Frederick Swarman was born around 1836 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Caron and Ann Swarman. By 1855, he was working as a boat maker in Medway, Massachusetts. He married Tryphena Harding on November 29, 1855, and they had at least five children: Irving, born around 1857; Anna, born around 1859; Almeda, born around 1866; Almira, born around 1866; and Keziah, born around 1880. Irving and Anna both died in the spring of 1864.
He enlisted in the Union army on April 29, 1861, and he mustered in as a corporal in Company E of the 12th Massachusetts Infantry on June 26, 1861. According to his service records, he was 5 feet, 4 inches tall, with black hair and dark eyes. He was severely wounded in the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, and surgeons amputated his right leg. He spent the next few months recovering, and he mustered out on April 2, 1863. He applied for a federal pension in May 1863 and eventually received one. In August 1863, he became a private in the 8th Company of the 2nd Veteran Reserve Corps Battalion. He mustered out on January 2, 1864.
He returned to Medway after leaving the army, and he earned a living as a grocer. By 1870, he owned $1,850 of personal property. His store served as the local post office. In June 1878, someone broke into his store, stole $125 from the safe, and burned down the building. The family moved to Millis, Massachusetts, in the late 1800s. His wife died in 1902, and he married Sarah F. Clark on February 17, 1904. He died in Millis of “Carcinoma of [the] prostate” on March 2, 1915.
Image: Frederick Swarman (courtesy Worth Point)