James Cleveland (abt. 1845 - abt. 1915)

Born about 1845 in United States [uncertain]

Died about 4 Jul 1915 at about age 70 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States

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Biography

James Cleveland is a part of US Black heritage.

James was born between 1845^[1]-1847^[2].

Occupations

• Servant
• Farmer
• Day labor

Residences

• (Tentative) 1870: Mill Creek, Ohio with George & Polly Tipton; Horace & Lillie Botts; George, Louisa & Ida Thomas; and Louisa Wilkerson
• 1863: Cincinnati, Ohio (military enlistment)
• (Tentative) 1860: Springfield, Ohio with fellow servant Daniel Doherty and the Gano/Gans family (John, Eliza, Catharine and Ella)

Military Service

During the Civil War, he served as a Private in Company G of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first regiment in the United States made up entirely of enlisted men of color. He was about 18 years old, single and working as a farmer when he enlisted from Cincinnati, Ohio on 14 April 1863. Mustered out in Cincinnati, Ohio on 20 August 1865.

Military Pension Application No. 282251 Certificate No. 326703

Death

He passed away in 1915 and is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois.

Research Notes

I'm adding census data here without a grave or Veterans Schedules or other military record confirmation hoping to find one of those along the way. Not 100% sure this is one or two James Clevelands represented here yet. We Shall See! If there are two (or more), this is the profile that should represent the 54th soldier.

Grave identified! However, it hasn't clarified the census records yet. Going to profile the James Clevelands born in Ohio around 1845ish in the 1860 census and see if I can get to a better state through a process of elimination and rejected matches ...

• REJECTED James Cleveland b. abt. 1848 Ohio, 1860: Green Camp, Marion County, Ohio, s. of Rueben and Rachel Cleveland, Race: Unspecified

Possible wife: Lizzie Cleveland

Projects

• 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

Sources

1. ↑ calculated from age at military enlistment
2. ↑ grave inscription

• 1860 United States Federal Census Year: 1860; Census Place: Springfield, Hamilton, Ohio; Roll: M653_979; Page: 326; Family History Library Film: 803979
• 1870 United States Federal Census Year: 1870; Census Place: Mill Creek, Hamilton, Ohio; Roll: M593_1208; Page: 535A; Family History Library Film: 552707
• Emilio, Luis Fenollosa. History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1863-1865, Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Book Co., 1891 (1st ed.) and 1894 (2nd ed.)
• Find A Grave: Memorial #145481023