John J. Gorham, Jr.

'gorham-john-j-obit' Picture Notes John J. Gorham obituary. 'mt-st-benedict 2' Picture Notes Entrance to Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery Bloomfield, Hartford County, Connecticut  'mt-st-benedict 1' Picture Notes Entrance to Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery Bloomfield, Hartford County, Connecticut  'gorham-john-j-civil war certificate' Picture Notes Certificate of appreciation for Civil War service awarded by Massachusetts to  John J. Gorham 'gorham-john-j (shehen) ellen-grave' Picture Notes John J. Gorham and Ellen (Shehen) graves, Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery Bloomfield, Hartford County, Connecticut  'Gorham cemetery plot purchase' Picture Notes This receipt for the purchase of a 1/4 size lot was found among personal items Mary Gorham, Grandaughter of John J. Gorham.  Best guess is that this receipt is for the burial site of his son Charles Arthur Gorham, buried in the  Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery Bloomfield, Hartford County, Connecticut. Unable to confirm that the "Catholic Cemetery, Cemetery, Street" and the  Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery Bloomfield, Hartford County, Connecticut are one and the same. This picture, 'Gorham-John-jr-1900-census', sourced from 1900 Census-Hartford-CT. Picture Notes John J. Gorham Jr., Ellen (Sheahan) Gorham and Daniel Gorham are listed.  They lived at 535 Maple Avenue, Hartford, CT  This picture, 'Gorham-John-Jr-will', sourced from Ancestry.com. Picture Notes This hand written will was taken from the probate court records.

John was born on September 7th, 1837 in Dedham, Massachusetts.¹   John's father was Capt John J. Gorham and his mother was Eliza    Farwell.  His paternal grandparents were James Lane Gorham and Charlotte Kneeland. He had four brothers and six sisters, named George, Edward, Edwin, Charles, Eliza, Charlotte , Matilda, Frances, Antoinelle and Emeline.  He was the fifth oldest of the eleven children.  He died due to a medical problem at the age of 72 in 1909.  He was buried in Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery, Hartford County, CT.¹ 

• Death Notes

  Born in Dedham, Mass. 
  Buried in Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery, Hartford County, CT
  
  Died  of a heart attack, on the corner of New Britain Avenue and Webster Street, Hartford, CT

• General Notes

  The following comments were provided by Suzy Goulet, Los Angeles, CA:
  
  John J. Gorham served in the war between the States.   During the war he served as a Corporal in Massachusetts Company B.  He was captured, served a short time in Libby Prison and then  released in a prisoner exchange. 
  
  Now for a little on the Gorham's.  Including John Jr., there were 9 brothers and sisters.
  They lived in Billerica. Their house built in 1845 is still there. Owned by someone else but in great shape, listed on the Billerica Historical List. Not opened to the public. I was up there in October. Photo and more information on this next week.   So the two brothers John and George were both in MA 29th CO. B. They enlisted in 1861. And then re enlisted.  They were both at the siege of Petersburg.
  In Aug 1864 at the second battle of Waldon RR, George is over come by the heat. It was said to have been 90/100 Degrees. They were told to take and hold the train, so as to cut off another supply line of General Lee.   George is sent to the hospital and then released and discharged because of disability in Jan 1865.  He never recovers, goes back to Billerica eventually is listed as insane and remains in the care of his family until he dies in 1875.  Things never change, it actually takes an act of congress to get him a pension.
  
  John continues on. He's at Petersburg. On March 25, 1865, he's taken prisoner, his arm is slashed with a saber.  He's then released in a prisoner exchanged in April and then Lee surrenders a week or so later.  John eventually gets a partial disability pension.  
  
  John Gorham and John Sheahan worked at the Jewell Belting Co. in Hartford CT for years.  John Shean was Ellen Sheahans' brother.
  
  
  

Details of John's family with Ellen Sheahan

Details of John's family with Ellen Sheahan