Biography - George Foster
GEORGE FOSTER is a well-known and successful farmer of Audubon Township,
Montgomery County, and is a veteran of the Civil War. He was born in County
Tyrone in the North of Ireland in 1838, being the youngest of four sons and
next to the youngest in a family of seven children born to James and
Margaret Foster. His parents brought him to America when he was a child,
consequently he knows no other land and is as loyal to the Stars and Stripes
as if he had been born in Uncle Sam's Dominion. After emigrating to this
country, his parents at once located in Scioto County, Ohio, where his
father secured employment in an iron foundry and at the same time cultivated
a small farm, on which the family was reared.
George and his brothers and sisters obtained such education as the common
schools afforded. After the death of the husband and father in 1857, the
widow with her children moved to Adams County, Ohio, where our subject
tilled the soil on a rented farm until the opening of the Civil War. On the
29th of July, 1862, his name might be found on the muster rolls of Company
E, Ninety-first Ohio Infantry as a private. He was at once sent to Virginia
and from there to Fayetteville, W. Va., where for nearly a year and a half
they were holding the forts, doing garrison and scouting duty. They then
started on a raid on the line of the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad, their
objective point being Dublin Depot, which they reached after a forced march
of forty miles in one day. They burned the depot and railroad bridge and
returned by way of White Sulphur Springs, intending to connect with Hunter
at Staunton, but their supplies being cut off they had to again return to
West Virginia to meet the supply train. They then proceeded on their way and
joined Hunter at the above-named place. During the journey a small battle
was fought at Lexington, and the enemy was driven in front of them to
Lynchburg.
In the battle of Staunton Mr. Foster's regiment was in the advance and many
of its members were slain. They were then compelled to retreat, during which
time they suffered many hardships, being greatly in need of food. After
reaching Parkersburg they took the train to Harper's Ferry, at which time
they were under command of Gen. Sheridan, and with him took part in the
battle of Stephen's Station, not far from Winchester. The battle of
Winchester next occupied their attention, after which they crossed into
Maryland and for some time thereafter were in camp at Harper's Ferry. After
participating in a number of fierce engagements, the second battle of
Winchester was fought, and here our subject received an injury from the
concussion of a shell and was sent to the hospital at Philadelphia. Later he
rejoined his regiment, and during the following winter was on duty along the
line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, in the vicinity of Cumberland, Md. In
the spring of 1865 he was sent to Winchester, at which place the news of
Lee's surrender reached him. He was soon mustered out at Columbia and
ordered to Camp Denison, where he was discharged in 1865.
With the consciousness of having served his country faithfully for three
years, Mr. Foster returned to his home and there remained about one year, at
the end of which time he located in Montgomery County, Ill., where he worked
as a farm hand until 1867. During that year he was united in marriage with
Miss Lucitta Pettingale, the daughter of a prominent and well-to-do farmer,
who was also a native of Ohio. At the death of her father she inherited the
fine farm on which they are now residing in Audubon Township. They are the
parents of five children: Maggie E., a prominent school teacher of the
county; Joseph O., who assists his father on the farm; Hattie J., Daisy and
James Ross.
Politically Mr. Foster has ever been a Republican, his first vote having
been cast for the martyred President, Abraham Lincoln. He is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to Nokomis Post, in which he has held
the offices of Senior Vice, Junior Vice and minor positions. As a soldier he
was brave, true and faithful; as a citizen he is public-spirited,
industrious and honorable; as a tiller of the soil he is progressive,
thrifty and energetic; and as a husband and father he is kind, considerate
and generous. His friends are many, his enemies few, and he is generous in
aiding those who are not so fortunate as himself.
Extracted 29 Nov 2016 by Norma Hass from 1892 Portrait and Biographical Record of Montgomery and Bond Counties, Illinois, pages 122-123.
