Saddler Otto Voit

[fred]

I received an email today sent to several people seeking help in locating relatives. The email was from a retired Army officer who had contacted me regarding a 7th Cavalry Medal of Honor awardee. The email I received was from a friend who had forwarded the original, comprised of several other emails. I have taken the liberty of combining all of them and editing out duplication. The rest speaks for itself and I am hoping we can find someone…

“Quite by accident, I discovered in April 2017 that Saddler Otto Voit, H Company, 7th U. S. Cavalry (awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery while serving as one of four sharpshooters laying down covering fire in aid of water parties at Reno Hill) is buried in Louisville, Kentucky. I had never seen a headstone marking the resting place of a Medal of Honor recipient from the Indian Wars.

“I am contacting you to see if you or anybody in your organization might be aware of any surviving relatives of Saddler Voit. I have conducted substantial research as part of an application for a Kentucky Historic Marker (roadside) to honor Saddler Voit. The application was granted and I then raised $2,500 to pay for a foundry to fabricate the marker. We are planning a dedication ceremony at 10:30 a.m. EST on August 7, 2018 (Purple Heart Day) to unveil a Kentucky Historic Marker for the resting place of Saddler Otto Emil Voit. Metro Louisville government is helping with the dedication ceremony and asked me if I knew of relatives of Saddler Voit we might invite to the ceremony. I am no genealogist, so I’m sending requests to groups like yours in the hope of locating relatives of Otto Voit.”

LTC Steven A. Edwards (Ret.)
JA, USAR
Member, Bluegrass Chapter/Chapter 146, Military Order of the Purple Heart


Best wishes,
Fred.

[Diane Merkel]

Fred,

His obituary stated he was a bachelor with "no near relatives."

www.littlebighorn.info/Obituaries/OttoVoit.htm

I hope they are able to find some family members.

Diane

[herosrest]

^Ducemus

Voit immigrated to the United States in 1862, and enlisted in the Union Army 13th Infantry during the American Civil War in December 1864. He was a "saddler" (saddle-maker) in Germany and with the U.S. Army. He deserted his unit at a Missouri River post on February 21, 1866 and subsequently reenlisted in Company H of George Armstrong Custer's Seventh Cavalry in December 1866 using the alias Frank May. On December 5, 1873 he surrendered as a deserter and received clemency by Presidential proclamation. Source

link

Contact posting Last page entry - 2005

Oddball - Ft. Rice related - Morton County - Mandan Union Cemetery - Voight Otto (born) 1872 (Died) 4 Nov 1946 inscription or note Raub

[fred]

Jun 5, 2018 14:30:01 GMT -6 Diane Merkel said:

I hope they are able to find some family members.

Diane

Diane,

A fellow I know of-- a retired police officer-- believes he knows a relative in Pennsylvania. If I am not mistaken, Voit was the earliest member of his family to come to the U. S. and I would certainly assume if this fellow is correct, Voit was followed by other family members. If not, it is a dead end, certainly in this country.

Hope you and Chuck are doing well. Lisa and I still talk about our West Point visit. Next time we talk I will tell you a bizarre story involving my brother-in-law and the West Point golf course.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[herosrest]

^Ducemus

lbha.proboards.com/thread/1287

[Diane Merkel]

Good find, herosrest! I didn't look back far enough.

I've written to the man who posted that message. I just hope he hasn't changed his email address in the last dozen years.

Thanks!

Diane

[herosrest]

^Ducemus

Fingers crossed.

The oddball item which I posted is an oddity. That's an Otto Voight born in 1872 and buried age 74/75 at Mandan Union Cemetery - with the inscription or note Raub. Raub is an ND community with German origins. In 1872, Voit was using his assumed name and changed it by owning up to his desertion. Voight could be Voit. It's an unusual World since for ever and coincidence is actually rarer that goldfish teeth. Where were Company H in 1872?

It's an oddball connection.

[nomann]

memorial and photograph of Voit
www.findagrave.com/memorial/7743446

[Jenny]

Jun 5, 2018 16:15:29 GMT -6 herosrest said:

^Ducemus

Voit immigrated to the United States in 1862, and enlisted in the Union Army 13th Infantry during the American Civil War in December 1864. He was a "saddler" (saddle-maker) in Germany and with the U.S. Army. He deserted his unit at a Missouri River post on February 21, 1866 and subsequently reenlisted in Company H of George Armstrong Custer's Seventh Cavalry in December 1866 using the alias Frank May. On December 5, 1873 he surrendered as a deserter and received clemency by Presidential proclamation. Source

HR - Is there a place on this board where this presidential proclamation is discussed further? I think it's a fascinating little tidbit relating to the problems with deserters in post-CW Army. I did a search and only found this thread, so maybe this is all?
 
Thanks,
Jenny