|
According
to the Census of 1900, George
B. Anderson was born in March of 1840 in New Jersey. He may well
have been the son of John and Delina Anderson, who were living in
Camden's North Ward in 1850. When
the Civil War came, George B. Anderson answered his nation's call. On
April 25, 1861 George B. Anderson enlisted in the Union Army as a
Private. He was assigned to Company E, Fourth Infantry Regiment New
Jersey on April 27, 1861. Prior to leaving Camden for the
Army, he got married.
The
Fourth Regiment--Militia, was commanded by Colonel Matthew Miller, Jr.,
serving under him were Lieutenant Colonel Simpson R. Stroud and Major
Robert C. Johnson. This regiment was mustered into the U. S. service at
Trenton, April 27, 1861, to serve for three months, and left the
state for Washington, D. C., on May 3, with 37 commissioned
officers and 743 non-commissioned officers and privates, a total of 777.
On the evening of May 5 it reached the capital, and on the 9th it was
ordered to go into camp at Meridian hill, where, within a few days the
entire brigade was encamped, and where, on the 12th, it was honored
by a visit from the president, who warmly complimented the
appearance of the troops. On the evening of May 23 it joined the
2nd and 3d regiments and about midnight took up the line of march
in silence for the bridge that spanned the Potomac. This bridge was
crossed at 2 o'clock on the morning of the 24th, the 2nd was posted
at Roach's spring, and the 3d and 4th about half a mile beyond on the
Alexandria road. On July 16, a guard was detailed from the 4th for a section
of the Orange & Alexandria railroad, which it was important to
hold; one company from the regiment guarded the Long bridge; still
another was on duty at Arlington mills; and the remainder of the
regiment, together with the 2nd, was ordered to proceed to
Alexandria. On July 24, the term of service having expired, the 4th
returned to New Jersey and was mustered out at Trenton, July 31, 1861.
The total strength of the regiment was 783, and it lost by
discharge 6, by promotion 2, by death 2 and by desertion 7,
mustered out, 766.
George B. Anderson was among those who mustered out with Company
E,
Fourth Infantry Regiment New Jersey on July 31, 1861 at Trenton,
NJ. After a brief time home
in Camden, George B. Anderson re-enlisted, on September 21, 1861
as a private in Company C, 10th Infantry Regiment New Jersey. This
regiment was organized under the provisions of an act of
Congress, approved July 22, 1861, and by authority issued by
the war department direct to private individuals resident of
the state, and not in any way under the control or supervision
of the state authorities. Under the authority thus given,
recruiting was commenced and the organization soon completed.
It was then accepted by the war department as an independent
organization, having been designated the "Olden egion."
The regiment went into camp at Beverly, New Jersey, and from
thence proceeded to Washington on December 26, 1861, with 35
officers, 883 non-commissioned officers and privates, a total of
918. It went into camp at Camp Clay on the Bladensburg turnpike,
a mile from Washington. On January 29, 1862, the regiment was
transferred to the state authorities and it was then
thoroughly reorganized and designated the 10th regiment. The
greater part of its early service was performed in and around
Washington, having been assigned there for provost duty.
George
B. Anderson received a disability discharge from Company C, 10th
Infantry Regiment New Jersey on October 5, 1862 at Washington, DC.
He subsequently returned home to Camden and his wife Elizabeth.
The
1870 Census shows George B. Anderson, his wife Elizabeth, son
George, 5, and daughter Elizabeth, 8 months as living in Camden's
North Ward. He was then
working in an iron foundry. Not long afterwards, it appears that
he moved to South Camden.
According
to department records George
B. Anderson lived at 419 Broadway during his time with the Camden
Fire Department. He had worked as an engineer, that is to say in
the parlance of the day, he was an operator of steam powered
engines. As stated above, he was appointed to the Camden Fire
Department on September 18, 1872 as an extra man with
Engine Company 2. George
B. Anderson resigned on April 20, 1874 after having been appointed to the
Police Department from Camden's Fourth Ward. George
B. Anderson had left the police department by May of 1877. He had
by then moved back to North
Camden. City
Directories for 1878 and 1881, as well as the 1880 Census show George B. Anderson and family at 114
Elm Street
in North
Camden. George B. Anderson had begun working as a
machinist, a trade he would follow for the rest of his days. Two
children were living at home, George B. Anderson Jr., then 15
according to the census, and Emma G., 4 years old. Sadly, daughter
Elizabeth had died. Two more children would come between 1880 and
1900, one of whom would survive the century, their names, however,
are not known as of this writing. The
family had moved to 532 Cedar Street when the 1882-1883 City
Directory was compiled. By the following year, they had moved to
929 Point
Street. By the latter half of 1885 the Andersons had
moved to 60 Erie
Street. In March of 1887 George B. Anderson had temporarily
separated from his wife. He was still living at 60 Erie Street. George B. Anderson Jr., who had worked in a woolen mill when the
1880 Census was taken, is listed in the 1887 City Directory,
living with his father at 60 Erie
Street and working as a
painter. The
1888-1889 shows the Andersons having moved to 940 North 2nd
Street. George B. Anderson Sr. was operating a cigar store there,
while his son was still working as a painter. This venture lasted
at least into 1890. The
1890 Veteran's Census shown George B. Anderson living at 220 Erie
Street. He was suffering from rheumatism at the time of the
Census. The
1893-1894 City Directory shows that George B. Anderson had
returned to working as a machinist. He and his wife were then
living at 929 North 2nd
Street. George B. Anderson Jr. was working
as a painter and had moved to 2712 Master Street in Stockton
(renamed Cramer Street in the early 1900s after Stockton was
merged into Camden). George B. Anderson, his wife and daughter
Emma were still at 929 North 2nd
Street in 1896 and in 1897. In
1896 George Jr. was living nearby, at 604 Point
Street, he is not
however, listed in Camden at all in the 1897 Directory. When the
1898 Directory was compiled, George and Elizabeth Anderson were
still at 929 North 2nd
Street, but apparently Emma Anderson had
married and moved on. George B. Anderson Jr. was living at 126 Erie
Street with his wife, Mary V., working as a painter in
Philadelphia. The
1898 Camden City Directory shows that George B. Anderson had moved
to 128 Erie
Street. He was still at that address when
the Census was enumerated on June 14, 1900. At the time of the
Census enumeration, the Andersons had been
married for 39 years, and of their five children, three were still
living. George B. Anderson was working as a machinist. George
B. Anderson passed away on December 27, 1901 and was buried at
Evergreen Cemetery. His widow, Elizabeth H. Anderson, was approved for her
widows pension in late January of 1902.
|
