Notes
Owner: Melville H. Freas
Melville H. Freas (1841-1920)
"Obituary: 22 January 1920
M. H. FREAS, VETERAN OF CIVIL WAR, DIES
Well-known Germantown Resident and Children's Friend Answers Last-Call
Melville H. Freas, Civil War veteran, and well-known character in Germantown died yesterday of complications resulting from bronchitis, at his home, 428 East Haines street. He was seventy-nine years old.
Mr. Freas had been a resident of Germantown all his life and died within two blocks of the house in which he was born. To the community's court of boy and girls he was affectionately known during the latter years of his life as "Grandpop" and "Santa Claus."
He enlisted in Company A, 150th Pennsylvania Volunteers, at the outbreak of the Civil War, and after years of service was taken prisoner at the battle of Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, together with four other boys from Germantown, Louis Vogle, Phillip Hammer, Charles Grant and George Shingle, all long since dead, he was confined at Andersonville from then until the end of the war.
"After the hostilities ended Mr. Freas was a letter carrier and subsequently became an auctioneer. At the by time of his is death he was employed McCray & Hunter, produce dealers. He was a member of Ellis Post, No. 6, G. A. R., and of the Methodist church. Mr. Freas is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Charles Matheson and Mrs. Laura M. Johnson, fourteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
"Funeral services will be held in the chapel of Kirk & Nice, Germantown, Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock. Interment will be in Ivy Hill Cemetery, where a salute will be fired by members of Ellis Camp, No. 9, Sons of Veterans.
Newspaper Article 1907:
"ORDERS HIS OWN STATUE TO BE PLACED IN CEMETERY
Civil War Veteran Prepares for Death."
"Melville H. Freas, a Civil War Veteran and a former member of the famous Bucktail Regiment yesterday awarded a contract to John W. Gessler's Sons, 39th street and Baltimore avenue to make a granite statue of him which will be placed in his lot in Ivy Hill Cemetery.
"He is 73 year old and lives at 248 East Haines street. It was in Germantown that with four companions be enlisted in 1862 in the 150th Pennsylvania Volunteers, later known as the Bucktails. The five young men remained together until Gettysburg. At 6 o'clock on July 3, 1863, as General Lee was preparing for flight, they were captured. They were taken to the prison at Belle Isle, where Freas four companions died. On March 23, 1864 Freas was paroled.
"At the close of the war he returned to Germantown, and erected a monument upon his lot In Ivy Hill, on which were cut the names of the four friends he lost in prison. Every Memorial Day since then Freas has donned his uniform and has gone to the cemetery to decorate the monument.
And now he has ordered a statue of himself to be placed by the monument. Under this will be the inscription
MELVILLE H. FREAS,
A Soldier of the Civil War
1862-1865
Co. A. 150th Pa. Vols. The Bucktail Regiment
Taken prisoner at Gettysburg July 3, 1863 at 6 p.m. Was in prison at Belle Isle, Va. Paroled March 4 1864. Died-
Newspaper article 18 June 1909:
HEARS FROM GUARD OF HIS WAR PRISON
Confederate Soldier's Letter Recalls Melville H. Freas Captivity at Belle Isle 46 Years Ago"
(Source: Find-a-Grave; http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7520532)
