Spanish American War (S.A.W.)
April 25, 1898 – December 10, 1898
(approximate time frame for "American" involvement in the conflict)
Updated 08/17/2023
Perhaps one of the shortest conflicts in early American History was that of the Spanish American War. The United States declared war on Spain on April 25th, 1898. The justification or catalyst for this war was the sinking of the U.S. battleship "Maine" on February 15, 1898. The war officially ended on December 10th, 1898 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. This conflict thrust then Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt into the public limelight and resulted in his rising popularity prior to his run for president. Considering the relatively brief period of the conflict, the fact that at least ten individuals from the Auburn area were soldiers during this conflict speaks well of the patriotism that is part of Auburn's heritage.
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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 is either unconfirmed, or 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
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 is either unconfirmed, or 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
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 served during the Spanish-American War:
who served during the Spanish-American War:
BOMM, William Philip - William Philip Bomm was born in either 1880 (grave marker) or on 05/01/1882 (according to the website findagrave.com) in New York County, NY. He was the son of Phillip William Bomm and Katharine Sterner Bomm. He was a brother of George Alexander Bomm; John Henry Bomm; Matilda Pearl Bomm Rogers; and Theodore Edward Bomm. William married Carrie Emily Seigfried Ney Bomm. The website findagrave.com does not list any children by this union. The website also suggests that the Spanish-American War medallion inserted beside William Philip Bomm's grave marker was placed there in error and that William did not serve in the Spanish-American War. William would have been either fifteen or seventeen when the war broke out (assuming the May 1 birth date is correct), which is possible but not as likely, and would have been only sixteen or eighteen when the war ended that same year...again, possible but not likely. As a result, we are deferring to the findagrave.com entry stating that the graveside medallion for the Spanish-American War does not belong with this grave marker until we can otherwise confirm his service.
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BORDER, George - Private; Company E; 4th Regiment; enrolled and mustered in on 06/15/1898; mustered out with company on 11/16/1898; listed residence as Auburn, PA. Listed within the Fourth Regiment rolls.
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NO GRAVE MARKER IMAGE AVAILABLE
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DEGLER, Allen D. - Corporal; Company E, 4th Regiment; Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; served from 04/28/1898 until 11/16/1898. He was born in Strausstown, Berks County, Pennsylvania on 10/03/1866. He was the son of Aaron B. Degler and Emmeline Unger Degler. He was a brother of Charles A. Degler, George H. Degler and Lizzie Degler Woodworth. He married (Sarah?) Sallie A. Ebling Degler. They had a daughter Nora M. Degler Faust. He died in Windsor Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania on 11/17/1957 and was interred within St. John's Church "new" cemetery, Rt. 895, West Brunswick Township, Schuylkill County, PA.
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DEITER-FAUST, Warren Francis - Private; Company E; 4th Regiment; enrolled 05/07/1898; mustered in 05/10/1898; mustered out with company on 11/16/1898; listed residence as Auburn, PA; listed in the 4th Regiment rolls. If this information is correct, Warren may have been the youngest Auburn-area affiliated veteran to have been in military service at the age of thirteen during the Spanish-American War. Warren was born on 12/13/1884 in Schuylkill Haven, Schuylkill County, PA. He met and married a woman from Puerto Rico, Mercedes Planas de Deiter. She was sixteen years younger than Warren. They had three children: Cora May Deiter Planas; Daisy May Deiter Planas (who died at the estimated age of eight years old from Hodgkins Lymphoma); and Warren Francis Deiter Planas. Warren died on 03/01/1932 in the San Juan Municipality, Puerto Rico, USA, and was interred within the Puerto Rico National Cemetery, Bayamon, Bayamon Municipality, Puerto Rico, USA.
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DEWALT, Henry K. - Private, Company E; 4th Regiment; enrolled on 05/07/1898; mustered in 05/10/1898; mustered out with company on 11/16/1898; listed his residence as Auburn. PA. The website findagrave.com has no listing for Henry K. Dewalt as having been interred anywhere within the United States.
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NO GRAVE MARKER IMAGE AVAILABLE
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EBLING, Frederick "Fred" A. - Private, Ob. E, 4th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry; enrolled on 05/07/1898; mustered in 05/10/1898; and mustered out with company 11/16/1898; listed his residence as Auburn, PA. Frederick was born in 1879. He married Anna Ebling. They had at least one child, Louise Ebling, who was born in 1916 but died in 1917. Frederick died in 1964 and is interred within the Charles Evans Cemetery, Reading, Berks County, PA.
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EPPLEY, William (Jr.?) - Private; Infantry; Company M; 4th Regiment; Pennsylvania Infantry; served from 07/05/1898 until 11/16/1898; participated in the invasion of Puerto Rico. He was born in Tremont, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania on 07/31/1877. He was the son of William Eppley (Sr.?). He married Emma Scheibley Eppley. He died in Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania on 07/16/1958 and was interred within the Auburn Church of God cemetery, Cemetery Road, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA.
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FITCH (or Fitzpatrick), John Joseph - Private, Company E; 4th Regiment; enrolled on 06/15/1898; mustered in 06/15/1898; mustered out with company 11/16/1898. John was born in Auburn, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania on 04/16/1867, the son of James Fitch and either Anna Brady Fitch (or Fitzpatrick) or Ann Curry Fitch (or Fitzpatrick) (findagrave.com has conflicting records on who his mother was). He was a brother of Edward Ambrose Fitzpatrick (Fitch), Francis J. Fitzpatrick (Fitch), Katherine Fitzpatrick (Fitch) and Mary Josephine Fitch (or Fitzpatrick) Hahn. He married Clara S. Metz Fitch. He died in Auburn, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania on 12/03/1946 and was interred within the St. John's Church "new" cemetery, Rt. 895, West Brunswick Township, Schuylkill County, PA.
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KIMMEL, Harry Franklin - Private; Company L; 12th Regiment; Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; served from 06/25/1898 until 12/23/1898. Harry was born in McKeansburg, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania on 05/18/1874, the illegitimate son of John E. Kimmel and Rose E. Holland Wolpert. He married Carrie Ann Wagner Kimmel. He died in Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA on 02/22/1933 and was interred within the Auburn Church of God cemetery, Cemetery Road, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA.
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LEONHARD, Charles - Private; Company G; 4th Pennsylvania Infantry; served from 06/16/1898 until 11/16/1898. Charles was born in Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, PA on either 06/13/1877 or 06/15/1877. He was the son of Richard Leonhard and Amelia Mayberry Leonhard. He was a brother to Claude Franklin Leonhard, John Herbert Leonhard and Mary Ann Leonhard Millard. He married Elvie Pearl Berger Kilmer in 1905. His occupation at one point was that of a railroad repairman for the Reading Railroad. He was working that job when he was struck and killed by a train in Tilden Township, Berks County, PA, on 04/25/1916. He was interred Auburn Church of God cemetery, Cemetery Road, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA.
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RAUSCH, Edward - Company I, 2nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; served from 04/28/1898 until 11/15/1898. Edward was born in Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, PA. He was the son of Abraham Rausch (Sr.?) and Emma Long Rausch. He was a brother of Abraham Rausch (Jr.?), Caroline Elizabeth Rausch Aikman, Carrie Rausch, Pauline Rausch Ditzler, Sabastian Rausch and Sallie Rausch. He married Sarah Elizabeth Long Rausch Ditzler in 1901. He was a father of Elsie M. Rausch (1900-1900; she lived only three days) and Pollie P. Rausch (1902-1902; she lived only two months and four days). Edward died in Schuylkill County, PA in 1903 at the age of 23 with no cause of death listed on findagrave.com. He was interred within the "Lower Cemetery" of Auburn, which would be the Auburn Cemetery, Mill Street, Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA.
(NOTE: Edward Rausch is memorialized for his service during the Civil War on the plaque in the center of the cemetery, plus has a G.A.R. medallion beside his grave, indicating service during the Civil War; yet he was born approx. fifteen years after the Civil War had ended.) |
Rausch, John - Sergeant; Company G; 4th Regiment; Penn-sylvania Volunteer Infantry; U.S. Army; served from 05/10/1898 until 11/16/1898.
John was born on 01/26/1869 in Auburn, Schuylkill County, PA. John married Elmira Bessie Hummel Rausch. They had a son: Oscar Edward Rausch. John died on 11/14/1941 and was interred within the St. John's Lutheran Church cemetery, Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, PA. |
STAYMAN, William Dale Sr. - Private; Company G; 8th Regiment; Pennsylvania Infantry. William was born on 04/02/1874 in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. He was the son of Joseph B. Stayman and Mary A. Shelley Stayman. He was a brother of Flora Stayman, Ida Stayman, Joseph Webster Stayman, Katie Stayman, Minnie Stayman and Sarah Shelly Stayman Stevens. He married Alice Irene Mengel Stayman. They had a daughter, Mary Stayman Youngfleish. He died on 09/09/1957 in Plains, Luzerne County, PA, and was interred within the St. John's Church "new" cemetery, Rt. 895, West Brunswick Township, Schuylkill County, PA.
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WILDERMUTH, William H. - Private; Company H; 4th Regiment; Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; served from 06/17/1898 until 11/16/1898. William received a military pension in 1899 and his widow, Bessie, applied for that pension shortly after his death in 1899. William was born on 03/26/1874 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Charles H. Wildermuth and a currently unidentified mother. He was a brother of Edward Foster Wildermuth, Gertrude R. Wildermuth Hass (Haas - misspelled on her grave marker) and Harvey Albert Wildermuth (a veteran of the Philippine-American War). William married Bessie (Beatrice or Elizabeth?) Rebecca Kern Wildermuth Goodwin in 1898. William died on 09/22/1899 at the age of 25 and was interred within the Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Lebanon, Lebanon County, PA.
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