Reuben Dodge (1832 - 1920)

Born 17 Jul 1832 in Savannah, Ashland, Ohio, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Lucy Ann (Shaffer) Dodge — married 3 Jul 1856 in Bloomville, Seneca, Ohio, USA

Descendants

Died 27 Nov 1920 at age 88 in Ada, Hardin, Ohio, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Steve Gates [send private message]

Biography

Reuben Dodge was a resident of Ohio his entire life.

Reuben Dodge was born 17 Jul 1832 in Savannah, Ashland, Ohio, USA. He was a son of Calvin Dodge and Nancy Williams.^[1]

Marriage and Children

Reuben Dodge married Lucy Ann Shaffer on 3 Jul 1856 in Bloomville, Seneca, Ohio, USA.^[2][3]

Reuben and Lucy had 13 children with 11 still living as of the 1910 census in Ada Ward 1, Hardin, Ohio, USA ^[4]

The 13 children are listed below with birth and death dates:

1. Charlotte "Lottie" Alvina Dodge (b. 1857, d. 1947)
2. Nancy Ella Dodge (b. 1858, d. 1937)
3. Alice Elizabeth Dodge (b. 1860, d. 1943)
4. Leonard Colby Dodge (b. 1861, d. 1952)
5. Minnie Jane Dodge (b. 1863, d. 1952)
6. Calvin S. Dodge (b. 1866, d. 1877) twin of Clara.
7. Clara Dodge (b. 1866, d. 1891) twin of Calvin.
8. John Richard Dodge (b. 1868, d. 1957)
9. Melanchton "Lank" W. Dodge (b. 1871, d. 1948)
10. William Millard Dodge (b. 1873, d. 1964)
11. Dora Bell Dodge (b. 1876, d. 1960)
12. Mary Arminta Dodge (b. 1879, d. 1969)
13. Charles Lee Dodge (b. 1884, d. 1969)

In 1860, Reuben and Lucy Dodge and their first three children (Charlotte, Ella, and Elizabeth) lived with Lucy's father George Shaffer in Bloom, Seneca, Ohio. Reuben's occupation was a Plasterer. ^[5]

Reuben in the Civil War

From 1 Dec 1861 to 11 Jul 1865, Reuben Dodge was a Private in the Civil War, serving as a Union soldier in the Ohio 55th Regiment, Company K. ^[6][7]

Private Reuben Dodge served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 01 Dec 1861
Mustered out: 11 Jul 1865
Side: USA
Regiment(s): 55th Regiment, Ohio Infantry

The history of Ohio's 55th Infantry is outlined below:

• This regiment was organized at Norwalk, from September to December, 1861, to serve for three years.
• In the engagement at Chancellorsville the regiment lost 153 men killed, wounded and missing.
• The men of the 55th regiment marched into Pennsylvania and were also present at the battle of Gettysburg, losing about 50 men. To honor the Ohio 55th Infantry at Gettysburg, a statue was erected in the town using Ohio sandstone. ^[8]
• In January, 1864, 319 men of the regiment re-enlisted and were furloughed home, but they were present at the opening of the Atlanta campaign, participating in all the battles in which the 20th corps was engaged.
• The men of the 55th regiment mustered out on July 11, 1865. ^[9]

Casualties for the Ohio 55th during the war included a total of 262 men during service; 7 officers and 136 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 119 enlisted men died of disease. ^[10]

After the War: Back to Ohio

In 1870, Reuben and Lucy Dodge lived in Ada, Liberty, Hardin, Ohio with 8 children ages 1 to 13, including the 4 year old twins, Calvin and Clara. Reuben owned real estate valued at $200, and personal property valued at $100. The family listed in the census is shown below. For this census, the first and middle initials were used instead of the full name. The full name of each of the children is in brackets. ^[11]

Name	Sex	Age	Relationship	Occupation
Reuben Dodge	M	38	Head	Plasterer
L.A. [Lucy Ann]	F	33	Wife	Keeping House
S.E. [Charlotte] Dodge	F	13	Daughter	At Home
N.E. [Nancy Ella] Dodge	F	12	Daughter	At Home
E.A. [Alice Elizabeth] Dodge	F	10	Daughter	At Home
L.C. [Leonard Colby] Dodge	M	8	Son	At Home
M. J. [Minnie Jane] Dodge	F	7	Daughter	At Home
Calvin Dodge	M	4	Son	At Home
Clara Dodge	F	4	Daughter	At Home
J.R. [John Richard] Dodge	M	1	Son	At Home

In 1880, Reuben and Lucy Dodge still lived in Ada, Liberty, Hardin, Ohio with 9 children and one granddaughter, Ida Dodge, age 2. Of the 8 children listed in 1870, two adult children had moved out, and Calvin had died. Four children were born during the last decade (Melanchton, Willie, Dora, and Arminta). ^[12]

Name	Sex	Age	Relationship	Occupation
Reuben Dodge	M	48	Head	Plasterer
Lucy A. [Ann]	F	44	Wife	Keeping House
Ellen [Nancy Ella] Dodge	F	22	Daughter	Domestic
Leonard [Colby] Dodge	M	18	Son	Domestic
Minnie [Jane] Dodge	F	16	Daughter	At School
Clara Dodge	F	14	Daughter	At School
John [Richard] Dodge	M	11	Son	At School
Melanchton Dodge	M	9	Son	At School
Willie [William Millard] Dodge	M	7	Son	At School
Dora [Bell] Dodge	F	3	Daughter
Arminta [Mary Arminta] Dodge	F	1	Daughter
Ida Dodge	F	2	Granddaughter

The picture below was taken around 1890. The approximate date the picture was taken can be estimated based on who is or is not in the picture. Twelve of their thirteen children are in the picture, with the only one missing being Calvin who died in 1877. Also, the picture was before Clara's death in 1891. Charles Lee, born in 1884, appears to be about 5 or 6 years old, which means the picture was most likely taken in 1889 or 1890.

Reuben Dodge Family Portrait circa 1890.

In 1900, Reuben and Lucy Dodge were living in Washington township, Hardin, Ohio with their son Charles Lee, age 15, and their daughter Minta, age 21. Minta [Arminta] is just married and has a daughter Pansy Dearth, age 1/12. Her husband is not listed in the census. Also in the census is a grandaughter named Virgia Davidson, age 3. ^[13]

In 1910, Reuben and Lucy Dodge are living in Ada, Liberty, Hardin, Ohio with their 13 year old granddaughter Verga D Davidson. ^[4]

In 1920, Reuben, age 87, widowed, was living with his 63 year old daughter Elłen Johnson and her husband in Ada, Liberty, Hardin, Ohio. ^[14]

Reuben Dodge died on November 27, 1920 in Ada, Hardin County, Ohio, USA. He passed away from paralysis at the age of 88. ^[1] He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Ada, Hardin, Ohio. ^[15]

Research Notes

There are conflicting sources on Reuben's birth and death dates. The dates used for this profile were based on the actual image from Reuben's death certificate.

The Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953, database with images shows an incorrect date of November 29, 1920 as the death date, but the actual image of the death certificate shows November 27, 1920 as the death date. ^[1]

Find A Grave shows July 15, 1832 as the birth date and November 27, 1920 as the death date. The birth date on Find A Grave does not agree with the July 17, 1832 date written on the death certificate. ^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (FamilySearch Record: X8G8-49W : 8 March 2021), Reuben Dodge, 29 Nov 1920; citing FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GPK4-9NB9 of Ada, Hardin, Ohio, Certificate of Death no. 70157; FHL microfilm 1,991,438.
2. ↑ Ancestry.com. Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.Ancestry Record 61378 #1198941 Ancestry Sharing Link
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. Ohio, Compiled Marriage Index, 1803-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001. Ancestry Record 5194 #147624
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (FamilySearch Record: ML6Q-KBG : accessed 8 November 2020), Rueben Dodge, Ada Ward 1, Hardin, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 108, sheet 1B, family 18, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1187; FHL microfilm 1,375,200.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (FamilySearch Record: MCLY-XJ7 : 19 March 2020), Reuben Dodge in entry for George Shafer, Bloom Township, Seneca, Ohio, United States, 1860.
6. ↑ "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865", database, FamilySearch (FamilySearch Record: FSMB-56P : 24 August 2021), Reuben Dodge, 1861-1865.
7. ↑ "United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917", database, FamilySearch (FamilySearch Record: NHX7-HXM : 24 March 2016), Reuben Dodge, 1907. (Original Image available on Fold3.com with subscription)
8. ↑ 55th Ohio Infantry Gettysburg Monument.
9. ↑ Historical Data Systems, comp. U.S., American Civil War Regiments, 1861-1866 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Ancestry Record 3866 #5051
10. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "55th Ohio Infantry Regiment," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=55th_Ohio_Infantry_Regiment&oldid=1029062758 (accessed June 14, 2022).
11. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (FamilySearch Record: M62V-6X1 : 14 May 2020), Reuben Dodge, Liberty Township, Hardin, Ohio, United States, 1870.
12. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch FamilySearch Record: M89Q-SYY, Reuben Dodge, Ada, Hardin, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district ED 101, sheet 142B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,031.
13. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (FamilySearch Record: MM8T-C7K : accessed 8 November 2020), Reuben Dodge, Washington Township, Hardin, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 104, sheet 12B, family 261, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,284.
14. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (FamilySearch Record: MDG8-4ZJ : accessed 8 November 2020), Reuben Dodge in household of James H Johnson, Ada Ward 1, Hardin, Ohio, United States; citing ED 96, sheet 3A, line 34, family 69, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1397; FHL microfilm 1,821,397.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64418748/reuben-dodge : accessed 07 June 2022), memorial page for Reuben Dodge (15 Jul 1832–27 Nov 1920), Find A Grave: Memorial #64418748, citing Woodlawn Cemetery, Ada, Hardin County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by Norman Dodge (contributor 46853609) .