William Pleasant

William Pleasant served in Company B of the 29^th U.S.C.T. His military records state that he was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, but according to his wife Caroline’s obituary, they traveled to Pennsylvania from Virginia, so whether he was telling the truth on his military records is still undetermined.¹ There is no known record of his parents or employment before the military, but according to his wife’s obituary, he married her while still living in Virginia, at some point before the Civil War.² He enlisted on August 26, 1864, into Company B of the 29^th U.S.C.T, as a private, and was promoted to the rank of corporal at some point during his time in the military. He was honorably discharged with the rest of his company in Connecticut, on October 24, 1865, due to the end of the war.³

After his service he moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a barber, and as a driver for the J.M. Goodyear coal yards.⁴ He filed for his military pension on December 27, 1888, and received payments until the end of his life.⁵ Also in 1888, he was on the Council of Administration for the Masonic Jesse G. Thompson Post No. 440, where he was also active as a secretary and trustee.⁶ In September of 1889, he was accused of adultery and bastardy (fathering a child out of wedlock) by a woman named Emma Brame, and was sentenced to a $25 fine and three months in jail, which was later amended to only thirty days.⁷ That same month, he and his wife lost their six month old daughter to an unknown illness. Whether they had any other children is unknown. Their daughter’s obituary records their address at the time as 29 East Chapel Alley, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.⁸ Pleasant was also a member of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, with the Cumberland Brotherhood Lodge No. 1527, but when he joined and the extent to which he participated is for the most part unknown, besides a statement published upon his death referring to him as a long-term and respected member.⁹

Pleasant died on July 19, 1893, and his widow Caroline Pleasant filed for a pension with the military on the 28^th of that month.¹⁰ He is buried in Lincoln Cemetery, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census for William Pleasant; William Pleasant. U.S. Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865.
“Mrs. Caroline Pleasant, Aged Colored Woman, Dies”. Carlisle Evening Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Feb 7, 1916. Page 1.
1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census for William Pleasant.
“William Pleasant”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jul 20, 1893. Page 3.
William Pleasant. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934.
“G.A.R. Officers Installed”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jan 5, 1888. Page 4; “Officers Elected”. Carlisle Weekly Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Dec 13, 1888. Page 2.
“Proceedings of Special Session of Court on Saturday”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Oct 14, 1889. Page 1; “Convicts Sentenced”. Carlisle Weekly Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Sep 19, 1889. Page 4; “Com. vs. William Pleasant”. The Shippensburg News. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Sep 20, 1889. Page 3; “Court Proceedings”. The Shippensburg Chronicle. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Oct 17, 1889. Page 2.
“Child Dead”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Sep 24, 1889. Page 1.
“Resolutions of Respect”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jul 22, 1893. Page 3.
Caroline Pleasant. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934; “William Pleasant”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jul 20, 1893. Page 3.

Bibliography:

“Resolutions of Respect”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jul 22, 1893. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/343894244

“William Pleasant”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jul 20, 1893. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/343893706

“Proceedings of Special Session of Court on Saturday”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Oct 14, 1889. Page 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/343935411

“Convicts Sentenced”. Carlisle Weekly Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Sep 19, 1889. Page 4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/269883937

“Com. vs. William Pleasant”. The Shippensburg News. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Sep 20, 1889. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/90265330

“Court Proceedings”. The Shippensburg Chronicle. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Oct 17, 1889. Page 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/88300163

“Grand Bazaar”. Carlisle Weekly Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Feb 1, 1888. Page 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/270197754

“G.A.R. Officers Installed”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jan 5, 1888. Page 4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/343892895

“Officers Elected”. Carlisle Weekly Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Dec 13, 1888. Page 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/270426781

“Com. vs. Wm. Pleasant”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Sep 12, 1889. Page 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/343928932

“Child Dead”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Sep 24, 1889. Page 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/343931418

“Mrs. Caroline Pleasant, Aged Colored Woman, Dies”. Carlisle Evening Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Feb 7, 1916. Page 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/270175761

1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census for William Pleasant. Ancestry.com. NARA: Washington, 2005. Ancestry - Print 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census

Caroline Pleasant. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. Ancestry.com. U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 - AncestryLibrary.com

William Pleasant. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. Ancestry.com. U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 - AncestryLibrary.com

William Pleasant. U.S. Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865. Ancestry.com. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865 - AncestryLibrary.com