Female Nurses in the 92nd Illinois Volunteer Mounted Infantry
Earning the endearing sobriquet, “Daughters of the Regiment”, the two nurses listed below deserve special mention. They generously sacrificed part of their lives to care for the welfare of diseased and wounded soldiers in the 92nd Illinois. Below are brief biographies of these noble women.
Francis R. “Fannie” Carpenter Smith
(Partial biographical information obtained from Findagrave. Credit goes to the page creator.)
“Fannie” was born in 1841, in New York, to David D. and Olive Veghte Carpenter.
She was a nurse with the Medical Department of U. S. Volunteers and was attached to the 92nd Illinois.
She was married to Alphonso P. Smith, 10/65, Ogle County, Illinois. Per the 1870 census, they resided in Chicago. Children included Charles Alvah Smith, of Seattle, WA., and two daughters, Mrs. Amy Thomas, of Bountiful, Utah, and Frankie.
After the Civil War, she continued her career as a practicing nurse in Ogden, Utah.
Fannie died at the age of 81, in Roy, Weber County, Utah, in 1922.
Her funeral was attended by members of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Women’s Relief Corps. Pall bearers were members of the GAR. She is buried in the Ogden City Cemetery, Ogden, Weber County, Utah.
Sadly, she is buried in an unmarked grave, location unknown, in the pauper section of the cemetery.
Adelaide Marion “Addie” Parsons Stevens
(Partial biographical information obtained from Findagrave. Credit goes to the page creator.)
“Addie” was born in 1840, in Byron, Ogle County, Illinois, to Lucius Parsons and Tryphena Harrington Parsons.
She had a brother, Samuel, who was a member of Company B, 92nd Illinois.
Addie and Samuel’s family were noted abolitionists and are believed to have run a station on the Underground Railroad at the inn and tavern they operated in Byron, Illinois.
A brother, Luke Parsons, fought with John Brown in the Kansas Border Wars and then continued to ride with Brown for an entire year. Luke originally planned to be part of Brown’s Harper’s Ferry raid, but when it was postponed, he moved on to other adventures. He later served in the Civil War.
Addie married John Helm Stevens, who was an Assistant Surgeon with company S, Iowa 14th Infantry Regiment. Together, they had three sons, John L., Carlton Charles and Chauncey Vernon, and one daughter, Lois M. Per the 1880 census, they resided in Montour, Iowa.
Addie died in 1888, at age 47. She is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery, Montour, Tama County, Iowa. Her husband, John, is buried nearby.