P.O.W. (Prisoner Of War)
Updated 08/21/2023
"Prisoners of War" (P.O.W.) include a unique sub-group of military personnel who were unfortunate enough to have been captured during the course of conflict. The conditions these soldiers faced on a daily basis ranged from being treated relatively humanely (a minority) to unpleasant conditions (a majority) to being subjected to some of the worst atrocities imaginable during their captivity (a minority). Some even died during their captivity due to the harsh conditions and treatment to which they were subjected. These individuals all shared at least one common trait...they sacrificed their freedom for a period of time during their service to their country.
|
NOTE: If you have any historic information and/or pictures that are relevant to this webpage topic, please share it with us by submitting the material using the "Visitors Input" button below. Thank you!
KEY:
ACOG - Auburn Church of God cemetery, Cemetery Road, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA
Blue font - Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.)
Bold font (of name) - Auburn-area affiliation has been confirmed
Italicized surname only - Maiden name
Italicized entire name of veteran - Military service during this war is unlikely or has been disproved.
Mill Street - Auburn Cemetery, Mill Street, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA
Purple font - Wounded In Action (W.I.A.)
Red font - Killed In Action (K.I.A.)
SJC - St. John's Church cemetery, Cemetery Road, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA
SJC-895 - St. John's Church cemetery, Rt. 895, West Brunswick Township, Schuylkill County, PA
SPC - St. Paul's Church cemetery, Summer Hill Road, South Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, PA
* - Asterik after veteran's name indicates "Missing In Action" (M.I.A.)
(NOTE: While "technically" incorrect, this website recognizes any veteran who "died while in service" as being
"Killed In Action" (K.I.A.), especially if they died from illness, while being held captive in an enemy prison,
or as a result of prolonged injuries obtained in battle.)
ACOG - Auburn Church of God cemetery, Cemetery Road, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA
Blue font - Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.)
Bold font (of name) - Auburn-area affiliation has been confirmed
Italicized surname only - Maiden name
Italicized entire name of veteran - Military service during this war is unlikely or has been disproved.
Mill Street - Auburn Cemetery, Mill Street, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA
Purple font - Wounded In Action (W.I.A.)
Red font - Killed In Action (K.I.A.)
SJC - St. John's Church cemetery, Cemetery Road, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA
SJC-895 - St. John's Church cemetery, Rt. 895, West Brunswick Township, Schuylkill County, PA
SPC - St. Paul's Church cemetery, Summer Hill Road, South Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, PA
* - Asterik after veteran's name indicates "Missing In Action" (M.I.A.)
(NOTE: While "technically" incorrect, this website recognizes any veteran who "died while in service" as being
"Killed In Action" (K.I.A.), especially if they died from illness, while being held captive in an enemy prison,
or as a result of prolonged injuries obtained in battle.)
Auburn-area affiliated veterans
who were Prisoners of War (P.O.W.)
who were Prisoners of War (P.O.W.)
CIVIL WAR:
Berger, Abraham (Jr.?) - Company F; 7th PA Cavalry & Co F; 116th Regiment; served from 10/21/1861 until 08/23/1865; Wounded In Action (W.I.A.) and a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.).
Abraham Berger (Jr.?) was born on 02/09/1842 in South Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, PA. He was the son of Abraham Berger (Sr.?) and Rebecca Tomlinson Berger. At some point during his military service in the Civil War, Abraham (Jr.?) was Wounded In Action (W.I.A.) but the nature of his injuries is presently unknown. He also was a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) but his imprisonment details are currently unavailable. After he discharged from the military, at some point he moved to Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA, and drew a pension of $24. In his later years, he was in the care of, and staying with, a Mrs. Carrie Fair of Auburn. However, based on the undated and non-sourced newspaper article (see attached on the right), Abraham was no longer in full mental capacity in his later years. The newspaper article reads: "DEATH DUE TO STARVATION. Abraham Berger, Aged About 70 Years, Found in an Outhouse. Abraham Berger, aged apparently about 70 years, with a long flowing white beard, was found in an outhouse near the disposal plant in a weak and helpless condition, on Saturday afternoon..." A police offer responding to the call and brought him into Reading, and later the Reading Hose ambulance conveyed him to the Reading Hospital, where unfortunately Abraham passed away despite their best efforts. The real tragedy was "The hospital authorities announce that death was primarily due to starvation". A determination was made that Abraham was "feeble-minded" and "unable to take care of himself". At the hospital, Abraham gave his age as 60 years old. The newspaper account estimated his age at approximately 70 years old...sadly, Abraham was only 56 1/2 years old. Tragically, a veteran who served his country for almost four years in one of its most bitter conflicts, and was Wounded In Action (W.I.A.) while serving as well as having to endure the suffering and usually brutal conditions of being a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.), met a terrible and avoidable senseless death from starvation while living in Auburn. Abraham died on 07/10/1898 and was interred within the St. John's Church cemetery, Cemetery Road, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA. The individual with whom he was living, Mrs. Carrie Fair, is unidentifiable in Auburn-related research and the website findagrave.com has no listing for an individual by that name, or a derivative of that name, from that era having been interred anywhere in Schuylkill or Berks Counties. |
|
Brommer, David* - Private; Company F; 116th Regiment; Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; served from 02/19/1864 until 05/1864?; reported Missing In Action (M.I.A.) at the Battle of the Spotsylvania Courthouse; actually was a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) within the Andersonville Prison; died while in captivity (date uncertain) (K.I.A.).
David Brommer is believed to have been born circa 1849 and to have died circa May, 1864 in the Andersonville Prison, exact date of death uncertain. He may be interred within an unknown site somewhere near the prison site in Macon County, Georgia. |
NO GRAVE MARKER IMAGE AVAILABLE
|
Diefenderfer, Christian - Corporal; Company F; 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; he served in the military from 02/19/1864 to 11/04/1864; he was captured at Reams Station, Virginia on 08/25/1864; was a Prisoner of War (P.O.W.) and held in Salisbury, North Carolina until he died in captivity on 11/04/1864 (K.I.A.). The website findagrave.com indicates that Christian was buried in a mass grave at the Salisbury National Cemetery, Salisbury, Rowan County, NC and no individual grave marker exists for him.
Christian was born on 01/28/1826 in Macungie, Lehigh County, PA. He married Elizabeth F. Kimmel Diefenderfer. They had the following children: Annie Elizabeth Diefenderfer Bickley, Benjamin Diefenderfer, Esther Jane Diefenderfer, George Clinton Diefenderfer, John Andrew Diefenderfer, Lewis K. Diefenderfer and Mary Alice Diefenderfer Shoener. The website findagrave.com has information that his daughter Mary was born in Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA, so a presumption has been made that the Christian Diefenderfer family resided there for a short period of time. Christian's military record reflects that his civilian occupation involved that of a "railroad". Christian's date and place of death are mentioned previously within this article. No pictures are available at this time of Christian's final resting place. |
NO GRAVE MARKER IMAGE AVAILABLE
|
Faust, Abraham - Corporal; Company G; 116th Pennsylvania Infantry; mustered in on 03/05/1864 at Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA; served from 03/05/1864 to 07/11/1864. Listed as having been Wounded In Action (W.I.A.) at the Battle of the Spotsylvania Courthouse (Virginia) on 05/12/1864 and taken Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) on that date; and having died in captivity (K.I.A.) as a at General Hospital #21 in Richmond, Virginia on 07/11/1864. Abraham is believed to have been interred within the Richmond National Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia.
Abraham was born on 03/28/1825 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. He married Caroline Raush Faust. They had the following children: James Faust, Sarah Faust and William R. Faust. |
NO GRAVE MARKER IMAGE AVAILABLE
|
Kramer, Samuel* - Co. K; 2nd Regiment; Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; Mexican-American War; served from 12/24/1846 to 01/20/1847. Also served in Company G; 116th PA Volunteer Infantry; Civil War. Listed as Missing In Action (M.I.A.) on 06/22/1864; was a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) in the Salisbury Prison in North Carolina.
Samuel was born on 10/30/1810 in Pennsylvania. He married Esther Kramer. He had at least one child because his obituary lists that he was survived by his grandchildren. Civil War military records indicate he was 5'5" and had brown eyes. His civilian occupations included that of a laborer and a blacksmith, but his obituary stated he was also a farmer. The obituary further states that Samuel built the hotel known as the "Delmonico" (previously located along the (Philadelphia &) Reading railroad tracks and Deiter Snyder Street - what is now known as Bear Creek Street in Auburn). Samuel died on 10/11/1886 in Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA, and was interred within the Auburn Cemetery, Mill Street, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA. |
|
Moyer, Daniel Jr.* - Sergeant, Company F; 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; began service 02/19/1864; believed to have been captured as a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) at Spotsylvania, Virginia, on 05/11/1864; listed as Missing In Action (M.I.A.) on 05/12/1864; believed to have died in captivity (K.I.A.) on 11/01/1864.
Daniel Jr. was born on 11/29/1810 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Daniel Moyer Sr. and Elizabeth Drace Moyer (Daniel's first wife). He was a brother of Elisabeth Meyer (Moyer), Elizabeth Moyer Mertz, Joseph Moyer, Mary Moyer Meck and William K. Moyer. Daniel Jr. was a half-sibling of Adolph F. Moyer, Elisabeth M. Moyer, Hannah Tomasin Moyer Mengel, Jacob K. Meyer (Moyer), Leannah Moyer, Mary Sybilla Moyer Mengel, Molinda Elizabeth Moyer, Samuel B. Moyer and William Hiram Moyer. Daniel Jr. married Rebecca Stout Moyer. They had the following children: Diana Moyer Borkey, Ellen Rebecca Moyer Auman, James M. Moyer and William Francis Moyer. Military records indicate that Daniel Jr. was 5' 1/2" and had a civilian occupation of mason. Daniel Jr. is presumed to have been buried in a mass grave in Andersonville National Cemetery, Andersonville National Historic Site, Andersonville, Macon County, Georgia. (NOTE: No individual grave marker exists for this veteran). |
NO GRAVE MARKER IMAGE AVAILABLE
|
Schroeder/Schroder/Shrader, Jacob J. - Schroeder, Jacob J. - (also spelled Schrader or Schroder) Musician, Wellington Jones’ Independent Co. D.; served from 09/15/1862 to 07/09/1863; also Musician, Co. F; 116th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and/or Co. K, 48th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; served from 02/01/1864 or 02/19/1864 (conflicting records) to 07/14/1865; captured at Reams Station, Virginia on 08/25/1864 and was held as a Prisoner of War (P.O.W.) until March, 1865.
Jacob was born in Pennsylvania on 01/21/1847. He was the son of Reuben Schroeder and Matilda Bowen Schroeder. He was a brother of Charles Schroeder and John F. Schroeder. He married Sarah Wildermuth Schroeder. They had the following children: Abraham Lincoln Schroeder, Carrie M. Schroeder Ebling and John A. Schroeder. Jacob's military record indicates that he was 5’5” with blue eyes and auburn hair. His civilian occupations were listed as those of a (canal) boatman and a locomotive engineer. He died while residing in Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania on 08/07/1908. Jacob was employed by the Philadelphia and Reading (P & R) Railroad company as a locomotive engineer when he was scalded to death in a train wreck near Williamstown, PA. He was interred within the St. John's Church cemetery, Cemetery Road, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA. |
WORLD WAR II:
Brown, Luther Adolphus - Colonel; served during World War One and World War Two; served in China; listed as a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) of the Japanese and was being held in China; decorated for Gallantry and Courage during his time as a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.). Luther was credited for saving the life of the British Governor of Hong Kong. (see the newspaper clipping featured on the right)
Luther Adolphus Brown was born on 01/03/1900 in Norristown, Montgomery County, PA. He was the son of Frank L. Brown and Emma Marie Nagele Brown. Luther married Helen Wilson Brown. Luther died on 12/27/1974 in Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA, and was interred within the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, VA. |
|
Fidler, Lewis W.* - Private First Class; ; 66th Panther Division; Army Infantry; reported Missing In Action (M.I.A.) on August 7th (year uncertain); captured in France; held as a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) in Germany.
Lewis W. Fidler was born on 01/15/1924 in Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA. He was the son of Jeremiah Fidler and Ellen Mabel Werner Fidler. He was a brother of Fay C. Fidler Smith; Fern Elizabeth Fidler Moyer; Grace Ellen Fidler Correll; Henry Fidler; Rudy Wilson Fidler; and an unnamed infant sister who was possibly stillborn with her date of birth and date of death both being 03/31/1932; as well as a step-brother of Eva Agnes Fidler Hughes and Vera Mae Fidler Boyer Lengel. Lewis married Phyllis L. Aulenbach Fidler. They had at least two children: James Fidler (who predeceased Lewis) and Sally Fidler Magalengo. Lewis died on 01/31/2018 at Seton Manor, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, PA; and was interred within the St. Paul's Church cemetery, Summer Hill Road, South Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, PA. |
McMenamin, John T. (Sr.?)* - Lieutenant Commander; listed as Missing In Action (MIA) in Germany on 11/21/1944. Captured and incarcerated as a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) in a German interment camp; escaped confinement on 04/17/1945.
John T. McMenamin (Sr.?) was born 11/01/1921. He married Elizabeth M. Meiswinkel McMenamin. They had four children: Elizabeth McMenamin Naggy; John T. McMenamin (Jr.?); Mark T. McMenamin; and Teresa McMenamin Valentine. John (Sr.?) died on 03/29/1986 and was interred within the Greensburg Catholic Cemetery, Greensburg, Westmoreland County, PA. |
Orlando, Anthony - Private; U.S. Army Infantry; mustered in on 12/1943; listed as a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) on 12/22/1944. (NOTE: The website findagrave.com has no definitive listing for Anthony Orlando - no further information is available about this veteran at this time).
|
NO GRAVE MARKER IMAGE AVAILABLE
|
Wike, Jean "Dilly" Nelson* - Private First Class; U.S. Army Combat Infantry; served from 05/28/1943 until 10/30/1945; served in Africa, Europe and Middle East; received the Service Ribbon with two Bronze Battle Starts, a Combat Infantry Badge, and a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) badge and ribbon; listed as Missing In Action (MIA) 09/01/1944 in Southern France; was a Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) in Moosburg, Germany, until 04/29/1945.
Jean "Dilly" Nelson Wike was born on 09/27/1924. He was the son of Edward C. Wike and Mamie Wike. He was a brother of Charles Wike; Dorothy Wike Stewart; James "Jim" H. Wike (WWII & Korea); John "Honna" H. Wike (WWII & Korea - W.I.A.); Mary Wike Reppert; Robert Milton Wike Sr. (WWII, Korea and Vietnam - W.I.A.); Ruth Wike Hain; "Tots" Wike Sunday; and a "Mrs. Leroy Weaver of Reading (Berks County, PA)". Jean married Blanche L. Auman Seiler Wike. They had a daughter, Diane L. Wike Schwenk. Jean died on 05/10/1993 and was interred within the St. John's Church cemetery, Rt. 895, West Brunswick Township, Schuylkill County, PA. (Editor's note: two versions have been offered as to the origin of Jean's nickname of "Dilly". The first being that the word is slang for someone who is considered "remarkable" or "unusual". The second being that he allegedly idolized John Dillinger and the nickname was a bastardized form of the surname "Dillinger".) |