George L. Pultz was born May 31st, 1842 in Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York. His father was William Pultz and his mother was Margaret Steenburgh-Pultz. He happened to have a sister five years younger than him named Sarah. He was a farmer before enlisting to fight for the Union in the Civil War.

He enlisted as a Private in Newark, New Jersey at the age of 19 even though he had previously registered for the Civil War Draft in Red Hook, New York. He enlisted in the New Jersey 7th Infantry, Company B, on August 27th 1861. The regiment having been mustered on July 22nd, 1861. In March of 1862, the New Jersey 7th was attached to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. He was first sent to Washington with a regimental force of 920 men. He was present at the Siege of Yorktown, Pennsylvania and the first major battle was Williamsburg followed by Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, 2nd Bull Run where he was wounded on August 29th, 1862 and Frederiksburg all in Virginia. After Frederiksburg, on January 21st, 1863 he was promoted to Corporal. He was in a seven days fight at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Chancellorsville, Virginia. The main battles that followed were Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Tolopotony and Cold Harbor, all in Virginia. He was discharged by reason of reenlistment at Barrytown, Dutchess County, New York after the first battle of Petersburg. He reenlisted on December 4th 1864 before the final battle of Petersburg while some men in his regiment mustered out. Also before the first battle of Petersburg, he was promoted to Sergeant. He was discharged from the service on July 17th, 1865 with the rank of 5th Sergeant. George fought in a total of 38 battles with the New Jersey 7th Infantry during their entire existence up until the end of the war including Appomattox Court House where Lee surrendered his Confederate Army. When the regiment finally mustered out on July 17th, 1865, their total strength was 2,906 with 380 men being killed in action (13%), 656 deserted (23%) and others being mustered out prior to the end of the war. George was one of just over 1,000 soldiers left in the regiment at the end of the war.

George's older brother by five years, John Edward (Edward) Pultz, enlisted in the 150th Union Regular Army on September 6th, 1862 at Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York. He was a Private. Edward Pultz was wounded on July, 31st 1864 before Atlanta and died on September 16th, 1864. He is buried at Chatanooga National Cemetary in Tennessee.

The first record found for George was the 1850 Census. George was living in Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York with his mother Margaret and his grandparents Peter and Catharine Van Steenburgh. George's brother Edward appears in the census as does an older sister Cornelia and a younger brother William. His father William is missing from the census.

Then, according to the New York, Town Clerk's Resister of Men Who Served in the Civil War, the civil war service record of the same George Pultz with mother Margaret, father William and brother Edward of Red Hook is outlined. George enlisted in the New Jersey 7th Infantry as a private on August 27th, 1861 and "was in 7 Days Fight (Seven Pines), Gettysburg, and Chancellorsville" then George was promoted to Full Corporal On December 4th 1864 and "was in Battle of Petersburgh" and was promoted to Full Sargeant before being discharged on July 17th, 1865. The U.S Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles indicates George's middle initial as being "L".

Sometime in 1868 or 1869, George married Sarah C. Slaver-Pultz. The 1870 Census directly ties George Pultz to Sarah Pultz with their birth years exactly matching all of the other records. The 1870 Census also establishes that they were living in the exact birthplace of George. They lived in Red Hook, New York and they had a baby girl named Cornelia who was nine months old. (Recall that George had an older sister named Cornelia on the 1850 census.) George indicated on the census that he was a "laborer". By the time that the 1880 Census was taken, Sarah C. Pultz was the head of the household in Barrytown Corners, Dutchess County, New York. She had three children living with her. They were William E. Pultz age 8, Mary V. Pultz age 7 and George M. Pultz age 1. (Recall that George's father was William as was his younger brother.) George was not present in the household and I believe that he may have died before the birth of his youngest son who was named after him. According to the information that Sarah provided in the 1900 Census, she had 4 children but only 3 were still alive. I believe that by the 1880 Census Cornelia had died explaining her absence from the household.

By the 1890 Special Veterans Census, Sarah was living in Middletown, Delaware County, New York and she indicated that she was a widow of George Pultz who was a veteran. In the 1900 Census, Sarah C. Pultz indicated that she had been married for 11 years. So it appears that she married George around 1868 at the age of 26.

On the Special New York 1892 census, Sarah was still living in Middletown with William E. 21 and George M. 13, again matching her children from the 1880 census. The only child missing was Mary V., but she was 20 and perhaps married.

A key source is from The Civil War Pension Index that indicates that Sarah C. Pultz filed for pension benefits in the name of George Pultz in 1879 who served in the 7th Infantry of New Jersey. This, combined with the birth of his son George M. in 1879, presumably named after him, establishes Georges year of death. This source directy ties Sarah C. Pultz to George Pultz of the 7th Infantry of New Jersey and establishes that all records of such a soldier from the New Jersey 7th is George Pultz. Soldier lists indicate that George L. Pultz was the only George Pultz in the New Jersey 7th. Further, the New York Town's Clerk source which clearly records George's parents and details his service record is for a soldier from the New Jersey 7th.

By the 1900 Census, Sarah (48) lived with William Lasher (57) still in Middetown, Delaware County, New York. William Lasher appears to have been the uncle of Sarah's son William E. Pultz's wife Bernice Lasher-Pultz. Bernice's father having been Alonzo Lasher who had a brother indicated on several records with a birth year matching that of the William Lasher living with Sarah in 1900. William Lasher's occupation was a servant. He was also a widower and had no children.

There is a clear record from the 1880 census thru the 1930 Census showing that William E. Pultz, George's eldest son, married Bernice Lasher-Pultz and had 10 children including Adelbert Pultz and Louis Huesmann Pultz. It is commonly know in my family that Bert Pultz played minor league baseball with the likes of the Washington Senator's Mickey Vernon and there are statistics online that detail Bert's career in professional baseball.

Louis Huesmann Pultz, born Chistmas Eve 1896 married Flora Belle Finch and had 7 children with her including Patricia Elaine Pultz-Pape born on January 4th, 1934. Patricia Pape was my mother. She passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 27th, 2003.

This story is supported by all of the more than 15 sources associated with George's profile in this family tree. There are several other Sarah Pultz's that lived in Columbia County, New York whose births and histories clearly do not fit with George's wife Sarah C. There are also other George Pultzs around the same time frame that clearly also do not fit into the timeline dates and residences and Civil War service record of George L. Pultz as detailed above.

The facts found in the New York Town's Clerk source state that George was born in Red Hook, New York with parents William Pultz and Margaret Steenburgh-Pultz yet enlisted in Newark, New Jersey in the 7th Infantry while his older brother John Henry enlisted in Red Hook. This evidence provides a very distinctive characteristic of George's life which allows easy identification of the service records that are directed to the George Pultz from the New Jersey 7th and, when combined with the Civil War Pension index source, to his wife and children. There are no apparent contradictions whatsoever when combining the evidence from all of the sources present in George's profile on this tree.

Further, given George L. Pultz's place in company B of the New Jersey 7th Infantry, one can tell exactly which battles he fought in and the specifics of each battle based upon independent historical records. At Gettysburg for example, George was in General Humphrey's Division under General Burlings's Brigade which was in the 3rd Corps lead by General Sickles. On July 2nd, George's regiment formed a line along Emmitsburg Road. At around 4 PM, Humphrey's sent forces including the 7th of New Jersey to assist General Birney at the Peach Orchard where heavy fighting was occuring. The 3rd Corps was eventually driven from the Peach Orchard, but by the evening of the 4th of July Lee's army broken and dispirited began its retreat into Virginia. Later General Birney wrote; "I cannot estimate too highly the services of the regiments from Burling's Brigade, Second Division, 5th, 6th and 7th Regiments, Infantry. These regiments were sent to me during the contest and most galantly did they sustain the glorious reputation won by them in former battles."

In 1888, a monument to the 7th New Jersey Infantry was effected by the state of New Jersey. It reads, "First position 300 yards N. E. of this monument. Heavily engaged there. Moved here to reinforce Graham's Brigade."

Many other historical accounts of Gettysburg as well as the other battles in which the 7th New Jersey Regiment fought can be reviewed for information about how the 7th New Jersey Regiment factored into the battles. According to the source, The New Jersey Infantry Regiment, it appears that the 7th of New Jersey was attached to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac for most of the war, but then at Rapidan on May 3rd of 1864 was attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Army Corps for the remainder of the war.