Melville Cox Linscott (1836 - 1925)

Born 8 Dec 1836 in Raymond, Cumberland, Maine, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah Maria (Cole) Linscott — married 7 Jun 1865 in Readfield, Kennebec, Maine, United States

Husband of Carrie Emma (Cole) Linscott — married 4 Aug 1873 in Manhattan, Riley, Kansas, USA

Husband of Edith E. (Moyer) Linscott — married 15 Jul 1885 in Wakefield, Clay, Kansas, USA

Husband of Mary Ellen (Washburn) Linscott — married about 1892 in Kansas, USA

Descendants

Died 1 Jan 1925 at age 88 in Milford, Geary, Kansas, United States

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Biography

Melville Linscott served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: Dec 13, 1861
Mustered out: Oct 11, 1865
Side: USA
Regiment(s): 91st USCT; 74th USCT

Birth and Early Life

Melville Cox Linscott was born on 8 December 1836 in Raymond, Cumberland, Maine, United States. ^[1]He was the first of 3 children born to Rev. Henry Lewis Linscott (1808-1885) and Betsey Mariah Trafton (1813-1899). His family were farmers and he was a farmer. His maternal uncle, William Trafton, Jr. lived on the farm with the family for at least 10 years, maybe more. His father was an Elder in the Methodist Church and was addressed as Reverend.

Education

Melville and all of his siblings went to the M.W. Seminary School in Maine.

Siblings

1. William Henry Linscott was born on 19 May 1841 in Hiram, Oxford, Maine, United States. He married Mary Anna Evans (1844-?) in 1876 in Maine. William died on 26 August 1907 in Gentry, Benton, Arkansas, United States.
2. Sarah E. Linscott was born on 23 February 1885 in Baldwin, Cumberland, Maine, United States. She never married or had children. She died on 23 February 1885 in Baldwin, Cumberland, Maine, United States. Her burial place has not yet been discovered.

Later Life

Melville's first occupation was as a school teacher. All of his life he was a farmer. He was even a farmer when he was an officer in the Union Army. He was appointed to the position of Postmaster by the U.S. Government on 24 May 1897 in Geary, Milford, Kansas. By 1915, when he was 78, he was working as an insurance agent and continued this until after 1920.

Military Service

Melville spent the entire Civil War supervising the effective growing of enough produce to feed the Union Army. He was a farmer and the Army took advantage of those skills. On 13 December, 1861 at the age of 25, he enlisted from Biddeford, Maine and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Civil War fighting for the state of Maine. Promoted to Full 1st Lt. in 1862. Discharged for promotion on 23 September 1863. He was put in charge of the Company G, 91st Infantry Regiment U.S. Colored Troops on 23 Sep 1863. They grew produce for the troops who were fighting. Full Captain as of 23 September 1863. Transferred into Company D, 74th Infantry Regiment US Colored Troops on 7 July 1864. Transferred out of Company G, 91st Infantry Regiment United States Colored Troops on 7 July 1864 and Mustered Out of Company D, 74th Infantry Regiment United States Colored Troops on 11 October 1865. The Maine State Adjutant General's Report refers to this commission of Melville C. Linscott who was a 1st Lt. discharged for promotion to be made the rank of 2nd Lt. in K Company, 13th Infantry Regiment.^[2]

Marriages and Family

Melville married perhaps more women than are listed here. The family is not certain.

1. Sarah Maria Cole called Minnie, on 7 June 1865 in Readfield, Maine when he was 28 and she was 26. Melville's great granddaughter who is still living and others have stated that she died in childbirth, but there is no record of her child. Melville lost all but 1 of his wives in childbirth; so this story is probably true and the unnamed child could have been one of the tiny bodies that got lost in the cemetery move that took place.^[3] When Sarah was on her death bed, she requested that he marry her sister, Carrie Cole.
2. Carrie Cole on 4 August 1873 in Manhattan, Riley, Kansas when he was 36 and she was 25. The minister was Nathan Taylor. When they married, Carrie was a teacher. She had been educated at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary and Female College. The family members who are still living or recently passed all agreed that they were told by Carrie that she and her sister were half Indian.^[4] Carrie died after giving birth to her fifth child, Sarah in 1883.
3. Edith E. Moyer on 15 July 1885 in Wakefield, Clay, Kansas.
4. Mary Ellen Washburn, widow of Quincy A. Day (1818-1885) about 1892 in Kansas.

Children of the Linscott-Carrie Cole Marriage

1. Infant Linscott was born and died in 1874 in probably Geary County, Kansas, United States.
2. Minnie Linscott was born on 2 July 1875 in Kansas, United States. She married Charles Whitney Chapman (1874-1964) on 4 January 1905. Minnie died on 30 September 1955 in Chanute, Neosho, Kansas, United States.
3. Carrie Linscott was born in March 1877 in Kansas, United States. She never married or had children. Carrie died after 9 April 1940 when she appeared on a Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri United States Federal Census.
4. Melville Roy Linscott was born on 11 April 1880 in Milford (later Geary), Kansas, United States. He married Besse Pearl Scott (1881-1956) in January 1906. Roy died on 3 April 1965 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States.
5. Sarah Linscott was born on 13 August 1883 in Milford, Geary, Kansas, United States. She married George Henry Smith (1882-1959) on 26 April 1903 in Milford, Geary, Kansas. Sarah died on 22 February 1959 in Falls City, Jerome, Idaho, United States.

Child of the Linscott-Moyer Marriage

1. Frank Cox Linscott born 22 July 1887 in Milford, Geary, Kansas, United States. He died on 13 September 1887 in Milford, Geary, Kansas, United States.

Child of the Linscott-Washburn Marriage

1. Gen. Henry Dallas Linscott was born on 3 September 1894 in Lyon, Geary, Kansas, United States. He married Stella May Rich (1896-1989) on 24 September 1918 in Jackson, Randolph, Missouri. Dal died on 17 October 1973 in Alameda, Alameda, California, United States.

Death and Burial

Melville died on 1 January 1925 at Milford, Geary, Kansas, United States aged 88. He was buried in the Old Milford Cemetery, which was later moved to the Milford Shenck Branscom Cemeteries. A dam project caused the smaller cemeteries to have all the bodies disinterred by the Army Corps of Engineers and reburied at the new larger and combined cemetery.Find A Grave: Memorial #58469144 The headstone is courtesy of and with the permission of Connie Langvardt. It was taken on 10 September 2010 for Find A Grave.

Sources

• 1850 United States Federal Census on 3 October at Shapleigh, York, Maine. Family 167. Other Linscotts on page are families 164, 165, 168.^[5]
• 1860 United States Federal Census on 1 June at Readfield, Kennebec, Maine. Family 36. ^[6]
• 1870 United States Federal Census on19 July at Milford, Riley, Kansas. Family 102. ^[7]
• 1875 Kansas State Census on 1 March at Ogden, Riley, Kansas
• 1880 United States Federal Census on 1 June at Milford, Davis (later Geary), Kansas. The enumerator on this census is himself. ^[8]
• Marriage Certificate to Sarah Maria "Minnie" Cole.
• 1885 Kansas State Census, 1 March 1885 at Milford, Davis, Kansas.
• U.S. Adjutant General Military Records, 1631-1976
• U.S. Appointments of US Postmasters, 1832-1971
• U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865
• Maine Marriage record for Melville C. Linscott and S. Maria Cole. Marriage Records. Maine Marriages. Various Maine County marriage collections.
• Maine Marriage Records 1713-1937
• Maine Birth Records, 1621-1922 for Melville C. to Henry Linscott.
• Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of the Census. Official Register of the United States, Containing a List of the Officers and Employees in the Civil, Military, and Naval Service. Digitized books (77 volumes). Oregon State Library, Salem, Oregon. Civil War Register for Melville C. Linscott, residing in Geary, Kansas on 1 July 1905.
• U.S. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934
• 1864, August, U.S. Returns from Military Posts, 1806-1916 for Melville C. Linscott. He was said to be on detached service in New Orleans, Louisiana. It gives more about the transfer from one group to another, but is difficult to read. He was in the commissioned officer group.
• Kansas Grand Army of the Republic Post Reports, 1880-1940
• American Civil War Soldiers
• U.S. School Catalogs, 1765-1935
• Kansas, Fraternal Order Death Index, 1873-1969
• Find A Grave Index
• Direct input from family members who knew him and his wives.

Footnotes

1. ↑ ME Birth Rec
2. ↑ This report came out in 1861 with the record referred to on page 26.
3. ↑ The members of this family were buried in the Old Milford Cemetery in Milford, Geary, Kansas. When Kansas wanted to build a dam on the sites of several old cemeteries including Milford, they had the Army Corps of Engineers dig up the bodies and rebury all of them in the combined new Milford Shenck Branscom Cemeteries. Years later there were little caskets found floating in the water of the dam that obviously belonged to infants they had missed.
4. ↑ Looking at the photos of them pretty much leaves one with this conclusion also.
5. ↑ 1850: Linscott, Henry L. 42, b. Maine, farmer, head; Betsey M. 37, b. Maine, wife; Melville C. 13, b. Maine, son; William H. 9, b. Maine, son; Sarah E. 7, b. Maine, daughter; Trafton, William L. 20, b. Maine.
6. ↑ 1860: Linscott, Henry L. 52 ME, Elder Methodist Episc. Church, head; Betsy M. 47 ME, wife; Melville C. 23 ME, Comm. School Teacher, son; William H. 19 ME, student at Methodist Seminary, son; Sarah E. 17 ME, school.
7. ↑ 1870: Linscott, Melville C. 33, b. ME, farmer, head; Mary C. 30, b. ME, wife.
8. ↑ 1880: Linscott, Melville C. 43, farmer, born in Maine; Carrie C. 32, wife, born in Massachusetts; Minnie 4, daughter, born in Kansas; Carrie 3, daughter, born in Kansas; Melville R. 1 month (April), son, born in Kansas.