Christopher Columbus Lady was born in 1842 in a part of Virginia that would become West Virginia. Lady would be called Columbus Lady in most of his records. Finding records on his life has proven difficult.
On 17 October 1861 in Wheeling, (West) Virginia, Columbus was mustered in Company E of the First (West) Virginia Infantry. His regiment served the union. At the time, he was described as five foot six inches tall. He had a dark complexion, gray eyes and dark hair.
In May 1862, Columbus became ill. The nature of his ailment is not recorded on his muster rolls, but they do state he was sent to the hospital located in Washington, D. C. to recover. He would remain in the hospital May, June and July. His health did not improve and he could no longer perform the duties required of a soldier. On 2 October 1862, he was discharged for disability. The certificate of disability states he suffered from a spinal injury, deficient urination and general disability. He had reached the rank of sergeant before his discharge.
On 30 May 1866, Columbus married Kate Protsman in Lawrence County, Ohio.
By 1870, they had moved to Ironton, Ohio and had a son, William. Columbus was working as a nailer while Kate was keeping house. Their personal estate was listed as $1,000.
William would be the first of many children born to the couple. Among their other children were Christopher Columbus, Jr.; Anna; Maud; and Mary.
On 29 December 1879, Sergeant Christopher Columbus Lady, Sr. died of “nailer’s disease” according to the Lawrence County, Ohio Probate Court Death Register. He was working at Belfont Iron Works in Ironton at the time of his death. According to his obituary, Columbus died of consumption. He was laid to rest in section 2 of Woodland Cemetery.
Consumption was a scary diagnosis at the time in history. At the beginning of the 19th century one out of seven would die from it. Known today as tuberculosis, consumption was called the white plague due to the paleness of the patients. Cod liver oil, vinegar massages, inhaling hemlock, inhaling turpentine were all treatments. In this case, the treatment was often worse than the disease.
Not long after Columbus’s death, the cause of tuberculosis was discovered. Sanitoriums were established to assist the afflicted. The disease usually ended in death even after these more helpful treatments.
As for Columbus’ family, Kate and the children were still living in Ironton in 1880. Their home was located on Lawrence Street. Kate was employed as a milliner. She, also, applied for a pension from the government for Columbus’ military service.
The family basically disappears after the 1880 census. The pension application does mention Columbus used an alias during his service to the country. Perhaps they went back to that name. Or maybe Kate remarried since she was quite young to be a widow.
Resources:
Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Year: 1880; Census Place: Ironton, Lawrence, Ohio; Roll: 1039; Page: 155C; Enumeration District: 089
Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1870; Census Place: Ironton, Lawrence, Ohio; Roll: M593_1231; Page: 379A
Ancestry.com. Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
Ancestry.com. Ohio, U.S., Soldier Grave Registrations, 1804-1958 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.
Ancestry.com. U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
“History: World TB Day.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 Dec. 2016, https://www.cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday/history.htm#:~:text=In%20the%201700s%2C%20TB%20was,all%20these%20men%20of%20death.%E2%80%9D.
Lady, Christopher Columbus. Lawrence County, Ohio Probate Court Death Register.
National Archives and Records Administration. U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
Obituary. Ironton Register (Ironton, Ohio). 1 January 1880.
“TB in America: 1895-1954.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/plague-gallery/.