The Hobsons
Joseph Henry Hobson was my great grandfather.
He was a born in 1848 in Philadelphia.
His father was born in England and his mother was born in New Jersey.
He has three sisters named Anna, Kate and Mary. He was a shoemaker when at the age of 22 he enlisted in the U. S. Army. He served with the 7th cavalry from 1870 to 1880. He participated in the battle of the
Rosebud under General Crook in 1876. This battle was part of the campaign against the Indians which
also involved a much more famous battle at the Little Bighorn a few days later.
We believe Cornelia was born in Alexandria Virginia around 1850. When she was 12 her mother died. Her father was involved in the sea in some way and could not take care of her and her younger brother. They were both placed in an orphanage. At some point her brohter was adopted by a family named Gray. Cornelia was still living in an orphange (probably in Alexandria) in 1865 when Lincoln was assasinated. Eventually she fled the orphanage and lived with the Grays.
In the 1870 census she was living with a family named Benton near Unison Virginia. She was a cook although that may not
clearly define her relationship to them. At some point she became a cook for a Colonel in the U.S. Army and when he was transferred to the Frankford Arsenal, she came with the family.
In about 1881 she married Joseph Hobson in the home of the Colonel. Robert Todd Lincoln (President Lincoln's son) was visiting the arsenal at that time and was a witness to the wedding.
This is a chronology of the Hobsons. It is taken from the records of the Frankford Arsenal at the National Archives; St. Stephens Episcopal Church records, census records and recollections of Virginia Strain and Marjorie Wilkinson.
04/1848 - Joseph Henry Hobson is born in Pennsylvania.
1850 to 1854 - Cornelia Anne Hutchinson is born in Alexandria Virginia.
1870 to 1880 - Joseph Hobson serves in the 7th Cavalry. "In May, 1876, Companies C, G and H became a part of the Big Horn and Yellowstone Expedition under command of Brig.-General Crook and were in the field until late in October taking part in the engagement with the Indians at Tongue River, Montana, June 9th, Rosebud River, Montana, June 17th, and Slim Buttes, Dakota, September 9th. Companies G and H also assisted in repelling a night attack by Indians on the infantry camp on Goose Creek, Wyoming, July 9, 1876. In the early part of September the entire command was without rations for a number of days, and subsisted on horse flesh and a small quantity of dried meat and fruit captured at Slim Buttes."
4/11/1881 - Joseph is transferred to the Frankford Arsenal from Davis Island Army Post on Long Island, New York. He was a private second class. Davis Island looks like it was a center for recruits.
1881 - Joseph and Cornelia are married.
11/01/1882 - Joseph was promoted to private first class.
05/26/1885 - John S. Hobson a son is born.
11/29/1882 - Joseph was promoted to corporal.
04/06/1886 - Joseph's enlistment expired and he re-enlisted. At that time he was promoted again to corporal.
04/07/1886 to -4/17/1886 - Joseph was off the post on furlough.
1887 - Alexander Newton Hobson a son is born.
09/26/1888 - Joseph Hobson a son is born.
1888 - Mary M. Hobson a daughter is born.
05/1889 - Joseph was sick in barracks due to burns suffered in the line of duty.
06/01/1890 - Christianna Hobson a daughter is born.
08/1890 to 09/1890 - Joseph was sick in barracks due to sprained ankle suffered in the line of duty.
01/1891 - The Hobson children died from diphtheria.
04/07/1891 to 04/27/1891 - Joseph was off post on furlough and promoted again to corporal.
11/01/1891 to 11/21/1891 - Joseph was off post on furlough.
12/1891 to 2/1892 - Joseph was sick in barracks due to disease.
04/1893 - Marion Irene Hobon a daughter is born.
01/1894 - in barracks on arrest.
02/1894 - Court Martial at Davis Island, NY Article 38
04/06/1896 - Discharged as a sergeant.
04/07/1896 - Re-enlisted as a private.
05/1897 - Anna Hobson a daughter is born.
04/07/1899 - Joseph's enlistment expired and he re-enlisted again. He was promoted to sergeant.
3/19/1901 - Joseph retired from the Army.
12/21/1922 - Joseph died. His death notice from the Public Ledger 12/22/22: "Hobson - Dec. 21 JOSEPH H. Husband of Cornelia A. Hobson (nee Hutchinson) in his 75th year. Relative and friends also United Spanish War Veterans are invited to attend funeral services Saturday 2 P.M. at the parlors of G. G. Norris 4670 Frankford Ave. Int. Cedar Hill Cem. Remains may be viewed Friday Eve. Washington D.C. and Alexandria Va. papers please copy."
01/04/1923 - Cornelia applied for widow's pension. Application #1199013. Certificate #933026.
1952 - Cornelia died.
While Joseph was at the arsenal he may have also served in the Spanish American War.
In the records of St. Stephens Church which was opposite the Frankford Arsenal are the records
of the christening of their children. The first was in 1885. The had four other children between then and
February of 1891 when they lost the last of their five young children to diptheria. I found the microfilm records
of East Cedar Hill Cemetary at the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania and on a hunch loaded them into
the Microfilm machine. I knew Joseph Hobson was buried there and I thought I might find a burial record for the children.
The cemetary had only been recently opened in 1890 and on the second page of the ledger I found the record of Christiana Hobson being buried
on 2/8/1891. She had been christened on the 2nd and died on the 7th. I searched through the rest of the film and was about to give up when I looked again at the
page above where Christiana's name was recorded. What looked like a case of very bad hand writing at the
top of the page was in fact four names written on one line. The names were Alex (died 1/19), Joseph (died 1/26), John (died 1/27) and Mary (died 1/28)
Hobson who had been buried on 1/28/1891. The Hobsons had buried 4 of their children on one day. Christiana
was the youngest and she lived barely another week.
Joseph Hobson is buried with his children in Section II, lot number 265 at East Cedar Hill cemetery. Cornelia died in 1952.
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