Fenn Jewell

Name: Fenn Jewell Company: H
Birth Date: November 30, 1844 Place: Cattaraugus County, New York	Mustered In Date: September 3, 1864 Rank: Private Age: 20 Residence prior to military service: Red Wing, Goodhue County, Minnesota Vocation prior to military service:
Death Date: August 1933 Place: Pine Island, Goodhue County, Minnesota Burial: Pine Island Cemetery, Goodhue County, Minnesota, Section A	Mustered Out Date: September 6, 1865 Rank: Private Age: 21 Residence following military service: Red Wing, Goodhue County, Minnesota Vocation following military service:

Fenn Jewell Biography and Civil War Narrative

Fenn Jewell was born November 30, 1844, in Cattaraugus County, New York, the son of Moses and Martha (Culver) Jewell. In 1846, the Moses Jewell family moved to Dane County, Wisconsin. In May 1855, Moses Jewell and his oldest son, Solomon, moved to Goodhue County, Minnesota. The following spring, Moses moved his family from Wisconsin to Goodhue County. They built a home on 200 acres at Pine Island.

At the time of the 1860 U.S. Census, the Moses Jewell household consisted of 55-year-old Moses (a farmer born in New Hampshire), his 45-year-old wife, Martha (born in New York), 15-year-old son Fenn (born in New York), 12-year-old son Wallace (portrait to the right; born in Wisconsin), and 9-year-old son Nye (born in Wisconsin).

On September 3, 1864, Fenn Jewell enlisted as a Private in Company H of the 5th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He participated in the closing months of the Civil War, including the Battle of Nashville and the Mobile Campaign culminating in the capture of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely. Concluding his military service with garrison duty at Montgomery, Selma, and Demopolis, Alabama, Private Jewell was mustered out with the regiment on September 6, 1865.

Fenn Jewell returned home and formed a partnership with A. B. Cron in the hardware business for a year. He followed that business with a partnership with J. Hawkins in manufacturing brick. In 1868 he sold his interest to Perkins and purchased 80 acres of land. He married Evaline "Eva" C. Brink, born in January 26, 1851 or 1852 in Marion, Iowa.

The 1870 U.S. Census shows Fenn and Eva living next to his parents, two siblings, and grandmother in Pine Island, Goodhue County, Minnesota. He was a farmer and had they had a 2-year-old daughter, Edith. On November 27 of that year, Fenn and Evaline had a baby boy whom they named Moses after Fenn's father. Another son, Fenn Jr., was born on January 24, 1874. Son Moses died at age 3 1/2 on May 13, 1874, and was buried in Pine Island Cemetery, Section A.

In 1876, Fenn Jewell moved his family onto the 80 acres he had purchased. The land was valued at $60 per acre. A third son, Edward C. was born to Fenn and Evaline on August 13, 1878. The 1880 census enumerated on June 26, 1880, shows Fenn and Eva's daughter Edith (age 11) and their two sons, Fenn Jr. (age 6) and Edward C. (age 1) living with Fenn's parents in Pine Island. Evaline had died on April 13 of that same year and was buried in Pine Island Cemetery, Section A. Edward died September 18, 1880, and was buried in the same section of the cemetery.

About 1882, Fenn married Rose B., born April 10, 1856 in New York to Swiss parents. According to the 1900 census, Fenn and Rose lived in Pine Island Village and 52-year-old Fenn worked as a Provision(?) Dealer. Rose was 47 and living with them was Rose's 21-year-old son, Fred Bartian(sp?), born December 1878 in Minnesota, a servant and 3 boarders. Fenn Jr. died on August 10, 1880, and Rose died August 6, 1901; both were also buried in Pine Island Cemetery, Section A.

About 1906, Fenn married once again, this time to a woman named Mattie, perhaps born about 1851 in Wisconsin. The 1910 Census shows Fenn and Mattie living on Newton Avenue in the Village of Pine Island. Living with them is Fenn's daughter Edith Townsend who was now a widow. Also with them were Edith's two children: daughter Evelyn (age 14) and son Marion J. (age 10). Edith worked as a bank cashier.

In the 1920 census, 73-year-old Fenn Jewell is shown living in Pine Island Village with a 48-year-old wife named Frankie W. and her two sons, Willard M. Finch (age 23) and Merril M. Finch (age 21).

Fenn Jewell died August 17, 1933, at age 90 in Goodhue County and was buried with other family members in Section A of the Pine Island Cemetery.

[5th Minnesota Home] [Company H] [Tim Bode] [Tim Bode's Music Page]

This page is maintained by Tim Bode (timbode@juno.com ). Page created on 4/21/09. Last modified on 4/22/09.