Stone of Alanson Washburn, in the Bingo Cemetery. Alanson was born in Rochester in 1808, and married Lydia Robinson in 1826. They had a son, Alanson, born 1830. He had five children with his 2nd wife Persis Hodges, who he married in 1836: Evaline E., Julia M., Harry A., Lenora, and Susan. Lenora married Ransom Towle's older brother Rufus Byron. Harry Washburn was Ransom Towle's cousin, friend, neighbor, and fellow soldier. Harry died at Camp Griffin, March 14, 1862, age 21. Ransom notes his ill-health in his letters. "Nov. 26 1861 Headquarters Camp Griffin, Fairfax County Va.
"Your most welcome letter found Camp Griffin last night and found me better than some previous ones though not in very good strength. The great peculiarity of the cases of sickness here seems to be that when the disease has left a person it is almost impossible to regain our strength. There are those here Harry Washburn for one, had the measles some four weeks since and is not able to be out though there seems to be nothing ailing him but a general prostrations. Carlos Carr[1] is another case though he first had typhoid fever. Most of the West Rochester Boys are unable to do duty though none of them [are] dangerously sick".[2]
[1] Carlos Wellington Carr, cred. Brandon, VT, age 23,
enl 9/4/61, m/i 9/21/61, 2SGT, Co. E, 4th VVI, pr 1SGT, comn 2LT, Co. I, 7/19/62 (9/29/62), pr 1LT, 5/5/64 (6/11/64), tr to Co. A 2/25/65, tr to Co. C, tr to Co. F, pow, Weldon Railroad, 6/23/64, prld 3/1/65, m/o 5/6/65 (more)
Born: 7/13/1838, Died: 9/11/1914, buried: Pine Hill cemetery, Brandon, VT.
[2] Marshall (1999) writes, “Of the five thousand men in the Vermont brigade, as many as a thousand at a time were sick at Camp Griffin, a ratio far out of proportion to that of the camp as a whole. Among the diseases common at the camp, measles and mumps infected many who had never been exposed before and were now living in close quarters” (p. 48).
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