Henry J. Galloway

Henry John Galloway was born around 1840. His obituary in The Shippensburg News says he was born enslaved near Winchester, Virginia, but it is possible he was born in Manchester, Maryland.¹ In 1863, he lived in Williamsport, Maryland, and was working as a farmer. He enlisted as a private into Company H of the 55^th Massachusetts Colored Infantry on June 10, 1863, in Reedville, Massachusetts, at around 23 years old. He had a dark complexion, brown eyes, and black hair, and stood at five feet and five inches tall.² At some point during his service, he was hit by a shell in his right hand. From March to June of 1865, he was absent sick at a U.S. General Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, and in the beginning of August that year was once again admitted into the hospital for syphilis. He returned to duty on August 28^th, and on the 29^th was honorably discharged mustered out of Charleston with the rest of his company after the end of the Civil War.³ His pension applications record him suffering from rheumatism and pain in his chest and side since his time in the military.⁴

After his discharge, Galloway moved to Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. He never married, and there is no record of him fathering any children. He was employed by The Shippensburg Chronicle office on and off until his death.⁵ In June of 1873, he was charged with providing whiskey to some undisclosed individuals, and was arrested and jailed.⁶ By the 1880 Federal Census, he was living in Chambersburg and working as a hostler.⁷ In August of 1884, he was elected to the executive committee of a Blaine and Logan Club that met in Shippensburg.⁸

Galloway died on February 28, 1895, from complications and illness caused by the grip, at around 55 years old.⁹ He is buried in Locust Grove Cemetery, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. He is also a part of the African American Civil War Memorial, plaque number E-156.¹⁰

1. “John Henry Galloway…” The Shippensburg News, 3, Mar 1, 1895; Find a Grave Memorial ID 30820515.
2. Henry J. Galloway, Co. H, 55 Regiment, U.S.C.T. Company Descriptive Book, June 10, 1863.
3. Co. H, 55 Regiment, U.S.C.T Company Muster Roll, May/June 1865; Co. H, 55 Regiment, U.S.C.T. Company Muster Roll, Mar/Apr, 1865; Henry Galloway, Record and Pension Division, Surgeon General’s Office, War Department, Nov 14, 1877, Washington, D.C.
4. Henry J. Galloway. Invalid Pension, Act of June 27, 1890. July 12, 1890.
5. “Deaths”, The Shippensburg Chronicle, 2, Mar 7, 1895.
6. “A colored man in Shippensburg…” The Star and Enterprise, 3, Jun 17, 1873.
7. 1880 United States Federal Census for Henry Galloway, 315A.
8. “Colored Blaine and Logan Club”. The Shippensburg News, 3, Aug 2, 1884.
9. “John Henry Galloway…” The Shippensburg News, 3, Mar 1, 1895; “Deaths”, The Shippensburg Chronicle, 2, Mar 7, 1895.
10. Find a Grave Memorial ID 30820515; Henry J. Galloway. U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865.

 Bibliography:

Henry J. Galloway, Co. H, 55 Regiment, U.S.C.T Company Muster Roll, May/June 1865.

Henry J. Galloway, Co. H, 55 Regiment, U.S.C.T. Company Muster Roll, Mar/Apr, 1865.

Henry J. Galloway, Co. H, 55 Regiment, U.S.C.T. Company Descriptive Book, June 10, 1863.

Henry J. Galloway, Co. H, 55 Regiment, U.S.C.T. Company Muster-out Roll, Aug 29, 1865.

Henry Galloway, Record and Pension Division, Surgeon General’s Office, War Department, Nov 14, 1877, Washington, D.C.

Henry J. Galloway. Invalid Pension, Act of June 27, 1890. July 12, 1890.

“Colored Blaine and Logan Club”. The Shippensburg News. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Aug 2, 1884. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/89277424

“John Henry Galloway…” The Shippensburg News. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Mar 1, 1895. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/310329581

“John Henry Galloway”. The Shippensburg Chronicle. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Mar 7, 1895. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/89207876

“Galloway”. The Shippensburg News. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Mar 1, 1895. Page 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/310329479

“A colored man in Shippensburg…” The Star and Enterprise. Newville, Pennsylvania. Jun 17, 1873. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/292289184

“Deaths”. The Shippensburg Chronicle. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Mar 7, 1895. Page 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/89207831

Henry J. Galloway. U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865. Ancestry.com. National Park Service. 2007. U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 - AncestryLibrary.com

1880 United States Federal Census for Henry Galloway. Ancestry.com. 315A. NARA: Washington, 2010. 1880 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com

Henry Galloway. U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865. NARA: Washington, 2010. U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 - AncestryLibrary.com

Henry J. Galloway. Find a Grave Memorial ID 30820515. Maintained by Sherry, added Oct 24, 2008. www.findagrave.com/memorial/30820515/henry-j.-galloway