The Civil War soldier died on November
24, 1916, but his gravestone was set in place ninety years later,
almost to the day. Lawrence Flynn was no longer forgotten. But why
had his grave lain unmarked for so long? The simple answer was
likely an absence of money, but I wanted to know why.
When Lawrence mustered out of the 1st
Michigan Engineers & Mechanics in September 1865, he was still a
young man, having just turned twenty-one. Unfortunately, he suffered
a spinal injury while in service that pushed his last lumbar vertebra
forward so that it apparently impinged on his spinal nerve. This
resulted, according to one doctor who examined him, in “extreme
neuralgia pains in both legs on standing or walking.” [1]
Lawrence, himself, stated he experienced pain except when lying
prone. [2]
Despite his injury Lawrence pursued a
career. Apparently wishing to be more than a farmer, like his
father, Lawrence wasted no time after the war in learning a trade.
He moved in with his brother Michael, a successful Three Rivers
carriage maker and lived with him for at least a couple of years
learning the carriage business, particularly wordworking. [2]
According to the 1870 census Lawrence was employed in a
carriage-making shop in Constantine. By 1877 he had moved to
Kalamazoo to join the burgeoning carriage industry there.
For most of his working life, Lawrence
worked as a carpenter in one of a number of carriage-making shops.
He even opened his own shop (twice), with a friend and blacksmith,
Frank Whaling. Their business failed the second time after he and
his partner quarreled. The case went to court, but despite examining
the microfilmed records I am still in ignorance of the result. The
court papers end with the appointment of a receiver to examine the
books. After his business failed Lawrence continued working as a
carriage maker and by 1901 was an employee of the Michigan Buggy
Company. He would have been put out of work for many months when the
entire plant burned to the ground in 1902. [See before and after photos and read the story]
After the company rebuilt, Lawrence again worked for Michigan Buggy
(at least in 1903 and 1908), but whether there or elsewhere he
continued to work as a carriage maker (according to Kalamazoo city
directories) until after 1910 when age (he was then 66) and
ill-health presumably forced him to quit.
Another stressor for Lawrence, as well
as a drain on his finances, was a lawsuit over the ownership of his
home. This suit dragged out for five years, eventually concluding in
1908 when Lawrence was forced to move. This case may have originated
in a breach of contract lawsuit from 1893 (the same parties were in
both cases). Unfortunately, I have been unable to find the court
records for the 1893 case, though I've searched the Kalamazoo
chancery index more than once. The only references I have came from
notices in the Kalamazoo Telegraph.
By 1911, and again in 1912, Lawrence
was listed as a laborer in the Kalamazoo city directory. The next
published directory in 1915 lists no occupation for him at all. How
much Lawrence was physically able to work during these years is
questionable. Even in his 30s, 40s and early 50s Lawrence was
sometimes laid up for weeks at a time as a result of pain from his
back injury. [2,3,4] This also seems to have played a role in the
demise of his business, according to statements made by his partner.
Lawrence did receive a military pension of $24/month in the last
years of his life, but in the absence of additional income it was
probably difficult for Lawrence, his wife and daughter to make ends
meet.
The salary brought home by Lawrence's
schoolteacher daughter, Mabel, was likely important in supporting the
family. Upon Lawrence's death at the age of seventy-two, Lawrence's
family apparently could not even afford a grave stone. And so, his
burial plot lay unmarked for nearly ninety years until I provided
information to the Michigan Sons of Civil War Veterans who applied
for a government marker. Now, whenever I'm home and pass by
Riverside Cemetery (specifically where Gordon Pl. meets Riverview
Dr.) I say hello to one of my soldiers.
- Deposition of H.B. Osborn, M.D., Lawence H. Flynn, invalid
pension application no. 279,062, certificate no. 382,696 (Cpl., Co
M, 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, Civil War); Case
Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil War and
Later Pension Files, Department of Veterans Affairs, National
Archives Record Group 15; National Archives Building, Washington,
D.C.
- Deposition of Lawrence Flynn. Lawence H. Flynn, invalid pension application no. 279,062, certificate no. 382,696 (Cpl., Co M, 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Archives Record Group 15; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.
- Deposition of Edward Flynn. Lawence H. Flynn, invalid pension application no. 279,062, certificate no. 382,696 (Cpl., Co M, 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Archives Record Group 15; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.
- Deposition of Frank Whaling. Lawence H. Flynn, invalid pension application no. 279,062, certificate no. 382,696 (Cpl., Co M, 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Archives Record Group 15; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.
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