In the northeast corner of Licking County rests the small village of Perryton. It was settled in 1817 by Elizabeth Glasscock Lemert, who called it Elizabethtown. She moved there from Virginia with her family of six boys and a girl after her husband died. Those children grew up and gave Elizabeth many grandchildren, 13 of whom fought for the Union in the Civil War.

Thaddeus Lemert recruited for Col. Charles R. Woods and was commissioned a second lieutenant of the 76th OVI, Co. A. He led 41 recruits into Camp Sherman by recruiting at an ice cream party by lamplight. He fought at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg, then was killed at Arkansas Post in January 1863. His brother, Orren, heard his last words: "Our forefathers died for their country -- why should not I?"

After that battle, Orren was sent to Mississippi to raise a company of black soldiers, becoming the captain of the 51st U.S. Colored Troops regiment. He survived the war and moved to Kansas afterward.

Orren's younger brother, Laban, joined the 76th as a private, but was moved to the 51st as a first sergeant to serve under Orren. He later was promoted to second lieutenant. He, too, moved to Kansas after the war.

Beverly W. and George L. (brothers) enlisted with Co. A of the 76th OVI, Beverly as a first lieutenant. He was promoted to captain in 1862. He went to Kansas after the war and ended up in Montana. George worked with the Field and Staff company but was transferred into the Regimental Band. He was mustered out in August 1862 as an invalid and died in 1872.

Another set of brothers was John, Nathan, Thomas and Edward Lemert. John was with Co. A of the 76th and was wounded at Ringgold Gap on Nov. 27, 1863. He died four days later. Nathan was with Co. D, of the 22nd OVI under Capt. Homer Thrall, of Granville. While his regiment was in St. Louis in November 1861, he contracted typhoid. His mother traveled there just in time to hold his hand as he died. She brought his body home for burial at Perryton Cemetery.

Thomas joined the 135th Ohio National Guard and was captured with many from that company and sent to Andersonville Prison. He died of starvation in September 1864. Edward enlisted while attending Hiram College at age 16, recruited by the college president, Col. James A. Garfield.

He was wounded, captured and exchanged, becoming the only one of his brothers to survive the war. He moved to Oklahoma, where he died in 1933.

Charles was a drummer boy for Co. A., 76th OVI. He was wounded at Arkansas Post on the same day his cousin, Thaddeus, was killed. Charles died a few days later.

His brother, George A., was a captain of the 97th OVI from Muskingum County. He survived and moved to Kansas by 1885.

George W. enlisted with Co. A of the 87th OVI while attending Marietta College, but only for four months. He and his family later settled in Columbus.

Elizabeth's daughter, Minerva, married William S. Brown and had a son, Jay H. Brown. Jay served with Co. A, 76th as a musician, survived the war, but died in 1867.

When the Lemert Post No. 71 of the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) was formed in 1881, it was named after Capt. Thaddeus Lemert.

Abstracted from "The Lemert Family in the Civil War" in the Licking Valley Ledger, July 2011 by the same author.