History
of Steuben County, Indiana,
1885 pages 706-7, George David Cleveland
George
D. Cleveland is the only living son of David Cleveland, one of the
pioneers of Jackson Township.
David Cleveland was born in New York
State, June 1, 1816. In 1835, with his elder
brother, Amasa Maro Cleveland, he came to Steuben
County, Ind, He lived
with his brother till his marriage, and then lived on Pretty Prairie, Lagrange
County, for a time. Then
located on land he purchased when he first came to the county, on
section 22, Jackson Township,
where he lived till his death, Aug.
23, 1849. He was married in November, 1837, to Eliza
Littlefield, a native of New York,
born Feb. 9, 1812,
daughter of Edmond and Amy
Littlefield, who were among the earliest settlers of that section. .
Mrs. Cleveland is now living at Sturgis,
Mich. Her children were five in
number, only two of whom are living — George D. and Emily, wife of
Newton Clark, of Nebraska.
George D. Cleveland enlisted in August, 1861, in the Twenty-ninth
Indiana Infantry, and served three years and nine months, seventeen
months of which he was confined in rebel prisons. He participated in
the battles of Shiloh, Corinth,
Stone River
and Chickamauga. He with
seventeen others of his company was taken prisoner at the latter battle
and taken to Richmond, and
confined in Castle Pemberton about two months. Thence to Danville, and
April, 1864, to Andersonvillc, where they remained five and a half
months, and were then taken to Charleston, S. C., and thence to
Florence, and paroled from there March 1, 1865, and sent to Wilmington,
N. C. His long experience in rebel prisons so shattered his
constitution that he has never recovered from its effects. Mr.
Cleveland married Nancy Kirkland, daughter of James Kirkland, who came
to Steuben County
from Richland County, Ohio,
in 1864, and died in February, 1876, He was married four times. His
second wife was a sister of Dr, McConnell, of Angola.
Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland have five children -Zula M., John M.,
Iona M., Andrew C. and Ina D. They
lost one daughter-Kittie M. Mr. Cleveland is by trade a blacksmith, and
is now engaged in that occupation in Flint.
He is serving his first term or fourth year as Assessor of Jackson
Township. An elder brother of Mr. Cleveland, Osmer W., was a member of
the Fifth Indiana Cavalry, and was captured at Macon,
Ga., and was, taken to Andersonvil1e
Prison and thence to Florence,
S. C. There he escaped but was again captured after three or four days
and was confined at Florence
till paroled, March 1, 1865.
Was then transferred to the general Hospital in New
York City. His sufferings while a prisoner were
intense, and his feet were so bruised and I lacerated in endeavoring to
escape from Florence that
after his exchange it was found to be necessary to amputate all his
toes. He came home in August, 1865, and died of consumption, induced by
his exposure and sufferings, Jan.
31, 1866, aged twenty-seven years.
Transcribed by R.G. Cleaveland 7/25/2004
Special
Note: The above statements “He was married four times. His second wife
was a sister of Dr, McConnell, of Angola.” are in error; he was only
married once, to Nancy.
This is born out by research and the emphatic personal statement
of Willis Roberts, his grandson.