JOHN PATRICK BUCKLEY
John was born in Ireland on 12 April 1847. His name was Newton J. Pilcher, Jr., and the name he used when in December 1863 he enlisted for the Civil War giving his birth date as 1845.
John married Monica Good Road Woman (Cunkanwastewea) in 1878. Their children included: Mandy (Mechtild) (1879), John Jay (1881), Stephen (1884), Joseph (1887), Harriet (Hattie) (1890) (also see Byington Family), James (1892), and Thomas (1896).
He mustered in Company G, 14th Regiment Iowa Infantry as a Private on 19 January 1864 and was mustered out as a Private on 8 August 1865 after being wounded at the Battle of Pleasant Hill in Louisana. He also served in Company A. His pension papers indicated he also served in the Indian Wars in Montana and North Dakota in the 13th and 22nd Regiments of the U. S. Infantry but detailed records could not be found. It appears that he started using the Buckley surname around 1870. John started receiving his pension on 23 December 1891 and his wife, Monica, started receiving a widows pension on 9 January 1918.
During his post-war life, John and his family resided in the Standing Rock Reservation and Fort Rice areas.
John died on 12 November 1917 and is buried at Fort Rice Cemetery in Morton County. Burial, Tombstone Picture. Monica died on 4 February 1930 and is believed to be buried with John.
The below article was written by John and Monica's great-grandson James Byington and is contained in the Selfridge Diamond Anniversary Book.
JOHN PATRICK AND MONICA BUCKLEY
John Patrick Buckley of Fort Rice, N.D. was a veteran of the
Union Army during the Civil War.
He was born in Ireland, and came to the United States as a
youth. The family was so poor, he was indentured as a farm
hand. The person he was enslaved to was so mean, he ran
away. Later at the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the
Fourteenth Iowa Volunteers, being assigned to Company A.
Later, he was assigned to Company G. He saw duty in the
Shreveport, La. and Memphis, Tenn., areas of the southern
states. After the Civil War ended, he saw duty in Nebraska,
then in Dakota Territory at the newly formed Fort Rice. He
may also have served at Fort's Sully and Randall.
Following his discharge at Davenport, la., in 1865, he and a
couple of soldier buddies set up a wood yard at the mouth of
Fort Rice Creek, where it empties into the Missouri River,
south of the fort. They cut and ricked firewood for the
steamboats which were transporting troops and supplies to
upper regions of the Missouri River during the Red Cloud War.
After hostilities ceased, and Indians were assigned to
reservations, Buckley made his home on a claim along the
creek, just south of Fort Rice. The homestead is now under
water. He, along with his wife, Monica and sons, John, Jim and
Joe are buried in the cemetery at the southwest corner of the
fort.
In 1878, John Buckley married Monica Good Road Woman
(Cunkanwastewea) with Father Jerome, a Catholic priest,
performing the ceremony. Monica was born March 10, 1848,
along the Grand River. Monica, her mother, a Sante and a
sister were captives of the Mandan Indians. Buckley purchased
Monica from the Mandans.
Grandfather Buckley became highly proficient with the
native Dakota language, and often served as an interpreter for
the Indians in their dealings with the U.S. Government, and
other non-Indians. He was highly respected by the Indians.
They had seven children. Their daughter Hattie, is the mother
to James P. Byington.
In the John P. Buckley family, in addition to my mother,
there were Amanda (Mandy), John, Steve, Joseph, James and
Charles. Amanda was married for a time to Tom Short. She
later married "Turkey Track" Bill Molash. All are now
deceased. James Byington
Son of John Patrick and Monica Good Road Woman (Cunkanwastewea) Buckley
John was married to Rosella Unknown born in 1885. Their children included, at least, Agnes (1908), Myrtle (1910), and Henry (1912). At the time of his World War II registration he was married to Nellie Unknown.
From the Roster of the Men and Women of North Dakota: "BUCKLEY, JOHN J. Army number 466,639; not a registrant, over age; born, Fort Yates, D. T. Dec. 13, 1880, of American parents; occupation, rancher; enlisted at Bismarck on March 4, 1918; sent to Jefferson Barracks, Mo.; served in Company E, 5th Engineers, to discharge. Grades:
Private 1st Class, Aug 22, 1918: Private, Oct. 4, 1918; overseas from July 31, 1918, to Jan. 6, 1919; wounded, slightly, Oct. 18, 1918. Engagement: Defensive Sector: Puvenelle (Lorraine). Discharged at Camp Grant, Ill., on Feb. 24, 1919, as a Private."
John died on 10 March 1955. Burial, Tombstone Picture.
Son of John Patrick and Monica Good Road Woman (Cunkanwastewea) Buckley
From the Roster of the Men and Women of North Dakota: "BUCKLEY. JAMES FRANCIS. Army number 2,559,182; registrant, Sioux county; born, Fort Rice, N. Dak., Sept. 2, 1892. of American parents; occupation, laborer; inducted at Fort Yates on March 29, 1918; sent to Camp Dodge, Iowa: served in Company A, 1st Battalion, 163rd Depot Brigade, to death. Died of pneumonia at Camp Dodge, Iowa, on April 15, 1918. Buried at Fort Rice, N. Dak."
Burial, Tombstone Picture, Family Links
Son of John Patrick and Monica Good Road Woman (Cunkanwastewea) Buckley
Some records have his name as Charles Thomas.
Thomas married Hazel Marie Wells, born 11 February 1904, on 5 September 1921 in Corson County, South Dakota. Their children included, at least, Beverly B. (1921), Edwin C. (1922), and Rebecca Monica (1924). Thomas and Hazel divorced. Hazel later married an Unknown Jensen. She died in Solano County, California on 5 June 1985. Hazel is buried in California. Thomas later is married to Philomena Wuitschick, born June 1899. Philomena was previously married to Henry Albert Mentz. Philomena died on 21 May 1975 in Multnomah County, Oregon.
From the Roster of the Men and Women of North Dakota: "BUCKLEY, CHARLES T. Army number 3,075,270; not a registrant,
under age; born, Fort Rice, N. Dak., Aug., 1896, [Editor note: Tombstone has 6 July 1896, other records 10 July 1898] of American parents; occupation, rancher; enlisted at Bismarck on June 2, 1918; sent to Jefferson Barracks, Mo.; served in Troop K, 312th Cavalry, to Aug. 13, 1918; Battery F, 6lst Field Artillery, to discharge. Discharged at Camp Dodge, Iowa, on Jan. 11, 1919, as a Private."
Burial, Tombstone Picture, Family Links