1703. James Conger Bradt
James Conger BradtProblem: Did he die in 1841 or in Jan 1847? Charles G.B. Conger lists both.
3833. Alfred Phelps Bradt
NO_ISSUE: There was no issue.
Elizabeth FowlerSPOUSE: Elizabeth Fowler was the 2nd spouse of David Hiram Bradt.
1708. Omar Dwight Conger
Omar Dwight CongerRESIDENCES: Port Huron, MI; Washington, DC
LEGAL_MATTER: Omar Dwight Conger and his uncle, Jonas Titus, incorporated the Minnesota Mining Company. CFA I, p. 38a.
BIOGRAPHY:
Omar Dwight Conger was, born 1 Apr 1818 in Cooperstown, Otsego County, NY. He graduated from Western Reserve College near Cleveland, OH in 1842. Then he studied law for three years. In 1845, he joined Douglas Houghton's geologic survey of the Lake Superior copper and iron ore deposits. Omar spent the next three years at Copper Harbor, MI assisting in the exploration of the copper reserves of the Keweenaw Peninsula.In 1848, he moved to the Port Huron area, St. Clair County, MI, adjacent to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
He resumed law studies and became a county judge in 1850 and was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1852. He also married Emily Jane Barker in 1850 and they had a son: Franklin Barker Conger, born in 1851.
Omar joined the law firm of Judge Edward W. Harris in Port Huron in 1855. The firm was renamed Harris & Conger, and Omar stayed there until 1868 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served six terms in the House until elected to the U.S. Senate in 1880. Omar was an early champion of human rights of Indians and Blacks. He was defeated for re-election in 1886 and faded from the national scene. By the time of his death at age 80 in 1898, he was Michigan's "forgotten man."
[Note: The material in this article was obtained from sources that include "Conger Family of America, Vol II," 1992 and "Conger Confab" newsletters, 1975-1994, both written and compiled by Helen Maxine Crowell Leonard (b. 1919). Robert R. Guilinger, the author of this piece about Enoch Conger, is a grandson of Margaret E. (Conger) Guilinger (1863 - 1927).]
(Source: Conger Confab, September 1997, p. 6 - written by Robert R. Guilinger)
BIOGRAPHY: Omar D. Conger - Michigan's Forgotten Favorite Son by Bruce A. Rubenstein.Omar Dwight Conger, born 1 April 1818 in Cooperstown, New York, was the second of the ten children of the Reverend and Mrs. Enoch Conger. In 1824 the family moved to Huron County, Ohio. Young Conger attended the common schools, continued his education at the Huron Institute in Milan, Ohio, and in 1842 graduated from Western Reserve College, then considered one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the West.(1)
For the three years following his graduation, Conger studied law. In 1845 he joined Douglass Houghton's geological survey of the Lake Superior copper and iron country. During his three years in the Keweenaw, he was in charge of the supply depot at Copper Harbor. His duties included distributing necessities to exploration parties and recording barometric and temperature readings five times a day. His most noteworthy contribution occured in July 1846, when Henry Rowe Schoolcraft's brother was slain and Conger "exercised his engineering skill by making a diagram of the scene of the murder."(2)
Leaving the Upper Peninsula in 1848, Conger moved to Lakeport, near Port Huron, where he worked in a sawmill. During this period, he renewed his legal studies. He was admitted to the Michigan Bar in March 1852, two years after he had been elected St. Clair County judge. In 1855 he became a law partner of Judge Edward Harris. He remained a member of the firm of Harris & Conger until 1869, when he went to Washington, DC to take his seat in Congress.(3)
In 1850, Conger married Emily Barker. The couple had five children, three of whom -- Franklin, Chilion and Florence -- lived to maturity. Emily died in 1866, and Conger remained a widower until 1874, when he remarried amid what newspaper reporters called a "storybook romance."
While attending college, Conger had fallen in love with Stella Humphrey, whose father was a prominent justice of the Ohio State Supreme Court. They became engaged, but when Conger reproached her for being a flirt, she broke off the relationship. She later married Jeremiah W. Sibley, a land speculator who became one of the wealthiest men in St. Paul, Minnesota. Following Sibley's death, his widow traveled for several years and, in 1874, visited Washington, DC. According to one version of the story, while viewing a session of Congress she recognized her old beau and sent him her card. After a brief meeting, their romance bloomed anew and within months they were married. While the Congers appeared physically mismatched, with the groom a wiry skeleton and the bride a robust, formidable two hundred pound figure, it was said that there was not a "happier and more loving couple in Washington, DC."(4)
Conger's physical appearance always attracted attention. He was small boned, of medium height and blue eyed. His head and face were small. His sharp, hawk-like nose fell to meet a protuding chin and dwarfed his mouth. His complexion was jaundiced, giving him a perpetual dirty color, and his voice was harsh and shrill. During his years in Washington, DC, his jet black hair and beard turned to bristling iron grey. He always wore a swallowtail coat, and at meetings he sat impassively with a grave, melancholy countenance that led observers to remark that he could pass for an old school Presbyterian decaon. To look at Conger, no one would have guessed that he possessed, as the Washington correspondent of the "New York Herald" wrote in 1872, "a poet's soul, and artist's eye, and a lover's heart." He was called a "precious little bundle of a man" and was a charming, delightful addition to the capital's social scene because of his wit and stories.(5)
Conger's political career began in 1855 when he entered the Michigan Senate. He was reelected and served as president pro tempore during his final year in office. A colleague recalled that during his terms in the legislature, Conger ranked "among the most active and able of the Republican Senators."(6) In 1862, Conger was appointed to the State Military Board, which was in charge of furnishing Michigan's quota of soldiers and supplies to the Union war effort. Two years later, he was a Lincoln delegate to the Republican National Convention. He also made unsuccessful attempts to gain the Fifth District Republican congressional nomination in 1860, 1864 and 1866.
Conger's political star began to rise in 1867 when, as a member of the convention elected to revise the state constitution, he emerged as the leading radical champion of human rights. When opponents of American Indian suffrage claimed that drunken, ignorant "savages" should no longer be allowed to retain the right to cast ballots, a right granted them in the 1850 State Constitution, Conger rose in defense of the Indians. He related that during his years in the Upper Peninsula he had "never found the majority of them were drunken and ignorant." He acknowledged that politicians used whiskey to influence Indians to vote for their party, but added:
"They love whiskey and drink it. But shall we condemn them because politicians bribe them. ... Let us be manly and honorable to this class. They are not all barbarians and murderers of the plains; they are as harmless as any in the State of Michigan. You do not find their names on the records of our courts, they are not prosecuted therefore with a few exceptions they are not drunken, as I know to be a fact. They are an industrious, labourious set of people, dying out from the land. Let us give them this last boon of civilization."(7)
Conger saved his most telling efforts for black suffrage. In an impassioned speech, he told his colleagues that it was his earnest desire to "extend the right of suffrage to the African race, ... boldly and manfully, without a slur and without a reproach." If that could not be done, he prefered to "withhold the right from them altogether." He added that if, as alleged, there were Republicans who opposed black voting, they should withdraw themselves quietly and unobtrusively from the party. ... they have no place in the ranks of that large army of Republicans who have marched along to the tune of progress for so many years; and they had better go where they belong. ... I say it is a slur upon any Republican, standing by the great national party which enforces impartial suffrage, to say nothing of granting it, when you say that he will oppose Negro suffrage in the Constitution of Michigan."(8)
Conger proved to be the best debater at the convention, and his positions triumphed. In 1868, using his newly acquired reputation as a champion of radicalism, he defeated incumbent Republican Rowland E. Trowbridge for his party's congressional nomination. The campaign was based almost entirely upon racial prejudice, with Conger's opponent, Byron G. Stout of Pontiac, warning voters of the dire consequences of black suffrage. The Democratic "Detroit Free Press" characterized Conger as the African's "friend and protector," while the "Mt. Clemens Press" labeled him "The Negro Suffrage Candidate." The "Free Press" went so far as to state, "Every opponent of negro equality and suffrage in the Fifth District can only maintain his honor and self-respect by casting his vote against the election of O.D. Conger to the Congress of the United States."(9) Despite such appeals, Conger easily triumphed, defeating Stout by nearly 2,000 votes.
In Washington, Conger quickly earned a reputation as a skilled debater, an eloquent spokesman for the lumber and shipping industries, an ardent foe of southern Democrats, and a brilliant parlimentarian. It was his ability to block legislation through adroit use of the rules that gained him the title of "The Great Objector" among Democrats. Among Republicans, however, he was affectionately refered to as "The Great Commoner" because of his close ties to the people.
Conger was reelected to Congress six times, becoming the most influential and popular member of the Michigan congressional delegation, "recognized all over the country as one of the leaders of the House."(10) His base of strength was St. Clair County and Port Huron, where many Democrats voted for him in appreciation of his tireless labors on behalf of the city that Conger proudly called one of "the most beautiful places, ... on God's footstool."(11) During the twelve years in the House of Representatives, he obtained for Port Huron a post office, a customs house, the land for Lakeside Cemetery and Pine Grove Park, and all but fifteen acres of the Fort Gratiot Military Reserve. He was also responsible for the erection of a harbor of refuge at Sand Beach and for the dredging of the St. Clair River Flats to facilitate shipping.
Jealous Michigan politicians, especially from Detroit, derided Conger for having such a limited vision that it "was never known to extend beyond the city limits of Port Huron and the lake shore towns."(12) On the national level members of Congress bemoaned that Conger's role in the Committee on Commerce was so great that "every saw-log stream over Michigan" received large sums in the River and Harbor Appropriation Bill, while waterways in the interior of the country received little, if any, support from the Michigan representative.(13)
Such criticism notwithstanding Conger's constant efforts to improve the state's rivers and harbors won him the repect of Great Lakes shippers. In May 1882, the Port Huron Ferry Company christened its newest excursion ship the "Omar D. Conger" to pay "a just compliment to the most intelligent and truest friend of our American commerce we have in our Senate."(14) William Bancroft, a prominent local Democrat and Conger's brother-in-law, spoke for most Port Huron Democrats when he praised the congressman for leaving "the imprint of his clear, sound, and liberal views upon the commercial interests of the whole country" and assured him that local Democrats would willingly continue to "swallow their friend and townsman Judge Conger."(15)
The Congressman's fidelity to the state's lumber interests was best demonstrated following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. When an amended bill was introduced to aid fire victims, Conger strongly urged that it be recommitted to the Ways and Means Committee unless a provision that would allow Canadian lumber to enter the United States duty free was deleted. He claimed that as written, the bill would be "injurious to the lumbermen of Michigan and the laboring people of Michigan," and that the fire damaged pine from Michigan, which would be worthless if not used within a year, should be used to rebuild Chicago. The offensive section was removed and the measure passed.(16) Acts such as this earned Conger the political support of lumbermen's associations across the state.
Conger rapidly advanced in party leadership and became House Republican whip. His duty was to maintain party discipline, and one associate recalled, "No man ever cracked it [the whip] louder than Mr. Conger did." Conger was a fighter and a resourceful leader who always kept his wits. His audacity and courage when dealing with matters within his expertise were limitless. His knowledge of parliamentary procedures enabled him to obstruct efforts by Democrats to pass legislation aimed at reconstructing the war-torn South.(17) For his efforts, Conger became recognized as the "watchdog of the Treasury," and Speaker of the House James G. Blaine admiringly said that Conger "illustrated the virtue of persistence in its highest degree, and had the art of annoying his opponent in discussion to the point of torture." When the Republicans regained control of the House in 1880, Conger was a leading candidate for Speaker and possibly would have obtained the coveted position had he not been elected to the U.S. Senate.(18)
Much of Conger's national prominence was a result of his famed ability to ridicule Democrats. He was a fierce partisan and attacked the opposition party on every issue. Yet, his jibes were always confined to politics, and outside the halls of Congress, he numbered many of his political enemies as personal friends. His methods were legendary. The Washington correspondent of the "Cinncinnati Commercial" wrote:
"Other Republicans shirk, sleep, grow listless at times; Conger never. He watches a Democrat, out of his deep set eyes, as long as he can see him. With his head on his breast, his beak-like nose reaching nearly to his chin, his shoulders elevated, he has reminded me of a stork dozing by the waterside, motionless as if painted on the glassy wavelets. A fish -- a Democrat -- one dart, and he has himself one gulp, and he is gone."
In like fashion, the Washington correspondent of the "Detroit Evening News" noted Conger had been assigned, by unanimous consent, the duty of "stirring the Democratic animal up with a long pole" and that "as a stirrer up with a long pole Conger is a success. He can cause a Democrat to get mad and make a fool of himself quicker than any other man in the business."(19)
Democrats admitted that Conger was a thorn in their sides, and they responded by making personal slanders against him. Typical of this tactic was a diatribe in the "Philadelphia Times" in which Conger was described as having an acrid voice, atrabilious face, harlequin form and dirty brown fingers. He was said to be a "testy truculent inveterate mischief-maker" who was a beady-eyed "backwood Cato." To the "Times" Conger "was born sour, achieved sourness, and then thrust it, as a snake does venom, upon all who were unfortunate to come within reach of its spitle."(20)
Conger's political career, however, would have never reached such a pinnacle had it not been for the efforts of John P. Sanborn, collector of customs at Port Huron since 1867. As holder of the major federal appointment in the district, "King John," as he was known by friend and foe alike, doled out patronage with a deft touch and created a coterie of loyal followers who gained renown as the "Port Huron Custom House Ring." Sanborn's machine was reputed to be as strong as that of Senator Zachariah Chandler in Detroit, and in every election he used his influence to support his protege, Omar D. Conger. Potential opponents were silenced, either by bribery or threats, in order to maintain Conger and his growing influence in office. Sanborn was Conger's political father -- he sired, nutured and demanded absolute loyalty from his creation. Conger, who neither liked or understood the intricacies of political dealings, was entirely willingly to allow Sanborn to run his campaigns. As long as Conger toed "King John's" line his success was assured.(21)
In late 1880 the Sanborn machine put in motion a scheme to elevate Conger to the United States Senate. Sanborn's strategy was to cause a deadlock between the two main contenders, incumbent Henry P. Baldwin and former Governor John J. Bagley, and then to have the legislative caucus turn to Conger as a compromise candidate. Sanborn and the Baldwin managers allegedly struck a deal by which the candidate who trailed after the first ballot would withdraw and support the other in order to stop Bagley.(22) Baldwin lost, and the overwhelming majority of his followers joined Conger's forces.
Democrats rejoiced to see their nemesis leave the House and go to the Senate, where his raucous style would not be tolerated. The "Washington Post" predicted that Conger's "House manners and his raspy roar will be as much out of place as a clown in a graveyard. He will be refrigerated." The "Genesee Democrat" expressed pleasure in getting "a bull-dog out of the House and a rat-terrier in the Senate."(23)
Republicans greeted Conger's promotion with mixed feelings. Statewide, most party leaders believed Conger to be a worthy successor to Zachariah Chandler, but worried that his loss to the House might more than offset his potential value in the Senate. Local Republicans feared that without Conger as the nominee, Democrats would capture his seat in Congress. Even Conger seemed to be uncertain about his new position. Addressing a gathering at his home in Port Huron, he told his listeners:
"There is no post held out to the ambition of men greater than that of a senator of the United States, and it is only the sense of its great responsibility and of the possibility that I might fail that has almost made me shrink and withdraw from the contest. ... should I fail, ... what a sad ending to the hopes and confidence which you have placed in me. But I shall go with your assurances, trusting to a heartfelt desire to perform to the best of my ability the duties and trust imposed upon me."(24)
Conger's fears were well founded: his senatorial career was a personal and political disaster. His style was not suited to the Senate, and he was ostracized by his colleagues whenever he broke the decorum of the "American House of Lords." A "Chicago Times" reporter wrote that Conger sat "as subdued and silent as the grave." Another correspondent said, "Conger, dear old Conger, is here, cooled down to the polite frigidity which constantly pervades the Senate.(25)
During his first year in office, the sole contribution of the new senator was to speak in favor of the American Red Cross. Clara Barton, founder of that organization, was a personal friend of Mrs. Conger's, but the senator initially seemed cold and aloof to the Red Cross. However, when Barton informed him that she had nursed his wounded brother after the Battle of Spottsylvania, he became, in her words, the "first official advocate and tireless friend" of the organization. In early May 1881, an organizational meeting for the Red Cross was held in Conger's Washington home.(26)
When fire ravaged Michigan's Thumb that summer, Conger urged Barton to prove the worth of her organization by aiding the victims of the tragedy. The success of the Red Cross in distributing more than $80,000 in food, clothing, and medicine made it a fixture among American charities. Its first annual report noted, "Our cases [in Michigan] were all marked with the Red Cross and consigned to Senator Omar D. Conger, of Port Huron, who led the call of the Michigan committee and to whom, as well as to his kindhearted and practical wife, we are indebted for many timely suggestions and words of grateful appreciation.(27)
Conger's senatorial career might utimately have blossomed had he not tried, for the first time in his life, to assert his political power. In 1883, under pressure from the civil service reformers urging "rotation of office," Conger rejected John Sanborn's application for a fourth term as collector and named his own protege, Port Huron Postmaster William Hartsuff, as Sanborn's successor. This infuriated Sanborn and split the local Republican party. Sanborn's supporters called the senator a liar, while the collector pledged to destroy both Conger and Hartsuff and "follow them to their political graves."(28)
By mid-1884 the Conger-Sanborn feud was at it height. Conger was "swearing mad" at his one time benefactor and Sanborn was systematically outwitting the senator at every turn. Finally, at the Republican National Convention, Conger met his old friend, extended his hand in a gesture of reconciliation, and said, "How are you, Sanborn?" The ex-collector paled, kept his hands in his pockets, and loudly proclaimed, "Don't want to have anything to do with you sir!"(29) This snub became common gossip and obviously embarrassed Conger.
Conger's chagrin was no doubt heightened in 1886 when, in response to pleas by Michigan Republicans for party unity, he and Hartsuff agreed to campaign for Sanborn in his bid for Congress.(30)
Sanborn lost, but he gained the satisfaction of publicity trimphing over his intraparty foes.
The feud was all the more humiliating to Conger because in 1883 he had been mentioned as a possible presidential contender. In March, Judge Jeremiah Black, a prominent Pennsylvania Democrat boosted Conger for the presidency saying, "he has the elements of a leader. He is not an elegant or brilliant man, but, ... Conger has no enemies."(31) Conger's chances for the presidency or vice-presidency were enhanced because Michigan, a doubtful state, might be carried by the Republicans if he were their candidate. In July 1883 Conger's name was among those listed in a "New York Times" presidential poll, but he lagged far behind the favorites.(32)
The "Conger boom" was soon over as the race narrowed to the incumbent, Chester Alan Arthur, and Secretary of State James G. Blaine. In the late summer 1883 a weak attempt was made to boost Conger as Arthur's running mate, but neither the senator nor his friends supported the effort.(33)
By late 1886 it was obvious that Conger's chances of re-election were dim. With the election of Thomas W. Palmer of Detroit in 1883, both of Michigan senators were from the eastern half of the state. Western members of the state legislature rallied behind Francis B. Stockbridge, a millionaire lumber baron from Kalamazoo. Stockbridge's biggest advocate was another millionaire, James McMillan of Detroit, who wanted a westerner in the Senate so that he could succeed Palmer. Accusations of buying the Senate seat arose. A writer to the "Detroit Free Press" summed up the question well by saying that Conger was not "immensely rich" and that in choosing a senator, "Ability is nothing. Geography is everything. Conger -- rude as he is -- is the ablest Senator in debate since the days of Jacob M. Howard, but he must go."(34) Stockbridge, according to the "Port Huron Tribune," spent more than $30,000 to assure the election of legislators favorable to his candidacy. Because Conger could, and would, not compete with the "boodle" used against him, he was defeated, even though he was still immensely popular among the citizens of the state.(35)
Though deeply disappointed Conger took his first political defeat in twenty years philosophically, opening a Washington law office with two former Michiganians, Rufus Thayer and Fred Coldren. Friends urged him to return to Port Huron and reclaim his congressional seat, but he refused, primarily because his wife disliked the city.(36)
Although Conger's apolitical wife loved him, she seriously hurt his career. She refused to allow his lifelong Port Huron friends to stay in her house in Washington because they talked politics, smoked cigars and drank whiskey, which offended her sense of social amenities. This, coupled with her refusal to visit Port Huron, removed Conger from his once solid political base. The former senator was mentioned as a possible member of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the cabinet when his old friend Benjamin Harrison became president, but no offers were made.(37)
When Conger's wife died in 1889, she left her entire fortune to her brother, and provided only a $100 per month allowance to her husband. Friends of the couple said that this was done because she disliked her step-children and did not wish them to ever receive her estate. Unfortunately, her brother often refused to give Conger his money, and the former senator was forced to spend many painful hours in court trying to collect his meager income.
Conger became extremely lonely, as few of his old friends visited him. Members of the Michigan delegation ignored him and did not seek his advice. On his eightieth birthday, when the Michigan delegation called upon him, he broke down and "cried like a child" at finally being remembered by his political friends of the past.(38)
On 11 July 1898, Conger died. Perhaps "Port Huron Times" editor Loren Sherman best characterized the tragedy of the senator:
"Fifteen years ago the death of Omar D. Conger would have brought public mourning to Port Huron. Today it arouses only indifferent interest. ... If his ability as a politician had been greater he would have avoided many mistakes which weakened him with his party and prevented his re-election to the Senate in 1887. Thereafter his personal supporters made no further efforts in his behalf, and as he did not return to his former home he soon fell into obscurity at Washington. The latter years of his life were saddened and embittered by neglect and financial troubles, and his old friends in Port Huron were given no opportunity to show him sympathy or favor."(39)
Omar D. Conger, once Michigan's most noted politician, had become a forgotten man.
Footnotes:
1 P.C. Headley, "Public Men of Today" (Techumseh: A.W. Mills, 1882), p. 119.2 George W. Thayer, "From Vermont to Lake Superior in 1845," "Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections 30 (1905): 563 (hereafter referred to as MPHC); Joseph H. Steere, "Sketch of John Tanner, Known as the 'White Indian,'" ibid. 22 (1893): 248-49.
3 "History of St. Clair County, Michigan" (Chicago: A.T. Andreas & Co., 1883), pp. 409, 565; Jane M. Kinney, "Pioneers of St. Clair County," MPHC 29 (1899-1900): 171; J.M. Robertson, "Michigan in the War" (Lansing: W.S. George & Co., 1880), p. 5.
4 "Cincinnati Commercial" in "Port Huron Daily Times" (hereafter referred to as PHDT), 27 May 1874; "St. Paul Dispatch" in PHDT, 28 May 1874; "Cleveland Leader" in PHDT, 23 July 1884.
5 "Boston Globe" in PHDT, 12 April 1872; "New York Herald" in PHDT, 19 April 1872; "Washington Republic" in PHDT, 4 January 1879; "Detroit Evening News" in PHDT, 20 March 1884 and 6 July 1886.
6 E. Lakin Brown, "Autobiographical Notes," MPHC 30 (1905): 483.
7-8 Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of the State of Michigan," 1867 (Lansing: W.S. George, 1868), pp. 265-66, 78 and 788-89)
9 "Detroit Free Press, 4, 11, 23 August 1868.
10 "Detroit Evening Telegraph" in PHDT, 14 February 1878.
11 PHDT, 14 June 1872.
12 "Detroit Free Press, 10 January 1881.
13 "Congressional Globe, " 42nd Congress, 2nd Session, 15 Apr 1872, p. 2445, "Congressional Record," 43rd Congress, 1st Session, 6 June 1874, pp. 4648-49.
14 PHDT, 8 May 1882.
15 Ibid., 14 June 1872.
16 "Congressional Globe," 42nd Congress, 2nd Session, 21 March 1872, pp. 1868, 1873.
17 David S. Barry, "Forty Years in Washington" (Boston: Little Brown, and Co., 1924), pp. 110-1, 117.
18 "Detroit Post and Tribune" in PHDT, 21 January 1879; James G. Blaine, "Twenty Years of Congress from Lincoln to Garfield," vol. 2 (Norwich: The Henry Bell Publishing Co., 1886), p. 433; "New York Times," 11 December 1880.
19 "Detroit Evening News" in PHDT, 26 October 1877; "Cincinnati Commercial" in PHDT, 1 March 1881; "Detroit Evening News," in PHDT, 1 May 1879.
20 "Philadelphia Times," in "Detroit Free Press," 10 January 1881.
21 PHDT, 9 October 1872; "Port Huron Commercial," in PHDT 6 September 1872; PHDT, 19 September 1884.
22 "Detroit Free Press," 12 and 20 January 1881; William Stocking, ed. "Under the Oaks," (Detroit: Detroit Tribune Co., 1904), pp. 126-27; PHDT, 7 January 1881.
23 "Washington Post" in "Detroit Free Press," 12 January 1881; "Genesee Democrat," 9 January 1881.
24 PHDT, 8 January 1881.
25 "Chicago Times" in "Detroit Free Press, 2 April 1881.
26 Percy H. Epler, "The Life of Clar Barton (New York: MacMillan, 1915), p. 232; Foster Rhea Dulles, "The American Red Cross" (New York: Harper & Row, 1950), p. 15.
27 Daniel Griesemer, "American Red Cross in Michigan," "Michigan History 22 (1938): 7.
28 "Washington Evening News" and "Detroit Free Press" in PHDT, 1 Mar 1883; PHDT, 3 and 4 June 1884.
29 "Detroit Journal" and "Detroit Evening News" in PHDT, 4 June 1884; PHDT, 7 June 1884; "Port Huron Sunday Tribune," 7 Jun 1884.
30 "Detroit Tribune," 24 September 1886; "Port Huron Tribune," 24 September and 15 October 1886; PHDT, 22 October 1886.
31 PHDT, 22 March 1883; "Lansing Republican," 28 March 1883.
32 "Port Huron Sunday Commercial," 9 Apr 1883; PHDT, 17 Jul 1883.
33 "Port Huron Sunday Commercial," 20 August and 24 September 1883.
34 "Detroit Free Press," 15 November 1886.
35 "Port Huron Tribune," 21 January 1887; "Detroit Free Press, 20 January 1887.
36 PHDT, 11 January 1887; "Detroit Free Press," 13 January 1887; Omar D. Conger to Benjamin Harrison, 26 Jun 1888, Presidential Papers of Benjamin Harrison, MSU Library; "Kalamazoo Gazette," 8 January 1887; "Detroit Tribune," in PHDT, 21 January 1887; "Lansing Republican," 8 January 1887.
37 "Port Huron Weekly Times," 21 March 1889; "Detroit Journal," in "Port Huron Weekly Times," 29 November 1888; PHDT, 24 January, 10 February, 24 March 1887; "Detroit Free Press, 10 February 1887; "Mt. Clemens Press," 27 January 1887; "Lansing Republican," 22 January 1887.
38 PHDT, 12 Jul 1898
39 Ibid., 14 July 1898
(Source: Author, Bruce A. Rubenstein was a professor of history at the University of Michigan - Flint, he is co-author of "A History of the Great Lakes State" 1981 and is working on a book on Republican machine politics in Michigan during the Gilded Age. - The piece appeared in the September/October issue of "Michigan History," p. 33-39 and was republished in CFA II, p. 173. No date of the issue listed in CFA II.)
COMMENT:
Just by chance, Ivan A. Conger of Owosso, MI learned about a meeting to be held in Port Huron, MI on 12 Apr 1980 by the Lake Huron Lore Marine Society. Although a two hour drive, he and wife, Dorothy, went to the meeting held at the Museum of Arts and History.The speaker was Dr. Bruce A. Rubenstein, a former resident of Port Huron and a student of the life of the late senator, Omar D. Conger. The program focused on the accomplishments of senator Conger for whom a steamship was named.
A scale model of the St. Clair River excursion steamer and ferry, Omar D. Conger, built by Harvey Nissley of Grosse Isle, was presented to the museum. Four crewmen died aboard the steamship when it blew up at it's Black River berth 58 years ago. Frank Crevier, Algonac, who helped organize the program was pictured with the model in the "Times Hearld." Over 200 people were present.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. II - Maxine Crowell Leonard)
COMMENT:
In a letter dated, 1 January 1981, Dr. Rubenstein gave his permission to use the text of his speech in "The Conger Family of America, Volume II."He also wrote:
"My interest in Omar began when I realized that he was the only United States Senator ever to come from Port Huron. So, while working on my doctorate at Michigan State University, I 'relaxed' by indulging in my hobby of collecting information on my hometown hero.
As my interest became known, several of my professors kindly began to jot down bits on Conger which they happened to find during their research on other topics. Soon by files were bursting on Omar (40 to 45,000 different items) and I realized that my hobby had become an obsession.
I do intend to write a book on Omar, using his career as an example of Republican politics and politicians during the so-called 'Gilded-Age.'
You might be interested to know that after six years of struggle, I, along with others in Port Huron, have convinced the city to erect a monument to Omar, which will be placed in his beloved Pine Grove Park. I will keep you posted on the details.
Also, it may please you to know that Omar, his first wife, Emily, sons Franklin and Chillion, and daughter Florence and daughter-in-law Susan are all buried in Port Huron, and for the past ten years I have planted flowers on their graves -- Port Huron's 'most favorite son' is therefore never completely forgotten.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. II - Maxine Crowell Leonard)
BIOGRAPHY:
CONGER, Omar Dwight, 1818-1898
Years of Service: 1881-1887
Party: RepublicanCONGER, Omar Dwight, a Representative and a Senator from Michigan; born in Cooperstown, Otsego County, N.Y., April 1, 1818; moved with his father to Huron County, Ohio, in 1824; pursued academic studies at Huron Institute, Milan, Ohio, and was graduated from Western Reserve College, Hudson, Ohio, in 1841; engaged in mineral explorations of the Lake Superior copper and iron regions in connection with the Michigan State Geological Survey 1845-1847; engaged in the practice of law in Port Huron, Mich., in 1848; elected judge of the St. Clair county court in 1850; member, State senate 1855-1859, and served as President pro tempore in 1859; member of the State military board during the Civil War, holding the rank of colonel; member of the State constitutional convention in 1866; elected as a Republican to the Forty-first and to the five succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1869, until March 3, 1881, when he resigned to become Senator; chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State (Forty-second Congress), Committee on Patents (Forty-third Congress); elected in 1881 as a Republican to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1881, to March 3, 1887; unsuccessful candidate for renomination; chairman, Committee on Manufactures (Forty-seventh Congress), Committee on Revision of the Laws (Forty-eighth Congress), Committee on Post Office and Post Roads (Forty-ninth Congress); engaged in the practice of law in Washington, D.C.; died in Ocean City, Worcester County, Md., July 11, 1898; interment in Lakeside Cemetery, Port Huron, Mich.
Bibliography
Rubenstein, Bruce A. Omar D. Conger: Michigans Forgotten Favorite Son. Michigan History 66 (September/October 1982): 32-39.
(Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present)
Emily Jane BarkerPARENTS: Emily Jane Barker was the eldest daughter of Messer Barker, of Plymouth, Richland county, Ohio. He was a lineal descendant of Richard Barker, who was one of the four founders of Andover, Essex, Mass., in 1643. The wife of Messer Barker was Eliza Ann Bodley, born 1795, a descendant of the Bodleys who were early settlers of Baltimore Co., MD. (CFA I, p. 411)
BIOGRAPHY: More about Omar Dwight Conger.
Omar Dwight Conger obtained his earliest schooling at Strong's Ridge, Huron county, Ohio. Among his schoolmates was the father of a Strong, who was at one time mayor of New York City; also two Cook boys, Jay and Henry D.Omar commenced his real schooling at Huron Institute, at Milan, Erie, Ohio, from which he graduated. Later he entered the Western Reserve College then located at Hudson, Summit, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1842. He studied law in the office of Daniel R. Tilden of Ravenna, Portage, Ohio.
After spending some time with the family in Plymouth, Richland, Ohio he joined the Michigan State Geological Survey Party, under the direction of the state geologist, Dr. Douglas Houghton, and was engaged in the mineral research in the Kewwenaw Point region of Lake Superior.
It was while engaged in this work that he learned from the Indians the location of the great mass of pure copper, which had long been sought by white men. This knowledge later enabled him and his uncle, Jonas H. Titus, to incorporate the Minnesota Mining Co., of which he was eventually relieved of ownership by crafty New England capitalists.
Late in 1848 he settled at Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan and commenced the practice of law, being also interested in lumbering operations near that town.
In 1850 he was elected judge of the St. Clair County Court, and re-elected in 1852. In July 1854, he assisted in founding the National Republican Party, at a convention held "under the Oaks." At Jackson, Michigan his name was on the first ticket of that party at the election the following fall, when he was chosen a member of the Michigan State Senate. He was re-elected to a second and third term, of which during the latter he was made president pro tempore of that body.
At the commencement of the Civil War he, with six other prominent citizens of Michigan, was made a member of the State Military Board, with the rank of Colonel. This body had control of all military operations of the state of Michigan during the war.
In 1867, he was a member of the State Constitutional Convention, which revised that instrument. In 1868, he was elected a member of Congress and re-elected six additional times. In 1881, the Legislature of Michigan honored him by electing him to the United States Senate, for a term of six years.
From the birth of the National Republican Party in 1854, he was most active in its support, and was always one of its leaders in the state of Michigan. He was a delegate to the Baltimore Maryland National Republican Convention in 1864, which nominated Lincoln and Johnson. He was a presidential elector for Michigan that year. In 1872, he was an Alternate Delegate to the National Republican Convention at Philadelphia, which nominated Grant and Wilson.
In 1880, at the National Republican Convention, held at Chicago, Illinois, he was Delegate at Large for the state of Michigan and was chosen chairman of the committee on credentials.
At the expiration of his eighteen years service in the United States Congress, he commenced the practice of law in Washington, D.C., where he continued to live possessed of good health, and a remarkable mentality, until his sudden death at the age of 81 years.
The remains were interred with full military and civic honors, in the beautiful Lakeside Cemetery, on the shore of his beloved Lake Huron, near the city of Port Huron.
For many years a ferry on Lake Huron was named the "Omar D. Conger."
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 412 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)
3843. Florence West Conger
Florence West CongerNEVER_MARRIED:
3844. Carl Ambrose Conger
Carl Ambrose CongerDEATH: Died in infancy
Stella HumphreySPOUSE: Stella Humphrey was the second spouse of Omar Dwight Conger.
1709. Weltha Theresa Conger
Weltha Theresa CongerNAME-CONFLICT: Wealthy Theresa Conger in CFA; Weltha Theresa Conger by Charles G.B. Conger.
1710. Williston Kingsburg Conger
Williston Kingsbury CongerBIRTH: His [Enoch Conger's] fourth child [assumed to be Williston Kingsbury Conger] was born in Montrose, Susquehanna, PA and constituted the family of Enoch Conger when, in 1824, they moved by the way of Buffalo, N-Yr across Lake Erie, through Sandusky, Erie, Ohio to Strong Ridge, located in the extreme north-west corner of Huron county, Ohio, about a dozen miles south of Sandusky.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 162 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)
MILITARY: Served as an officer during the Civil War. He was wounded at the Battle of Spottsylvania, and was nursed by Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross.
[Note: The article from which this information was extracted was written by Robert Guilinger. The information was obtained from sources that include "Conger Family of America, Vol II," 1992 and "Conger Confab" newsletters, 1975-1994, both written and compiled by Helen Maxine Crowell Leonard (b. 1919). Robert R. Guilinger, the author of this piece about Enoch Conger, is a grandson of Margaret E. (Conger) Guilinger (1863 - 1927).]
(Source: Conger Confab, September 1997, p. 6 - written by Robert R. Guilinger)
BIOGRAPHY: Williston Kinsbury (Kingsbury?) Conger, as early as 1847, was engaged in operating a water power saw mill on Milwaukee Creek, about a mile north of the villiage of Lakeport, St. Clair, MI, near the shore of Lake Huron. Lakeport was about 12 miles north of Port Huron.The California gold rush caused Williston to leave his bride one day after their marriage and hike to California. About a year later he sent for her. She went to California where they both resided until they died.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 553 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)
Mary Rebecca PettisNAME-CONFLICT: Pettus
FATHER: The father of Mary Rebecca Pettis was, Joseph Pettis, who was one of the earliest settlers of Lakeport, St. Clair Co., MI. He was associated with his son-in-law, Williston, in the operation of the saw mill at that place.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 553 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)
John Sargant DolliverNAME-CONFLICT: John Sargeant Dolliver by Charles G.B. Conger
3855. Frank Alton Conger
Frank Alton CongerProblem: What was the date of birth, 25 Jan 1875 or as listed by Charles G.B. Conger, 25 Jan 1876?
1711. Seymour Beach Conger
Seymour Beach CongerProblem: Was the date of birth, 27 Sep 1825 or as listed by Charles G.B. Conger, 25 Sep 1825?
RESIDENCES: Large farm about 10 miles south of Mansfield, Troy Twp., Richland Co., OH.
MILITARY:
> Served during the Civil War as a 2nd Lieutenant with the 7th Ohio Calvary;
> 1st Lieutenant with Co. A, 3rd Regt, West Virginia Cavalry
[June 1862 (Co. A. 3 Regt. Va Cav) Present - Signs Return as Comdg Co.]
[Sept 1862 Present in command of Co]
[Memorandum From Prisoner of War Records. Conger, Seymour B.; Rank 1 Lt; 3
Reg't; State of VA; Arm of Service, C; Co., A; Records of Mis, Vol. 59,
page 93; Records of Ere, Vol. 3, Page 53; Vol. 2, Page 84;
Captured at Catletts Sta Oct 24, 1862, confined at Richmond, VA., Oct 27,
1862. Paroled at Aikens Landing VA. Sept 24, 62 (< This date, written above,
this date >) Oct 30 1862; No later record.][S.B. Conger, 1st Lt. Co.; 3 Regt Va Cav.; List of Lieutenants, C.S.A.
delivered at Aiken's Landing, Va., and exchanged for Lieutenants, Federal
Army. When delivered Oct 30, 1862.].
> Captain with Co. C, 3rd Regt, West Virginia Cavalry.
[Oct 1863 (Co C. 3 W Va Cav) Present]
> Major with the 3rd Regt West Virginia Cavalry, commanded by General
Averell.
[Oct 1963 (Major) Present Promoted from Capt July 18/63]
[Nov & Dec 1863 - Present]
[Feb 1864 - Present Comdg Regt]
[Mar 1864 Absent on leave of absent until Apr 15, 64 By order Maj. Genl
Sigel Special Order No 52]
[Apr 1864 Present Comdg Regt]
[May 1864 - Absent Staff of Genl Duffee since May - June & July 1864 -
Present]
[Aug 1864 - Loss. Killed in action Moorfield VA Aug 7. 64]He was one of nine men killed on 7 August 1864 at Moorefield, West Virginia during a charge against the Confederate Cavalry under the command of General John McCausland. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.
[Note: Information in square brackets [] is quoted extraction from the military records. REH]
(Furnished by Robert Guilinger from war records of Seymour B. Conger and other sources.)
BIOGRAPHY: Seymour Beach Conger was a watchmaker in his younger days. The California gold fever got him. It is thought that he went to California with his brother, Williston, but did not remain long, bringing home a few small gold nuggets.Soon after his return he and his family moved from the village of Plymouth, Ohio to a large farm located about ten miles south of Mansfield, Richland county, Ohio. At the commencement of the Civil War he recruited a Cavalry Company, of which he was made an officer. The quota of Ohio being exceeded, a large number of Ohio volunteers were assigned to West Virginia. He made a brilliant record as Commanding Officer, until his sudden death while leading a charge against the enemy near Moorfield, West Virginia, in August 1864 when he was killed. His remains were interred in Arlington National Cemetery. He was 2nd Lieutenant in the 7th Ohio Cavalry; a 1st Lieutenant in Co., A; a Captain in Co. C; and Major in the 3rd West Virginia Cavalry.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 460 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)
Mary Abigail BarkerPARENTS: The parents of Mary Abigail Barker were of Plymouth, OH.
3857. Charles Greenwood Barker Conger
Charles Greenwood Barker CongerPARENTS: Seymour Beach Conger and Mary Abigail Barker
RESEARCHER: Charles Greenwood Barker Conger was one of the early Conger researchers. Little is known about him, other than he was a bachelor and he published the records of his line in 1903. He probably obtained most of his data from the efforts of Samuel Hayes Conger. Apparently he worked for the government, as there are copies of several letters in the Conger files seen by Maxine Leonard that give his address as, "Room 553, War Department, Washington, DC, dated 1899, before his book was published.
In one of these letters he mentions the "Conger Union" which he must have formed. He said his only interest was the tribe of Job, but that he kept names and addresses pertaining to other lines.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, page 1-a - Maxine Crowell
Leonard)NEVER_MARRIED: Never married.
RESEARCHER-RELATIONSHIP: According to Robert Guilinger, Franklin Barker Conger (1889 - 1936) was living in Washington, DC and doing Conger research in the 1930's. He was the 1st cousin, 1 generation removed, of another researcher, Charles Greenwood Barker Conger. Their common ancestor was Rev. Enoch Conger.RESEARCHER-RELATIONSHIP: Charles Greenwood Barker Conger and Shea Smith, the man who printed the 1903 Conger book, were 3rd cousins. There common ancestor being, Job Conger.
REFERENCE: Charles Greenwood Barker Conger was the compiler of "A Record of the Births, Marriages and Deaths of the Descendants of John Conger of Woodbridge, N.J. Through his Grandson, Job Conger of Woodbridge, N.J. and Albany Co., N.Y." This 165 page book was published in 1903. The page after the cover page lists: "Compiled by Charles G.B. Conger, Descendant, Washington, D.C.; Printed by Shea Smith, Descendant, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A. 1903." A copy of the book was found, by Richard E. Henthorn on 17 Aug 1999 at the DAR Library in Washington, DC. Much of the information in this book is not available in either volume of CFA. Mr. Henthorn believes he entered most of the data from the book into his own genealogy file.Unfortunately the book does not list place names and has few source citations. There is very little textual information in the book, with the exception of occasional lists of the units in which men served in the military.
There were approximately 1,820 people listed in Charles G.B. Conger's book that weren't listed in either volume of "The Conger Family of America."
Page 3 of the book, a brief introduction reads, as follows: "The following record, while not as complete as could be wished, is, it is believed, as accurate as patience and painstaking can make it, so far as it goes.
The collector of these "statistics" desires to acknowledge the kindness and courtesy of the various members of the family which have enabled him to collate this record. To some he is deeply indebted for a more active interest, without which the record would not have been possible. To mention all of these would make too long a list; to speak of a few would be unjust to the others.
It is a tradition of the Conger family, which for good reasons seems worthy of belief, that the family came from Alsace (then a French province) to Holland about the date of the massacre of St. Bartholomew, the name being Koniger, and the family of German origin. From Holland the Konigers went to England, and the name was anglicized into Conger. It is said the Congers are numerous in Lincolnshire and in the neighborhood of Bristol.
John Conger, "primus," was probably one of the soldiers of the Commonwealth Army, and came to Woodbridge, N.J. in 1667, with his wife, Mary and one son, Enos. He was not one of the original proprietors who founded Woodbridge, but was one of the first settlers and participated in the first distribution of lands, his patent to 170 acres bearing date March 18, 1669. He held various offices of trust in the township, became a member of the first (Presbyterian) church and died about September, 1712."
[Note: Koniger was spelled with the two dot accent mark above the "o" in the type set version of page 3. REH]OBITUARY: Washington Star, Washington, DC [Aug 1906] (CFA I, p. 238)
[Note: As of January 2011, researchers have yet to obtain and share a copy of this obituary. REH]COPYRIGHT: This report, created from the RootsMagic genealogy file of Richard E. Henthorn, is copyrighted by the compiler. This means you can't post a PDF report created by Mr. Henthorn on the Internet or sell any reports shared with you without his written permission. Thank you for your consideration.
Richard E. (Edson) Henthorn
5403 76th Avenue
Hyattsville, MD 20784-1705
Email: Dick.Henthorn@gmail.com
1714. Everton Judson Conger
Everton Judson CongerPARENTS: Enoch Conger and Esther West
OCCUPATION: Dentist; soldier; lawyer; Judge
MILITARY: Served during the Civil War
2nd Lieutenant, Co. F, 8th Ohio Infantry (3 months service); 2nd Lieutenant,
7th Co. Ohio Cavalry; Capt. Co. A and Major 3rd West Virginia Cavalry;
Lieutenant Colonel, 1st D.C. Cavalry.
(Furnished by Charles G.B. Conger)MARRIAGE: 16 Oct 1861 at Troy Twp., Richland Co., OH by Rev. Enoch Conger.
Probably at the farm of Seymour Beach Conger, according to Robert Guilinger.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 173 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)RESIDENCES: Fremont, Sandusky Co., OH at the beginning of the Civil War.
BIOGRAPHY:
Everton Judson Conger was a practicing dentist in Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio at the beginning of the Civil War. He enlisted, raised a company and was commissioned as a Captain and attached to the West Virginia Cavalry. He saw extensive fighting around Petersburg, VA in the Richmond Campaign and was wounded several times, almost losing an arm from a sword blow.He was honorably mustered out of the First Regt., of the District of Columbia Cavalry on 8 Feb 1865, due mainly to complications from a gunshot wound in his hip, received on 28 Jun 1864.
He was residing at the farm of his deceased brother, Seymour Beach Conger, near Lexington, in Troy Twp., Richland Co., OH when President Abraham Lincoln was shot and died on 15 Apr 1865. Col. Lafayette C. Baker, his old commanding officer, called him back to Washington, DC, via telegraph, to assist in the apprehension of John Wilkes Booth. Col. Baker offered Everton Conger a Colonel's rank in the Secret Service and a share in the posted reward. Conger accepted Baker's offer and was tasked to track down Booth and his associates. He was successful in tracking and finding Booth and a companion near Port Royal, VA, but Booth was killed in the attempted capture on 26 April 1865. Conger later received a reward of $15,000 for his role in the assassin's capture.
He moved to Carmi, White County, IL in 1869, at age 34, with his wife Emma Kate Boren and son, Charles West Conger (b. 1862).
Everton studied law at the law office of his brother, Chauncy Stewart Conger, and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1871.
He also built a home in Carmi with part of his reward money and practiced law there until 1880 when he was appointed a federal judge in the Montana Territory by President Rutherford B. Hayes.
Judge Conger became a legal advisor to Queen Liliokalani in the 1890s. She had ascended the throne in the Hawaiian Islands to become the last independent ruler. He remained in the islands until his death on 12 Jul 1918 at age 84, in Honolulu. After World War I, his body was returned for burial in Dillon, Beaverhead County, Montana in 1919.
[Note: The material in this article was obtained from sources that include "Conger Family of America, Vol II," 1992 and "Conger Confab" newsletters, 1975-1994, both written and compiled by Helen Maxine Crowell Leonard (b. 1919). Robert R. Guilinger, the author of this piece about Enoch Conger, is a grandson of Margaret E. (Conger) Guilinger (1863 - 1927).]RELATIONSHIP: A descendant of Job Conger, Col. Everton J. Conger, was a Detective and Aide to Lafayette C. Baker. Lafayette C. Baker was the Chief of the National Detective Police (NDP, i.e., Secret Service) at the time of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, in April 1865.
RECOLLECTIONS: Everton Judson Conger (1834-1918) and the Capture of John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth (1838 - 1865)
When the fall of Richmond aborted his plan to kidnap Abraham Lincoln and take him to the Confederate capital for a prisoner exchange, noted actor John Wilkes Booth changed his plot to murder.Born into a Maryland stage family that included his father, Junius Brutus Booth, and his brother, Edwin Booth, he did not achieve the acting success that he thought he deserved.
Although his family tended to support the Union, his sympathies were entirely with the South and, while he didn't enter the military service, he wanted to strike a blow for his "country." He apparently planned to kidnap the president-elect before the 1861 inauguration but failed when the travel plans were altered secretly. Late in the war he plotted with several others to capture Lincoln and spirit him off to Richmond. Several times the band went into action but for one reason or another never succeeded. With the collapse of the Confederacy, Booth realized that the kidnapping would serve no purpose. His new scheme called for simultaneous attacks on Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, cabinet members, and General Grant.
On the night of April 14, 1865, Booth, having made arrangements earlier, entered the President's box at Ford's Theater and shot Lincoln in the back of the head. Major Henry Rathbone, who was a guest of the president, was wounded with a knife by the actor/assassin. Booth then jumped from the box but caught his leg in the decorative flags draped around the ledge and broke his leg landing on the stage. Despite attempts to stop him, notably that of Joseph B. Stewart, he managed to escape the theater.
He crossed the Navy yard Bridge after informing Sergeant Silas Cobb, the guard, who he was and that he had been unavoidably detained in the city. He met up with fellow conspirator, David E. Herold, who escorted him through his flight. He stopped at the farm of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd to have his leg set and then with the help of numerous people along the way, he made it to Virginia and across the Rappahannock River. But here his luck ran out and he was cornered at the farm of Richard H. Garrett near Port Royal. Trapped in a tobacco shed by a cavalry detachment under the direction of detectives Everton J. Conger and Luther B. Baker, he refused to surrender. The troopers were under the direct command of Lieutenant Edward P. Doherty. Herold surrendered but Booth remained stubborn. After the shed had been torched, a shot rang out and Booth fell mortally wounded. Whether it was suicide or a shot from Sergeant Boston Corbett has never been determined. The only other part of the conspiracy that was carried out was the attack on Secretary of State William H. Seward by Lewis T. Powell.
Lafayette Curry Baker (1826 - 1868)
A thoroughly unsavory character before the Civil War, Lafayette C. Baker remained that way for the duration and after.Born in New York, he appears to have lived in Michigan, New York, Philadephia and San Francisco during his prewar years. Some of his occupations included claim jumping and vigilantism.
During the first months of the Civil War he served as a special agent for Commander-in-Chief Winfield Scott. Through connections with the secretaries of state and war, William H. Seward and Edwin M. Stanton, Baker became special agent of the Provost's branch in the War Department. Charged with rooting out corruption in the war effort, he was not of strong enough character to refrain from engaging in it himself.
In order to give him the appropriate authority, he was granted military rank and his assignments included: Colonel, 1st District of Columbia Cavalry (May 5, 1863); and Brigadier General, USV (April 26, 1865).
He rarely, if ever, actually commanded the regiment that had been raised for special service in and around Washington, although it did see some action under others against Mosby and near Richmond and Petersburg.
Following the assassination of Lincoln his detectives fanned out across the countryside after the culprits. Two agents, his cousin Luther B. Baker and Everton J. Conger, brought back David Herold and the body of John Wilkes Booth with a cavalry detachment. For this Colonel Baker received $3,750 of the reward money. He was promoted to Brigadier General from the date of capture, and was mustered out on January 15, 1866.
His working methods had been questionable to say the least. Arbitrary arrests were commonplace and charges were made without evidence, as happened when he was a witness in the impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson. His "History of the United States Secret Service" is of interest mainly for insights into his personality; otherwise it is highly unreliable.
Over the years, alleged coded messages from Baker have surfaced indicating that the assassination was masterminded by Stanton and others. Even if they actually are Baker's work, one must still question the message's veracity.
Baker died (some say he was murdered to keep him quiet) in Philadelphia in 1868. (Mogelever, Jacob, "Death to Traitors: The Story of General Lafayette C. Baker, Lincoln's Forgotten Secret Service Chief")
Luther B. Baker
Luther B. Baker was the junior detective supervising the cavalry detachment under Lieutenant Edward P. Doherty in the search for John Wilkes Booth and David Herold. He was a Lieutenant in the War Department's Secret Service, headed by his cousin, Lafayette C. Baker.Under the direction of Colonel Everton J. Conger, he helped follow the trail of the assassins across the Rappahannock River at Port Conway. They finally caught up with their quarry at Richard H. Garrett's farm and captured Herold, but Booth either committed suicide or was killed by a soldier named Boston Corbett.
Baker recrossed the river and headed off for Washington without waiting for the rest. He took Booth's body and two prisoners but managed to lose one, Willie Jett.
All sorts of stories entwine the younger Baker with the activities of his cousin in some kind of coverup, but nothing has ever been conclusively proven.
Everton Judson Conger (1834 - 1918)
Having served through much of the Civil War in the area of northern Virginia through which John Wilkes Booth and David Herold fled from their crimes, Everton J. Conger was a good choice to lead one of the most promising pursuit efforts.His earlier assignments had included: [2nd Lt., 8th Regt., Ohio Vol. Inf, Apr 1861]; Captain, 3rd (West) Virginia Cavalry (ca. December 1861); Major, 1st District of Columbia Cavalry (1863); and Lieutenant Colonel, 1st District of Columbia Cavalry (1864).
Under John C. Fremont, he had commanded a cavalry squadron at Cross Keys and elsewhere in the Shenandoah Valley. Made a field officer in a regiment raised for special service in and around Washington, he frequently operated against John S. Mosby. He commanded the regiment in Butler's operations along the James River and the subsequent seige operations against Richmond and Petersburg.
Called back to Washington, [after his discharge in Feb. 1865,] he became a Colonel in the Secret Service of the War Department, in which position he was given this assignment. Along with a detective Lieutenant, Luther B. Baker, he supervised one of the many detachments of cavalry scouring the countryside for the Lincoln assassin. The actual cavalry detachment comprised 26 men from the 16th New York Cavalry and was under the immediate command of Lieutenant Edward P. Doherty. Picking up the trail, the 29-member detachment crossed the Rappahannock at Port Conway and caught up with a Confederate Captain, Wilie Jett, who had briefly accompanied Booth and Herold, in Bowling Green. Jett revealed to Conger that Booth was at the Richard H. Garrett farm. Returning the way they had come, the party caught Herold, but Booth was either shot by Boston Corbett or committed suicide, [on 26 Apr 1865]. Conger's share of the reward money came to $15,000.
(Source: Who Was Who in the Union, Vol. I, by Stewart Sifakis, copyright 1988 by Facts on File, New York, NY. - furnished by Robert Guilinger)
PENSION:
Claim of Officer or Soldier for Invalid Pension.
The State of Ohio, County of Richland, SS.
On this 9th day of May A.D. 1867 personally appeared before me ... ... [Joul Myers ?] Judge of a Court of Record within and for said county, Everton J. Conger, aged 33 years, a resident of Lexington, in the county of Richland, and State of Ohio, who, being first duly sworn according to law, declares that he is the identical Everton J. Conger who was mustered into the service of the United States at Washington City, D.C. in the county of --, and State of -- on the 24 day of February, in the year of 1864 as Lieut Colonel, in the First Regiment of District of Columbia Cavalry, commanded by Colonel L.C. Baker, in the war of 1861, and was honorably mustered out on the Eight day of February A.D. 1865, as will appear by his certificate of discharge herewith presented.That while in the service aforesaid, and in the line of his duty, and engaged in the Battle of Roanoke Station on the Danville Rail Road Va and during Wilson Raid he was wounded by gun-shot in the right hip & back by reason of which said wound he disabled so much that he was conveyed by ambulance to City Point opposite Petersburg Va at which place he received a leave of absence for 30 days and returned to his home in Ohio. And further that being so completely disabled by said wound his leave of absence was extended thirty days more at the expiration of which said extended leave he reported at Washington DC in person and being unfit by reason of said wound for duty in the field was placed on special duty with Genl L.C. Baker Prov Mar. War Dept. and never did any duty with his said Regt thereafter. He received said wound on or about the 28th day of June 1864.
That since leaving the service he has resided at Washington DC and since Lexington in the State of Ohio, and has been unable to perform labor of any kind. He makes this declaration for the purpose of being placed on the Invalid Pension Roll of the United States, on account of the disability above stated.
/s E.J.Conger
Also, on the same day, personally appeared T.E. Tracey [?] and H.O. March [?], residents of said County of Richland, Ohio persons whom I certify to be respectable and entitled to credit, and who, being by me duly...
(Furnished by Robert Guilinger)COPYRIGHT: This report, created from the RootsMagic genealogy file of Richard E. Henthorn, is copyrighted by the compiler. This means you can't post a PDF report created by Mr. Henthorn on the Internet or sell any reports shared with you without his written permission. Thank you for your consideration.
Richard E. (Edson) Henthorn
5403 76th Avenue
Hyattsville, MD 20784-1705
Email: Dick.Henthorn@gmail.com
3866. Omar Dwight Conger
NO_ISSUE: There was no issue of either marriage.
DEATH: He died as a result of injuries sustained in a fall from an oil storage
tank in Spokane, WA. (CFA I, p. 174)
1716. Chauncey Stewart Conger
Chauncey Stewart CongerNAME-CONFLICT: Chauncy and Chauncey, CFA I, p. 71
OCCUPATION: lawyer; Circuit Judge
RESIDENCES: Carmi, IL
BIOGRAPHY:
Chauncey Stewart Conger lived in Carmi, IL where he practiced law and later became a circuit judge.
[Note: The material in this article was obtained from sources that include "Conger Family of America, Vol II," 1992 and "Conger Confab" newsletters, 1975-1994, both written and compiled by Helen Maxine Crowell Leonard (b. 1919). Robert R. Guilinger, the author of this piece about Enoch Conger, is a grandson of Margaret E. (Conger) Guilinger (1863 - 1927).]
BIOGRAPHY: Early Judge
Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit of Illinois, is the youngest of five sons, namely; Hon. Omar D. Conger, United States Senator from Michigan, and a resident of Port Huron, Williston K. of Calif., Seymore B. who was killed in the Civil War, in West Va., Everton J., who's sketch appears later, and Chauncey S. Their father was Rev. Enoch Conger, a Presbyterian minister and native of New York State, who emigrated to Ohio in 1824 where ... he had charge of several churches in the Western Reserve. There mother's maiden name was Esther West, a native of New York State.The subject of this sketch was born in Plymouth, O., on Jan. 14, 1838. After obtaining a common school education, wherein he exhibited special talent for mathematical studies, he, in 1857, entered the service of Port Huron ... as a civil engineer, and in Nov., 1858, he accepted a similar position on the Ill. Southern railroad, since known as the Cairo & Vincennes Road and Wabash Railway. In 1860 he accepted as civil engineer for surveying the level from Carmi to New Haven, and for the construction of the lock and dam at the latter place. In the spring of 1860 he commenced the study of law in Carmi, and in June 1861, was admitted to the bar, since which date he engaged in law most of the time in partnership with Colonel J.M. Crebs.
In the fall of 1860, Mr. Conger was also elected County Superintendent of Schools, and in Nov. 1862, a Representative to the Legislature of Illinois, by a majority of 872 over Hon. S.H. Martin, independent Democrat. Mr. Conger was the youngset member of that General Assembly. In June, 1879, he was elected one of the judges of the Second Judicial Circuit, by a majority of 3,287 over Benson Wood the Republican nominee, and of 5,615 over James C. Allen, and 7,326 over W.G. Bowman, independent Democrat candidates.
Mr. Conger was comfortably situated in the city of Carmi, where his influence was sought for every local enterprise inauguarated. Of local organizations in which he took any interest at all, he was generally made president. He was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, a member of the Masonic order, in which he was a Master several years, has been High Priest of the chapter, and is alos a member of the A.O.U.W.
Nov. 28, 1861, Mr. Conger was married to Miss Ellen Stewart, a daughter of Dr. Josiah Stewart, and their children are -- Maude E., Annie S., Margaret L., Nellie S., and Chauncey S. Jr., and Helen, wife of E.W. Haas.
[Note: There must be something wrong with the date of the history listed below, 1883. Helen (Conger) Haas, the last person mentioned in the above paragraph, was born in Sep of 1884 and she is listed as married in the piece. REH]
(Source: Newspaper clipping, with photograph, with caption "Taken from White County History 1883 Pages 314-315 - found in CFA I on an unnumbered page)
BIOGRAPHY:
Chauncey Stewart Conger was a Civil Engineer on a projected railroad in 1857, which was contemplated to run from Port Huron, Michigan to Lake Michigan. The panic of 1857 caused the suspension of work and he soon after was engaged in construction work on a railroad running from Cairo, Illinois to Vincennes, Indiana. The line of this railroad was through Carmi, Illinois, the place where he met and married Ellen Stewart.In 1860, he acted as civil engineer for surveying the level from Carmi to New Haven and for the construction of the lock and dam at the latter place. In the sprint of 1860 he commenced the study of law in Carmi, and in June 1861 was admitted to the bar. He engaged in law, most of the time in partnership with Colonel J.M. Crebs.
In the fall of 1860, Mr. Conger was also elected County Superintendent of Schools, and in Nov 1862, a Representative to the Legislature of Illinois, by a majority of 872 over Hon. S.H. Martin, independent Democrat. Mr. Conger was the youngest member of the General Assembly.
In June 1879 he was elected one of the judges of the Second Judicial Circuit, by a majority of 3,287 over Benson Wood, the Republican nominee.
Mr. Conger was comfortably situated in the city of Carmi, where his influence was sought for every local enterprise inaugurated. Of local organizations in which he took any interest at all, he was generally made president. He was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, a member of the Masonic Order, in which he was a Master several years, has been High Priest of the chapter, and is also a member of the A.O.U.W.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 71-72 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)
Eleanor StewartAKA: Charles G.B. Conger stated that her name should be Eleanor Stewart, not Ellen.
3867. Infant Conger
RELATIONSHIP: Infant male twins, stillborn.
3868. Infant Conger
RELATIONSHIP: Infant male twins, stillborn.
3869. Jessie Conger
Jessie CongerBIRTH: 19 Apr 1864 by Charles G.B. Conger