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Ansel Tupper

Born: June 5, 1832, Parishville, NY

 

Parents: Harvey Tupper and Joanna Willis

 

Siblings: Oramel E.,  Nathan “Willis”,  Charles Perry,  Henry Newton,  Sarah Dana, Marcus/Marquis DeLayfatette

 

Marriage: Mary Wiley, Dec. 16, 1855

 

Children: Leonidas (male), born 1/15/1857 Illinois, never married;  Ella born 4/17/1858 Illinois, married cousin Aretus Tupper, no children

 

Death: 4/6/1862 during the Battle of Shiloh, Civil War, buried Greenwood Cemetery, Decatur, IL

 

Was a lieutenant colonel of the Forty-First Illinois Infantry, killed during the battle of Shiloh

From the Daily Review, Decatur IL, April 6, 1912
“History of the Civil War Day by Day, The Battle of Shiloh”

                             Widow Lives Here
Tells of News of Getting News of Husband’s Death in Battle
Lieutenant Colonel Ansel Tupper, who was killed at Shiloh, was a brother of Nathan Tupper, who went out later as Colonel of the 116th Illinois Infantry, and who died in Decatur March 10, 1864, and was buried with Military Honors in Greenwood Cemetery.

Mrs. Mary Tupper, widow of Ansel Tupper, still lives at 273West Cerro Gordo St.  It is a pathetic coincidence that Nathan Tupper’s widow , Mrs. Lamira Tupper, is still living at 247 Eldorado St, but a block from Mrs. Ansel Tupper’s home.

               Ansel Tupper’s Origin
Ansel Tupper was born in St. Lawrence Co, NY June 5, 1832 and was two yearS younger than his brother Nathan. The family removed to Akron, O. when he was one year old and then to Sheboygan, WI. It was here that Ansel took up the study of law at the office of his brother. Later on he practiced in Hartford, WI where he met and married Miss Mary Wiley Dec. 16, 1855.

Two children were born to this union, a son Leonidas H., Jan. 15, 1857, graduated at Cornell and then took up newspaper work, being employed at various times at the New York World, New York Journal and New York Sun. He died Sept. 1, 1902. A daughter, Ella, born April 17, 1858, married Aretus Tupper of Sheboygan WI and died recenty.

               Comes to Decatur
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper came to Decatur at the solicitation of Nathan Tupper, who had come her in 1855, and Mr. Tupper took up the practice of law in parternship with H.K. Roby, Judge W.E. Nelson and his brother.

Enlisting in the forty first Illinois July 27, 1861, Mr. Tupper was chosen Lieutenant Colonel and met his death April 6th 1862. The funeral was held April 22, 1862, Rev. J.H. Moore who was to go out later as Colonel of the 115th, preached the funeral oration.

           Dreams of Brothers Death
Mrs. Mary Tupper, widow of Ansel Tupper, tells a moving story of the first news of her husband’s death. The battle was on Sunday, and that night Nathan W. Tupper dreamed that his brother, Ansel, had been killed. He did not tell Mrs. Ansel Tupper of his dream, however, for he didn’t even know that there had been a battle.
Monday evening the first news if Shiloh reached Decatur. Nathan Tupper waited until Thursday for news, then decided to go to Cairo and see if anything could be heard from the field of battle.

“I didn’t believe that Ansel could be killed”, said Mrs. Tupper.
“I went to Paducah twice to see him while his regiment was there and he always cheered me by saying that he would come out all right.”

           Wife Gets News
“Friday afternoon after the battle, Lonnie and Ella, my two children, were playing in Lamira’s yard, for we were staying with Willis (Nathan) Tupper and his wife while Ansel was away, and Lonnie came in where I had company and asked for cookies. I went to get them and as I returned I glanced from the window and saw Judge Nelson talking to Lamira. I felt something was wrong and nerved myself for it, but I fainted dead away when they told me Anson had been killed at the head of his Regiment.  When I came to, the children were asking about Papa and the church bells were tolling. It is fifty years ago, but it seems like yesterday since Ansel went away.”
“Then Colonel Oglesby came home and he tried to cheer me by saying that perhaps there was a mistake some place. ‘Why, Mary,’ he said, ‘I saw Ansel the day before the battle and he was fine and hearty.’ But they brought the body home a few days later.”
It was due to Ansel Tupper’s death that Nathan Tupper went to the front. His wife wanted him to stay at home, but he said that now that Ansel was dead, his country needed him. In September 1862 , he went out as Colonel of the 116th Illinois.

In the Sunday battle the Forty First was under fire six hours and lost nearly two hundred killed and wounded, incuding the gallant Lieutenant Colonel Ansel Tupper. Tupper was pierced through the head by a bullet just after he had remarked to some of his men that they had better catch the confederate bullets in their teeth.

 

Census 

1860 US Census, Illinois, Decatur
Ansel Tupper, age 28, lawyer, born NY
Mary  Tupper, age 26, born Ohio
Leonidas, male, age 3, born IL
Ella, age 2, female, born IL

After Ansel’s death, wife Mary continued to live in Decatur, never remarried, listed in 1870, 1880 and 1900 census

 

1850 US Census, Ohio, Summit County, Boston township
Ancel Tupper, farmer, born NY

 

1840 US Census, Ohio, Summit Co, Boston
Harvey Tupper:
2 males < 5 (Charles Perry and Henry Newton)
2 males 5 but  < 10 (Nathan Willis and Ansel)
1 male 10 but < 15 (Oramel)
1 male 30 but < 40 (Harvey)
1 female < 5 (Sarah)
1 female 30 but < 40 (Joanna)

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