Lafayette Brock 1842-1916

Thanks to Robert L. Brock's A Brock Family History (LC 92-74390) Lafayette's line has been traced all the way back to Heini Brack in Boezen,Kanton Aargau, Switzerland in 1580. The family lived a few generations in what is now Germany before migrating to America, where the spelling of the name changed to the phonetically-correct Brock about 1740. Lafayette was a ninth-generation descendent of Heini Brack. Heini's grandson Hanss (John) Brock arrived in New York City in 1715, moving to an area in the Cumberland Valley of Virginia, later known as 'Brock's Gap,' which is a few miles west of New Market, Virginia. An impressive monolith 'gate' called "Chinmey Rock" guards the gap through the Blue Ridge Mountains a mere five miles from West Virginia. A small alluvial plain just west of the 'gate' is where the Brocks settled. Nearby in Forestville is an old grist mill built by George Brock around 1750. (This area was the far west at the time, when most Europeans were living east of Richmond.) Descendants then moved on to Kentucky, where Lafayette's father John was born, then on to Indiana, where Lafayette Brock was born in New Albany, Indiana, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky.

We know nothing about Lafe's early life. In 1861, we know that 19 year old Lafe joined up with the Company B of the 3rd Indiana Cavalry Regiment (Indiana Mounted Volunteers). He saw action at South Mountain and but his most fateful day was on September 18, 1862 when he was thrown off his horse by a Confederate shell as he was riding over a bridge at Antietem, Maryland. The initial blast threw him several feet up in the air. A comrade to the rear saw him land on the bridge floor. Quickly the fallen men and horses were cleared off the bridge so that the troops could progress, and Lafe was left for dead in a ditch as the battle raged on. It wasn't until troops returned to recover the dead that it was discovered that Lafe was still alive.

This is a brief recap of the Battle of Antietem: "On the single day of September 18, 1862, some 23,000 Americans were reported killed or wounded near the dunker Church and Bloody Lane. It was the bloodiest single day encounter in the entire Civil War. Confederate Troops were determined to hold the road. After the battle it was stated a man could walk from one end of the road to the other, as far as he could see, and step on the bodies of Confederate soldiers the entire route. The road is still known as 'Bloody Lane.'"

After the Battle of Antietem, Lafe was assigned duty as a "Muleteer in the Quartermaster Department", and in May of 1862 he was a Regimental Teamster." Although it is not stated, I believe he lost his horse on Antietem Bridge, and without a horse he could not continue to fight with the cavalry. Men brought their own horses with them when the enlisted and horses numbering in the thousand died during the course of the Civil War. In many cases they could not be replaced. Battlefield photos of Antietem include many dead horses and likely one of them was Lafe's. His military jobs after Antietem seem to reflect that. Lafe stayed in the 3rd Illinois Cav, but he now managed the mules on the supply line. His daughter Emma and son-in-law, H.M. Raschke later reported that he "served another period in behalf of another man, who paid him $100 for his substitution."(A Courtship United Two Veterans) The article in which this information appears is inaccurate in many respects, but perhaps he did this after Antietem. After Antietem, The 3rd Cavalry saw action at Fredericksburrg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and then at Cold Harbor-the last major battle before Lafe was mustered out in 1864.

Two years after his discharge, on October 22, 1866, Lafayette and Sarah Frances Powell were married 'by Rev. Boring, a Methodist" in Floyd County, Indiana. Sarah was born in the same town in Indiana as Lafe almost seven years later. Both of her parents were of German descent and Sarah spoke German. Her mother was Sarah Jane Christson. Her father's last name was originally possibly "Pile" (I've seen it written that way on documents). It was said that Sarah inherited property in Germany, but did not want to to return to the 'old country' to claim it.

Lafe and Sarah had thirteen children. The first five were born near Lanesville, Harrison County, Indiana. Anna Drusilla in 1867; Titus in 1869 was miscarried when Sarah fired a gun; Polly Diliah in 1870. Louis in 1872 and Maggie in 1873, both died in infancy. Rebecca Elizabeth was the first child born in Coryon, Harrison Co., Indidana in 1874; Harvey Harrison in 1875. Milford Milligan in 1887. Lula Maude in 1879. David Townson in 1880 was the last child born in Corydon. Ida Mae was born in 1882 in Maukport, Indiana. Leonard Lafayette in 1888 was the first child born in Nevada, Missouri. And Emma Cathrina, born in 1890, was their last child.In the 1870 Census, Lafe's occupation was 'Farmer' with real estate valued at $5,000, and $200 in personal property. It has been said that he worked in the coal mines in Southern Indiana. So many of his neighbors got drunk every payday, squandering their pay, that he became a passionate prohibitionist. The wives and children of the drunken miners came begging to Lafe's house before the next payday, and Sarah shared what they could, but Lafe wanted to get his children to a better envioronment, so they migrated to Nevada, Missouri. (Lafe seems to me --based on the census--to have been a pretty successful farmer, so I don't know why he would have worked as a miner, but that's the family story.)

Lafayette brought his family from Indiana to Nevada, Missouri in a covered wagon about 1884. They settled in the Scroghem District which at that time was situated about 6 miles SW of Nevada, and 4 miles NE of Moundville. The Brocks lived in a log cabin a quarter-mile wast of Drywood Creek for about two years, then moved a half-mile farther west to another log cabin just across the road from Scroghem school, then to the wood framed house where Lafe and Sarah lived together for decades. They farmed 189 acres that were mortgaged. Most of the children attended school at Sylvan Dale. The school later became a church which was still in use in 1988. When the schools consolidated, the area became known as the Sylvan Dale District.

Some time after their daugher Ida Brock Dawson's husband passed away, Ida married Joe Sterling and moved to Montana. Ida's son Jack Othal Dawson lived with his grandparents until he reached maturity, so Sarah and Lafe had many years of child-rearing.

Lafe and Sarah kept in touch with their children through the mail. Picture postcards were the fashion of the day and many of them were preserved by Rebecca Brock Burkett, their daughter. Four of their children, including Becky, were living in La Harpe, Kansas so they were able to visit frequently on the daily train service between La Harpe and Nevada.

Lafayette applied for a disability pension in January 1904, stating that he was mostly deaf, "suffered from debility, was much emaciated and bilious and have stomach troubles, and after exercise I am subject to vertigo." He apparently received Pension 3838379, then in June he added "heart trouble and nervousness" to the list. In November 1912, he was still attempting to amend his pension request, which amounted to thirty-dollars a month. He also made visits back to his former home in Indiana where on one visit he got an affidavit from another soldier who was also at Antietem attesting to his war injury and service.

On October 22, 1916, the family gathered at Leonard Brock's home to celebrate Sarah and Lafayette's 50th wedding anniversary. They presented Lafe with "an elegant gold watch, and Sarah received a nice new dress."

Three or four days before his death, Lafe suffered a mild Paralysis. He died October 20, 1916. He was 73 years old. His occupation was listed as carpenter. His Death Certificate, issued on 31 Oct. 1916, states the cause of death as "Apoplexy Cerebral". Lafe's obitiuary read "Mr. Brock was in every way an ideal citizen. His honesty and integrity were never questioned by those who knew him and he enjoyed the confidence and esteem of all with whom he came in contact. For many years he had been a member of the Christian church and had lived a life in keeping with this profession. He was big of heart, a devoted husband and affectionate father.