Place of Burial: Fort Calhoun Cemetery, Fort Calhoun, NE

Findagrave: 18175147

Veteran of the Civil War (Union)

#1 Fort Calhoun Chronicle 13 September 1917

An Old Resident Gone

Perry Blackwood, who only last week was taken to the soldiers home at Leavenworth, died at that institution September 12, 1917, and the body will be brought here for interment, the funeral to be held at 3 o’clock Friday afternoon from the Presbyterian Church.

The deceased was 80 years old, and came to this vicinity in 1855. He served his country as a Union soldier in the Civil War. He had no living relatives in this part of the country, having lived alone in his little house on the slough for many years. It can be said of Perry that he had no enemies, he lived his life in his own way, molested nobody, and he will be missed by the community in which he was probably the oldest male settler.

#2 Fort Calhoun Chronicle 4 September 1917

For the third time in the past few months Perry Blackwood was taken to the soldier’s home at Leavenworth, Kansas, on Monday of this week, Fred Frahm accompanying him. Perry prefers his little cabin on the slough to the comforts and privileges of the Home, but his physical condition is now such that the next furlough Perry gets will probably be “Taps”.

#3-Published in the Blair Democrat September 27, 1917

Pioneer and Veteran Perry Blackwood, who died in the soldiers Home in Kansas, told me he thought he was born in South Carolina and came to DeSoto in this Washington County with his parents in 1855. When we first knew him 46 years ago, he was not entirely “compos mentas,” but when he worked for the late W. B. Beales and Charley Slader and among those who respected him and cared for him, he was known as a perfectly honest and industrious man. He was so much respected by the late veteran, Art Beales, that he gave him, years ago, a spot of ground on his farm at the old fort for a home as long as he lived. He probably would have not changed much from his former life, had he not assumed a guardianship over his brother, William, who was also of strong, sound mind. William was born in Georgia and never got over his southern cracker origin, and often came to me for several years before his death to settle the quarrels between him and Perry, who complained of the loose manner of Will’s living. In time Perry got so discouraged he fell into his brother’s ways, and after the death of his brother, became a serious charge to his friends till it was found necessary to appoint a guardian over him which hurt the poor fellow’s feelings very much and many times he came to us with his complaints. We often urged him to go to a soldier’s home as it was not safe for him to live alone. A couple of years ago he had to be taken by force to an Omaha hospital where he spent the winter, and finally agreed to go to the Kansas home where we kept in touch with him by letter. Last April he wrote to me to come and bring him home but we tried to get him to remain. A few weeks later he ran away and came back, till life got so hard he consented to return and his guardian, Fred Frahm, went with him a short time ago.

He once showed me his military record that shows he was a good soldier. His father was buried at Desoto in pioneer days and his mother here at Ft. Calhoun in 1866, an aunt was also buried here later and his brother, William a few years ago. The funeral was held in the Presbyterian Church and was fairly well attended. Friends brought flowers; Rev. Marsh pastor of the Blair Episcopal Church, preached the sermon; Mrs. Rathjen, Mrs. Joe Bolln and Miss Jeanette Cook sang, with Mrs. Wallie McMillan at the organ. Pallbearers were pioneer, Charles Stoltenberg, veteran W. H. Woods, W. Kruse, John Hindricksen, Wallie McMillan and Tim Ohrt. The city flag was put at half mask. At his dying request, his long time veteran friend, Doc. Pierce was undertaker, and brought the minister and his son, Stanley, with the auto hearse. Mayor Fred Frahm had mostly general supervision. As these two Civil War brothers have no known relatives living, we attach here the remarkable service of the brother, William, as we traced it from his papers and records of the Adjutant General of Iowa as a tribute to their memory: “William Blackwood, aged 19, born in Tenn., residence, Fort Calhoun, Nebr., enlisted at Omaha in Co. B, 5th Iowa Calvary, Sept. 18, 1861, discharged for disability at St. Louis, Feb. 3, 1862. In October the same year he reenlisted in Nebraska battery, May 1864 got a transfer to 1st Regt. Neb. Vet. Vol., July, 1865, and mustered out at the close of war, July, 1866. It makes us proud to do so much justice to a man so much looked down upon for years as this poor old veteran. His brother states that he was only 17, but gave his age as 19 for fear of rejection,” W. H Woods

~~~ Obituaries courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~