The Ones He Left Behind: The Widow and Children of Jacob Agle
Shippensburg Civil War Trail
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On August 28, 1861, Shippensburg resident Jacob Agle volunteered for service with Company H, 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, leaving behind his wife and three sons: Edward, age 7; Samuel, age 5; and Abner age 4. On September 13, 1863, Private Agle was shot through the breast while charging a Confederate line near Lafayette, Georgia. After Jacob's death, his twenty-nine year old widow Regina Waltrick Agle faced the difficult challenge of supporting herself and her three boys alone. To assist her, Jacob's brothers constructed the small log dwelling (to your right) to house her and her children. Regina Agle made ends meet by taking in sewing and tailoring in her home. Starting in 1865, she began receiving a federal widow's pension of $8.00 a month. She also enrolled two of her sons in the White Hall Soldiers' Orphans School in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Regina Agle, who never remarried, lived in this house until her death in 1898.
Did you know?
An estimated 200,000 women became widows and 400,000 children lost at least one parent as a result of the Civil War. By 1890, the federal government was paying monthly pensions to over 209,500 needy wives, children, sisters, and mothers of Union soldiers killed in the war. Significantly, the United States government refused to provide any assistance to the families of dead Confederate
this page online
[Photo/illustration captions, clockwise from top left, read]
• Private Jacob Agle
• Regina Waltrick Agle
• White Hall Soldiers' Orphans School
Erected by Shippensburg- Historical Society, Borough Historical Architectural Review Board, Chamber of Commerce, University, et al.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Man-Made Features • War, US Civil • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is August 28, 1861.
Location. 40° 3.251′ N, 77° 30.806′ W. Marker is in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. Marker is on East King Street (U.S. 11) east of Walters Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 340 East King Street, Shippensburg PA 17257, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fort Morris (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Court House (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Court House of Cumberland County (within shouting distance of this marker); The Original Site of the German Reformed and Lutheran Congregations (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); On this hill stood Fort Morris
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. White Hall School, Camp Hill, PA. House Divided website entry (Submitted on July 10, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Widows & Orphans. Nebraska Studies website entry:
an unusual story tied to White Hall Soldiers' Orphans School (Submitted on July 10, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 10, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 376 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 10, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
