He was born in 1824/26, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, probably to John Pfall and Margaret [unknown family name]. [sources: date: 12 (39 in 1864?), 13 (33 in 1861?), 15 (57 in 1881?), 16 (53 in ? 1877), 19 (39 in 1864), 21 (65 in 1891), 22 (53 in 1877), 23 (34 in 1860). place: 12, 15, 16, 22, 23. parents: 23]
In 1860, he was living in ward 1, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was living with John and Margrett Pfhall (presumably his parents). He was a wheelwright. They were living at 210 Jarvis Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [sources: 23, 27]
When he enlisted, he was a wheelwright, and was living in Philadelphia. [sources: 12, 13 (laborer), 19]
When he enlisted, he was 5 feet 8-1/2 inches tall, and had a dark complexion, gray eyes, and dark hair. [sources: 12, 13 (5'6", dark complexion, blue eyes, dark hair), 19]
On 10 May 1861, he enlisted in the US Navy. He served on the steamer Red Rover. [source: 22]
On 24 September 1863, he was discharged from the US Navy, because of sickness. [source: 22]
He was mustered in, in company A, on 26 January 1864. He was enlisted for three years, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Lieutenant Burke. [sources: 1 (veteran volunteer), 2, 12, 13 (11 October 1861), 19 (Lt Shipley), 22, 28]
On 28 October 1864, he was wounded, at Hatcher's Run, Virginia. He received a gunshot wound in his left shoulder. He was treated at Columbia Hospital, Washington, DC. [source: 19, 22]
He was absent, sick, when the regiment mustered out. [sources: 1, 13, 15 (18 months service), 16 (6 (sic) months service!)]
On 26 July 1865, he was discharged, at Mount Pleasant Hospital. He had been unfit for duty sixty days in the previous two months. He had received a gunshot wound of the left should, with a compound comminuted fracture of the left shoulder blade, and permanent dislocation of the acromial end of the left collar bone. He was totally disabled. He was a private, in company A. [sources: 19, 22, 28]
He applied successfully for a pension on 25 August 1865, from Pennsylvania, under the Act of 14 July 1862. His application was dated 26 July 1865; his post office address was 209 Jarvis Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [sources: 2, 18, 19]
In 1870, his (apparent) parents were living at 209 Jarvis Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The census does not record him as living with them. [source: 24]
On 4 July 1872, his (apparent) father, John Pfahl, died, at 209 Jarvis Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died of old age. On 8 July 1872, he was buried in the Wharton Street [Methodist Episcopal Church] cemetery. [source: 25]
Probably in fall 1877, he was living at 721 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a wheelwright. [source: 27]
On 2 October 1877, his (apparent) mother, Margaret Falls Pfahl, died, at 1002 Anita Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She died of old age. She was buried in the Union Sixth Street Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [source: 26]
On 17 December 1877, he was admitted to the Central Branch of the National Soldiers Home, in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio. He had a wound in his left s[houlder]. He was a wheelwright. He was receiving a pension of $8 per month. His nearest relative was his daughter, Sarah Odgers, of 1002 Anita Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [sources: 16, 22]
On 6 July 1881, he was discharged from the Central Branch of the National Soldiers Home, at his own request. [sources: 16, 22]
On 6 July 1881, he was admitted to the Central Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. He had a wound in his left s[houlder?]. He received a pension of $8 per month. He was discharged apparently on the same day. [source: 15]
He died on 8 April 1891, in the third story back room of 812 St John Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He committed suicide. He had been a subtenant until the family moved out, about a week before his body was found. He was a wheelwright. On 14 April 1891, he was buried in plot 70 of Philadelphia National Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [sources: 3 (4 Apr), 17, 20 (found 8 April; had been dead 5 or 6 days), 21]
On 30 June 1894, his name was dropped from the pension rolls. He had last been paid through 4 March 1891, at a rate of $12 per month. [source: 19]
1 Bates, Samuel Penniman. History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5. Harrisburg: B. Singerly, state printer, 1869-71. 5 volumes. 'Ninety-first regiment', volume 3, pages 186-233. (In the roster) (John Falls)
2 pension index by regiment (John Falls)
3 Philadelphia National Cemetery, interment records (searched 2 November 2000) (John Falls, A)
4 to 11 [moved to the other John Falls]
12 company A descriptive roll, entry 128 (John Falls)
13 Civil War Veterans' Card File, available at the Pennsylvania State Archives, ARIAS, searched 5 May 2004 (John Falls)
14 [moved to the other John Falls]
15 National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. Report of Managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, transmitting the report of the said board for the year ending June 30, 1884. January 5, 1885. Serial Set volume 2310, session volume 1, 48th Congress, 2nd Session, House Miscellaneous Document 11, page 216 (John Falls)
16 Annual report of the Board of Managers of the National Soldiers Home, 30 December 1882 [for the fiscal year ending 30 June 1882]. Serial Set volume 2115, session volume 1, 47th Congress, 2nd Session, House Miscellaneous Document 13, page 378 (John Falls)
17 Pennsylvania veterans burial records, available on Ancestry (transcribed 21 December 2010) (John Falls)
18 pension index, by name (John Falls)
19 pension documents file, certificate 53,351 (John Falls (A))
20 'A soldier's suicide', Philadelphia inquirer 9 April 1891, page 4 (John Falls)
21 death certificate, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 8 April 1891 (John Falls)
22 Registers of the National homes for disabled volunteer soldiers, 1866-1938, Dayton Ohio, FamilySearch (John Falls)
23 1860 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 1, division 11, microfilm series M653, film 1151, page 518 = 191 handwritten, FamilySearch (John Pfhall [sic])
24 1870 US census, 2nd enumeration, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 1, district 3, microfilm series M593, film 1415, page 188 recto = 15 handwritten (parents only)
25 [not transcribed] death certificate, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 4 July 1872, John Pfahl [father] (available at FamilySearch)
26 [not transcribed] death certificate, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 2 October 1877, Margaret Falls Pfahl [mother] (available at FamilySearch)
27 Philadelphia city directories, transcribed from Fold3, 31 January 2014
28 index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania (John Falls)
Assigning records to this John Falls or the other John Falls (who served in company H) is sometimes difficult. This John Falls enlisted in the 91st in 1864--but one (secondary) source does claim he enlisted on 11 October 1861 (source 13 below). This John Falls seems to have served only in company A--but special order 4, HQ 91st PA, dated, 16 February 1864, transferred a John Falls from company A to company H. The fact that the two John Falls (apparently) died just ten days apart doesn't help.
Still, relying on the pension documents files, on the fact that the other John Falls was a musician, and on the difference in their occupations, and assuming that the John Falls who served in company A did not enlist until 1864, I have reasonable confidence in the division I've made of the records.
| line | 33 | 34 | 35 |
| Dwelling number | 1328 | ||
| Family number | 1403 | ||
| Name | John Pfhall [sic] | Margrett [sic] | John |
| Age | 68 | 65 | 34 |
| Sex | m | f | m |
| Color | |||
| Occupation | Dealer | Weelright | |
| Value of real estate owned | |||
| Value of personal estate | |||
| Place of birth | Phila | " | " |
| Married within year | |||
| Attended school within year | |||
| Cannot read & write | |||
| Deaf, dumb, blind, etc. |
| line | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Dwelling-house number | 209 | |||||||
| Family number | ||||||||
| Name | Pfahl John | Margaret | Odgers Elizabeth | David | Mathew | Margarett | Lizzie | Marry E |
| Age | 78 | 73 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Sex | M | F | F | M | M | F | F | F |
| Color | ||||||||
| Occupation | ||||||||
| Real estate value | ||||||||
| Personal estate value | ||||||||
| Birthplace | ||||||||
| Father foreign born | ||||||||
| Mother foreign born | ||||||||
| Birth month if born within year | ||||||||
| Marriage month if married within year | ||||||||
| Attended school past year | ||||||||
| Can't read | ||||||||
| Can't write | ||||||||
| Deaf, dumb, blind, etc. | ||||||||
| Male US citizen at least 21 years old | ||||||||
| Male US citizen at least 21 years old who can't vote ... |
I CERTIFY, that I have carefully examined the said John Falls of Captain [blank] Company, and find him incapable of performing the duties of a soldier because of Sequence of gunshot wound left shoulder, with comp. comm. fracture l. shoulder blade, and permanent dislocation acromial end of l. collar bone received in action at Hatcher's Run, Va., Oct. 28th 1864. Elect. discharge. Degree of Disability total
H. AllenI hereby report that the name of John Falls, who was a pensioner on the rolls of this Agency, under Certificate No. 53.351, and who was last paid at $12, to March 4", 1891, has been dropped because of Section 4719.
On this 26 day of July 1865, personally appeared before me, a Deputy Clerk of a Court of Record, in the County and District aforesaid, John Falls aged 39 years, a resident of Philadelphia County of -- in the State of Pennsylvania who, being duly sworn, declares that he is the identical John Falls who enlisted in the service of the United States at Philadelphia in the State of Penna on the 26th day of January 1864, as a private in Company "A", commanded by Capt Gregory in the 91st Regiment of Pa Vol Infantry in the war of 1861, and was honorably discharged on the 26th day of July 1865. That while in the service aforesaid, and in the line of his duty, on or about the 28th day of October, in the year of our Lord 1864, he was wounded in Battle of Hatchers Run Va by Minnie ball, in left Shoulder, Treated at Columbia Hosptl Washington D.C., & Discharged from Mount Pleasant Hosptl, Washington D.C.
He makes this application for a pension, provided by the act of Congress approved July 14, 1862, and hereby appoints DARIUS FORBES, General Claim Agent of the United States Sanitary Commission, or his successor in office, of Washington, D.C., his lawful attorney, and authorizes him to present and prosecute this claim, and to receive and receipt for any orders or certificates that may be issued in satisfaction thereof. My Post Office address is as follows: 209. Jarvis. Str. Philadelphia Pa
John FallsAlso personally appeared before me, Joseph F Copp of South Kingston NH, and Peter C Hunt of Birmingham Mich, whom I believe to be credible persons, who being duly sworn, declare that they were present and saw said John Falls sign his name to the foregoing declaration, and that they believe, from the appearance of the applicant and their acquaintance with him, that he is the identical person he represents himself to be; and they further state that they have no interest in the prosecution of this claim.
Joseph F CoppSworn to and subscribed before me, this 26 day of July 1865, and I hereby certify that I have no interest, direct or indirect, in the prosecution of this claim.
D. K. BarrettJohn Falls, aged 66 years, a veteran of the war, was found with his throat cut yesterday in the third story back room of 812 St. John street. Falls was a sub-tenant until about a week ago, when the family moved out. From the condition of the body it is supposed that he had been dead five or six days. On the floor near the body was a blood-stained razor. The body is at the Morgue.
| MILITARY HISTORY. | ||
| Time and Place of Each Enlistment. | May 10" 1861 Philadelphia Pa | January 26" 1864 Philadelphia Pa |
| Company and Regiment. | U.S. Navy Steamer Red Rover | A. 91 Penna |
| Time and Place of Discharge. | Sept 24" 1863 | July 26" 1865 Mount Pleasant Hospital |
| Causes of Discharge. | Sickness | War ending |
| Kind and Degree of Disability. | G.S.W of left Shoulder | |
| When and where Contracted and Received. | Oct 28 1864 Hatchers Run Va | |
| DOMESTIC HISTORY. | |
| Where Born. | Penna Philadelphia |
| Age. | 53 |
| Residence subsequent to Discharge. | Philadelphia Penn. |
| Occupation. | Wheelwright |
| Social condition. | |
| Number and kind of Relatives Requiring his Assistance. | |
| P.O. address of Family or Nearest Relative. | Sarah Odgers Daughter #1002 Anita St Phila. Pa. |
| HOME HISTORY. | ||
| Rate of Pension | $8 00 #53351 | |
| Date of Admission and Re-admission. | Decb 17 1877. | |
| Conditions of Re-admission. | ||
| Date of Discharge. | July 6. 1881 | |
| Cause of Discharge. | S.O. #120 at Request | |
| Date of Death. | ||
| Cause of Death. | ||