He was born in July 1839 (25, 31; 14 (44? in 1861), 17 [23 in 1864], 19 [57 in ?1897], 20 [70 in 1910], 21 [80 in 1920], 22 [39 in 1880], 23 [55 in ?1893], 28 [11 in 1850], 29 [21 in 1860], 30 [39 in 1870]). He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31). He was born to Abraham and Jane Coster (24).
In 1850, he was living in the 3rd ward of Northern Liberties, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (28). He was living with his parents, Abraham and Jane Coster, and others (28). He had attended school within the year (28).
In 1860, he was living in the 16th ward, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (29). He was living with his parents, Abraham and Jane Coster, and others (29). He was a lithographer (29).
When he enlisted, he was a printer (14, 17).
When he enlisted, he was 5 feet 5 inches tall, and had a light complexion, blue eyes, and light hair (14, 17 [5'4-1/2"]).
He enlisted and was mustered into service on 27 September 1861 (1, 14, 26). He enlisted at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Captain Casner (14). He was mustered in as a private in company K by Captain Dye (14, 35 (sgt)).
He was appointed 4th sergeant on 8 October 1861 (13, 16 [27 Sep 61).
On the march to Antietam, he asked Matthew McFetridge to carry John Groff's gun for a while, because Groff was unable to go on (34).
On 25 March 1863, he testified at John Groff's court-martial (34).
He fought at the Battle of Gettysburg (18).
He re-enlisted as a veteran volunteer on 26 February 1864 (1, 16, 17). He was enlisted for three years, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Lieutenant Colonel Zulick (17). He was mustered in by Captain Lane (17).
He was promoted from sergeant to first sergeant (1).
On 14 December 1864, he received a commission from the Governor of Pennsylvania, dated 1 December 1864 (6). He was promoted to (mustered in as) first lieutenant on 17 December 1864 (1, 16).
On 1 January 1865, he was assigned to command company K, receiving all its public property from Adam Murphy (7).
He was a witness to the charge and specification filed against John Blum in January 1865 (7). He signed a memorial to Captain Closson, which was adopted at an officers' meeting held on 27 January 1865 (4).
On 24 February 1865, he was commanding company D (5). On 28 February 1865, he was assigned to command company D, effective 1 March 1865, and to receipt for all property to Adam Murphy (9).
On 18 March 1865, he went on a leave that expired on 2 April 1865 (11, citing SO 71 HQ 5th Corps).
On 23 March 1865, William Carpenter was assigned to command company D and to receipt to Coster for all property in the company (10).
On 31 April 1865, he signed company K's monthly report; he was the only commissioned officer in the company (27).
He was promoted to (mustered in as) captain on 17 May 1865 (1, 2, 16).
He was Captain of Company K at the end of June 1865 (33).
He mustered out on 10 July 1865 with his company (1, 2, 26). He served for sixteen months (19) or 46 months (23). He was captain of company K (35).
He married Birdella F Quigley, about 1867, in Pennsylvania (24, 25). They had five children:
In 1870, he was living in the 13th ward of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (30). He was living with his wife Bingallo [sic] and their children Charles and Emma (30). He was a printer, and owned $500 in personal property (30).
In 1880, he was living at 1314 Almore [?] Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (22). He was living with his wife Berdilla and their children Charles, Emma, George, Harry, and William (22). He was a printer (22).
His wife, Birdella F. Coster, died of Bright's disease on 28 April 1888 (32). She died at 1533 Parrish Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (32). She was buried at Cathedral Cemetery (32).
On 16 July 1890, he applied successfully from Pennsylvania for a pension (15, 26).
On 23 August 1893, he was admitted to the Pennsylvania Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers and Sailors (23). He was admitted from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (23). He had rheumatism, a diseased heart, etc. (23). He was receiving a pension of $12 per month (23). He was a widower (23).
On 22 June 1897, he was admitted to the National Soldiers Home (19). He was admitted from Pennsylvania (19). He had hemorrhoids (19). He was receiving a pension of $12 per month (19).
In 1897, he was present at the Central Branch of the National Soldiers Home (19).
In 1900, he was living at 951 Jessup Street, 20th [?] ward, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (31). He was living with his children Charles and George, and in the same house as George and Emma Snyder (his daughter and son-in-law) and their family (31). He was widowed (31). He was a litho printer (31).
On 13 August 1909, he again applied for a pension (26).
In 1910, he was living at 3009 North Warnock Street, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, with his daughter Emma and her family (20). He was a widower, and was not working (20).
In 1920, he was living at 3009 North Warnock Street, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, with his daughter Emma and her family (21). He was a widower, and was not working (21).
He died on 4 July 1924, at the National Military Home, in Ohio, and was buried in plot 184, Philadelphia National Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (3, 24, 26). The funeral was held on Monday, at 3009 Warnock Street, his son-in-law's residence (24).
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)
3 Philadelphia National Cemetery, index of burials (20 October 2000) [Thanks to Dennis Clowney for the reference!]
4 testimonial to Capt Closson, 27 Jan 1865
5 furlough document for George Rodearmel, 14 February 1865, provided by Dave Rodearmel, transcription and image
6 letter, Sellers to Bartlett, 16 December 1864
7 Charge and specification preferred against John Blum, January 1865
8 special order 1, HQ 91st PA, 1 January 1865
9 special order 11, HQ 91st PA, 28 February 1865
10 special order 21, HQ 91st PA, 23 March 1865 (George Coster)
11 undated officers' furlough list, in regimental letter, order, guard, and furlough book (George Coster)
12 [undated and untitled chart with officers' names] (two references: Lt Coster, and Lt Coster)
13 company K, list of non-commissioned officers (Geo G Coster)
14 company K, descriptive roll (George J Coster)
15 pension index, by name (George G Coster)
16 company K, second list of commissioned officers (George G Coster)
17 company K, third descriptive roll (George G Coster)
18 Pennsylvania Memorial, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (Geo G Coster)
19 Report of the Board of Managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1897. Serial Set volume 3664, session volume 36, 55th Congress, 2nd Session, House Document 27. Page 750. (George G Coster)
20 1910 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 37, supervisor's district 1, enumeration district 925, microfilm series T624, film 1407, page 289 = sheet 10 A handwritten (George G Coster Sr)
21 1920 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 37, supervisor's district 1, enumeration district 1298, microfilm series T625, film 1639, page 59 = sheet 9 A handwritten (George G Coster Sr)
22 1880 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, supervisor's district 1, enumeration district 243, microfilm series T9, film 1174, page 567 = page 6 B handwritten (Geo G Coster)
23 Report of the Board of Managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1894. Serial Set volume 3329, session volume 3, 53rd Congress, 3rd Session. House Miscellaneous Document 27 (in 2 parts). Page 554 (George G Coster)
24 [Philadelphia] Public Ledger, July 7, 1924, page 20 (George Graham Coster)
25 "Carney/Moran Families", a gedcom available on Rootsweb WorldConnect, contact Harry Chambers, revised 14 January 2007 (viewed March 2007) (George G* Coster)
26 pension index, by regiment, 91st PA Infantry, company K (George G Coster)
27 company K monthly report, April 1865 (George G Coster)
28 1850 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Northern Liberties, ward 3, microfilm series M432, film 810, page 159 verso = 318 handwritten (George G Coster)
29 1860 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 16 (post office Kensington PA), microfilm series M653, film 1166, page 427 = 201 handwritten (George G Costar [sic])
30 1870 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 13th ward, microfilm series M593, film 1397, page 310 = 133 handwritten (George Costa)
31 1900 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 20th [?] ward, microfilm series T623, film 1461, supervisor's district 1, enumeration district 411, page 233 = 7 B handwritten (George G Coster)
32 death certificate, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 28 April 1888 (Birdella F Coster)
33 monthly return, company K, June 1865 (George G Coster)
34 court-martial record, National Archives and Records Administration, record group 153 (Records of the Judge Advocate General (Army)), John Groft, 25 March 1863, LL 231 (George G Coster)
35 index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania (George G Coster)
| line | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| Dwellings visited | 488 | ||||||
| Families visited | 618 | ||||||
| Name | Abraham Coster | Jane " | George G " | William H " | Emma " | Mary A " | Jane Graham |
| Age | 35 | 40 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 63 |
| Sex | M | F | M | M | F | F | F |
| Color | |||||||
| Occupation of males over 15 years | Tram Maker | ||||||
| Real estate owned | |||||||
| Birthplace | Pena | England | Penna | Pena | Pena | Pena | Pena |
| Married within year | |||||||
| Attended school within year | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Over 20 & can't read/write | |||||||
| Deaf, dumb, blind, etc. |
| line | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| Dwelling number | 1416 | ||||||
| Family number | 1686 | ||||||
| Name | Abraham Costar [sic] | Jane " | George " | William " | Emma " | Mary " | Jane " |
| Age | 40 | 50 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 9 |
| Sex | M | F | M | M | F | F | F |
| Color | |||||||
| Occupation | Carpenter | Lithographer | Varnisher | ||||
| Value of real estate owned | |||||||
| Value of personal estate | |||||||
| Place of birth | Pa | England | Pa | Do | Do | Do | Do |
| Married within year | |||||||
| Attended school within year | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Cannot read & write | |||||||
| Deaf, dumb, blind, etc. |
| line | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Dwelling-house number | 830 | |||
| Family number | 875 | |||
| Name | Costa [sic] George | " Bingallo [sic] | " Charles | " Emma |
| Age | 39 | 24 | 2 | 1/12 |
| Sex | M | F | M | F |
| Color | W | W | W | W |
| Occupation | Printer | Keep House | ||
| Real estate value | ||||
| Personal estate value | 500 | |||
| Birthplace | Pa | Pa | Pa | Pa |
| Father foreign born | ||||
| Mother foreign born | ||||
| Birth month if born within year | July | |||
| 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 | 1 | |||
| Male US citizen at least 21 years old who can't vote ... |
| line | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 |
| street name | Almore [?] Street | ||||||
| house number | 1314 | ||||||
| dwelling visit # | 58 | ||||||
| family visit # | 62 | ||||||
| name | Coster Geo G | - Berdilla | - Charles H | - Emma | - George G | - Harry | - William |
| color | W | W | W | W | W | W | W |
| sex | M | F | M | F | M | M | M |
| age | 39 | 32 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 5/12 |
| month born if born in year | |||||||
| relationship | Wife | Son | Daughter | Son | Son | Son | |
| single | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| married | 1 | 1 | |||||
| widowed/divorced | |||||||
| married during year | |||||||
| occupation | Printer | Keeping House | At Home | At Home | At Home | At Home | At Home |
| months unemployed | |||||||
| currently ill? | |||||||
| blind | |||||||
| deaf/dumb | |||||||
| idiotic | |||||||
| insane | |||||||
| disabled | |||||||
| school this year | |||||||
| can't read | |||||||
| can't write | |||||||
| birthplace | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| father's birthplace | Pa | Ireland | Pa | Pa | Pa | Pa | Pa |
| mother's birthplace | England | Ireland | Pa | Pa | Pa | Pa | Pa |
| line | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 |
| street | Jessup Street | |||||||
| house number | 951 | |||||||
| dwelling number | 120 | |||||||
| family number | 140 | 142 | ||||||
| name | Snyder, Georg [sic] L | Emma | George D. | Ethel M. | Coster George G | Charles | George Jr | Mary Snider |
| relationship | Head | Wife | Son | Daughter | Head | Son | Son [sic] | Mother Law [sic] |
| color | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W |
| sex | M | F | M | F | M | M | M | F |
| birth date | Aug 1869 | July 1870 | Oct 1897 | July 1899 | July 1839 | Jan 1867 | Oct 1871 | Apr 1841 |
| age | 30 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 33 | 28 | 59 |
| married? | M | M | S | S | W | W | S | W |
| # years married | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| mother of how many children? | 2 | 5 | ||||||
| # of children living | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| birthplace | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Germany |
| father's birthplace | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| mother's birthplace | Germany | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| immigration year | 1860 | |||||||
| # years in USA | 40 | |||||||
| naturalized citizen? | ||||||||
| occupation | Machinist | Litho Printer | Iron Worker | |||||
| # months not employed | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| # months in school | ||||||||
| can read | yes | yes | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| can write | yes | yes | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| speaks English | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| owned/rented | R | R | ||||||
| free or mortgaged | ||||||||
| farm/house | H | H | ||||||
| # of farm schedule | ||||||||
| line | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| street | N Warnock Street | ||||||
| house nr | 3009 | ||||||
| dwelling nr | 226 | ||||||
| family nr | 233 | ||||||
| name | Snyder George L [?] D | - Emma V | - George G D | - Ethel M | - Mildred T C | - Elsie H | Coster George G Sr |
| relationship | Head | Wife | Son | Daughter | Daughter | Daughter | Father in law |
| sex | M | F | M | F | F | F | M |
| color | W | W | W | W | W | W | W |
| age | 41 | 39 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 9/12 | 70 |
| marital status | M | M | S | S | S | S | Wd |
| #years present marriage | [blank] | [blank] | |||||
| mother of # children | [blank] | ||||||
| mother of # living children | [blank] | ||||||
| birthplace | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| father's birthplace | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| mother's birthplace | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Eng - England |
| immigrated | |||||||
| naturalized/alien | |||||||
| speaks English | English | English | English | English | English | ||
| occupation | Packing Maker | none | none | none | none | none | none |
| nature of industry etc. | Machine Shop | ||||||
| employer etc. | W | ||||||
| out of work 15 Apr 1910? | No | ||||||
| # weeks out of work 1909 | 0 | ||||||
| can read | Yes [?] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| can write | Yes [?] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| school since 1 Sep 09 | Yes [?] | Yes | |||||
| owned/rented | R | ||||||
| owned free or mortagaged | |||||||
| farm/house | H | ||||||
| nr on farm schedule | |||||||
| civil war vet | |||||||
| blind | |||||||
| deaf & dumb | |||||||
| line | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| street | Warnock Street | ||||||||
| house number | 3009 | ||||||||
| dwelling visit number | 205 | ||||||||
| family visit number | 211 | ||||||||
| name | Snyder George L D | Snyder Emma J | Snyder George G D | Snyder Ethel M | Snyder Mildred T | Snyder Elsie H | Snyder Helen C | Snyder Mary P | Coster George G |
| relationship | Head | Wife | Son | Daughter | Daughter | Daughter | Daughter | Mother | Father in Law |
| own/rent | R | ||||||||
| free/mortgaged (if owned) | |||||||||
| sex | M | F | M | F | F | F | F | F | M |
| race | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W |
| age at last birthday | 51 | 48 | 22 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 78 | 80 |
| marital status | M | M | S | S | S | S | S | WD | WD |
| year of immigration | |||||||||
| naturalized/alien | |||||||||
| year of naturalization | |||||||||
| attended school since Sept 1919 | No | Yes | Yes | No | |||||
| can read | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| can write | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| birth place | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| native language | |||||||||
| father's birthplace | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| father's native language | |||||||||
| mother's birthplace | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | England |
| mother's native language | English | ||||||||
| can speak English | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| occupation | Packing Maker | None | Laborer | Saleslady | Helper | None | None | None | None |
| industry, business | Steam Engine Packing | Electrical | Department Store | Lace Mill | |||||
| employment status | W | W | W | W | |||||
| number of farm schedule | |||||||||