Civil War veteran
Private, Co. A, 5th Massachusetts Cavalry
Based on the 1860 federal and 1865 Massachusetts State censuses it is probable that Charles, an African American who was born in Baltimore, MD, was a former slave who fled north to Canada prior to 1855, where his son Charles F. was born, and that he re-entered the United States before the 1857 birth of his son George Edward. A third son Horace B. was born in Plymouth, MA in 1861. That aforementioned Massachusetts census, taken June 28,1865, shows the children residing in the Plymouth home of African American farmer Edward Greeland and his wife Maria, both of whom were born in Maryland. Their relationship to Charles and the children is unknown. Charles would have been absent from the home as he was serving with the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry which, on the date of the census, was in transit to Brazos Santiago, Texas, near Brownsville, for the purpose of guarding against possible border incursion by the Mexican army. It is supposed, too, that Charles' wife Elizabeth (Cole), who was born in Pennsylvania and was 24 in 1860, was deceased prior to 1865 as she's absent from that census as well.
Charles, who stood 5 ft. 10 in. tall, and featured a black complexion, hair, and eyes, enlisted in the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry at Plymouth on Dec. 19, 1863 and was mustered into service on Jan. 9, 1864. He was assigned as the cook for Company A and served in this capacity throughout his enlistment, which ended Oct. 31, 1865. During its service the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry acted as dismounted infantry and saw action in the trenches at Petersburg in June 1864 and also guarded Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, MD from July 1864 to March 1865. The regiment was ordered to Texas on June 16, 1865 from where they were mustered out.
In 1870 Charles and son Charles F., then 15, were recorded as working in a cotton mill, while sons Edward and Horace, 12 and 10 respectively, were enrolled in school. Ellen "Nellie" Newsome, a 26-year-old African American was "Keeping house" and is assumed to been the mother of Lovey Allen, six months.
The following is from research conducted by Find a Grave member Sandra Lennox:
Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and
Marines in the Civil War
Vol. VI
Fifth Regiment Mass. Volunteer Cavalry
Company "A"
Page 494
Charles B. Allen
Priv.-Res. Baltimore, Md., laborer;
35; enl. Dec. 19, 1863; must, Jany. 9, 1864;
must. out Oct. 31, 1865.
Page 492
Fifth Regiment Massachusetts
Volunteer Cavalry
Three Years
The 5th Regt. Mass. Vol. Cav. was the only cavalry regiment from Massachusetts composed exclusively of colored men. It was organized at Camp Meigs, Readville, during the autumn of 1863 and the winter following. The regiment was mustered out of the Federal service at Clarksville, Texas, Oct. 31, 1865, and immediately started for Massachusetts, making most of the trip by steamer. On arriving in Boston Harbor the regiment was landed at Galloup's Island where it remained until the latter part of November when it was paid and discharged.
1880 U.S. Census
Plymouth, MA
Charles B. Allen - Head - age 46
Born MD - Parents born MD
Race or color: Black
Male - Widowed
Laborer
Horace G. Allen - Son - age 19 - single
Born MA - Parents born MD
Laborer
Deaths Registered in the Town of Plymouth
August 18, 1880
Charles B. Allen
Male - Widower
Age 46 years
Cause of death: Rheumatis Consumption
Residence & place of death: Plymouth
Occupation: Farmer
Birthplace: Maryland
(no information on parents given)
Volume 320 - Page 305
Note:
Year of birth is estimated from age at death.∼One of the two known Black people buried in Burial Hill is Charles B. Allen, a veteran of the Civil War and a member of the 5th Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry, which was the only Massachusetts cavalry regiment composed entirely of Black men. The regiment had early success in its efforts stationed around Washington D.C. sustaining no losses until June of 1864, where they ran into confederate troops at Baylor's Farm on their way to Petersburg, Virginia. In the fight, three men were killed and nineteen officers and other men were injured. Eventually, the Massachusetts 5th was able to push the confederate soldiers to retreat. Allen survived the war and served in the regiment from 1863 to 1865 with distinction.
Private, Co. A, 5th Massachusetts Cavalry
Based on the 1860 federal and 1865 Massachusetts State censuses it is probable that Charles, an African American who was born in Baltimore, MD, was a former slave who fled north to Canada prior to 1855, where his son Charles F. was born, and that he re-entered the United States before the 1857 birth of his son George Edward. A third son Horace B. was born in Plymouth, MA in 1861. That aforementioned Massachusetts census, taken June 28,1865, shows the children residing in the Plymouth home of African American farmer Edward Greeland and his wife Maria, both of whom were born in Maryland. Their relationship to Charles and the children is unknown. Charles would have been absent from the home as he was serving with the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry which, on the date of the census, was in transit to Brazos Santiago, Texas, near Brownsville, for the purpose of guarding against possible border incursion by the Mexican army. It is supposed, too, that Charles' wife Elizabeth (Cole), who was born in Pennsylvania and was 24 in 1860, was deceased prior to 1865 as she's absent from that census as well.
Charles, who stood 5 ft. 10 in. tall, and featured a black complexion, hair, and eyes, enlisted in the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry at Plymouth on Dec. 19, 1863 and was mustered into service on Jan. 9, 1864. He was assigned as the cook for Company A and served in this capacity throughout his enlistment, which ended Oct. 31, 1865. During its service the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry acted as dismounted infantry and saw action in the trenches at Petersburg in June 1864 and also guarded Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, MD from July 1864 to March 1865. The regiment was ordered to Texas on June 16, 1865 from where they were mustered out.
In 1870 Charles and son Charles F., then 15, were recorded as working in a cotton mill, while sons Edward and Horace, 12 and 10 respectively, were enrolled in school. Ellen "Nellie" Newsome, a 26-year-old African American was "Keeping house" and is assumed to been the mother of Lovey Allen, six months.
The following is from research conducted by Find a Grave member Sandra Lennox:
Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and
Marines in the Civil War
Vol. VI
Fifth Regiment Mass. Volunteer Cavalry
Company "A"
Page 494
Charles B. Allen
Priv.-Res. Baltimore, Md., laborer;
35; enl. Dec. 19, 1863; must, Jany. 9, 1864;
must. out Oct. 31, 1865.
Page 492
Fifth Regiment Massachusetts
Volunteer Cavalry
Three Years
The 5th Regt. Mass. Vol. Cav. was the only cavalry regiment from Massachusetts composed exclusively of colored men. It was organized at Camp Meigs, Readville, during the autumn of 1863 and the winter following. The regiment was mustered out of the Federal service at Clarksville, Texas, Oct. 31, 1865, and immediately started for Massachusetts, making most of the trip by steamer. On arriving in Boston Harbor the regiment was landed at Galloup's Island where it remained until the latter part of November when it was paid and discharged.
1880 U.S. Census
Plymouth, MA
Charles B. Allen - Head - age 46
Born MD - Parents born MD
Race or color: Black
Male - Widowed
Laborer
Horace G. Allen - Son - age 19 - single
Born MA - Parents born MD
Laborer
Deaths Registered in the Town of Plymouth
August 18, 1880
Charles B. Allen
Male - Widower
Age 46 years
Cause of death: Rheumatis Consumption
Residence & place of death: Plymouth
Occupation: Farmer
Birthplace: Maryland
(no information on parents given)
Volume 320 - Page 305
Note:
Year of birth is estimated from age at death.∼One of the two known Black people buried in Burial Hill is Charles B. Allen, a veteran of the Civil War and a member of the 5th Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry, which was the only Massachusetts cavalry regiment composed entirely of Black men. The regiment had early success in its efforts stationed around Washington D.C. sustaining no losses until June of 1864, where they ran into confederate troops at Baylor's Farm on their way to Petersburg, Virginia. In the fight, three men were killed and nineteen officers and other men were injured. Eventually, the Massachusetts 5th was able to push the confederate soldiers to retreat. Allen survived the war and served in the regiment from 1863 to 1865 with distinction.
Civil War veteran
Private, Co. A, 5th Massachusetts Cavalry
Based on the 1860 federal and 1865 Massachusetts State censuses it is probable that Charles, an African American who was born in Baltimore, MD, was a former slave who fled north to Canada prior to 1855, where his son Charles F. was born, and that he re-entered the United States before the 1857 birth of his son George Edward. A third son Horace B. was born in Plymouth, MA in 1861. That aforementioned Massachusetts census, taken June 28,1865, shows the children residing in the Plymouth home of African American farmer Edward Greeland and his wife Maria, both of whom were born in Maryland. Their relationship to Charles and the children is unknown. Charles would have been absent from the home as he was serving with the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry which, on the date of the census, was in transit to Brazos Santiago, Texas, near Brownsville, for the purpose of guarding against possible border incursion by the Mexican army. It is supposed, too, that Charles' wife Elizabeth (Cole), who was born in Pennsylvania and was 24 in 1860, was deceased prior to 1865 as she's absent from that census as well.
Charles, who stood 5 ft. 10 in. tall, and featured a black complexion, hair, and eyes, enlisted in the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry at Plymouth on Dec. 19, 1863 and was mustered into service on Jan. 9, 1864. He was assigned as the cook for Company A and served in this capacity throughout his enlistment, which ended Oct. 31, 1865. During its service the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry acted as dismounted infantry and saw action in the trenches at Petersburg in June 1864 and also guarded Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, MD from July 1864 to March 1865. The regiment was ordered to Texas on June 16, 1865 from where they were mustered out.
In 1870 Charles and son Charles F., then 15, were recorded as working in a cotton mill, while sons Edward and Horace, 12 and 10 respectively, were enrolled in school. Ellen "Nellie" Newsome, a 26-year-old African American was "Keeping house" and is assumed to been the mother of Lovey Allen, six months.
The following is from research conducted by Find a Grave member Sandra Lennox:
Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and
Marines in the Civil War
Vol. VI
Fifth Regiment Mass. Volunteer Cavalry
Company "A"
Page 494
Charles B. Allen
Priv.-Res. Baltimore, Md., laborer;
35; enl. Dec. 19, 1863; must, Jany. 9, 1864;
must. out Oct. 31, 1865.
Page 492
Fifth Regiment Massachusetts
Volunteer Cavalry
Three Years
The 5th Regt. Mass. Vol. Cav. was the only cavalry regiment from Massachusetts composed exclusively of colored men. It was organized at Camp Meigs, Readville, during the autumn of 1863 and the winter following. The regiment was mustered out of the Federal service at Clarksville, Texas, Oct. 31, 1865, and immediately started for Massachusetts, making most of the trip by steamer. On arriving in Boston Harbor the regiment was landed at Galloup's Island where it remained until the latter part of November when it was paid and discharged.
1880 U.S. Census
Plymouth, MA
Charles B. Allen - Head - age 46
Born MD - Parents born MD
Race or color: Black
Male - Widowed
Laborer
Horace G. Allen - Son - age 19 - single
Born MA - Parents born MD
Laborer
Deaths Registered in the Town of Plymouth
August 18, 1880
Charles B. Allen
Male - Widower
Age 46 years
Cause of death: Rheumatis Consumption
Residence & place of death: Plymouth
Occupation: Farmer
Birthplace: Maryland
(no information on parents given)
Volume 320 - Page 305
Note:
Year of birth is estimated from age at death.∼One of the two known Black people buried in Burial Hill is Charles B. Allen, a veteran of the Civil War and a member of the 5th Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry, which was the only Massachusetts cavalry regiment composed entirely of Black men. The regiment had early success in its efforts stationed around Washington D.C. sustaining no losses until June of 1864, where they ran into confederate troops at Baylor's Farm on their way to Petersburg, Virginia. In the fight, three men were killed and nineteen officers and other men were injured. Eventually, the Massachusetts 5th was able to push the confederate soldiers to retreat. Allen survived the war and served in the regiment from 1863 to 1865 with distinction.
Private, Co. A, 5th Massachusetts Cavalry
Based on the 1860 federal and 1865 Massachusetts State censuses it is probable that Charles, an African American who was born in Baltimore, MD, was a former slave who fled north to Canada prior to 1855, where his son Charles F. was born, and that he re-entered the United States before the 1857 birth of his son George Edward. A third son Horace B. was born in Plymouth, MA in 1861. That aforementioned Massachusetts census, taken June 28,1865, shows the children residing in the Plymouth home of African American farmer Edward Greeland and his wife Maria, both of whom were born in Maryland. Their relationship to Charles and the children is unknown. Charles would have been absent from the home as he was serving with the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry which, on the date of the census, was in transit to Brazos Santiago, Texas, near Brownsville, for the purpose of guarding against possible border incursion by the Mexican army. It is supposed, too, that Charles' wife Elizabeth (Cole), who was born in Pennsylvania and was 24 in 1860, was deceased prior to 1865 as she's absent from that census as well.
Charles, who stood 5 ft. 10 in. tall, and featured a black complexion, hair, and eyes, enlisted in the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry at Plymouth on Dec. 19, 1863 and was mustered into service on Jan. 9, 1864. He was assigned as the cook for Company A and served in this capacity throughout his enlistment, which ended Oct. 31, 1865. During its service the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry acted as dismounted infantry and saw action in the trenches at Petersburg in June 1864 and also guarded Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, MD from July 1864 to March 1865. The regiment was ordered to Texas on June 16, 1865 from where they were mustered out.
In 1870 Charles and son Charles F., then 15, were recorded as working in a cotton mill, while sons Edward and Horace, 12 and 10 respectively, were enrolled in school. Ellen "Nellie" Newsome, a 26-year-old African American was "Keeping house" and is assumed to been the mother of Lovey Allen, six months.
The following is from research conducted by Find a Grave member Sandra Lennox:
Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and
Marines in the Civil War
Vol. VI
Fifth Regiment Mass. Volunteer Cavalry
Company "A"
Page 494
Charles B. Allen
Priv.-Res. Baltimore, Md., laborer;
35; enl. Dec. 19, 1863; must, Jany. 9, 1864;
must. out Oct. 31, 1865.
Page 492
Fifth Regiment Massachusetts
Volunteer Cavalry
Three Years
The 5th Regt. Mass. Vol. Cav. was the only cavalry regiment from Massachusetts composed exclusively of colored men. It was organized at Camp Meigs, Readville, during the autumn of 1863 and the winter following. The regiment was mustered out of the Federal service at Clarksville, Texas, Oct. 31, 1865, and immediately started for Massachusetts, making most of the trip by steamer. On arriving in Boston Harbor the regiment was landed at Galloup's Island where it remained until the latter part of November when it was paid and discharged.
1880 U.S. Census
Plymouth, MA
Charles B. Allen - Head - age 46
Born MD - Parents born MD
Race or color: Black
Male - Widowed
Laborer
Horace G. Allen - Son - age 19 - single
Born MA - Parents born MD
Laborer
Deaths Registered in the Town of Plymouth
August 18, 1880
Charles B. Allen
Male - Widower
Age 46 years
Cause of death: Rheumatis Consumption
Residence & place of death: Plymouth
Occupation: Farmer
Birthplace: Maryland
(no information on parents given)
Volume 320 - Page 305
Note:
Year of birth is estimated from age at death.∼One of the two known Black people buried in Burial Hill is Charles B. Allen, a veteran of the Civil War and a member of the 5th Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry, which was the only Massachusetts cavalry regiment composed entirely of Black men. The regiment had early success in its efforts stationed around Washington D.C. sustaining no losses until June of 1864, where they ran into confederate troops at Baylor's Farm on their way to Petersburg, Virginia. In the fight, three men were killed and nineteen officers and other men were injured. Eventually, the Massachusetts 5th was able to push the confederate soldiers to retreat. Allen survived the war and served in the regiment from 1863 to 1865 with distinction.
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