Henry W. Spradley

Henry Spradley Seated on Step of Building at Dickinson College
Medical Examination of Henry William Spradley

Henry Spradley served in the 24th United States Colored Regiment with Company G from March 8, 1865 to December 1, 1865. He was born into slavery as Henry William Spradley, in approximately 1832, in Winchester City, Virginia.1 Before he enlisted in the Civil War, he was a farmer and a slave.2 In 1863, he held the occupation of a stone mason.3 His physical composition was the following: black hair, black eyes, and height of five foot, nine.4 The photo to the right - "Dickinson College Janitors" - shows an image of Spradley (from around 1890) sitting on the steps of a building at Dickinson College.5 A 2013 article titled, "Henry Spradley", in The Sentinel (Carlisle) stated that Henry was a janitor at Dickinson College for almost 26 years and was nicknamed "Sprad". He enlisted in the 24th U.S. Colored Troops, Company G, on March 8, 1865, as Henry Williams Alias.7 He served from about March 8, 1865 to December 1, 1865. During this time, southern states, such as Virginia, did not acknolwedge the Emancipation Proclamation. However, he proceeded to serve his country.8 The reason why he went under Henry Williams was because his wife stated he did so to "hide his slave status if captured".9 

He married Jemima Spradley, an African American woman, around 1856 -- the year when James Buchanan was elected president.10 He had the following five children with Jemima - Elizabeth (1858); William Samuel (1861); Hattie (1861); Charles Henry (1863); Amelia (unknown birth date); and Shirley (1874) .11 After the Civil War, Henry worked as a janitor at Dickinson.12 On April 23, 1891, a doctor conducted a medical examination of Henry Spradley; the medical file stated that Spradley suffered from Rheumatism, a disease that ailed him from the war.13  The surgeon insisted that he was liable for an "8118" rating for a disability.14 His invalid pension certificate number was "985340", and he applied for this pension on July 25, 1890 15. On April 9, 1897 he died; he was about 63 years old and his tombstone resides in Lincoln Cemetery.16 His burial record in the "Report for Veterans' Registration Record" states that he was a private for 6 months and 25 days and was buried in Section B-1, Grave 26; he had a High Square tombstone.17 According to The Sentinel, the community stated that Henry was "of kindly heart and of strict integrity".18 The following video titled, "Henry W. Spradley, Citizen", illustrates a thorough narrative of this individual: http://blogs.dickinson.edu/hist-american/video-henry-w-spradley-citizen/.19

1. MacLane, 2011.

2. MacLane, 2011.

3. MacLane, 2011.

4. U.S. Find A Grave Index, 1600s to Current for Henry W Spradley, 2012.

5. Photoprint of Dickinson College Janitors. c1890.

6. MacLane, 2011.

7. MacLane, 2011.

8.  MacLane, 2011.

9. MacLane, 2011.

10. MacLane, 2011.

11. MacLane, 2011.

12. U.S. Find A Grave Index, 1600s to Current for Henry W Spradley, 2012.

13. Approved Pension File for Mima Spradley, 52.

14. Approved Pension File for Mima Spradley, 52.

15. U.S. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 for Henry W. Spradley, 1861-1964.

16. Bush, 34.

17. Bush, 34.

18. "Henry Spradley", The Sentinel, 21.

19. Pinsker, n.d.

 

Bibliography:

Approved Pension File for Mima Spradley, Widow of Private Henry W. Spradley (alias Henry Williams), Company G, 24th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (WC-481314). [Textual Records]; Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs 1773-2007, Record Group 94. (ARC identifier 35811329) at www.archives.gov May 29, 2019.  https://catalog.archives.gov/id/35811329.

Bush, W. Report for Veterans' Registration Record. Cumberland County Historical Society: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 1934. 

"Henry Spradley." The Sentinel (Carlisle). February 18, 2013. Accessed June 5, 2019. https://www.newspapers.com/image/440030976/?terms=henry%2Bw%2Bspradley.

Line, A. Photoprint of Dickinson College Janitors. c1890. P.1933.001. Folder 00407C. Past Perfect. Cumberland County Historical Society Archives, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Maclane, Lauren. "Film tells story of black soldier." The Sentinel. (Carlisle, PA), April 16, 2011. https://cumberlink.com/news/local/film-tells-story-of-black-soldier/arti...

Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1950-2010 for Henry W. Spradley. Ancestry.com. Series 4. Ancestry: USA, 2010. ancestrylibrary.com/interactive/1967/42051.

Pinsker, Matthew. "VIDEO - Henry W. Spradley, Citizen." The Dickinson Survey of American History. HouseDivided: Carlisle, PA, n.d.

U.S. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 for Henry W. Spradley. Ancestry.com. National Archives: Washington, D.C., 2000. ancestrylibrary.com/interactive/4654/32959. 

U.S. Find A Grave Index, 1600s to Current for Henry W. Spradley. Ancestry.com. Find A Grave: USA, 130193369.

Geographic Connection(s) to Cumberland County

Enlistment Location

Date of Enlistment

03/08/1865

Hometown:

Birthdate

01/01/1832

Date of Death

04/09/1897

Place of Settlement Following War