When Chester Warren Tompkins was born on August 11, 1834, in Albany, New York, his father, Abram, was 44 and his mother, Mary, was 38. He married Delia A. Palmer on December 20, 1859 and they moved to Sparta, Wisconsin where Delia and their baby boy, Elmer (December 10, 1863), stayed while Chester joined the 49th Wisconsin Volunteers and fought for the Union in the Civil War. He enlisted in February of 1865 and was discharged in November, 1865 as a Private. After the war, he returned to Delia and they moved to Little Falls, Wisconsin where he and Delia had a second son, Verner (January 30, 1875). In 1880 they moved to Brookings, Sherman Township, Dakota Territory as homesteaders. Delia died on March 4, 1894. He died on June 4, 1933, in White, South Dakota, at the age of 98, and they are both buried in Fairview Cemeter

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​49th Wisconsin

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Forty-ninth Infantry WISCONSIN

(1 YEAR)

Forty-ninth Infantry. -- Col., Samuel Fallows,

Lieut.-Col., Edward Coleman,

Maj., D. K. Noyes.

This regiment was organized at Camp Randall, Madison, and left the state March 8, 1865. It reached Benton barracks, St. Louis, two days later, and was ordered to Rolla, Mo., for guard and garrison duty. Co. K was placed at Fort Wyman, I at Fort Detty and B was sent 10 miles east of St. James. Co. A was stationed at Waynesville in June, D at Big and Little Piney. In July Co. H was sent to St. Louis for provost duty, and Cos. D and E to Benton barracks as. permanent guard.

Col. Fallows was placed in command of the post at Rolla in March, and later of the 3rd sub-district of Missouri. Maj. Noyes was detailed on general court-martial at St. Louis, Lieut.-Col. Coleman taking command of the regiment and giving it a name for discipline which elicited high commendations from the department commander. The regiment was ordered to St. Louis Aug. 17, for prison guard duty, Col. Fallows being placed in command of the post there and of the first sub-district of Missouri.

Cos. B. C, and D were mustered out Nov. 1, and the remainder on Nov. 8.Col. Fallows was brevetted brigadier-general, Lieut.-Col. Coleman became colonel, Maj. Noyes, lieutenant-colonel and Capt. Cheney was brevetted mayor. The original strength of the: regiment was 986. Gain by recruits, 16; total, 1,002. Loss by death, 48; desertion, 6; discharge, 173; mustered out, 775.

Source: The Union Army, vol. 4, p. 71