Noah was the second child of William and Sarah Frank, Barbara’s little brother.

The Civil War had been underway a few months when he enlisted in the 3rd Illinois Cavalry, Company G and was sent first to Camp Butler, where he got measles, but improved. (On our trip to Boston this summer, we saw the sign for Camp Butler near Springfield, IL and stopped. It is a cemetery now).

He was then sent to Camp Benton in MO, where he thought he was getting better, but died in January 1862 at the age of 18. It might have been pneumonia as a complication of the measles as that was common. He had been in the army for less than five months.

Here are some comments from the Civil War Muse about Camp Benton:

“The presence of so many troops in one great encampment, the crowded condition of the barracks, inexperience of the soldiers, inclemency of the winter months and the inability of the department to do all that was required occasioned a large  amount of sickness,…many measles patients were afterwards attacked with pneumonia and died.”

We have three letters from Noah and also a hammer he made. Here are some excerpts:

Camp Butler

Sept. the 20, 1861

Dear Brother,

I received _ letters today and was glad to hear that you was all well. I have not been sick an hour since I left home. the boys are in high spirits this evening. We have drawed our full uniform today and we will get the saddles this week.

Dear sister i received your letter the other day and was glad to hear that you was well I am perfectly well and out of danger from the measles I would have written sooner but Mr. Thomas was coming home and I thought he could tell you better about the times than I could in a letter…tell Isaac and Ed to write to me for it does me good to get a letter from them if it is only a dozen words and tell Martha to put in a few words to when you are writing and tell bub and  Sarah I would like to see them write soon from Noah to Barbara Frank. 

Bub was Noah’s little brother, Columbus, aged five.

An entry from Minnie Lee’s journal about her uncle, Noah

I believe this is a picture of Darwin M. Schenck. There were only a few letters readable on the back of the picture, and they matched up with him from Noah’s Company G. They may have been friends and exchanged pictures.

Noah Frank

3rd ggu

4th ggu

5th ggu