Frederick Thomas Locke was born on August 17, 1826, in New York City. He grew up and attended school in Penn Yan, New York, and by 1850, he was working as a plumber in New York City. He married Margaret Ellison on December 9, 1851, and they had at least two children: Mary, born around 1854; and Adelaide, born around 1859. By 1860, he owned $8,000 of real estate and $200 of personal property, and he employed at least one domestic servant.
In the early 1860s, he served as a 1st lieutenant in the 12th New York Militia Infantry. In September 1861, he received a commission as a captain in the Union army. He served as an assistant adjutant general for the Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in August 1862. He was wounded in the face in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864, and he mustered out on September 19, 1865.
Locke returned to New York City after the war and resumed his work as a plumber. By 1870, he owned $22,000 of real estate. He died in New York City on February 4, 1893.
Image: Frederick T. Locke (courtesy Wikicommons)