General Notes

Joseph Harding Blackburn was a very sm
all man standing only 5'6 1/2"  tall.  He is buried at Hillcrest
Cemetery.  He served in the Civil War Aug. 17, 1862.  Infantry- Jan. 27,
1863.  Cavalry- June 14, 1865.

1880 census:  Jay Co., Ind, Richland Twp.

Father's birth      Mother's birth
Joseph             32            Railroad          KY             KY     
KY       
Jane                 31                                    IN            
New York            Ohio
Lora B.             11                                    IN
George               8                                    IN 
Martha               3                         IN


Declaration for original invalid pension
State of Indiana   
County of Jay

On this day 26 of Dec. A.D. 1888 personally appeared before me clerk of
records within and for the county and state afore said Joseph H.
Blackburn aged 43 years, a resident of the vicinity of New Corydon County
of Jay, state of Indiana who being duly swore according to law declares
that he is the identical Joseph Blackburn who was enrolled on the 26th
day of Aug. 1863 in company E of the 7th regiment of Ind. Vol. Calv.
commanded by Captain David Skinner and was honorably discharged at
Indianapolis, Ind. on the 5th day of June 1865 that his personal
description is a follows; age 18, height 5ft 6 1/2 inches; complexion
fair, eyes grey, hair brown.  That while a member of the organization
aforesaid, in the service and in the line of duty at Indianapolis in the
state of Indiana on or about the day of November 1863 he contracted
catarrh* of the head affecting head, ear and nose.  Supposed cause was
exposure, and while near Memphis Tenn. about Oct. 1864 received injury to
head and neck by the fall of a horse, injuring cords back of neck and
causing tumor and from the time of the horse the disabilities above were
worse and his eyes became affected which he attributed to the injury by
the fall, though the disease of eyes may result  from catarrh.  That he
was treated in hospital as follows, never in hospital.   He was in Co. E.
89 Reg. Ind. from Aug. 1862-Feb. 1863.  That  since leaving the service
he has resided at Jay Co., Ind. Post office Redkey until 1886, since then
in Adams Co., Ind. P.O. New Corydon Ind. that his occupation was farmer. 
That he is now 2/3 disabled.

*catarrh-Inflamation of the mucous membrane of the air passages in the
nose and throat with excessive secretion of mucus.

Joseph Blackburn was a survivor of the Sultana.  Private Rank E 7th
Cavalry.
According to Nathan Gardner a gg grandson he was taken prisoner when
released he was on the Sultana, a ship full of released prisoners of war
outside of Memphis TN, it exploded and killed approx. 1500 people, he
survived.

From http://www.rapidnet.com/~greg/Sultana/Sultana.html         

Sultana Sinks!
1,500+ Feared Lost

That's how the newspaper headlines should have read in the days
immediately following the Sultana's explosion on the Mississippi River
early on the morning of April 27, 1865.  After all, well over 1,500
paroled Union Soldiers, Crewmen and passengers lost their lives in the
cold, muddy waters that spring morning.

Unfortunately, a war-torn and weary nation still was reeling from
President Lincoln's shocking assassination just two weeks earlier and the
Eastern-established newspapers relegated the sad story to internal
pages.  However, it was-----and remains even today---America's worst-ever
maritime disaster.

The actual number of passengers aboard the Sultana will likely always be
unclear due to poor record keeping at the time of boarding, but scholars
today believe that between 2,200 and 2,300 were probably aboard the
ill-fated steamer when she exploded nine miles north of Memphis,
Tennessee on the Mississippi River.  More information is available on the
above internet location.