He was born in 1826/27.
[sources:
date: 5 (35 in 1862)]
During the war
He enlisted and was mustered into service as a private on 9 September 1862, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was a private in company B.
[sources: 1, 5, 6, 7, 8]
He was reported absent without leave on 11 May 1863.
His reported status changed on 31 May 1863.
In the undated report for the 29th or 30th, company B has one fewer man absent without leave, and one additional man absent sick; Anten is probably that man.
[sources: 2, 3]
He was transferred to the Veterans' Reserve Corps in July 1863.
When he was transferred, he was a private in company B.
[sources: 1, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Sources
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)
(Joseph L Anten)
5Civil War Veterans' Card File, available at the Pennsylvania State Archives, searched 30 May 2004
(Joseph L Anten; rolls also have 'Auton')
6index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania
(Joseph L Anton)
7index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania
(Joseph L Anten)
8index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania
(Joseph L Auten)
Note on identification
One key problem is that 'Anten' could easily be spelled in different ways (including 'Antin' and 'Anton', and perhaps even 'Anthony'), and could also be a misreading of 'Auten' (since written 'n' and 'u' are often almost impossible to distinguish).
I have found references (summarized below) to a Joseph L Anten or Auten of about the right age in Milton, Northumberland, Pennsylvania, and in Trumbull County, Ohio.
They could be the same person.
They could be the Joseph L Anten who served in the 91st.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to determine whether they are, and at least some evidence (sketched below) raises doubts that they are.
(The Compiled Service Record for Joseph Anten in the Veterans Reserve Corps might provide some additional information; it should at least tell us when he was discharged.)
Seeing this Joseph Anten as the Joseph who served in the 91st is especially tempting because other men from Milton served in the 91st.
Note, however, that the others all (as far as I know) served in company F.
And even if my Joseph Anten was discharged from the Veterans' Reserve Corps early enough to be listed, which is implausible even if the regimental records have the wrong transfer date, since the enumeration was done in June 1863, the record does not list his service in the 91st.
1850 US census, Pennsylvania, Northumberland, Milton (microfilm series M432, film 804, page 139 = 61 recto = [165] handwritten)
Joseph L Anten, 24, b. PA, carpenter, with $1,600 in real estate, in Milton Borough, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, with Mary Kerr (40 b. Connecticut) et al.
Consolidated lists of Civil War draft registration records, National Archives and Records Administration record group 110 (accessed on Ancestry 29 June 2012, 14th Congressional District, volume 1 of 7, class 1, A-K, image 26 of 611)
Milton Township, #19, Autin Joseph, 23 years old, white, carpenter, unmarried, born Pennsylvania [and the 'former military service' and 'remarks' columns are both blank]
Trumbull County OH
Note that the 1890 veterans schedules do not list Amanda.
Ohio, county marriages, 1789-1994 (on FamilySearch, accessed 29 June 2012)
Joseph L Anten, married Amanda Harper, 30 July 1868, at Trumbull Ohio, by D M Rogers minister
1870 US census, Ohio, Trumbull County, Weathersfield (post office Niles), microfilm series M593, film 1272, page 448 verso = 10 handwritten)
Joseph L Anten (read by Ancestry's indexer as 'Auten'), farmer, 41, born PA, with Amanda, 46 born NY, James 15 farmer b. PA, Lina 12 b. PA, and William 7 b. PA
1880 US census, Ohio, Trumbull County, Weathersfield, supervisor's district 8, enumeration district 211, microfilm series T9, film 1071, page 440 = 3 C handwritten
J L Antin (50, b. PA), farmer, with Amanda Antin (54, b. NY) and stepson William Harper (?) 11 born PA (father born PA mother born NY)
Ohio, deaths and burials 1854-1997 (abstract on FamilySearch, accessed 29 June 2012)
Joseph L Auten [sic--but remember this is an abstract; I have not seen the original record], died 29 November 1880, Niles, Trumbull, Ohio, age 51, occupation farmer, married
Amanda M Auten [sic--but remember this is an abstract; I have not seen the original record], Amanda M Auten, died 30 December 1896, Bloomfield, Trumbull, Ohio, age 72, born NY City, widowed
Find a grave
Amanda Auten, born 1824, died 1896, buried Brownwood Cemetery, North Bloomfield, Trumbull County, Ohio (memorial 77145069 (created by Joel D, 26 Sep 2011, accessed 29 June 2012)
(Joseph is not listed in that cemetery, and the only Joseph Auten buried in Ohio listed in Find a grave died on 14 January 1963)
'Family group sheet of John BLANK and Jane MYERS', on RootsWeb (accessed 29 June 2012)
Amanda Malvina Blank born 10 July 1824 New York City to John Blank and Jane Myers; married (1) Robert Elliott Harper 31 December 1844, who died on 18 October 1865 in Weathersfield, Trumbell, Ohio (children David, Leona, Ella, James, Emeline, William); married (2) Joseph L Auten 30 July 1868 Trumbell County OH; died 30 December 1896 Bloomfield Trumbell Oho, buried Center Cem
[index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania]
[transcribed 4 Mar 2014, from Fold3]
Anton, Joseph L.
Co. B, 91 Pennsylvania Inf.
Pvt. | Pvt.
See also V.R.C.
GENERAL INDEX CARD.
[second card, transcribed 5 Mar 2014]
Anten, Joseph L.
Co. B, 91 Pennsylvania Inf.
Pvt. | Pvt.
REFERENCE CARD.
Original filed under
Anton, Joseph L.
GENERAL INDEX CARD.
[third card, transcribed 5 March 2014]
Auten, Joseph L.
Co. B, 91 Pennsylvania Inf.
Pvt. | Pvt.
REFERENCE CARD.
Original filed under
Anton, Joseph L.
GENERAL INDEX CARD.
Sources checked unsuccessfully
Pennsylvania veterans' burial cards
Ancestry index (accessed 2 April 2012)
Applications for headstones for military veterans, 1925-1941
FamilySearch index (accessed 29 June 2012)
Records of headstones of deceased Union volunteers, 1879-1903
FamilySearch index (accessed 29 June 2012)
Find a grave
searched for Joseph Anten and for Anten in Northumberland County PA (accessed 28 June 2012)
searched for Anten in Ohio and for Antin in Ohio (accessed 29 June 2012)
also looked at listed burials in Ohltown Cemetery (Weathersfield) and Weathersfield Township Cemetery (Weathersfield) (accessed 29 June 2012)
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Anten born 1826-1827 found these two entries:
(1) Joseph L Anten, 24, b. PA, carpenter, with $1,600 in real estate, in Milton Borough, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, with Mary Kerr (40 b. Connecticut) et al. (microfilm series M432, film 804, page 139 = 61 recto = [165] handwritten)
(2) Joseph Anthony, 24, born Ireland (the FamilySearch indexer apparently read 'Do' as 'De[laware]'), blacksmith, in Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, with John Dagel (33 b. Ireland) et al. (microfilm series M432, film 791, page 228 recto = 453 handwritten = 23 handwritten)
the Ancestry index has three, by reporting Antone and Antine (but not the Joseph Anten listed above, whom they indexed under 'Auten', and none are in Pennsylvania, and none have the middle initial 'L') (accessed 28 June 2012)
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Auten born 1826-1827 found a Joseph Autin born in Delaware living in Cedar Creek Hundred, Sussex, Delaware (and five Joseph Austin's)
1860 US census
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Anten born 1826-1827 found no entries
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Auten born 1826-1827 found only Austin entries (and none in Pennsylvania)
the Ancestry index has six, by reporting Anton, Antone, Anten, and Antoine--none are in Pennsylvania, and none have the middle initial 'L' (accessed 28 June 2012)
there is a Joseph P Antin (31 born Ohio) in Penn, Highland, Ohio, with Cynthia Antin (28 b. Ohio) et al. (microfilm series M653, film 986, page 145 = 290 handwritten)
1870 US census
the Ancestry index has four Joseph Anten's born 1825-1827 (by including Antine, Antoine, and Antone)--but none are living in or born in Pennsylvania and none have the middle initial 'L'
1880 US census
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Anten born 1826-1827 found no entries
the Ancestry index has three, by reporting Antoine--none in or born in Pennsylvania and none with the middle initial 'L' (accessed 28 June 2012)
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Auten born 1826-1827 found one Joseph R Auten born in NY, living in Banner, Fulton, Illinois (and several Austin's)
1890 US census, veterans' schedules
Ancestry index (accessed September 2006)
Ancestry index (accessed 29 June 2012, for Amanda or Joseph in Trumbull County Ohio)
1900 US census
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Anten born 1826-1827 found no entries
the Ancestry index has a Joseph Anton and a Joseph St Antoine, neither living in or born in Pennsylvania (accessed 28 June 2012)
1910 US census
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Anten born 1826-1827 found no entries
the Ancestry index has a Joseph Anton and a Joseph Antoine, neither living in or born in Pennsylvania (accessed 28 June 2012)
1920 US census
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Anten born 1826-1827 found no entries
the Ancestry index found none (accessed 28 June 2012)
1930 US census
searching the FamilySearch index (accessed 28 June 2012) for Joseph Anten born 1826-1827 found no entries
the Ancestry index found none (accessed 28 June 2012)
RootsWeb WorldConnect
accessed 29 June 2012 (searched for Joseph Anten metaphone spouse Amanda, and Joseph Anten metaphone born 1826 +/- 1, and for Joseph L Auten, and Joseph Auten born 1826 +/- 1, Joseph Auten married to Amanda, and Amanda Blank born 1824 +/- 2)