Henry Rust, Jr., was born on December 2, 1833, in Norway, Maine, to Henry and Mary Rust. His father was a farmer who owned $2,500 of real estate and $200 of personal property by 1860. He grew up and attended school in Norway, and by 1850, he was working as a farmer. By 1860, he was working as a lumber dealer in Norway, and he owned $3,000 of real estate and $500 of personal property.

 

He enlisted in the Union army on May 3, 1861, and he mustered in as a sergeant in Company G of the 1^st Maine Infantry later that day. He was promoted to 1^st lieutenant on May 6, 1861. The regiment spent two months stationed in Washington, D.C., and he mustered out on August 5, 1861. He returned to the Union army on October 4, 1861, mustering in as a captain in Company G of the 10^th Maine Infantry. Soon afterward, he became a lieutenant colonel in the 13^th Maine Infantry, and he became the regiment’s colonel on April 21, 1862. A eulogist later described him as a “brave soldier, faithful and prompt in the discharge of all orders, never shrinking from any duty however dangerous or trying. A strict disciplinarian, but beloved by every officer and man of his command.” He mustered out on January 6, 1865.

 

Rust settled in Haverhill, Massachusetts, after the war and earned a living as a hat manufacturer. By 1870, he owned $1,000 of real estate and $15,000 of personal property. He married Catherine Hobbs in Haverhill on October 3, 1871, and their daughter Katie was born around 1873. He died of cancer in Portland, Maine, on July 29, 1881.

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