 | Frank Bergquist graduated from Eddyville, IA, high school in 1958. After graduation, he entered the Army, serving 20 years in Missouri, Maryland, New Mexico, Germany, Iowa, Turkey, Kansas, S.E. Asia, and finally retiring in 1978 in Louisiana. Before retiring, Frank was assigned as an ROTC instructor at WSU and Kemper Military School until 1974. In 1978 he served as the Non-Commissioned officer in charge of operations at Fort Polk, LA. He has served as the Veterans Counselor (DVOP) with the Kansas Job Service Center National Service Office, with the Disabled American Veterans at the VA Regional Office in Wichita; Veterans Employment and Training Coordinator with the US Dept. of Labor at Ft. Riley, KS; Service Coordinator with Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation; Dept Adjutant-Treasurer and the Dept. Executive Director Dept. of Kansas Disabled American Veterans; and past President of the Wichita Civil War Round Table. Currently he is doing graduate work as an instructor in Genealogy and Military History at Wichita State and Kansas State Universities, and is the CEO for the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Stores in Wichita, KS. Bergquist has an AA from Kemper Military School and College from Boonville, MO. and a BGS from Wichita State University. He can be reached by telephone at 316-262-6501. He is located at 926 N. Mosley Wichita 67214. |
Veteran Affairs
2008-11-01 11:24:00
Military life
Question: What ever happened to Pvt. Michael Switzer?
Answer: I had written before about Pvt Michael Switzer, but I thought you might be interested in the final outcome. Before I get into Michael Switzer’s military life, I would like to extend a thanks to the people who had so much to do with this dedication.
John Jackson a member of the SUVCW who is responsible for finding Pvt Switzer’s grave site and for realizing that it was missing a headstone. Blair Tarr also a member of the Sons, but more important he is with the KS State Historical Society. He was able to point me in the right direction for research. Jane Jones, an archivist with the Harvey County Historical Museum.,who was able through a newspaper obituary to furnish me with a date of death.
Michael was born on June 24, 1843 in Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana. There were 6 sisters and five brothers in the family; all of them were older than Michael. We can surmise that Michael as the youngest was not allowed to leave home until some of his older brothers returned home. This is what happened in my family in the 1860’s.
He was 17 years old at the start of the civil war and a farmer by occupation. On February 10, 1865 when he was 21, he enlisted in Company E of the 150th Indiana Infantry for a one-year period of enlistment at La Fayette, Indiana. His military records do not show a great deal of information. He was paid $10.06, plus $33.03 as a bounty when he was discharged. A notation stated that he had a “stoppage of 8 cents for the loss of a wiper”. This was collected from his last pay. He was discharged at Jordan’s Springs, Stevenson Station, VA. He was discharged from military service on August 5, 1865. The 150th Indiana Infantry was disbanded on August 16, 1865.
He returned home and as war veterans sometimes do he moved on. He married his first wife “Therressa” Strawn, she died in Grundy Co., Missouri in 1879. They had eight children prior to her death. He married his second wife Virginia (Jennie) Nichols in 1881. There were two children born from this marriage.
Michael Switzer lived in Halstead at the time of his death, with his son Frank. “At 8:30 on the morning of his death, he was eating breakfast at the usual time, and while engaging in conversation with Mrs. Switzer his life passed out, so read the obituary notice.”
“The funeral was held Monday afternoon from the chapel at the Cheatum & Nelligan Undertaking Parlors and was conducted by Rev. P.C. Herbert, of the Methodist Church. The pall bearers were chosen from among the members of the Odd Fellows Lodge, in which organization Frank had taken an active part.”
We don’t know why Michael never had a marker? There was a pauper’s marker on his grave. Now Pvt Switzer has a proper grave marker.
