Person:Stephen Gunn (7)

Veteran of Civil War:

Name: Stephen Gunn
Enlistment Date: 13 Aug 1861
Enlistment Place: Detroit, Michigan
Side Served: Union
State Served: Michigan
Service Record: Transferred into Company B, 16th Infantry Regiment Michigan.
Enlisted as a Private on 13 August 1861 at the age of 19.
Enlisted in Company E, 16th Infantry Regiment Michigan on 7 Sep 1861.
Mustered Out Company B, 16th Infantry Regiment Michigan on 8 Jul 1865 at Jeffersonville, IN.
Transferred out of Company E, 16th Infantry Regiment Michigan on 8 Jul 1865.

Name: Stephen Gunn Jr.
Side: Union
Regiment State/Origin: Michigan
Regiment Name: 16 Michigan Infantry
Regiment Name Expanded: 16th Regiment, Michigan Infantry
Company: E,B
Rank In: Private
Rank In Expanded: Private
Rank Out: Private
Rank Out Expanded: Private
Alternate Name: Stephen/Gunn or Stephen J./Gunn
Film Number: M545 roll 17

Source Information: National Park Service. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 Original data: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online <http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/>, acquired 2007.

Stephen J. (or Steven) Gunn was born 13 May 1842 in Lorain County, Ohio. He moved to Michigan, probably in the mid 1850s. He married when on furlough on Valentines Day in 1864 in Kent County Michigan, to Arvilla Jane Shute. Arvilla was born 1 March 1847 in New York to Major Shute and Nancy Drew.

Stephen had blue eyes, sandy hair, light complexion and stood 5'10" tall. Stephen first entered the service on 31 August 1861 when he joined Co. B of the 16th Michigan Infantry. He was discharged on 31 December 1863 but before he left the army he re-enlisted on 22 December 1963. He was mustered back into service on 24 December, while still stationed at Rappabarnook, Va.

Stephen claims in an affidavit that in June or July (he believes 27 June) 1862 while in retreat from Richmond Va. to Harrison's Landing, Va., his regiment waded across the Chickahoma River. He claims he was in a state of perspiration and the coldness of the river caused him to contact rheumatism for which he suffered the rest of his life. Stephen also lost his right thumb during the war; the time, place and reason I have not been able to determine. The stub, according to a letter from 1880, was very tender and irritable when he worked and became constantly open due to his farming work.

Stephen was discharged 8 July 1865 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. After the war, Stephen returned to Easton Township in Ionia for "7 or 8 years", then he moved to Grand Haven, Michigan for about four years. He then moved to Campbell in Ionia County until the fall of 1909. In 1909 he moved to Lowell, Michigan. Stephen received a pension for his "war injuries and illness". He also applied for and received increases in his pension from time to time. Once was in 1880 and other times in 1886, 1912, 1915 and 1921. Upon his death in 1922, his wife at the time applied for a widow's pension and asked for a raise in 1925.

Stephen and Arvilla had two children. Mine Gunn was born 1 June 1866, Stephen in a affidavit in April of 1915 said she was dead. I believe her death was as a young girl because she is not with the family on the 1870 census. Charlie B. Gunn was born 7 August 1868 (or 1869 on a second record). [Bob Nordstrand]

1850 Census:
Name: Steven Gunn
Age: 8
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1842
Birth Place: Ohio
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Blackriver, Lorain, Ohio
Household Members:
Steven Gunn 52
Margarett Gunn 46
Jacob Gunn 19
Ellen Gunn 15
Daniel Gunn 11
Steven Gunn 8
Josephine Gunn 6

1880 Census:
Name: Stephen J. Gunn
Home in 1880: Campbell, Ionia, Michigan
Age: 38
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1842
Birthplace: Ohio
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)
Spouse's Name: Arvilla J.
Father's Name: Stephen
Father's birthplace: Massachusetts
Mother's Name: Margaret
Mother's birthplace: Pennsylvania
Occupation: Farmer
Marital Status: Married
Household Members:
Stephen J. Gunn 38
Arvilla J. Gunn 32
Charles Gunn 11
Stephen Gunn 81 = father
Margaret Gunn 75 = mother

1900 Census:
Name: Stephen J Gunn
Home in 1900: Campbell, Ionia, Michigan
Age: 61
Birth Date: May 1839
Birthplace: Ohio
Relationship to Head of House: Head
Father's Birthplace: Ohio
Mother's Birthplace: Ohio
Spouse's Name: Jane
Marriage year: 1865
Years Married: 35
Residence : Campbell Township, Ionia, Michigan
Occupation: Farmer
Household Members:
Stephen Gunn 61
Jane Gunn 49 [Jane is Arvilla's middle name] (12 years younger than Stephen)

1910 Census:
Name: Stephen J Game [Stephen J Gunn]
Age in 1910: 67
Estimated Birth Year: 1843
Birthplace: Ohio
Relation to Head of House: Father
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: New York
Spouse's Name: Eva H Game (2nd wife)
Home in 1910: Lowell, Kent, Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Household Members:
Charles B Game 40 = son
Harrett M Game 40
Arthur Game 14
Elner Game 3
Stephen J Game 67
Eva H Game 55