Mrs. Joseph Ashbrook

     It is much easier to find information about the men of Powelton than to find out anything about their wives.   Joseph Ashbrook's achievements are well documented.  Fortunately, we also know a lot about his wife's background and the family they formed.

     Catherine Sinclair Ashbrook came from a solid Scottish family befitting the wife of an officer of a major insurance firm.  Her parents, Thomas and Magdalen Sinclair, were born in Scotland, as was their first born son, William (born c1826).   Their second son was born in Philadelphia (c 1829), then came two daughters born in New York.  Finally there were three daughters born in Philadelphia including Catherine and Elizabeth.

     Thomas Sinclair was a successful lithographer.  They lived at 311 Carpenter St.  Several of his sons worked in the family business.  One son, John C. Sinclair, earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1861.  In 1862, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania 15^th Cavalry and was taken prisoner during the Second Battle of Murfreesboro in Tennessee.

     Catherine and Joseph moved to 3614 Baring St. in 1875  They had three sons.  William Sinclair Ashbrook (1868) joined Provident Life and Trust Co.  He lived with his parents until he got married at age 45. He then moved to 4431 Spruce, St. with his young wife where they raise three children.  Lawrence Ashbrook (b c1876) died young.  Donald S. Ashbrook (1880) became a chemist and President of Joseph Bancroft and Sons Co., a manufacturer of cotton cloth in Wilmington, Del.  He married and had at least one child before divorcing.

     Joseph Ashbrook died in 1918.  Catherine sold the house to a neighbor in 1925 and moved to the Garden Court Apartments where she lived past her 85 birthday with a nurse and a servant.

     Elizabeth Sinclair never married.  In 1870, she was 27 and living with her parents and working as a school teacher.  In 1900, she was boarding at 315 N. 37thSt. and later lived with the Ashbrooks at 3614 Baring St.

     The Asbrooks lived in Powelton for 50 years.

A Civil War Chronicle: Joseph Ashbrook

This is a slightly expanded version of my article that appeared in the April issue of the Powelton Post.

            In December, 1860, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Southern Literary Society held a debate on the question “Has any State a right to secede?”  Twenty year-old Joseph Ashbrook was assigned to the team to argue the negative.  Twenty months later, he enlisted in the 118^th Pennsylvania Infantry to fight to save the Union.

            Ashbrook was born in Philadelphia.  His father was a successful grocer with a corner storefront at S. 2^nd and Queen Sts.  The family lived above the store.  (His brother Edward later lived at 3612 Hamilton St. 3603 Baring St. and his brother Lewis at 740 N. 40^th)  At age 15, Joseph became a clerk in a stock brokerage firm.  He was 22 when he enlisted in the 118th Pennsylvania Volunteers.

             The 118^th, known as the “Corn Exchange Regiment,” was formed in August, 1862.  It was a volunteer Philadelphia regiment financed by the Corn Exchange.  It was first put into service in the Battle of Shepherdstown, West Virginia.  At that battle, the Union forces pushed the Confederates back across the Potomac.  When they attempted to pursue across the river, the Confederates counterattacked and nearly annihilated the 118^th with 282 casualties out of 800 men.  The History of the Corn Exchange Regiment , the 118th PennsylvaniaVolunteers states that: “A few minutes before the retreat [Ashbrook] was shot in the stomach…. he sought a place to lie down. In doing this he fell half-way down the bluff…. Sergeant Ashbrook, although disabled…, reached the river…. With difficulty he gained the slimy, half-submerged dam… was again shot, the ball passing through his left thigh. His wounds were so serious that for some time his recovery was doubtful. After an absence of five months he returned to the regiment…. He had not entirely recovered, but was induced to return by the offer of a second lieutenancy in recognition of his gallantry at Shepherdstown.”

            After his return, the 118^th fought at Chancellorsville, again suffering high casualties.  They were involved in the Battle at Gettysburg, but didn’t suffer huge losses.  In 1864, Ashbrook was brevetted major for his heroism in the Battle of the Wilderness.  The 118^th was later involved in numerous campaigns including the final pursuit to Appomattox.  By then, Ashbrook had become the Ordnance Officer for the 1^st Division, Fifth Army Corps.  In that position, he was in charge of receiving and disposing of the arms surrendered by Lee’s army.

            The History of the Corn Exchange Regiment singles Ashbrook out and states that “Major Ashbrook was of that class which fitted him to be ranked among the strong men of the times; of culture, with attainments, of fine soldierly bearing, his presence commanded respect and his courage admiration.”

            After the War, Ashbrook married Catherine Sinclair and became First General Agent for the Provident Life & Trust Co.  In 1875, the Ashbrook family moved into a new home at 3614 Baring St.  He continued to rise within Provident until he became Vice President and Insurance Manager in 1906.  He was largely responsible for the large growth in Provident’s life insurance business and for its reputation for integrity and the professionalism of its agents.  Joseph died in 1918.  His wife, Catherine, sold the house in 1925.  Their sons both went to the University of Pennsylvania. William, joined Provident as Agency Secretary.  Donald earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Penn.

            In the 1860s, the population of Powelton was very small and few men enlisted from Powelton.  (I have identified some interesting cases and will devote future articles to them.)  However, the 1890 census recorded more than 100 Poweltonians who had served during the War.

A Powelton Civil War Veteran

There were several dozen veterans of the Civil War living in Powelton during the last decades of the nineteenth century. For these men, their families, and all older residents of Philadelphia, the war was the dominant historical event of their lives. Remember that when General Lee’s army was stopped at Gettysburg they were headed toward Harrisburg and Philadelphia which was a major railroad hub for troops and supplies headed south.
One Civil War vet was Joseph Ashbrook who lived at 3614 Baring St from before 1880 to after 1914. The 1904 Who’s Who in Pennsylvania summarized his history to that point as follows:
“Insurance manager of the Provident Life and Trust Company of Philadelphia, Pa.; he was born in Philadelphia. August 4, 1840, and at the age of fifteen entered the office of a firm of stockbrokers. During the Civil War he enlisted in the 118th Pennsylvania Regiment and served throughout the conflict; shortly after entering the service in 1862 he was severely wounded, and soon thereafter received a commission; was brevetted Major for gallant services in the Wilderness campaign, subsequently as Ordnance Officer of the Staff of General Griffin, commanding the First Division, Fifth Army Corps; was detailed to receive the arms and ammunition surrendered by the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House in April, 1865; soon after the close of the war he became superintendent of agencies for the Provident Life and Trust Company, and was appointed manager of its insurance department in 1881.”
Not surprisingly, he was described as: a Republican; a Methodist, and a member of the American Historical Assn., the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, the Grand Army of Republic and the Union League of Philadelphia.

[Note: this blog is superseded by a longer post about Ashbrook and one about his wife, here.]