10/05/2026
The other day Lewis Peterman and I were having a conversation about veterans tombstones in Cherry Grove Cemetery. This tribute to John Wesley Speary has been posted here before but we thought this gentleman deserved to be shared again.
John Wesley Speary (1838-1912)
John W. Speary was born in Davidson Township, Sullivan County on March 1, 1838. His parents were Samuel S. Speary and Mary Pennington Speary. John grew up in Nordmont and records show John was living on the family farm with his parents and siblings, when he enlisted in September 1861 to serve in the Grand Army of the Republic - the year the Civil War began. John was 23 years old at the time.
John served as a private in the 84th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, with Company B. — He was mustered in on December 11, 1861, along with his brother Benjamin Speary.
The 84th regiment was composed of men from the counties of Blair, Lycoming, Clearfield, Dauphin, Columbia, Sullivan, Cameron and Westmoreland and was recruited in early fall of 1861. It rendezvoused first at Camp Crossman, Huntingdon, and afterwards at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, where it was organized towards the close of October. Before the end of the year all the men were mustered into the U. S. service for three years.
John Wesley Speary was a veteran of several battles, skirmishes, campaigns and marches that the brave 84th Regiment were involved in. These included Hancock, Wi******er, Port Republic, Cedar Mt, 2nd Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. The following is a glimpse into the harsh reality that John Speary was witness to; this is a segment from a letter written by a local Sullivan County soldier, Simpson Simmons, to his parents —
“We were all in the fight of Fredericksburg. Poor Peter (cousin Peter Sones, son of Jane's oldest brother John) is dead. He took cold on the on the battlefield and died in a few days. We made every effort to save his life, we had three doctors tending on him, and me and John Speary who sat night and day the whole time but all was in vain. It was God's will to call him to rest, he died as calmly as if going to sleep. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.”
John Speary was present for continuous duty until late 1863 when he was detached to a unit responsible for logistical supplies as a teamster in the Brigade Quartermaster Department. John was mustered out December 10, 1864 near Petersburg, VA. By early 1865 John Speary returned home to Nordmont.
John received a pension for his service of $14.00 per month. His pension file shows he had an injury to the face & loss of his front teeth. A newspaper clipping notes he attended a G.A.R encampment in Williamsport during July of 1891.
In December, 1865 John Speary married Sarah Matilda “Tillie” Gansel. The couple had three children; Charles D., Joseph Ray and Mary Elizabeth (Richart aka Richards). John’s wife died sometime before 1900 as the census for that year lists John as a widower, living alone on Railroad Street in Dushore and working as a carpenter.
The photograph shared here shows the brave war hero in his senior years when he suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, as his posture suggests— but still standing proudly.
There is also a photo of the original Speary homestead.
John Speary died December 5, 1912. His obituary from the Republican News Item tells us that at the time of his death Mr. Speary was living at the Sonestown Hotel and called him “a brave defender of the stars and stripes.” John Speary rests in Cherry Grove Cemetery in Nordmont, PA.
In 2021, John W. Speary received a new replacement monument, courtesy of Lewis Peterman and McCarty-Thomas Funeral Home, with thanks to Mike Hacker, Mark Briggs, and Dakota Haueisen for their capable assistance. The replacement tombstone is a match to the original.
**Click on each photo for full view and read details **
Thanks go to David L. Richards for assistance with research and permission to post the photo of John W. Speary. The house photo was posted on a Speary history page as the original homestead of the Speary family in Nordmont.
