Technically, John L Sigmund may not have been a “black sheep” but for some reason, I just never had a good feeling about my husband’s 3rd great-grandfather. When I began researching him, I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was born about 1821-1823 to Jacob Sigmund, Jr. and Catherine Letherman Sigmund and he died in 1885. The middle initial “L” probably stood for Letherman. No one in the family really remembers him, so my strong inclination to dislike him sometimes seems irrational. Perhaps my sentiments came about because John Sigmund just didn’t feel like a family man, but it is difficult to say if this was entirely his fault.
John Sigmund married young. He wed Isabella Morris Heritage at St Paul’s Episcopal Church on 2 September 1842. They were both about 20 years old and the marriage record states they were both from Moyamensing, Philadelphia, PA. This has the appearance of a “gunshot wedding,” since the couple’s first child, William Robert Sigmund, was born 4 January 1843. The second child was Catharine, born two years later. Despite two children and a wife, John Sigmund is not living with them in the 1850 census. In 1850, Isabella and her children are living with the family of John Sigmund’s brother, Houston Sigmund. He is living with his parents. In 1860, John and Isabella seem to have reconciled. George Sigmund, a third child appears in the 1860 census. It gives his age as eight. If this was a period of reconciliation, it did not last. In 1862, Isabella married Isaiah J. Jones. The 1860 census gives John’s occupation as shoemaker. This is important, because it distinguishes him from another John Sigmund in Philadelphia who was a cordwainer.
A few years ago I was looking into the Civil War service records of some of my husband’s ancestors. John’s son, William Robert Sigmund, as I reported earlier, fought and was wounded at Gettysburg. I was surprised to learn that John Sigmund enlisted for one year in the 68th Regiment of Pennsylvania, Company C, on 20 Feb 1865. I located his card in the Civil War Veterans’ Card File of the Pennsylvania Archives. I learned that John L. Sigmund, shoemaker of Philadelphia, was under arrest at Hart Island, NY. Hart Island is located about 20 miles north of NY City. Beginning in April 1865, Hart Island was used as an internment camp for Confederate prisoners. Clearly, it was also used to hold Union soldiers who were under arrest.
So far I have not located all the details, but it appears that when the rest of the 68th was mustering out, John L. Sigmund was in prison. The muster role shows, “Stoppages 60.00 for apprehension. Still under arrest awaiting action of the proper authorities.” Since a number of other prisoners are listed as deserters, but John Sigmund is not, I am guessing that was not his crime. I don’t know what it was, but I knew my suspicions of John L Sigmund had a foundation. Who were the proper authorities, if not his commanding officers?
However the charges were resolved, life did not seem to be going John Sigmund’s way. The 1870 census found him in the Philadelphia Almshouse. It seems to get harder and harder to track John after 1870. he may be the John Sigmund who is a huckster in the 1872 Philadelphia City Directory. One has to wonder why he didn’t pursue his trade of shoemaker. John L. Sigmund died of a “fatty heart” on 21 Aug 1885.