I unearthed Nathaniel Ripley's Civil War Pension file while going through some stuff today, so I wrote his bio and thought you might enjoy reading it. According to Mary Williams, former town clerk of Waite, he was the postmaster in Princeton for many years, c. 1875-1905. Three of his seven brothers also served in the Civil War: James, Edward and Thomas. James was my 3G-grandfather and was 42 when he enlisted as a private in Co. D., 1st Maine Cavalry. He was wounded 18 Aug 1864 at Fussel's Mill and discharged 20 Jun 1865. Edward and his wife, Lucy Bagley, lost their entire family to some epidemic before he enlisted, also as a private, in D Co, 1st Maine Infantry on 5 Apr 1865 at the age of 37. They are all buried in a row in Waite. They had another family after he returned from the war. Thomas enlisted at the age of 25 in E Co., 6th Regiment, Maine Vol. Infantry on 20 Aug 1863 for 3 years. On Nov. 7, 1863, he was seriously wounded at the Battle of Rappahannock Station, being shot while lying on his belly. The ball entered at the "upper angle of right scapular & came out in lumbar region just above left nates [i.e., the buttocks]. He spent the next eight months in the hospital and was discharged from Cony U.S. Hospital in Augusta, Maine, 26 Jun 1865, "degree of disability three quarters." I don't know what became of him subsequently. Here is Nathaniel's bio: Nathaniel Ripley was born Dec. 6, 1833 at Calais, Washington, Co., Maine, the second youngest of the ten children of James E. Ripley and Eunice Linscott [1850 Census of T2R2, Washington Co., Maine]. He enlisted 10 Sep 1862 in Brewer as a private in "C" Co., 22nd Regiment, Maine Volunteer Infantry and was mustered in as a corporal 10 Oct 1862 at Bangor to serve nine months. At the time of his enlistment he was a lumberman, 5 feet, 11 1/2 inches in height, of fair complexion, with black hair and blue eyes -- a sound, healthy man ["remarkably so," according to an affidavit by his company commander, Capt. William B. Taylor of Calais, dated 10 Dec 1881]. On 28 Jan 1863, he was promoted to sergeant. On 16 April 1863, while on picket duty outside Brashears City, near Bayou Teche, Louisiana, he came down sick with malarial fever and jaundice. When his regiment left for Franklin, he was left behind with a number of others in the regimental field hospital. After spending about two weeks there, he was sent by ambulance to rejoin his regiment at New Iberia, where he spent another ten days in the infirmary under the care of the assistant regimental surgeon, Jason Huckins (who later resided in Corinth, ME). He was mustered out in the rank of sergeant 14 Aug 1863 at Augusta, ME. Shortly after his return home, his father, James E. Ripley, died intestate 12 Jan 1864, and he was appointed executor of the estate, which took three years to resolve [James E. Ripley, Probate, Vol. 22, Machias County Courthouse, Machias, Washington, ME]. He lived in Waite until 1872, when he moved to Princeton, where he was for many years the postmaster [Mary Williams, former Town Clerk of Waite, Washington, ME]. In June, 1875, he married Lulu E. Smith of Calais [Vital Records of Calais, Maine, Prior to 1892, Compiled by Sharon Howland, Picton Press, Rockport, ME, 1998, p. 365]. They had two children, Alice G. Ripley, b. 23 Sep 1884, and Lulu E. Ripley, b. 16 Feb 1890 [Lulu E. Ripley, Record of a Death, Microfilm, Maine State Archives, Augusta, ME]. Nathaniel's wife, Lulu, died the same year [gravestone, Village Cemetery, Princeton, ME], while their daughter, Lulu, died 10 Feb 1895 of acute gastritis, six days short of her fifth birthday (d/c). Alice married Frederick A. Robbins 2 Mar 1907 in Princeton [Maine Online Marriage Archives (http://thor.ddp.state.me.us/archives/plsql/archdev.Marriage_Archive.search_fo rm)]. He died 13 May 1964 in Bangor [Maine Online Death Archives (http://thor.ddp.state.me.us/archives/plsql/archdev.death_archive.search_form) ]. Nathaniel first applied for a disablity pension 12 Aug 1879, which was granted [Pension certificate no. 289441]. He made another declaration, under the provisions of the pension law of 6 Feb 1907, on 5 Apr 1909 in Princeton. Calling himself 91, he made another affadavit regarding his penion on 23 Oct 1923, stating that he had suffered a "shock" on 18 Jul 1923, leaving him with only partial use of one arm and hand, while confining him to bed and requiring regular personal aid and assistance. He died three and a half years later, on 28 Feb. 1927, in Princeton, where he is buried in the Village Cemetery beside his wife and daughter (gravestones). Unless otherwise stated, source is Nathaniel Ripley, Civil War Pension Certificate No. 289.441, Co. C, 22 Maine Vol. Inf. David Mitchell James PO Box 743 Rye, NH 03870-2546 jamesdm49@aol.com