www.ancestry.com - American Civil War
Soldiers:
August Belsner - Pvt - Co F
- 132nd Infantry Regiment PA
Enlisted, 15Aug1862
Wounded, 03May1863 Chancellorsville, VA
Mustered out, 24May1863 in Harrisburg,
PA
www.civilwar.nps.gov - Detailed Soldier Record:
August Belsner - 132 Pennsylvania
Inf.
Soldier's rank in - Pvt
Soldier's rank out - Pvt
Film Number M554, Roll 7
Honor Roll of State of Illinois, Illinois Veteran's
Commission, Oct 1, 1956:
Beltzner, August - Pvt - Co
F - 132 PA INF
Died, 1July1908; Buried, Oakwood Cemetery,
Joliet, IL, Section E
Headstone Readings, Oakwood Cemetery, Joliet, Illinois
- Section E:
(individual stones)
August Beltzner
b. August 1, 1844
d. July 1, 1908
|
Christiana
W. Beltzner
b. April 19, 1847
d. October 16, 1925
|
(the following are individual
stones
that are in the same lot and look like the Beltzner stones)
Margaret
B. Walker
b. March 23, 1876
d. March 5, 1964
|
Frank
Walker
b. May 1, 1874
d. January 13, 1915
(Spanish American War marker)
|
(There is also one stone totally missing)
Oakwood Cemetery
Sexton Records (Block E):
839
August
Beltzner - [born] Baden, Germany, Aug. 1, 1844; [died] Joliet,
IL; July 1, 1908;
[buried] July 5, 1908; Murdered; [burial location] 19
E
2225 Francis Walker - [born] Joliet, Ill, May
1, 1874; [residence]108 Union St., Joliet, Ill;
[died] Jan. 13, 1915; [buried] Jan. 16, 1915; [cause of death]
Gastritis;
[nearest relative]
Mary Margaret Walker, Wife;
[burial location] 19 E - August Beltzner,
Joliet, Ill
Will County Illinois USGenWeb
Necrologist Reports (© 2002
The ILGenWeb Project All Rights
Reserved):
Published Obituaries:
The Joliet Daily News, Joliet, IL; No. 73, Friday,
July 3, 1908; Front Page
Mr August Beltzner Sr. was killed by
Tony Bluth and Matthew
Stariha Wednesday Night (July 1)
Tony Blouth confessed to the crime and
then when the police
showed the confession toMatthew Stariha he confessed too.
(There are three full columns in the newspaper on July 3rd,
with some updates added each day till his funeral.)
Inquest is Begun. (page
3, col 3)
The inquest over the
body of Mr. Bletzner was
begun at
Wunderlich’s undertaking establishment at 9
o’clock this morning. A jury was selected and the body was
identified,
when an adjournment was taken until 1:30
o’clock tomorrow afternoon. The proceedings then will be
held in
Coroner Noel’s office in the county building.
George R. Bolton, 339
Hunter avenue, son-in-law of Mr. Beltzner,
identified the body before the jury this morning. He was the only one
called
upon. He stated that he was a printer by occupation and that he was a
relative
of the dead man, and that he knew him to reside at 528
Morgan street, and that he was proprietor of
a
store at 341 Hunter avenue.
He said that Beltzner was shot near the door of his establishment about
8 o’clockon the
evening of July 1, by a party
unknown to him.
The members of the jury empanelled
The
fact that the
police held the alleged murderers and that they confession from them
that they
killed Beltzner, prompted Coroner Noel to continue the inquest until
tomorrow.
“We know how Beltzner came to his death but we might know by tomorrow
who did
the shooting and we will be able to take care of them if they are
brought
before us” he said.
When the jurymen
viewed Beltzner’s body at the undertaking establishment they saw where
the
bullet tore through his chest on the left side and into his heart.
There was
another wound on his waist line caused by the second bullet glancing
off after
striking Beltzner’s watch, but the wound was not a deep one.
The murder was
committed exactly at 8 o’clock,
according to the timepiece, the hands stopping at that hour mark. Then
pellet
of lead which struck the watch was found in Beltzner’s clothing.
Story of His Life.
Mr. Beltzner was
born in Baden, Germany,
on August 1, 1844.
He came to America
when he was four years old and lived in Pennsylvania
until 1892 when he came to Joliet
as superintendent of the Ashley Wire mills. IN this capacity he
remained until
this independent industry was absorbed by the trust when he took charge
of the
Laidlow mills and subsequently of the Rockdale mills when the Laidlow
was taken
into the trust.
He remained with the Rockdale mills until 1903 when
he
resigned and opened the store on Hunter avenue,
in which line of business he continued up to the hour of his death.
He married Miss
Meisner in Pennsylvania
and to
them were born eight children, all of whom, with the mother, survive
him they are Mrs. Henry
Clark, Homestead, PA;
Robert Beltzner, Pueblo, Colo.,
August Beltzner, Mrs. Frank Walker, Mrs. G. R. Bolton, Joliet;
Viola and Ella Beltzner, Joliet.
Mr. Beltzner was a man of great force of
character and
constitutional energy, and his life has been full of the most intensely
dramatic situations. He has been connected more of less directly with
many of
the greatest tragedies which have swept the nation. Three year’s
services in
the Civil War has given to him a prominent place among the G. A. R.’s.
At the time of the Mollie McGuire disturbances
in Pennsylvania
he was active in hunting them down, on one occasion being out all night
alone
on their trail, chasing them for three miles over the mountains, and
act which
in itself speaks for this characteristic bravery.
It also tells of him living about 200
yards from the Johnstown
flood and cleaning up after it. And became the refuge of 200 people
rendered
homeless by the catastrophe.
Mr. Beltzner was a member of the Masonic
Fraternity of
Johnstown, PA but never transferred to the Joliet
order.
Funeral Sunday
Although, the
arrangements for the funeral have not been completed as yet, it was
announced
his morning that Mr. Beltzner will be buried Sunday. Interment will be
at
Oakwood cemetery. Then ceremonies will be under the auspices of the
Masonic
fraternity, of which Mr. Beltzner was a member.
Mr.
Beltzner to be Buried Sunday (The Daily News, Sat. 4,
1908)
The funeral of August Beltzner, Sr. will take place sunday afternoon at
1:30 o'clock from the house 528 Morgan street to the St. John's English
Evangelical Lutheran Church, corner of Herkimer and Van Buren Streets
where services will be held at 2 o'clock. ... Interment will be
at Oakwood. The Masonic Faternity will have charge of the
services and will attend in a body. The Grand Army Veterans will
also attend in a body and the Spanish American War Veterans will fire a
salute at the grave.
Additional Biographical Material: