Henry M. Gossett

Born: About 1841 in Sardinia, Brown County, Ohio
Died: October 31, 1894 in Decatur, Macon County, Illinois

Henry M. Gossett was one of three sons Milton had with his first wife, Ruth Killen. He was born in the village of Sardinia in Brown County, Ohio’s Washington Township about 1841.

Henry is frequently missed when referring to Milton’s children. This may be due to the fact that he did not grow up in Milton’s home. In the 1850 census, Henry is found living in the home of Huston and Jane Bare, and is still living with them in 1860. Huston was a merchant living in the village of Sardinia in 1850 but had moved out of the village and onto a farm by 1860. There were no other children living with the Bares in either census, but by 1870 Huston had a new wife and three children. The Bares grandson, George Huston Bare, was privileged to compete in the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. He placed 11th overall in the Modern Penthalon with his best showing in the equestrian event placing 6th.

It wasn’t unusual for Milton’s children to spend time in the home of a guardian. Highland County, Ohio, records show that at least four of Milton’s children were awarded a guardian in at least two separate hearings. Henry doesn’t appear in these records, but that may be due to his guardian living in Sardinia. Any guardianship records would, therefore, be in the probate records of Brown County.

Henry M. Gossett and the Civil War
It appears that Henry stayed with the Bare family until he enlisted with the 4th Ohio Independent Cavalry at the start of the Civil War. He was 20 years old when he enlisted on July 9, 1861, at Georgetown in Brown County, Ohio. As part of an independent cavalry, each man in the unit had to provide his own horse and equipment. The men left for Camp Chase (near Cincinnati) the following day and made camp there until mid August.

In March 1862, the unit was ordered to Missouri where it acted as an escort for Major General Henry Wager Halleck until he was transferred back to Washington D.C.. Three months later, on June 28th, Henry was mustered out of the unit at Corinth, Mississippi, and sent home. According to the regimental history, the only battle the company saw was at Silver Creek, Missouri on January 8, 1862, almost seven months before his discharge. Henry later filed for an invalid pension on July 7, 1884. It was granted under certificate number 434.003 (or 434.083). This record should reveal whether he was discharged early because of injury, disease, or for some other reason.

Henry was obviously very proud of his service during the Civil War. His obituary told of his involvement in being “one of the victorious crew in the Monitor, when that death-dealing vessel was in the historic engagement with the Rebel vessel, the Merrimac.” If only this were true. Looking at both sides of the record, Henry’s name is not among the sailors assigned to the Monitor. And there is nothing in his records that says he was part of the Monitor’s crew or that he was ever in the Navy. When Henry applied for an invalid pension he based his application on his service with the 4th Independent Ohio Cavalry. There is no mention of any service with the Navy.

Just like his younger brother John, Henry “embellished” his service during the Civil War. Serving on the Monitor during that fateful mission would have lent a lot of prestige to Henry’s service. John often told tales of fierce battles and the injuries that left him with a permanent limp. Their war stories were much more interesting than admitting their pension was for chronic diarrhea. Telling stories that a limp was caused by an old war wound was much more exciting than the truth that it was the infirmities of old age that crippled their walk.

After The War
Henry moved back to Highland County after he left the 4th OIC and he remained there even though his parents and siblings moved to Indiana. He is found in the 1870 census in Highland County’s Liberty Township. He is with Hannah, a woman presumed to be his wife because there are no others living in the household. Information about Hannah is limited to what appears in the 1870 census. Hannah, who at 36 was seven years older than Henry, was born in England. Their marriage record hasn’t been located and exactly how or why Henry’s marriage to Hannah ended has not been determined.

Henry Gossett lived in Brown and Highland Counties in Ohio, and Macon County in Illinois; while his father and siblings moved to Grant County, Indiana. Mehitabel's family was from Knox County in north central Ohio, but moved to Shelby County, Illinois (immediately south of Macon County) sometime before 1870. The counties are highlighted on this section of an Illinois & Indiana Central Railway map from 1872.

On To Illinois
Marriage records in Shelby County, Illinois, show that Henry married Mehitabel Seloven (pronounced like the name Sullivan) on December 7, 1875. Mehitabel is a Hebrew name meaning “God rejoices”. Belle, as she was more commonly known, and her family were originally from Knox County, Ohio, but had moved to Shelby County before the enumeration of the 1870 census. Belle was the daughter of John and Mary Ann Seloven. Her surname, as well as her given name, appears in various records spelled several ways, the most common variations being Seloven, Sullivan or Selover.

Henry and Belle moved to Macon County, Illinois, and the town of Decatur sometime after their marriage but before the enumeration of the 1880 federal census. In that census Henry and Belle were living in a boarding house at 7 West Main Street in Decatur, run by Frank and Ann Maloy. Belle’s sister Kate Tombs was also living in the boarding house. She was a young widow, age 35 at this census, and was living with her only two children: daughters Mary and Della. There is another young widow living in the house, Mary Gossett, age 30. She is with her three sons: George, age 10; Wilson, age 5; and Freddie, age 2. Though the boys were born in Kentucky, the census record indicates their father was born in Ohio. This makes it likely that Mary is a widow of one of Henry’s relatives -- as yet to be determined. There is an obvious mistake in this census record in that Henry, age 40, and Belle, age 37, are listed as a son and daughter of the 30-year-old Mary.

Decatur, Illinois, had several newspapers being published at the time Henry and Belle made their home there. Small town newspapers were known for their local “gossip”. The Decatur Daily Republican reported on December 10, 1889, “Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Gossett, who have been in Chicago on a visit returned home this morning.” The same newspaper reported on March 30, 1885 that, “To-day [sic] Henry Gossett commenced the erection of a one story frame cottage on his lot, 461 South Water street.”

The newspapers not only reported on day-to-day life of the Gossetts but also the tragedy that struck in 1893. The Weekly Herald Dispatch for August 12, 1893, reported all the gruesome details of the accident that took Mehitabel’s life at age 50. “

"MRS. GOSSETT DEAD "Fatally Burned Yesterday Morning "A Disastrous Accident on South Water Street "A Gasoline Stove Caused It "Other Accidents From a Similar Cause "Mrs. Henry M. Gossett died Monday evening [August 7, 1893] at her home, No. 461 S. Water street, from the effects of the frightful burns she received in the morning at the home of her niece, Mrs. Wm Fields, who lived across the street. Mrs. Tombs, mother of Mrs. Fields and a sister of Mrs. Gossett, was doing some washing in the kitchen of her daughter’s home. She was using a two burner gasoline stove, which suddenly and with out warning blazed up. Assisted by Mrs. Fields the stove was dragged out on the porch by Mrs. Tombs, where it continued to blaze and threatened destruction to the house. In the excitement the women had screamed at the top of their lungs and Mrs. Gossett was called to the spot. She ran across the street dressed in a wrapper and as she passed to the rear of the house saw her sister, Mrs. Tombs, and her niece, Mrs. Fields, tugging at the stove. It was full of flames and still threatened to destroy the house, and Mrs. Gossett wheretofore lent her aid to pull it into the back yard. When the stove struck the ground the reservoir came loose and the flammable liquid spread out in a great sheet of flame which completely engulfed Mrs. Gossett who was "Fatally Burned Alive Her clothing caught fire, and though a number of persons were watching no one seemed able to help her. She ran a short distance from the house when she fell to the ground and rolled on the grass in terrible agony. The dry grass took fire and burned for a distance of several feet on each side of her. The witnesses to this awful spectacle threw water on the burning woman and tried many other ways to extinguish the flames but it was all too late. The gasoline was said to have completely engulfed her and her clothing burned away like a powder keg but it all happened too quickly that no persons who were there could scarcely realize it. "No Other ______ When Mrs. Gossett was picked up her clothing had been burned from her body, even to her hose. She was carried into the home of her niece and Drs. Harvey and _. W. Moore were summoned. Linseed oil and other effective remedies were applied but the burned surface was so great that they did little to relieve the suffering of the unfortunate woman. Dr. W. J. Chenowith, the family physician, came a few seconds later. It did not take the physician long to decide that Mrs. Gossett was fatally injured. She had inhaled the flames and suffered intensely. Evidently had she not breathed the fire, death would have resulted because of the great extent of the external burns. The application of oil, flour, etc., did but little to lessen the pain and injections of morphine were given, but even the powerful influence of the drug was overcome by the intense pain. About noon Mrs. Gossett was removed to her own home. "Begged For Death Mrs. Gossett’s suffering was so awful that she pleaded for mercy and begged for death in such piteous tones that strong men turned away from her bedside. The physicians stayed with her until evening and sought in every way to relieve her suffering, but that came only with death about 6 o’clock. Mrs. Gossett was a member of the First Methodist church and of the Women’s Relief Corps. She was about 50 years old and leaves a husband but no children. This two-burner gasoline stove is likely a good representation of the one Mrs. Tombs was using to do laundry that morning. The stove was part of a Mayer & Pettit (furniture store) ad published in The Times (Washington D.C.) on May 15, 1900. "Cause of the Accident The accident was caused by the gasoline stove springing a leak just below the reservoir. This was ignited by the heat from the burner. When the stove was pulled from the porch the reservoir broke loose from the feed pipe splattering the gasoline in all directions and filling the air with flame. Mrs. Tombs was burned on the hands and fingers as was also Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Richard Roland. Mrs. Andrew Dempsey and Mrs. W. A. Devore each had a narrow escape, but the fluid covered none of the women as it did Mrs. Gossett. The fire department was called out until all danger to the dwelling was past. Mrs. Fields is the wife of William Fields, the well known plumber on North Main street, The injury to Mrs. Gossett was simply shocking. She was burned from head to foot, there being scarcely an inch of flesh which had not been seared. In some places the burns were so deep that the flesh hung in great shreds. Her brothers, E. J. Selvers of Des Moines Io, F. P. Selvers of Chicago and a sister. Mrs. Dupee, of Chicago have been telegraphed to come. Mrs. J. H. Cromwell of Decatur is also a sister. "Other Accidents From Gasoline The first time the fire department was called out Monday morning was by a fire at Carmichael’s fruit stand on South Main street. Mr. Carmichael had gone away for a short time and left his little nephew, Georgie Rockwell, in charge of the store. Georgie had been warned to leave the gasoline stove alone, but he essayed to fill it. He forgot, however, to shut off the burners and he had a fire in the store before he knew it. Luckily no damage was done. "Monday afternoon at his wagon yard Alfred Culp was trying to get rid of some annoying small boys by squirting gasoline on them. In some unaccountable way the fluid took fire and there was a big scare, The entire fire department was called out and extinguished the flames, The damage was small.”

Mehitabel's Obituary
Mehitabel’s obituary was published in The Decatur Daily Republican on August 10, 1893, pg 3, col 4. It reads:

"Funeral of Mrs. Gossett "The last sad rites over the remains of the late Mrs. Henry M. Gossett were observed yesterday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at the home, No. 461 South Water street. Dunham Post Women's Relief Corps had charge of the funeral services. They met at the G.A.R. hall and went to the house in a body. Dunham Post, G.A.R., also attended. The sermon by Rev. T. A. Parker, of the First M. E. church was appropriate and sympathetic. Many beautiful flower offerings were given by friends of the deceased. A long line of carriages followed the remains to the last resting place in Greenwood Cemetery. The pallbearers were G. J. Hartley, Wm. Devore, Andrew Dempsey, Alex McWorter, Mr. Campbell and Enos Kepler. At the grave the feelings of the relatives was so intense while the remains were being lowered into the narrow house of clay that Mrs. Dupee, a sister of the deceased, and Mrs. R. E. Roland, a niece, fainted. They were supported to a carriages and taken home."

Henry’s Final Days Reported.
The horribly tragic accident left Henry devastated. A little over a year later, on September 18, 1894, The Daily Review was reporting that “Henry Gossett is sick at his home on South Water Street.” One month later, on October 20th, things were looking better for Henry. The Daily Republican reported, “Henry Gossett, after a protracted illness of six weeks, caused by rheumatism is now able to sit up. He expects to be on hand next month to vote the straight Republican ticket.”

Unfortunately Henry’s health did not improve enough and he passed away on October 31st. His obituary ran in The Daily Republican on October 31, 1894 and in The Decatur Weekly Republican on November 1st. It reads:

"Death of Henry Gossett "He Was a Veteran and Was in the Monitor "When the Merrimac Got Licked "From Wednesday's Daily “Henry M. Gossett, the well-known carpenter of French Descent, died this morning at 7:30 o’clock at his home 461 South Water street, of asthmatic congestion of the lungs, aged about 54 years. The deceased had been afflicted with rheumatism for quite a while and had been confined to his home for several weeks. His wife, who was a sister of Mrs. Toomb [sic], was fatally burned a year ago last summer, caused by trouble with a gasoline stove at the Wilson residence. "Mr. Gossett served in the late war in the U.S. Navy and was a pensioner. He was one of the victorious crew in the Monitor, when that death-dealing vessel was in the historic engagement with the Rebel vessel, the Merrimac. It was the hottest and one of the most important naval engagements of the war. "Mr. Gossett has a number of brothers and sisters. The time of the funeral will be fixed to-morrow. “[sic]

Henry was a member of the Dunham Post 141 of the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic). The G.A.R. was formed in 1866 by Union veterans who had served during the Civil War in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The organization was a social and political group.

Henry’s funeral was held two days after his death on November 2, 1894, in his home on South Water Street. The 10 AM service was done under the auspices of Dunham Post 141 G.A.R..

The Estate of Henry M. Gossett
“I. N. Gossett and Z. M. Gossett, both of Fairmound [sic], Ind., arrived in the city last night and registered at the Hotel Brunswick. They are here to attend the funeral of their brother Henry M. Gossett which will occur to-morrow forenoon.” The brothers mentioned in this article from The Daily Republican on November 2, 1894, are Henry’s brothers Isaac and Zephaniah.

Zephaniah was named executor of Henry’s estate, but because he lived in Indiana he petitioned the court to name an administrator. “In the county court yesterday Z. M. Gossestt [sic] filed a petition asking for an administrator of the estate of his brother the late Henry Gossett.” The petition asked John G. Cloyd be named to look after the estate. The following week (on November 7th) Zephaniah “filed his bond in the sum of $200 as the administrator of Henry’s estate with J. G. Cloyd, Alice Cloyd and David Moffit as sureties. I. M. Ehrman, A. T. Grist and Michael Dempsey were appointed appraisers.” The person named administrator is appointed by the probate court to oversee the distribution of assets in the estate of a person who has died without leaving a will. The person(s) named surety is legally and financially responsible to the court for seeing that the administrator performs his duties properly.

When John Cloyd published the Public Notice of Estate for Henry’s estate, it gave a snapshot of Milton Gossett’s children at that point in time, as well as John and Mary Seloven. Because Henry and Mehitabel did not have children, their estate went to their surviving brothers and sisters. Upon publication on July 15, 1895, Stephanie, Mary and Adney were missing from the list. Adney had passed away so it was his children (Bernice, Donald and Eldon) that were named in the notice, but not at first. They didn't appear until the notice was published on September 25th. With two sisters appearing with their married name (Josephine and Angeline), it became possible to locate them -- something that had proved impossible before locating this notice. Records for Stephanie and Mary haven’t been found, so it’s likely they were deceased and left no issue since they are not named in the notice.

Chancery Notice for the Estate of Henry M. Gossett Evening Bulletin (Decatur, Illinois) September 25, 1895, pg 7, col 4 State of Illinois, Macon County, ss. In the County Court to the June Term, A.D. 1895. John G. Cloyd, Administrator of the Estate of Henry M. Gossett, deceased, vs. John L Gossett, Josephine Griffee, Isaac A. Gossett, Zepaniah M. Gossett, Angeline Phillips, Elmer E. Gossett, William T. Gossett and Orlando O. Gossett, Burnis Gossett, Donald Gossett, and Eldon Gossett, defendants. Petition to Sell Real Estate to Pay Debts. Affidavit of the non-residence of all the above named defendants, having been filed in the office of the clerk of said County Court of Macon County, notice is hereby given to the said John L Gossett, Josephine Griffee, Isaac A. Gossett, Zepaniah M. Gossett, Angeline Phillips, Elmer E. Gossett, William T. Gossett and Orlando O. Gossett, Burnis Gossett, Donald Gossett, and Eldon Gossett, that the said petitioner, John G. Cloyd, administrator of the estate of Henry M. Gossett, deceased, has hereuntofore filed his petition in said County Court of Macon County praying for a decree for a sale of the real estate belonging to the estate of said deceased, or so much of it as may be needed to pay the debts of said deceased, and described as follows, to wit: An undivided one-half of lot three (3) and the north half of Lot 4; blocks one (1) in Baker and Prescot's addition to the city of Decatur, Ill., and that a summons has been issued out of said court against you returnable to the June term A. D. 1895, of said court, to be holden on the 3d day of June, A. D. 1895, at the court room in the city of Decatur, in said Macon County. Now, unless you the said John L Gossett, Josephine Griffee, Isaac A. Gossett, Zepaniah M. Gossett, Angeline Phillips, Elmer E. Gossett, William T. Gossett and Orlando O. Gossett, Burnis Gossett, Donald Gossett, and Eldon Gossett, shall personally be and appear before said County Court of Macon County on the first day of the term thereof to be holden at the Court House in said county on the first day of July 1893 [sic], and plead, answer, or demur to the said complainant's petition filed therein, the same and the matters therein stated will be taken as confessed and a decree entered against you according to the prayer of said petition. Dated May 16, 1895 J. M. DODD, County Clerk NELSON & WHITLEY, Complainant's Solicitors Chancery Notice for the Estate of Mehitabel Gossett [This notice was printed directly below the notice for Henry's estate.] State of Illinois, Macon County, ss. In the County Court to the June Term, A.D. 1895. John G. Cloyd, Administrator of the Estate of Mehitabel Gossett, Deceased, vs. Catherine Tombs, Cordelia Cromwell, Emily M. Dupee, Franklin P. Seloven, Ezra J. Seloven, Lewis S. Edwards, Arthur Edwards and George Edwards, Defendants, Petition to Sell Real Estate to Pay Debts. Affidavit of the non-residence of Ezra J. Seloven, Lewis S. Edwards, Arthur Edwards and George Edwards, defendants, above named having been filed in the office of the clerk of said County Court of Macon County, notice is hereby given to the said Ezra J. Seloven, Lewis S. Edwards, Arthur Edwards and George Edwards, that the said petitioner, John G. Cloyd, administrator of the estate of Mehitabel Gossett, deceased, has heretofore filed his petition in said County Court of Macon County, praying for a decree for a sale of the real estate belonging to the estate of the said deceased, or so much of it as may be needed to pay the debts of said deceased, and described as follows, to wit: An undivided one-half of lot three (3) and the north half of lot 4; block one (1) in Baker and Prescott's addition to the city of Decatur, Ill., and that a summons has been issued out of said court against you returnable to the June term A. D. 1895, of said court, to be holden on the 3d day of June, A. D. 1895, at the court room in the city of Decatur, in said Macon County. Now, unless you the said Ezra J. Seloven, Lewis S. Edwards, Arthur Edwards and George Edwards, shall personally be and appear before said County Court of Macon County on the first day of a term thereof to be holden at the Court House in said county on the first day of July, 1895, and plead, answer, or demur to the said complainant's petition filed therein, the same and the matters therein stated will be taken as confessed and a decree entered against you according to the prayer of said petition. Dated May 16, 1895 J. M. DODD, County Clerk NELSON & WHITLEY, Complainant's Solicitors

Henry and Mehitabel’s estate was finalized on November 22, 1895, when the house Henry built on South Water Street sold for $2,730.

The one thing missing from all the newspaper articles is Henry’s burial place. It’s likely that he is buried in Greenwood Cemetery next to Belle, but that needs confirmation.