Researching Capt. Harley Wayne-- Part 5: Harley's Letters and Stepping Stone

"Some of the letters were quite colorful as they related to Harley's pre-marriage days in McHenry County.  There was correspondence with a friend of his named Sam Kelly, who used some pretty rough language (about men and women)."

Copies were made of those letters and most remain in the possession of the Parentis.  Another set of copies was presented to the county historical society museum in Union.  The originals, according to Mrs. Parenti, are now in the archives of the Illinois State Historical Society.

"Mr. Britton was about 76 years old when he came to visit us," said Mrs. Parenti.  His wife, Esther, had died around 1948 or so.  He lived another ten years and we kept somewhat in touch."

Britton's will left a carriage stepping stone, four of Captain Harley Wayne's tunic buttons from the Civil War and other mementos in the possession of the Parentis.

"He thought the stepping stone (which has Wayne inscribed on the side of it) went with the house and when and if we sell the house it will stay here," said Mrs. Parenti.  "As well as the other memorabilia we have concerning the Waynes.

--Old Secesh

Researching Capt. Harley Wayne-- Part 4: Finally, a Lead on the Wayne History

Through a series of telephone calls, Claude Britton eventually got in touch with the parentis.

His was a tenuous connection to the Waynes.  His wife was Esther Bishop.  Esther's mother was a cousin of Charles Wayne (Harley's son)

Even so, Britton apparently was all that was left of the Wayne family in Illinois.  Distant cousins in South Dakota and California have yet to be traced.

Britton was all too happy to share family reminiscences and memorabilia with the Parentis.

"He called and said he would tell all about the Waynes if he could come and visit the house in Union.  He had never been in it. Of course we said yes," said Mrs. Parenti.

"He came over with his daughter, a picture of Mrs. Wayne and a shoebox of letters from the attic of his house."

The letters were the ones Mrs. Wayne had saved from her husband since the Civil War days.  There were also some from back to 1843 which vividly showed his abolitionist sympathies.

These letters must be the ones that are being transcribed now by the McHenry County Historical Society.

--Old Secesh

 

Researching Capt. Harley Wayne-- Part 3: Tracking Down the Waynes

"We found the cemetery in Marengo where he was buried," Parenti said.  That gave the Parentis some vital statistics.  They could also determine from four nearby grave markers the make up of Wayne's family.  Wayne's wife Ellen died in 1900, a daughter lived from 1851 to 1854, and the son, Charles, from 1855 to 1905.  (This would be the Marengo City Cemetery.)

"I kept asking around Marengo if anyone knew about the house in Union," said Mrs. Parenti.  "I kept asking though and I came across a club made up of village descendants of the first Marengo area pioneers.  It's called the Ladies Home Circle today.

"The club had an annual event where all the members attended an all-day meeting.  The whole family would come in the early days.  (Was this the predecessor of the annual Marengo Settlers Days festival to be held this year from October 7-10?)

"At any rate I got in touch with the club members.  One of them told me about a woman in Elgin and this woman in Elgin had a neighbor who was a relation of the Waynes.

"This relative was named Claude Britton."

--Old Secesh

Researching Capt. Harley Wayne-- Part 2: Not Many Folks in Union Knew About the Waynes

Of course, the chalk marks in the basement drew some wonder.  They asked Dr. Melvin Adams about those chalk marks.  Adams, 76, was still alive and living in Union as such, he knew some information about the house.  In addition, he  had even lived in the house when he was a teenager from 1904-1911.

He told the Parentis that the scribbling had been done by the son of a man who had fought in the Civil War and that the man's name was Harley Wayne and his son was Charles Wayne.

The Dr. got Harley Wayne's war record from Springfield.

Nobody else in Union, however, knew very much about the Waynes  Some didn't even know that he had ever lived here.  According to Mrs.Parenti, "Even the people who sold us the house knew only that he had fought in the war but they didn't know he had died in it."

With just these few sketchy facts, te Parentis searched further afield.

--Old Secesh

McHenry Co. CW Round Table Discussion Group Meeting This Sat., Sept. 25: Sept. 1862- Lee's First Invasion

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table will meet Saturday, September 25 at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois, from 10 am to noon.  Topic of the day will be Lee's First Invasion of the North September 1862.

All are welcome.  On topic and off-topic subjects will be discussed.  You never know where we'll end up.

And, it's in person.

Panera Bread is at 6000 Northwest Highway (US-14) and Main Street.

Ya'll Welcome.  --Old Secesh

Research on Captain Harley Wayne-- Part 1: The Parentis

From the May 30, 1987, Northwest Herald (McHenry County, Illinois)  "Resurrection took 31 years" by Jerry Kuyper.

Leo and Constance (Connie) Parenti of Union, Illinois, are the ones whose extensive research on the Wayne family are responsible for it still being here.  (Until June of this year, I had never heard of him, even though Union is just 30 miles from where I live.)

The material covered in these last several posts all came from one newspaper page from back in 1987.

Much material that was lost has been found by the couple, who back in 1987, resided in the old Wayne mansion in Union.

According to the Parenti's, "We probably know more about the family than today's relatives do."  Accumulating all this Wayne legacy has taken 31 years.  And, as a coincidence, Harley Wayne was only 31 years old (and 11 months and 15 days) when he was killed at the Battle of Shiloh.

The interest in Wayne began in 1956, when the couple bought and moved into the handsome red brick house with the circular drive in Union.

The search for Wayne history began soon afterwards.

--Old Secesh

What Happened to Captain Wayne's Sword?

The sword that Capt. Harley Wayne wore at the Battle of Shiloh along with his tunic (uniform top) were both returned to Ellen Wayne (his wife)

The tunic has disappeared, but the buttons have survived to this day.

His sword was later donated to the Harley Wayne Grand Army of the Republic Post 169 in nearby Marengo.  The sword "disappeared" at the same time the last post member died.

"That was probably in the 1950s," said Nancy Fike, curator of the McHenry County Historical Society museum in Union.

"The last of all those Civil War veterans died out about then and when they did, so did the Grand Army of the republic since that is what they were.

"We're lucky if we can scare up a World War I veteran now to talk to.  They're getting scarce."(This newspaper article came out in 1987.  Frank Buckles, the last-known WW I veteran died at age 110 on February 27, 2011.)

One Harley Wayne historical item has been found.  It came as it should, from an attic in Marengo.  "It's a quilt square," said Connie Parenti of Union.  "Calvin Spencer founded Marengo in 1835 and his daughter quilted."

--Old Secesh

Capt. Harley Wayne at Fort Donelson and the Rebel Officer Who Didn't Want to Give Up His Sword

From the Nay 30, 1987, Northwest Herald (McHenry County, Illinois) "The captain's word disappears" by Jeff Kuyper.

On February  16, 1862, at 10 a.m., the Confederate command at Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River in Tennessee, surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.

An hour later Captain Harley Wayne and the others with the 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry were on the scene.

"I never saw such confusion and excitement as existed all around," Wayne wrote his wife later.  :We landed and touched on shore and received on board about 500 prisoners.

"I was officer if the day and it was my duty to take entire control of them.  I had to examine them individually and take away all weapons, pistols, knives and so firth.  There were a great many Bowie knives, hideous looking weapons."

Several prisoners were reluctant to turn over their weapons.

"One, an officer, yet had his sword.  I asked him to deliver it up,"  Wayne wrote in his February 18, 1862  letter home. 

(Unfortunately, the article does not say whether Harley Wayne's Confederate officer gave up his sword.  Of course, I can't imagine capturing an enemy and not immediately checking for weapons they might still have on them.)

--Old Secesh

Harley Wayne Civil War Letter Transcriptions

At present, Robert Frenz (president of the McHenry County Civil War Round Table (Illinois) and also a member of the McHenry County  Historical Society  and Linda  Eder of the Society are in the process of transcribing approximately sixty  Civil War-related letters written by Harley Wayne.

I have been writing at great length about him in this blog lately.

He was a prominent figure in McHenry County before the war and was killed on the first day of the Battle of Shiloh.

The Society also has a collection of his pre-Civil War letters.

--Old Secesh

Was Harley Wayne a Descendant of 'Mad' Anthony Wayne?-- Part 4: Also Levy and Isaac William Wayne

On the Geni. site it says that "Mad" Anthony Wayne was the father of Margretta Atlee and three sons.  One was U.S. Congressman Isaac Wayne, whom I wrote abut in the last post.  But also two others, who may or may not be the fathers of Harley Wayne if he is part of that family.

The other two sons of Wayne were Levy Wayne and Isaac William Wayne.

Levy Wayne born 1793 and died 1835.

Isaac William Wayne was born 1772 and date of death not given.

So, if it is true that Harley Wayne was a descendant of Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, he could have been the son of Isaac Wayne, Levy Wayne or Isaac William Wayne.

I have not been able to find any other information about Levy or Isaac William Wayne.

Still Looking, Though.  --Old Secesh

Was Harley Wayne a Descendant of Gen. 'Mad' Anthony Wayne'-- Part 3: Perhaps the General's Son's Son?

In the last post, I said that Find a Grave has Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne having two children, a daughter name Margaretta Wayne Atlee who died in 1810 and a son Isaac Wayne who died in 1852.  f course, with the Wayne surname, he might be the link to the general.  Of course, the daughter died before Harley Wayne was born.

From Find a Grave.

Born 1772 in Paoli, Pa.

Died: 25 October  1852 in Chester County, Pa.

Buried Old Saint David's Church Cemetery in Wayne, Pennsylvania.  This is where the general is buried as well.

U.S. Congressman.  Member of Pennsylvania  State House of Representatives from 1799 to 1801 and in 1806.  Served in the state senate in 1810.

During the War of 1812, he was a captain in the Pennsylvania cavalry and rose to colonel and command  of the 2nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.

Unsuccessful as a Federalist candidate for governor in 1814 and elected to the Eighteenth Congress serving from 1823 to 1825.

After his term, he engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death.

--Old Secesh

Was Harley Wayne a Descendant of 'Mad' Anthony Wayne?-- Part 2

I went to the Find a Grave Site for Harley Wayne, but unfortunately it only listed the name of his wife, Ellen Dietz Wayne and the fact that he was born  in 1823 in Maryland, Otsego County, New York (west of Albany).

I went to the Find a Grave site for Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne.  Born in 1745 and died 1796.  

It listed one son and a daughter.

The daughter was Margaretta  Wayne Atlee (1779-1810).  She would have died before Harley Wayne was born.

The son's name was Isaac Wayne (1772-1852).  So, from the years. he might have been the father of Harley Wayne.

A Possibility?  --Brock-Perry

Was Harley Wayne the Descendant of "Mad: Anthony Wayne?

In my last post, I wrote that the newspaper article said that Capt. Harley Wayne  was a descendant of an illustrious American Revolution officer Gem. "Mad" Anthony Wayne.  I decided to find out what that would be.

I found that he had an interesting story and I am thinking about writing about it in my Cooter's History Thing blog in the future.

From Wikipedia.

ANTHONY WAYNE (January 1, 1745-December 15, 1796)

Was an American soldier. officer, statesman of Irish descent.  He adopted a military career at the onset of the American Revolution exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him promotion to brigadier general and the nickname "Mad Anthony."

He later served as senior officer of the Army on the Ohio frontier and led the Legion of the United States.

--Old Secesh

Interviews With First Responders Tells the Story-- Part 3: 'I Gave Everyone General Absolution, and I Kept Running' Toward the Burning Tower

Among the units arriving from outlying boroughs was a Staten Island battalion commanded by Chief Thomas Vallebuona.  "The thought in my mind is, we were going to end up like the people in Pompeii, totally buried in ash and dust," he recalled.

The Rev. John Delendick, a fire department chaplain, had just finished saying mass at St. Michael's Church in Brooklyn when he heard about the attack.  He arrived at the site as first responders and civilians were fleeing for their lives.

"We were running along, and a cop is running next to me," Delendick recalled.  "He says:  'Father, can I go to confession?' I looked and said:  'This is an act of war, isn't it?' He said:  'Yeah, I believe so.'  I said:  'Then I'm giving general absolution.'  I gave everyone general absolution, and I kept running."

Interviews With First Responders Told 9/11 Story-- Part 2: Oral History

I stop my blogs every September 11 to remember.

"For those who survived that day it was luck, not skill," according to James Canham.

Why would anyone accept those odds in return for a first responder's modest paycheck?

Fortunately, survivors can speak for their for their lost comrades, and recount what happened, thanks to interviews made by the New York Fire Department shortly after 9/11.

Of course, the sooner you can get a person's recollections on paper, the more accurate they are.

Interviews With First Responders Told the 9/11 Story

From the September 10, 2021, Chicago Tribune by Ron Grossman.

New York firefighter James Canham was supposed to have off on September 11, 2001.  His wife worked in Manhattan, not far from the World Trade Center, so he drove her to work and headed back to their home in Brooklyn.

Once home, finding an answering machine message about an airplane hitting the north tower of the World Trade, he grabbed gear from a nearby firehouse and got a lift back to Manhattan.  Working his way up to the 11thfloor, he rescued a woman and an exhausted cop and found an office with a working phone.

"This is real bad, I'm going to be here for awhile," he told his wife.  "Go home, get the kids, stay out of Manhattan."

Canhan got out of the tower just before it collapsed.

Capt. Harley Wayne a Descendant of Gen. 'Mad' Anthony Wayne of American Revolution

From the May 30, 1987, Northwest Herald "Descendant of 'Mad' A.W.."

Captain Harley Wayne was the descendant of an illustrious military forbear.

"Mad" Anthony Wayne, chief of staff for Gen. George Washington, was Captain Wayne's grandfather.

"Mad" Anthony Wayne fought Indians after helping defeat the British during the American Revolution.

Fort Wayne, Indiana, is named after him.

Connie Parenti gave this information.  After looking into Harley Wayne's life, she also became interested in the Wayne genealogy.

--Old Secesh

Writes His Dad-- Part 6: All He Wanted Was a Pony

Around the turn of the century, a developer bought the eight acres surrounding  the Parenti homestead (Harley Wayne home) and made a subdivision of it called Evergreen Park.  That is why you see houses around the Wayne residence today.

It is surprising that littler Charlie's chalk marks on the basement wall would have survived to this day.  According to the Parentis, it is a dry basement and that helps.

"All I know is that after we bought the house in 1956 we talked to Dr. Melvin Adams, who was then 76 and had been around Union all his life.  He lived in the house when he was a teenager, from 1904-1911.  He told us that his father instructed the children not to erase any writing or drawing on the walls.  Not to deface them in any way.

"So even back then the owners of the house seemed to have an awareness of the importance of the scribblings if a small boy during the Civil War."

A small boy who wanted a pony.  And probably would have settled for a father.

This is another side of war that you don't often get the opportunity to hear.

--Old Secesh

Writes His Dad-- Part 5: Move to Elgin

The Parentis do not know whether Charles Wayne ever got the pony he so wanted.

Charles and his mother later moved to Elgin, Illinois.  Mrs. Wayne took along a rectangular steppingstone from the Union home which had the name Wayne chiseled into it.

The Parentis located Harley Wayne's descendants in Elgin back in 1962 and found that that stepping stone was still at the house where his widow had lived with her son Charles.  They said they could have the stone so it is now back at the Union home.

Charles Wayne became a prominent Elgin attorney and served a term as its mayor from 1896-1897.  He married a woman named Mary Smith who was an ardent advocate of the "Southern Cause."  They did not have children, but did have many nieces and nephews.

In 1905, Charles fell after slipping on a patch of ice and had a cerebral hemorrhage and died from it.  His body was returned to Marengo for burial next to his father, mother and sister he had never known.  His mother had already died in 1900.

Mary Smith Wayne died in 1941.  Shortly before her death she grudgingly admitted that Lincoln was a great man.

--Old Secesh

Writes His Dad- Part 4: The Battle of Shiloh and Death of Harley Wayne

Harley Wayne, however, did not miss U.S. Grant's second major battle, this time against Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston, considered at the time to be the South's best general.

On a Sunday morning, April 6, 1862, the two armies collided at Shiloh in western Tennessee.  Shiloh was virtually little more than a backwoods church, when the Confederates surprised Grant's Army at daybreak.  At daybreak the firing began and by 5 am, the noise and confusion was everywhere on the battlefield.

Johnston was at the front directing his men when he took a bullet to an artery and bled to death.

Harley Wayne was also in the midst of the fighting, right by a place that came to be known as the "Hornet's Nest" because of the bloody confrontation there.  He took a Confederate bullet in the chest and died instantly.

His body was shipped home and he was buried in Marengo Cemetery.

--Old Secesh