Nelson T. Himes was born on October 15, 1840 at the family farm in West Pikeland Township, Chester County, and was the fourth child of Daniel and Martha (nee Talley) Hines. He received his education in the local schools and by working the land, and at the age of 20 answered the call for soldiers to fight the Rebels. Nelson was recruited by Captain William Babe at Lionville on June 6, 1861, and mustered into Company K, 4th P.R.V.C. in Harrisburg on July 17 of that year.
After being outfitted and drilled at Easton, Nelson moved with the Company to camps in Maryland and Virginia, but never saw combat in the struggle. In September he, along with many others in the 4th P.R.V.C. contracted typhoid fever, and on the 21st of that month the disease took his life. The following day, Private Joseph Morgan of Company K was detailed to bring Himes’ body home to West Pikeland for burial. He was eventually laid to rest in the Vincent Baptist Church cemetery just outside of Chester Springs.
References:
1850 U.S. Federal Census. Accessed through Ancestry.com October 2012.
1860 U.S. Federal Census. Accessed through Ancestry.com October 2012.
Ancestry.com.
- 2012 U.S., Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Website accessed October 2012.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
- 2012 Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1929-1990. Archive Collection Number: Series 1- 10, Folder Number: 412. Accessed through Ancestry.com, October 2012.
Pennypacker, Nathan A.
- 1861 Letter to mother, September 22, 1861 (L.7183). Collection 176, Nathan A. Pennypacker Letters, Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, PA.
Talley, George A.
- 1899 A History of the Talley Family on the Delaware and their Descendants. Moyer & Lesher, Printers, Philadelphia.
Currently a resident of Burke, Virginia - I'm originally from the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have been a student of the Pennsylvania Reserves since 1997 and thoroughly enjoy telling their story. By trade I'm a former IT Professional but presently working as a Letter Carrier for the United States Postal Service.
