⚒️ From Boy Soldier to Iowa Pioneer
A 16-Year-Old at Appomattox, a Blacksmith on the Prairie: The Life of George Henry Rossman
🔎At a Glance
- Born: October 23, 1848, Hartley Township, Union County, Pennsylvania
- Parents: Aaron Rossman (1820–1859) & Sarah Braucher (1826–1907)
- Civil War Service: Private, Company C, 184th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry; enlisted at 16 with his mother’s consent; witnessed Lee’s surrender at Appomattox; marched in the Grand Review, May 1865
- Migration: Pennsylvania → Sandusky, Ohio → Constantine, Michigan → Rock Island, Illinois → Victor, Iowa (1871)
- Marriage: Aseneath Margaret Ross Greaser, October 12, 1871, Victor, Iowa
- Children: 10 (Frank, Ed, Jessie, Leo, Bessie, Allie, Addie, Katie, Sara, Sam)
- Occupations: Blacksmith (Koszta, Iowa); farmer (Hartford & Poweshiek Counties); retired in Victor, Iowa
- Affiliations: Active in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), community leader, Civil War veteran remembered for patriotism
- Died: October 16, 1924, Victor, Iowa; buried with full military honors
Early Life in Pennsylvania & Ohio
George Henry Rossman was born October 23, 1848, in Hartley Township, Union County, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a family of four children. His father, Aaron Rossman, was a weaver who died young in Sandusky County, Ohio, in 1859. His widowed mother, Sarah Braucher Rossman, returned to Union County with her children for support.
By 1860, George, age twelve, was already working for his uncle, David Braucher, in Lewis Township, Pennsylvania — a “servant boy” on the census. It was a childhood cut short by responsibility, one that prepared him for the independence he would need in the years ahead.
A Sixteen-Year-Old Soldier
In October 1864, just before his sixteenth birthday, George enlisted in Company C, 184th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry. Because he was underage, his mother Sarah had to travel to Harrisburg to sign the papers allowing him to serve.
George saw intense combat in the final months of the war. He fought at Hatcher’s Run, Dabney’s Mills, Fort Fisher, Crow’s House, Sailor’s Creek, Farmville, and Clover Hill, before standing among the soldiers present for Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. He then marched in the Grand Review in Washington, D.C., a triumphant parade of Union soldiers on May 23, 1865.
He was mustered out on June 2, 1865, at Munson’s Hill, Virginia, having survived a brutal campaign as one of the youngest soldiers in his regiment.
Moving West
After the war, George joined his mother and siblings in Constantine, St. Joseph County, Michigan, where many Union County families relocated. By 1870, he was working as a blacksmith in Rock Island, Illinois, a bustling Mississippi River town.
George and Aseneath 40th Wedding Anniversary
Family lore holds that George came to Victor, Iowa by stagecoach in 1871 and checked into the Iowa House Hotel, owned by Ayers and Catherine Ross. There, he met their widowed daughter, Aseneath Margaret Ross Greaser. Love and circumstance quickly bound them together: they were married on October 12, 1871, in Victor.
Life in Iowa
George and Aseneath began married life in Koszta, Iowa, where he ran a blacksmith shop for ten years. Their first two children, Frank and Ed, were born during these years, Ed in Michigan while they lived briefly near George’s extended family.
By the 1880s, the Rossmans were farming near Victor. Over the years, they had ten children: Frank, Ed, Jessie, Leo, Bessie, Allie, Addie, Katie, Sara, and Sam. Aseneath’s son from her first marriage, Nathaniel Kitterage Greaser, was adopted and raised by her parents, Ayers and Catherine Ross. In adulthood he used the Ross surname (‘N. K. Ross’)
By 1900, George and family lived on a farm in Hartford Township, Iowa County; in 1910, they moved to Poweshiek County. Finally, in 1920, George and Aseneath retired to a house on Washington Street in Victor, enjoying town life after decades of farming.
Victor, Iowa & the GAR
Victor was a railroad town on the rise during George’s lifetime. Rail lines brought in commerce, and the Iowa House Hotel stood as a busy crossroads where pioneers, merchants, and veterans passed through. George became part of the town’s fabric, remembered as a skilled blacksmith, hardworking farmer, and dedicated veteran.
He was active in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a fraternal organization for Union veterans. His obituary recalled that he was always present at patriotic demonstrations and was “a defender of his country’s unity and honor.”
Death & Legacy
George Henry Rossman died October 16, 1924, in Victor, Iowa, at age 75. His funeral was a community event. The Victor Methodist Church was filled with mourners. The American Legion provided pallbearers, and a firing squad of local veterans gave him full military honors. Bugler Reno Lyman sounded taps as the town said farewell to one of its last Civil War soldiers.
His obituary remembered him as “a good husband and father, a true friend and neighbor.” He left behind his widow, Aseneath, ten children, 29 grandchildren, and a wide circle of soldier comrades.
From a teenage boy soldier at Appomattox to a patriarch of a large Iowa family, George Henry Rossman’s life traced the arc of 19th-century America itself — from war to westward settlement, to community building in the heartland.
🔎At a Glance
- Born: October 23, 1848, Hartley Township, Union County, Pennsylvania
- Parents: Aaron Rossman (1820–1859) & Sarah Braucher (1826–1907)
- Civil War Service: Private, Company C, 184th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry; enlisted at 16 with his mother’s consent; witnessed Lee’s surrender at Appomattox; marched in the Grand Review, May 1865
- Migration: Pennsylvania → Sandusky, Ohio → Constantine, Michigan → Rock Island, Illinois → Victor, Iowa (1871)
- Marriage: Aseneath Margaret Ross Greaser, October 12, 1871, Victor, Iowa
- Children: 10 (Frank, Ed, Jessie, Leo, Bessie, Allie, Addie, Katie, Sara, Sam)
- Occupations: Blacksmith (Koszta, Iowa); farmer (Hartford & Poweshiek Counties); retired in Victor, Iowa
- Affiliations: Active in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), community leader, Civil War veteran remembered for patriotism
- Died: October 16, 1924, Victor, Iowa; buried with full military honors
Early Life in Pennsylvania & Ohio
George Henry Rossman was born October 23, 1848, in Hartley Township, Union County, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a family of four children. His father, Aaron Rossman, was a weaver who died young in Sandusky County, Ohio, in 1859. His widowed mother, Sarah Braucher Rossman, returned to Union County with her children for support.
By 1860, George, age twelve, was already working for his uncle, David Braucher, in Lewis Township, Pennsylvania — a “servant boy” on the census. It was a childhood cut short by responsibility, one that prepared him for the independence he would need in the years ahead.
A Sixteen-Year-Old Soldier
In October 1864, just before his sixteenth birthday, George enlisted in Company C, 184th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry. Because he was underage, his mother Sarah had to travel to Harrisburg to sign the papers allowing him to serve.
George saw intense combat in the final months of the war. He fought at Hatcher’s Run, Dabney’s Mills, Fort Fisher, Crow’s House, Sailor’s Creek, Farmville, and Clover Hill, before standing among the soldiers present for Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. He then marched in the Grand Review in Washington, D.C., a triumphant parade of Union soldiers on May 23, 1865.
He was mustered out on June 2, 1865, at Munson’s Hill, Virginia, having survived a brutal campaign as one of the youngest soldiers in his regiment.
Moving West
After the war, George joined his mother and siblings in Constantine, St. Joseph County, Michigan, where many Union County families relocated. By 1870, he was working as a blacksmith in Rock Island, Illinois, a bustling Mississippi River town.
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| George and Aseneath 40th Wedding Anniversary |
Family lore holds that George came to Victor, Iowa by stagecoach in 1871 and checked into the Iowa House Hotel, owned by Ayers and Catherine Ross. There, he met their widowed daughter, Aseneath Margaret Ross Greaser. Love and circumstance quickly bound them together: they were married on October 12, 1871, in Victor.
Life in Iowa
George and Aseneath began married life in Koszta, Iowa, where he ran a blacksmith shop for ten years. Their first two children, Frank and Ed, were born during these years, Ed in Michigan while they lived briefly near George’s extended family.
By the 1880s, the Rossmans were farming near Victor. Over the years, they had ten children: Frank, Ed, Jessie, Leo, Bessie, Allie, Addie, Katie, Sara, and Sam. Aseneath’s son from her first marriage, Nathaniel Kitterage Greaser, was adopted and raised by her parents, Ayers and Catherine Ross. In adulthood he used the Ross surname (‘N. K. Ross’)
By 1900, George and family lived on a farm in Hartford Township, Iowa County; in 1910, they moved to Poweshiek County. Finally, in 1920, George and Aseneath retired to a house on Washington Street in Victor, enjoying town life after decades of farming.
Victor, Iowa & the GAR
Victor was a railroad town on the rise during George’s lifetime. Rail lines brought in commerce, and the Iowa House Hotel stood as a busy crossroads where pioneers, merchants, and veterans passed through. George became part of the town’s fabric, remembered as a skilled blacksmith, hardworking farmer, and dedicated veteran.
He was active in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a fraternal organization for Union veterans. His obituary recalled that he was always present at patriotic demonstrations and was “a defender of his country’s unity and honor.”
Death & Legacy
George Henry Rossman died October 16, 1924, in Victor, Iowa, at age 75. His funeral was a community event. The Victor Methodist Church was filled with mourners. The American Legion provided pallbearers, and a firing squad of local veterans gave him full military honors. Bugler Reno Lyman sounded taps as the town said farewell to one of its last Civil War soldiers.
His obituary remembered him as “a good husband and father, a true friend and neighbor.” He left behind his widow, Aseneath, ten children, 29 grandchildren, and a wide circle of soldier comrades.
From a teenage boy soldier at Appomattox to a patriarch of a large Iowa family, George Henry Rossman’s life traced the arc of 19th-century America itself — from war to westward settlement, to community building in the heartland.
Sources
Rossmans in America by Marion Rossman
Civil War Pension Index Card, George H. Rossman
GAR Veteran Card, Department of Iowa
Obituary: Victor, Iowa newspaper, October 1924
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 U.S. Federal Censuses
Pennsylvania Civil War Muster Rolls, 184th Regiment, Company C
Family records and cousin photographs
📖 This post is part of my Bowman Family Stories series, which follows four generations from Pennsylvania and Maryland to Iowa and beyond. You can read the full series here →.
Rossmans in America by Marion Rossman
Civil War Pension Index Card, George H. Rossman
GAR Veteran Card, Department of Iowa
Obituary: Victor, Iowa newspaper, October 1924
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 U.S. Federal Censuses
Pennsylvania Civil War Muster Rolls, 184th Regiment, Company C
Family records and cousin photographs
📖 This post is part of my Bowman Family Stories series, which follows four generations from Pennsylvania and Maryland to Iowa and beyond. You can read the full series here →.
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