aka Cyrus Crist or Christ
His whereabouts in 1860 remain unknown as he is not found by either surname in either the 1850 or 1860 census.
A Civil War veteran, he enlisted and mustered into federal service at Harrisburg March 8, 1862, as a private with Co. H, 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry (113th Pa). He re-enlisted as a Veteran Volunteer February 29, 1864, at Martinsburg, West Virginia, and honorably discharged with his company July 20, 1865. He is in the company register, Bates History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, the Pennsylvania Archives' ARIAS file, the muster rolls, and his compiled military service records as "Cyrus Boon" with no use of the surname "Crist." His pension index, however, additionally lists him with an alias of "Crist" and he does appear in post-war censuses by that surname. (See below.) This suggests that he changed his surname following the war, although his death records report him as "Boon."
He married Rebecca Kline ca. 1865 and fathered Jacob Edward (b. 11/26/66), William Cyrus (b. 08/29/68), Mary E. (b. 05/03/70 - married George Washington Quenzler), and Sara Katherine (b. 08/09/73 - married Harry Robert Minick).
According to an article in the March 12, 1912, edition of the Harrisburg Daily Independent (shown here), the widowed Cyrus married his twenty-eight-year-old housekeeper Jessie Jones. Not stated in the article is that she formerly had been married to William Halterman. They apparently had a daughter Mildred. Nonetheless, that raises several questions. With Cyrus's passing, Jessie applied for a pension on May 4, 1918, but that opens questions. Jessie applied for a pension not as a widowed mother but as their child's guardian, thus costing herself money. There are several possible reasons why she did this, any one of which would have made her ineligible to receive a widow's pension.
1. Cyrus and Jessie never formally married despite the claim in the newspaper article. This could also mean that she never had formally divorced Halterman and therefore was still his legal wife, a not uncommon occurrence during the nineteenth century.
2. Cyrus and Jessie married but divorced, which seems doubtful given their short time together.
3. Jessie did not know the pension laws, although most applicants hired an agent who did.
4. Following Cyrus's death, Jessie moved back with her former husband. With that act, it mattered not at all whether she and Halterman had never divorced, had re-married, or were just living together in "sinful cohabitation," as it was then phrased, because any one of them eliminated her eligibility for a widow's pension. Cyrus's and Jessie's daughter, however, retained hers regardless, although the pension office denied the application, perhaps grist for another mill.
Further muddying the waters are several online family trees that claim Jessie was born in 1834 and therefore was only five or six years younger than Cyrus. This appears to be a bogus report as the 1920 census lists her as a thirty-four-year-old.
Findagrave merged two posts. Below is that other post but [edited] by the current owner:
There is an abundance of confusion regarding the official records for Cyrus B. Crist. He has been referred to as Cyrus Crist Boon on his Civil War records. Adding to the confusion, some researchers have identified Mr. Crist as the son of Joseph Boone and Elizabeth Meck of Cumru Township, Berks, Pennsylvania, but this is a case of mistaken identity. [Possibly an accurate statement but as yet unconfirmed.] The son of this couple, Cyrus Boone, was a Civil War veteran and is buried under memorial number 76477746. [Questionable: that man's death certificate identifies his father as "John," not "Joseph." A veteran named Cyrus Boone is buried in Reading's Charles Evans Cemetery, but with different service than this Cyrus.] As if these inconsistencies were insufficient, the roster for Mr. Crist's Civil War regiment does include a listing for a Cyrus Boon. However the mustering and service dates for Mr. Boon fail to match the mustering and service dates for Mr. Crist. [Confusing. No record of anyone named Cyrus Crist or Christ was found in any roster of any Pennsylvania regiment. There was but one Cyrus Boon who later called himself Crist.] It seems these problems have created a perfect storm for a misunderstanding about Mr. Crist's name.
The overwhelming majority of Mr. Crist's official records list his name as Cyrus B. Crist. [False. All the Crist references occurred post-war and even then he is still called "Boon" at his death. See above.] Mr. Crist's first wife and children are buried under the surname of Crist. He is listed on the 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910 census records under the surname of Crist. When Mr. Crist married, he used the surname of Crist. His children's death certificates bear the Crist [actually "Christ"] surname as well. [True but only because he changed his surname after the war.]
The discrepancy, and resulting controversy, regarding Mr. Crist's surname began over his Civil War pension benefits. Although pensions were available to Civil War veterans as early as 1862, those pensions were awarded based upon disability. Mr. Crist had survived his wartime experience without becoming disabled, so he would have been ineligible to receive a pension in the years following the war. The biggest change to the pension system came in 1890. At that time, Mr. Crist was eligible for a pension if his age had caused him to be disabled. Mr. Crist was listed in the 1890 Veterans Schedule using the surname of Crist, but he did not apply for his benefits at this time. Nor did he apply for a pension in 1907 when the law governing pensions stipulated that old age was inherently a disability.
The name Cyrus Crist Boon made its appearance in the records after Mr. Crist's second marriage in 1912 and his subsequent death in 1918. At that time the Pension Bureau issued two pension cards; one for Cyrus Crist and one for Cyrus Boon. [Standard procedure whenever an alias was involved.] The pension card for Cyrus Crist listed Cyrus Boon as a "known as." Adding to the confusion is Mr. Crist's death certificate, which is included in the photo section of this memorial. It appears that "Cyrus Crist" was written first, and someone later added the name "Boon." Whoever added the name "Boon" probably saw this change as necessary due to a potential problem with the Veteran's Pension Bureau over payment of benefits. As already noted, the 1890 Veteran's Schedule listed Mr. Crist as Cyrus Crist. [A name he supplied at the time and not necessarily reflective of the name under which he served.] If nothing else, this may be a good example of the problems that plagued Civil War pensions and the beleaguered Pension Bureau. Ultimately, in pursuing the pension award, the names Cyrus Crist and Cyrus Boon became so hopelessly intertwined that sorting it out is challenging. [This duality of names was no different than thousand of other men who used an alias.] There is a gravestone for a Cyrus Boon in Paxtang Cemetery, but it appears to be one a family member placed as opposed to a Civil War gravestone from the federal government.
In terms of biographical information, Cyrus's first marriage was to Rebecca Kline in 1865. Rebecca died in 1906. Cyrus next married his housekeeper, Jessie Jones, on 12 March 1912. Jessie was 28, and Cyrus was 70. Jessie Jones had been married to William Halterman in the early 1900s. The couple had several children. In 1912, Jessie Jones married Cyrus Crist. Cyrus and Jessie had a daughter named Mildred. After Cyrus Crist died, Jessie Jones resumed living with William Halterman and their children. Mildred Crist maintained her Crist surname for a time, however her Social Security Application and Claims form lists her as the daughter of William Halterman and Jessie Jones.
In addition to the 1870, 1880, 1900 and 1910 census records, the following are records which bear examination regarding Mr. Crist's surname:
**The 1890 Veterans Schedule of the 1890 Census contains the following:
Cyrus Crist
Gender: Male
Rank: Private
Role: Veteran
Residence Date: Jun 1890
Residence Place: Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
Enumeration District: 49
Enlistment Date: 29 Feb 1864
Discharge Date: 20 Jul 1865
Regiment or vessel: 12 Pennsylvania Cav
Company: H
Length of service: 1 Yrs 4 Mos 20 Days
******************************************
*Marriage record to Jessie Jones on 12 March 1912:
Cyrus B Crist
Event Type:
Marriage
Event Date:
12 Mar 1912
•
Event Place:
Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
•
Event Place (Original):
Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender:
Male
Spouse's Name:
Jessie Jones
Spouse's Gender:
Female
*********************************
We may never be able to adequately explain the conflict regarding Mr. Crist's name. [Yes, we can. We can read his pension file that might explain it. But that must await the post-covid-19 reopening of the National Archives.] But we do know the following: Cyrus Crist raised his family using the surname of Crist. He is listed as a Civil War veteran under the surname of Crist, he married using the surname of Crist, and his children used the surname of Crist. Mr. Crist presented himself to the world as Cyrus Crist, and he should have the last say regarding any controversy about his name. [All true, but it does not change the fact that he served as "Boon" and later changed his name to "Crist."]
May he rest in peace.
**There are many good sources on the problems of Civil War pensions. A good overview is in Kathleen L. Gorman's, "Civil War Pensions." [However interesting a study of Civil War pension laws may be, they are not relevant in determining Cyrus Crist Boon's surname.]
His whereabouts in 1860 remain unknown as he is not found by either surname in either the 1850 or 1860 census.
A Civil War veteran, he enlisted and mustered into federal service at Harrisburg March 8, 1862, as a private with Co. H, 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry (113th Pa). He re-enlisted as a Veteran Volunteer February 29, 1864, at Martinsburg, West Virginia, and honorably discharged with his company July 20, 1865. He is in the company register, Bates History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, the Pennsylvania Archives' ARIAS file, the muster rolls, and his compiled military service records as "Cyrus Boon" with no use of the surname "Crist." His pension index, however, additionally lists him with an alias of "Crist" and he does appear in post-war censuses by that surname. (See below.) This suggests that he changed his surname following the war, although his death records report him as "Boon."
He married Rebecca Kline ca. 1865 and fathered Jacob Edward (b. 11/26/66), William Cyrus (b. 08/29/68), Mary E. (b. 05/03/70 - married George Washington Quenzler), and Sara Katherine (b. 08/09/73 - married Harry Robert Minick).
According to an article in the March 12, 1912, edition of the Harrisburg Daily Independent (shown here), the widowed Cyrus married his twenty-eight-year-old housekeeper Jessie Jones. Not stated in the article is that she formerly had been married to William Halterman. They apparently had a daughter Mildred. Nonetheless, that raises several questions. With Cyrus's passing, Jessie applied for a pension on May 4, 1918, but that opens questions. Jessie applied for a pension not as a widowed mother but as their child's guardian, thus costing herself money. There are several possible reasons why she did this, any one of which would have made her ineligible to receive a widow's pension.
1. Cyrus and Jessie never formally married despite the claim in the newspaper article. This could also mean that she never had formally divorced Halterman and therefore was still his legal wife, a not uncommon occurrence during the nineteenth century.
2. Cyrus and Jessie married but divorced, which seems doubtful given their short time together.
3. Jessie did not know the pension laws, although most applicants hired an agent who did.
4. Following Cyrus's death, Jessie moved back with her former husband. With that act, it mattered not at all whether she and Halterman had never divorced, had re-married, or were just living together in "sinful cohabitation," as it was then phrased, because any one of them eliminated her eligibility for a widow's pension. Cyrus's and Jessie's daughter, however, retained hers regardless, although the pension office denied the application, perhaps grist for another mill.
Further muddying the waters are several online family trees that claim Jessie was born in 1834 and therefore was only five or six years younger than Cyrus. This appears to be a bogus report as the 1920 census lists her as a thirty-four-year-old.
Findagrave merged two posts. Below is that other post but [edited] by the current owner:
There is an abundance of confusion regarding the official records for Cyrus B. Crist. He has been referred to as Cyrus Crist Boon on his Civil War records. Adding to the confusion, some researchers have identified Mr. Crist as the son of Joseph Boone and Elizabeth Meck of Cumru Township, Berks, Pennsylvania, but this is a case of mistaken identity. [Possibly an accurate statement but as yet unconfirmed.] The son of this couple, Cyrus Boone, was a Civil War veteran and is buried under memorial number 76477746. [Questionable: that man's death certificate identifies his father as "John," not "Joseph." A veteran named Cyrus Boone is buried in Reading's Charles Evans Cemetery, but with different service than this Cyrus.] As if these inconsistencies were insufficient, the roster for Mr. Crist's Civil War regiment does include a listing for a Cyrus Boon. However the mustering and service dates for Mr. Boon fail to match the mustering and service dates for Mr. Crist. [Confusing. No record of anyone named Cyrus Crist or Christ was found in any roster of any Pennsylvania regiment. There was but one Cyrus Boon who later called himself Crist.] It seems these problems have created a perfect storm for a misunderstanding about Mr. Crist's name.
The overwhelming majority of Mr. Crist's official records list his name as Cyrus B. Crist. [False. All the Crist references occurred post-war and even then he is still called "Boon" at his death. See above.] Mr. Crist's first wife and children are buried under the surname of Crist. He is listed on the 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910 census records under the surname of Crist. When Mr. Crist married, he used the surname of Crist. His children's death certificates bear the Crist [actually "Christ"] surname as well. [True but only because he changed his surname after the war.]
The discrepancy, and resulting controversy, regarding Mr. Crist's surname began over his Civil War pension benefits. Although pensions were available to Civil War veterans as early as 1862, those pensions were awarded based upon disability. Mr. Crist had survived his wartime experience without becoming disabled, so he would have been ineligible to receive a pension in the years following the war. The biggest change to the pension system came in 1890. At that time, Mr. Crist was eligible for a pension if his age had caused him to be disabled. Mr. Crist was listed in the 1890 Veterans Schedule using the surname of Crist, but he did not apply for his benefits at this time. Nor did he apply for a pension in 1907 when the law governing pensions stipulated that old age was inherently a disability.
The name Cyrus Crist Boon made its appearance in the records after Mr. Crist's second marriage in 1912 and his subsequent death in 1918. At that time the Pension Bureau issued two pension cards; one for Cyrus Crist and one for Cyrus Boon. [Standard procedure whenever an alias was involved.] The pension card for Cyrus Crist listed Cyrus Boon as a "known as." Adding to the confusion is Mr. Crist's death certificate, which is included in the photo section of this memorial. It appears that "Cyrus Crist" was written first, and someone later added the name "Boon." Whoever added the name "Boon" probably saw this change as necessary due to a potential problem with the Veteran's Pension Bureau over payment of benefits. As already noted, the 1890 Veteran's Schedule listed Mr. Crist as Cyrus Crist. [A name he supplied at the time and not necessarily reflective of the name under which he served.] If nothing else, this may be a good example of the problems that plagued Civil War pensions and the beleaguered Pension Bureau. Ultimately, in pursuing the pension award, the names Cyrus Crist and Cyrus Boon became so hopelessly intertwined that sorting it out is challenging. [This duality of names was no different than thousand of other men who used an alias.] There is a gravestone for a Cyrus Boon in Paxtang Cemetery, but it appears to be one a family member placed as opposed to a Civil War gravestone from the federal government.
In terms of biographical information, Cyrus's first marriage was to Rebecca Kline in 1865. Rebecca died in 1906. Cyrus next married his housekeeper, Jessie Jones, on 12 March 1912. Jessie was 28, and Cyrus was 70. Jessie Jones had been married to William Halterman in the early 1900s. The couple had several children. In 1912, Jessie Jones married Cyrus Crist. Cyrus and Jessie had a daughter named Mildred. After Cyrus Crist died, Jessie Jones resumed living with William Halterman and their children. Mildred Crist maintained her Crist surname for a time, however her Social Security Application and Claims form lists her as the daughter of William Halterman and Jessie Jones.
In addition to the 1870, 1880, 1900 and 1910 census records, the following are records which bear examination regarding Mr. Crist's surname:
**The 1890 Veterans Schedule of the 1890 Census contains the following:
Cyrus Crist
Gender: Male
Rank: Private
Role: Veteran
Residence Date: Jun 1890
Residence Place: Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
Enumeration District: 49
Enlistment Date: 29 Feb 1864
Discharge Date: 20 Jul 1865
Regiment or vessel: 12 Pennsylvania Cav
Company: H
Length of service: 1 Yrs 4 Mos 20 Days
******************************************
*Marriage record to Jessie Jones on 12 March 1912:
Cyrus B Crist
Event Type:
Marriage
Event Date:
12 Mar 1912
•
Event Place:
Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
•
Event Place (Original):
Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender:
Male
Spouse's Name:
Jessie Jones
Spouse's Gender:
Female
*********************************
We may never be able to adequately explain the conflict regarding Mr. Crist's name. [Yes, we can. We can read his pension file that might explain it. But that must await the post-covid-19 reopening of the National Archives.] But we do know the following: Cyrus Crist raised his family using the surname of Crist. He is listed as a Civil War veteran under the surname of Crist, he married using the surname of Crist, and his children used the surname of Crist. Mr. Crist presented himself to the world as Cyrus Crist, and he should have the last say regarding any controversy about his name. [All true, but it does not change the fact that he served as "Boon" and later changed his name to "Crist."]
May he rest in peace.
**There are many good sources on the problems of Civil War pensions. A good overview is in Kathleen L. Gorman's, "Civil War Pensions." [However interesting a study of Civil War pension laws may be, they are not relevant in determining Cyrus Crist Boon's surname.]
aka Cyrus Crist or Christ
His whereabouts in 1860 remain unknown as he is not found by either surname in either the 1850 or 1860 census.
A Civil War veteran, he enlisted and mustered into federal service at Harrisburg March 8, 1862, as a private with Co. H, 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry (113th Pa). He re-enlisted as a Veteran Volunteer February 29, 1864, at Martinsburg, West Virginia, and honorably discharged with his company July 20, 1865. He is in the company register, Bates History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, the Pennsylvania Archives' ARIAS file, the muster rolls, and his compiled military service records as "Cyrus Boon" with no use of the surname "Crist." His pension index, however, additionally lists him with an alias of "Crist" and he does appear in post-war censuses by that surname. (See below.) This suggests that he changed his surname following the war, although his death records report him as "Boon."
He married Rebecca Kline ca. 1865 and fathered Jacob Edward (b. 11/26/66), William Cyrus (b. 08/29/68), Mary E. (b. 05/03/70 - married George Washington Quenzler), and Sara Katherine (b. 08/09/73 - married Harry Robert Minick).
According to an article in the March 12, 1912, edition of the Harrisburg Daily Independent (shown here), the widowed Cyrus married his twenty-eight-year-old housekeeper Jessie Jones. Not stated in the article is that she formerly had been married to William Halterman. They apparently had a daughter Mildred. Nonetheless, that raises several questions. With Cyrus's passing, Jessie applied for a pension on May 4, 1918, but that opens questions. Jessie applied for a pension not as a widowed mother but as their child's guardian, thus costing herself money. There are several possible reasons why she did this, any one of which would have made her ineligible to receive a widow's pension.
1. Cyrus and Jessie never formally married despite the claim in the newspaper article. This could also mean that she never had formally divorced Halterman and therefore was still his legal wife, a not uncommon occurrence during the nineteenth century.
2. Cyrus and Jessie married but divorced, which seems doubtful given their short time together.
3. Jessie did not know the pension laws, although most applicants hired an agent who did.
4. Following Cyrus's death, Jessie moved back with her former husband. With that act, it mattered not at all whether she and Halterman had never divorced, had re-married, or were just living together in "sinful cohabitation," as it was then phrased, because any one of them eliminated her eligibility for a widow's pension. Cyrus's and Jessie's daughter, however, retained hers regardless, although the pension office denied the application, perhaps grist for another mill.
Further muddying the waters are several online family trees that claim Jessie was born in 1834 and therefore was only five or six years younger than Cyrus. This appears to be a bogus report as the 1920 census lists her as a thirty-four-year-old.
Findagrave merged two posts. Below is that other post but [edited] by the current owner:
There is an abundance of confusion regarding the official records for Cyrus B. Crist. He has been referred to as Cyrus Crist Boon on his Civil War records. Adding to the confusion, some researchers have identified Mr. Crist as the son of Joseph Boone and Elizabeth Meck of Cumru Township, Berks, Pennsylvania, but this is a case of mistaken identity. [Possibly an accurate statement but as yet unconfirmed.] The son of this couple, Cyrus Boone, was a Civil War veteran and is buried under memorial number 76477746. [Questionable: that man's death certificate identifies his father as "John," not "Joseph." A veteran named Cyrus Boone is buried in Reading's Charles Evans Cemetery, but with different service than this Cyrus.] As if these inconsistencies were insufficient, the roster for Mr. Crist's Civil War regiment does include a listing for a Cyrus Boon. However the mustering and service dates for Mr. Boon fail to match the mustering and service dates for Mr. Crist. [Confusing. No record of anyone named Cyrus Crist or Christ was found in any roster of any Pennsylvania regiment. There was but one Cyrus Boon who later called himself Crist.] It seems these problems have created a perfect storm for a misunderstanding about Mr. Crist's name.
The overwhelming majority of Mr. Crist's official records list his name as Cyrus B. Crist. [False. All the Crist references occurred post-war and even then he is still called "Boon" at his death. See above.] Mr. Crist's first wife and children are buried under the surname of Crist. He is listed on the 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910 census records under the surname of Crist. When Mr. Crist married, he used the surname of Crist. His children's death certificates bear the Crist [actually "Christ"] surname as well. [True but only because he changed his surname after the war.]
The discrepancy, and resulting controversy, regarding Mr. Crist's surname began over his Civil War pension benefits. Although pensions were available to Civil War veterans as early as 1862, those pensions were awarded based upon disability. Mr. Crist had survived his wartime experience without becoming disabled, so he would have been ineligible to receive a pension in the years following the war. The biggest change to the pension system came in 1890. At that time, Mr. Crist was eligible for a pension if his age had caused him to be disabled. Mr. Crist was listed in the 1890 Veterans Schedule using the surname of Crist, but he did not apply for his benefits at this time. Nor did he apply for a pension in 1907 when the law governing pensions stipulated that old age was inherently a disability.
The name Cyrus Crist Boon made its appearance in the records after Mr. Crist's second marriage in 1912 and his subsequent death in 1918. At that time the Pension Bureau issued two pension cards; one for Cyrus Crist and one for Cyrus Boon. [Standard procedure whenever an alias was involved.] The pension card for Cyrus Crist listed Cyrus Boon as a "known as." Adding to the confusion is Mr. Crist's death certificate, which is included in the photo section of this memorial. It appears that "Cyrus Crist" was written first, and someone later added the name "Boon." Whoever added the name "Boon" probably saw this change as necessary due to a potential problem with the Veteran's Pension Bureau over payment of benefits. As already noted, the 1890 Veteran's Schedule listed Mr. Crist as Cyrus Crist. [A name he supplied at the time and not necessarily reflective of the name under which he served.] If nothing else, this may be a good example of the problems that plagued Civil War pensions and the beleaguered Pension Bureau. Ultimately, in pursuing the pension award, the names Cyrus Crist and Cyrus Boon became so hopelessly intertwined that sorting it out is challenging. [This duality of names was no different than thousand of other men who used an alias.] There is a gravestone for a Cyrus Boon in Paxtang Cemetery, but it appears to be one a family member placed as opposed to a Civil War gravestone from the federal government.
In terms of biographical information, Cyrus's first marriage was to Rebecca Kline in 1865. Rebecca died in 1906. Cyrus next married his housekeeper, Jessie Jones, on 12 March 1912. Jessie was 28, and Cyrus was 70. Jessie Jones had been married to William Halterman in the early 1900s. The couple had several children. In 1912, Jessie Jones married Cyrus Crist. Cyrus and Jessie had a daughter named Mildred. After Cyrus Crist died, Jessie Jones resumed living with William Halterman and their children. Mildred Crist maintained her Crist surname for a time, however her Social Security Application and Claims form lists her as the daughter of William Halterman and Jessie Jones.
In addition to the 1870, 1880, 1900 and 1910 census records, the following are records which bear examination regarding Mr. Crist's surname:
**The 1890 Veterans Schedule of the 1890 Census contains the following:
Cyrus Crist
Gender: Male
Rank: Private
Role: Veteran
Residence Date: Jun 1890
Residence Place: Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
Enumeration District: 49
Enlistment Date: 29 Feb 1864
Discharge Date: 20 Jul 1865
Regiment or vessel: 12 Pennsylvania Cav
Company: H
Length of service: 1 Yrs 4 Mos 20 Days
******************************************
*Marriage record to Jessie Jones on 12 March 1912:
Cyrus B Crist
Event Type:
Marriage
Event Date:
12 Mar 1912
•
Event Place:
Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
•
Event Place (Original):
Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender:
Male
Spouse's Name:
Jessie Jones
Spouse's Gender:
Female
*********************************
We may never be able to adequately explain the conflict regarding Mr. Crist's name. [Yes, we can. We can read his pension file that might explain it. But that must await the post-covid-19 reopening of the National Archives.] But we do know the following: Cyrus Crist raised his family using the surname of Crist. He is listed as a Civil War veteran under the surname of Crist, he married using the surname of Crist, and his children used the surname of Crist. Mr. Crist presented himself to the world as Cyrus Crist, and he should have the last say regarding any controversy about his name. [All true, but it does not change the fact that he served as "Boon" and later changed his name to "Crist."]
May he rest in peace.
**There are many good sources on the problems of Civil War pensions. A good overview is in Kathleen L. Gorman's, "Civil War Pensions." [However interesting a study of Civil War pension laws may be, they are not relevant in determining Cyrus Crist Boon's surname.]
His whereabouts in 1860 remain unknown as he is not found by either surname in either the 1850 or 1860 census.
A Civil War veteran, he enlisted and mustered into federal service at Harrisburg March 8, 1862, as a private with Co. H, 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry (113th Pa). He re-enlisted as a Veteran Volunteer February 29, 1864, at Martinsburg, West Virginia, and honorably discharged with his company July 20, 1865. He is in the company register, Bates History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, the Pennsylvania Archives' ARIAS file, the muster rolls, and his compiled military service records as "Cyrus Boon" with no use of the surname "Crist." His pension index, however, additionally lists him with an alias of "Crist" and he does appear in post-war censuses by that surname. (See below.) This suggests that he changed his surname following the war, although his death records report him as "Boon."
He married Rebecca Kline ca. 1865 and fathered Jacob Edward (b. 11/26/66), William Cyrus (b. 08/29/68), Mary E. (b. 05/03/70 - married George Washington Quenzler), and Sara Katherine (b. 08/09/73 - married Harry Robert Minick).
According to an article in the March 12, 1912, edition of the Harrisburg Daily Independent (shown here), the widowed Cyrus married his twenty-eight-year-old housekeeper Jessie Jones. Not stated in the article is that she formerly had been married to William Halterman. They apparently had a daughter Mildred. Nonetheless, that raises several questions. With Cyrus's passing, Jessie applied for a pension on May 4, 1918, but that opens questions. Jessie applied for a pension not as a widowed mother but as their child's guardian, thus costing herself money. There are several possible reasons why she did this, any one of which would have made her ineligible to receive a widow's pension.
1. Cyrus and Jessie never formally married despite the claim in the newspaper article. This could also mean that she never had formally divorced Halterman and therefore was still his legal wife, a not uncommon occurrence during the nineteenth century.
2. Cyrus and Jessie married but divorced, which seems doubtful given their short time together.
3. Jessie did not know the pension laws, although most applicants hired an agent who did.
4. Following Cyrus's death, Jessie moved back with her former husband. With that act, it mattered not at all whether she and Halterman had never divorced, had re-married, or were just living together in "sinful cohabitation," as it was then phrased, because any one of them eliminated her eligibility for a widow's pension. Cyrus's and Jessie's daughter, however, retained hers regardless, although the pension office denied the application, perhaps grist for another mill.
Further muddying the waters are several online family trees that claim Jessie was born in 1834 and therefore was only five or six years younger than Cyrus. This appears to be a bogus report as the 1920 census lists her as a thirty-four-year-old.
Findagrave merged two posts. Below is that other post but [edited] by the current owner:
There is an abundance of confusion regarding the official records for Cyrus B. Crist. He has been referred to as Cyrus Crist Boon on his Civil War records. Adding to the confusion, some researchers have identified Mr. Crist as the son of Joseph Boone and Elizabeth Meck of Cumru Township, Berks, Pennsylvania, but this is a case of mistaken identity. [Possibly an accurate statement but as yet unconfirmed.] The son of this couple, Cyrus Boone, was a Civil War veteran and is buried under memorial number 76477746. [Questionable: that man's death certificate identifies his father as "John," not "Joseph." A veteran named Cyrus Boone is buried in Reading's Charles Evans Cemetery, but with different service than this Cyrus.] As if these inconsistencies were insufficient, the roster for Mr. Crist's Civil War regiment does include a listing for a Cyrus Boon. However the mustering and service dates for Mr. Boon fail to match the mustering and service dates for Mr. Crist. [Confusing. No record of anyone named Cyrus Crist or Christ was found in any roster of any Pennsylvania regiment. There was but one Cyrus Boon who later called himself Crist.] It seems these problems have created a perfect storm for a misunderstanding about Mr. Crist's name.
The overwhelming majority of Mr. Crist's official records list his name as Cyrus B. Crist. [False. All the Crist references occurred post-war and even then he is still called "Boon" at his death. See above.] Mr. Crist's first wife and children are buried under the surname of Crist. He is listed on the 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910 census records under the surname of Crist. When Mr. Crist married, he used the surname of Crist. His children's death certificates bear the Crist [actually "Christ"] surname as well. [True but only because he changed his surname after the war.]
The discrepancy, and resulting controversy, regarding Mr. Crist's surname began over his Civil War pension benefits. Although pensions were available to Civil War veterans as early as 1862, those pensions were awarded based upon disability. Mr. Crist had survived his wartime experience without becoming disabled, so he would have been ineligible to receive a pension in the years following the war. The biggest change to the pension system came in 1890. At that time, Mr. Crist was eligible for a pension if his age had caused him to be disabled. Mr. Crist was listed in the 1890 Veterans Schedule using the surname of Crist, but he did not apply for his benefits at this time. Nor did he apply for a pension in 1907 when the law governing pensions stipulated that old age was inherently a disability.
The name Cyrus Crist Boon made its appearance in the records after Mr. Crist's second marriage in 1912 and his subsequent death in 1918. At that time the Pension Bureau issued two pension cards; one for Cyrus Crist and one for Cyrus Boon. [Standard procedure whenever an alias was involved.] The pension card for Cyrus Crist listed Cyrus Boon as a "known as." Adding to the confusion is Mr. Crist's death certificate, which is included in the photo section of this memorial. It appears that "Cyrus Crist" was written first, and someone later added the name "Boon." Whoever added the name "Boon" probably saw this change as necessary due to a potential problem with the Veteran's Pension Bureau over payment of benefits. As already noted, the 1890 Veteran's Schedule listed Mr. Crist as Cyrus Crist. [A name he supplied at the time and not necessarily reflective of the name under which he served.] If nothing else, this may be a good example of the problems that plagued Civil War pensions and the beleaguered Pension Bureau. Ultimately, in pursuing the pension award, the names Cyrus Crist and Cyrus Boon became so hopelessly intertwined that sorting it out is challenging. [This duality of names was no different than thousand of other men who used an alias.] There is a gravestone for a Cyrus Boon in Paxtang Cemetery, but it appears to be one a family member placed as opposed to a Civil War gravestone from the federal government.
In terms of biographical information, Cyrus's first marriage was to Rebecca Kline in 1865. Rebecca died in 1906. Cyrus next married his housekeeper, Jessie Jones, on 12 March 1912. Jessie was 28, and Cyrus was 70. Jessie Jones had been married to William Halterman in the early 1900s. The couple had several children. In 1912, Jessie Jones married Cyrus Crist. Cyrus and Jessie had a daughter named Mildred. After Cyrus Crist died, Jessie Jones resumed living with William Halterman and their children. Mildred Crist maintained her Crist surname for a time, however her Social Security Application and Claims form lists her as the daughter of William Halterman and Jessie Jones.
In addition to the 1870, 1880, 1900 and 1910 census records, the following are records which bear examination regarding Mr. Crist's surname:
**The 1890 Veterans Schedule of the 1890 Census contains the following:
Cyrus Crist
Gender: Male
Rank: Private
Role: Veteran
Residence Date: Jun 1890
Residence Place: Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
Enumeration District: 49
Enlistment Date: 29 Feb 1864
Discharge Date: 20 Jul 1865
Regiment or vessel: 12 Pennsylvania Cav
Company: H
Length of service: 1 Yrs 4 Mos 20 Days
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*Marriage record to Jessie Jones on 12 March 1912:
Cyrus B Crist
Event Type:
Marriage
Event Date:
12 Mar 1912
•
Event Place:
Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
•
Event Place (Original):
Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender:
Male
Spouse's Name:
Jessie Jones
Spouse's Gender:
Female
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We may never be able to adequately explain the conflict regarding Mr. Crist's name. [Yes, we can. We can read his pension file that might explain it. But that must await the post-covid-19 reopening of the National Archives.] But we do know the following: Cyrus Crist raised his family using the surname of Crist. He is listed as a Civil War veteran under the surname of Crist, he married using the surname of Crist, and his children used the surname of Crist. Mr. Crist presented himself to the world as Cyrus Crist, and he should have the last say regarding any controversy about his name. [All true, but it does not change the fact that he served as "Boon" and later changed his name to "Crist."]
May he rest in peace.
**There are many good sources on the problems of Civil War pensions. A good overview is in Kathleen L. Gorman's, "Civil War Pensions." [However interesting a study of Civil War pension laws may be, they are not relevant in determining Cyrus Crist Boon's surname.]
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