CONTRIBUTIONS, INCIDENTS, &C. When Schuylkill County sent her sons to the field to defend the imperilled Union, she resolved, that her means should be offered unsparingly, to assuage their sufferings and those of their brave compatriots when disease or the balls of the enemy should prostrate them in the hospital or on the field. Soldiers' aid societies, under the superintendence of patriotic ladies, were organized throughout the County, while individual effort, the full extent of which will never be known, sent goods worth many thousands of dollars to the hospitals and to the army. This was early in the war. After the operations of the United States Sanitary and Christian Com. missions became fully known and appreciated, they were used as the best means for distributing to our soldiers the gifts of the thoughtful and generous donors. The amount of suffering relieved, the number of precious lives saved by these donations during a period of four years, must have been great. CONTRIBUTIONS. The "LADIES AID" of Trinity Church, Pottsville, organized Nov. 13, 1861, by electing the following officers: President-MRS. ANDREW RUSSEL. Vice-Presidents-MISS SARAH SILLIMAN, MRS. MICHAEL BRIGHT, MRS. J. C. HUGHES, MRS. D. J. RIDGWAY, MRS. A. HENDERSON, MISS AMELIA POTT. Secretary and Treasurer-MISS AMANDA SILLIMAN. Sixty-eight (68) boxes were forwarded to Washington City, Christian Commission, Sanitary Commission, Ladies' Aid Society of Philadelphia, Miss Green for Palmyra, Col. Nagle, Hatteras, Dr. J. T. Carpenter, Charleston, Va., and Cumberland, Md., Harrisburg, Miss Spackman, 1010 Vine Street, Philadelphia, New York, Cooper Shop Hospital, Cherry Street, Master Street and West Philadelphia Hospitals, and to 96th Pa. Regiment. In addition to above, sixteen (16) boxes from the public and private schools were forwarded through the Society for soldiers in the field and hospitals. Contributed to the Sanitary Fair, Philadelphia; Goods, valued at Coal, Cash, Estimated value of boxes, independent of those sent to the U. S. Sanitary Fair, Total, $238 40 240 00 401 35 $939 75 7,219 06 $8,158 81 THE LADIES' SOLDIERS' AID SOCIETY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF POTTSVILLE. From the breaking out of the war till May 1, 1863, the Ladies of the M. E. Church co-operated with the other Protestant Churches of the Borough in a Union movement in aid of the Sanitary Commission. Of the amount of stores and cash furnished at that time they have no account. In May, 1863, however, they formed themselves into an independent Association under the title "The Ladies' Soldiers' Sanitary Aid Society of the Pottsville M. E. Church." Under this title they operated for one year, sending forward in the meanwhile seven boxes of stores valued at five hundred dollars. On May 2, 1864, they became auxiliary to the Christian Commission, since which time they have been known as "The Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society of the Pottsville M. E. Church, auxiliary to the U. S. C. Commission." Under this new organization they forwarded: Twelve boxes of stores valued at $1,182 00 Cash to the amount of Total to the C. C. 968 50 $2,150 50 To this may be added the sum of $79 00 in hand May 23, 1865, and $275 00 collectible subscriptions, or a total of $354 00 which were to be forwarded to the Christian Commission; thus making a total to that organization of $2,504 50 or a grand total to both organizations from May, 1863, to May, 1865, of $3,004 50. The Pastor of the Church, Rev. J. B. McCullough, was out as a delegate of the Christian Commission four times, about two weeks each time, viz. after the battles of Antietam, of Gettysburg, of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania Court House, aiding with the wounded; and once on a preaching tour, while the Army of the Potomac was lying in winter quarters on the Rapidan. From the Congregation and Sabbath School of the Church there went to the war, so far as we know, some 81 recruits, for terms varying from 3 months to 6 years. Of this number the following were killed or died in the service, viz: John Maddison, Alexander Govan, Theodore Beck, John Eplin, Thos. G. Houck, John W. Kennett, Charles Aurand, James M. Rich, John W. Hall, James Jenkins, Wm. Williams, John Robinson, John Homer, Silas Hough. THE SANITARY FAIR. The Pennsylvania Fair of the United States Sanitary Commission was held in Philadelphia, in June, 1864. Mrs. Benjamin Bannan of Pottsville, received a commission, as follows: OFFICE OF THE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, INCOMES MRS. BENJAMIN BANNAN: Very truly yours, L. MONTGOMERY BOND. Miss Amanda Silliman was appointed Chairman of the Committee upon "Labor, Income and Revenue" in the female department of labor in Pottsville. She was assisted by Mrs. J. Noble, Miss Taylor, Miss Parvin, Mrs. Bohannan, Miss Lessig, Mrs. Wallace Wolff, Miss Hartz, Miss Wolff, Miss Haywood, Mrs. Kate Thompson of Ashland, Mrs. E. J. Fry of Tamaqua, Misses Lottie E. Birch, Mary Slobig, Sallie L. Wasley, Annie Freeman, Louisa Allison, Sallie A. Watkins, Mary A. Buechley, Ellen Denning, of St. Clair, Mrs. Ezra Cockill, Llewellyn, Miss Margaret Dolben, Cass Township, Mrs. M. Lindenmuth, Minersville, and other patriotic ladies assisted in the work. Messrs. B. Bannan, E. O. Parry, Geo. W. Snyder, H. L Cake, T. M. Freck, John J. Dovey, Geo. W. Cole, John Hoch, Henry Heil, Theo. Garretson, P. Heckscher and Wm. Verner were appointed a Committee to receive contributions from the coal trade, of which fund Mr. E. Borda, Philadelphia, was Treasurer. The contributions of Schuylkill County to the Fair were as follows: One box goods from Soldiers' Aid Society, Minersville, Tamaqua Cavalry, Henry Barret, soldier, Total, COLLIERY CONTRIBUTIONS. $7,451 19 275 54 93 55 10 50 38 41 100 00 70 00 5 00 $8,044 19 St. Nicholas Colliery, H. L. Cake, 40 cars of coal, Hammett, Van Dusen & Lochman, 50 cars of coal, Employees at Hammett, Van Dusen & Lochman's Colliery, at Big Run, Employees at Geo. W. Snyder's Pine Forrest Colliery, Employees at Wm. R. Williams' (agt.,) Colliery, Mt. Laffee Employees at C. Garretson's Girard Colliery, J. R. Blakiston and Jos. M. Freck, 50 cars coal from Cen Employees at J. & W. F. Donaldson's Keystone Col'y, Kitzmiller, Græff & Co., Lorberry, 100 cars coal, Lewis Audenried & Co., 40 cars coal, Employees of F. J. Anspach.& Co.'s Locust Mountain Col liery, Centralia, near Ashland, F. J. Anspach & Co., 25 cars coal, Employees of H. & G. Smith & Co., Gilberton, T. H. Schollenberger and workmen, 88 tons of coal, Carried forward, 1,000 00 724 95 98 00 3,453 47 54 25 1,337 99 141 51 828 00 189 76 143 25 2,656 38 556 38 563 78 290 40 74 60 98 00 74 60 663 75 $26,211 82 Brought forward, Geo. W. Cole, Reevesdale Colliery, near Tamaqua, $26,211 82 150 00 Workmen at 66 250 47 38 50 Wm. H. John's Colliery, St. Clair, 320 50 Otto White & Red Ash Coll'ies, Heckscher & Co., 434 06 64 00 Employees of Heckscher & Co., Workmen at Heckscherville Colliery, H. H. Dunne, 66 "Kitzmiller, Græff & Co.'s Rausch Creek Collieries, 205 99 Greenwood Coal Company, 30 cars, 1,124 75 Heckscher & Co., 40 cars coal, and H. H. Dunne, 10 cars, 1,614 55 Workmen at Wm. Dovey's Colliery, Tuscarora, "Wiggan & Treibel's Colliery, "Henry Heil's Strongville Colliery, "Geo. H. Potts & Co.'s Wolf Creek Colliery, - Geo. Ormrod and workmen, Tamaqua Workmen at Dundas Colliery, No. 6, Allen Fisher, From a Clerk-odd change for five days, owing to scarcity of pennies and currency, could not be paid under 25 cents, Workmen of John Anderson, B. Hammett-proceeds of coal contributed by him, While the Sanitary Commission was the recipient of large sums of money from Schuylkill County during the War, and of stores of value upon which no exact estimate can be placed, the Christian Commission claimed and received substantial assistance. Meetings were held in Pottsville, at which Geo. H. Stuart, Esq., and clergymen acting for the Commission, laid the claims of the Commission before the people. There was, invariably, a generous response. The contributions in cash were as follows: |