessed 30 March 2022), Silas Ashley in household of Hale S Teller, Chicago (Districts 1251-1500), Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1499, sheet 4A, line 14, family 67, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 481; FHL microfilm 2,340,216.

• "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFLX-GXT : 19 February 2021), Silas Ashley in entry for Silas Ashley and Marie Broberg, 20 Jun 1916; citing McHenry, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,420,737.

• "Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HSDQ-9ZW2 : 13 January 2020), Silas Ashley in entry for Silas Ashley, 1916.

• "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFL6-BX8 : 19 February 2021), Silas Ashley in entry for Hale Teller and Emma Ashley, 18 Oct 1900; citing McHenry, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,420,736.

• "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVRN-WKGG : 16 March 2018), Silas Ashley in entry for Emma Margaret Teller, 17 Dec 1957; citing Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, source reference , record number , Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm.

• Find A Grave: Memorial #51910904

• Plattsburgh Republican—Anti-Bribery Article

• "New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPDZ-6XHL : 2 March 2021), Silas Ashla, 1868; citing Naturalization, Clinton, New York, United States, citing multiple County Clerk offices of New York; FHL microfilm 005411167.