James H. Garland was born on December 30, 1830, in Albemarle County, Virginia. Prior to the war, he moved to Mercer County, Pennsylvania, with his mother. He remained there until she passed away. Afterwards, Garland worked on a farm in Lawrence County for two years before he returned to Mercer County to attend school. In Mercer, Garland opened a barber shop and married Mary E. Jackson on June 21, 1864, near Millbrook in Mercer County.
Garland enlisted as a private at the age of 34 on August 14, 1864, in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, and mustered in four days later in Philadelphia. His service record describes him as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, with black hair, black eyes, and a yellow complexion. He served in Company A of the 127th USCT Infantry Regiment. With the 127th USCT, Garland served throughout Virginia during the war including in the siege against Petersburg and Richmond from September 1864 until April 1865. Garland, however, reported sick in hospital from March 30, 1865, until sometime in May. Garland allegedly contracted rheumatism and heart disease while helping to build a bridge on the James River in December 1864 in Deep Bottom, Virginia, and Fort Harrison. Garland mustered out on September 8, 1865, in Brazos Santiagos, Texas.
Following the war, Garland returned to Pennsylvania and lived in New Castle for several years. With his wife Mary, he had three children: Elizabeth H., born April 30, 1865; James H. Jr., born February 2, 1867; and Charles F., born November 7, 1869. Garland continued work at his barber shop for several years. Garland also apparently served as a constable and a Mercer County Councilman for two terms. Additionally, he spent several years living in Ohio: in Youngstown, Warren, Burghill, and Cleveland. He also resided at one point in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania. Later in his life, Garland developed alcoholism and continued to suffer from rheumatism and heart disease. Garland's son Charles filed his father's pension application. He received his first pension payment at least before 1889. By the time of his death, he was receiving $30 per month. Garland died of lobar pneumonia and chronic nephritis in Cleveland on February 2, 1918. Following his death, Garland's widow Mary secured a pension of $30 per month. She passed away on December 2, 1923, in Cleveland.
Documents:
Testimony of George Lewis on behalf of James H. Garland
Charles Garland letters on behald of his mother's widow's pension
| Name: | Garland, James H. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Gender: | M | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race: | Black | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Branch of service: | Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Enlistment/Muster: |
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| Residence at enlistment: | Mercer County, PA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank In: | Private | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank Out: | Private | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest rank achieved: | Private | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pensions: |
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| Birth date: | 1830-12-30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth date certainty: | Certain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth place: | Charlottesville, VA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Death date: | 1918-02-02 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Death place: | Cleveland, OH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Causes of death: | disease: pneumonia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupations: | Barber, Councilman, Constable, House-caretaker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relationships: |
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Compiled Service Records for James H. Garland, RG94, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington, D.C.; Pension Records for James H. Garland, RG15, NARA, Washington, D.C.
