introduction

This is the Civil War diary of Richard Lucius Chittenden, chaplain of the 43rd Ohio regiment.  Below is a picture of Richard.

He was also the rector of Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio at the time. I am transcribing the diary as copied by his daughter Mary Chittenden Parks (b. 2 March 1866 in Elyria, Ohio), while she was living in Paradise, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the years 1905-1907. Some of Mary's handwriting is hard to decipher and I do not have the original diary to compare with, so there may be words that I cannot decipher...sorry about that! I have no idea where the original diary is, or if it is even extant. The handwritten copy from which I am working is the property of Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in Elyria, Ohio.






Below is a picture of St. Andrew's in 1850.

The first entry in the diary is dated 1862 and is an introductory paragraph. The diary actually begins 1 Jan 1863. The final entry is June 13 1865.

Richard enlisted on 14 Nov 1862, and was a part of the Field and Staff Officers of the 43rd Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry which mustered in from 31 Aug 1861 to 29 Jan 1862 at Camp Andrews, Mount Vernon, Ohio.  They were mustered out on 13 July 1865 at Louisville, Kentucky by Captain William H. Carr of the 10th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

Richard was born on 10 July 1830.  He was born in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, the eldest son of Asahel Chittenden (born May 1797 in Waterbury, Connecticut - died March 1880 in Columbus, OH) and Harriet Herpin Treat (born 1810 in Connecticut - died June 1872 in Columbus, OH) who were married in March 1829.  They moved west to Columbus Ohio in 1829.

Richard graduated with honors from Kenyon College in 1849.

In the Bishop's address at the 37th Annual convention of the Diocese of Ohio, meeting at Grace Church, Sandusky 27-30 Sept 1854 Richard was mentioned as a candidate for holy orders.

The General Catalog of Kenyon College 1826-1899 lists Richard as a non-graduate of the Theological department for 1857.

In 1857 Richard was in Chicago, Illinois serving as an assistant at Trinity Church, where he was ordained by the Rt. Rev. Henry John Whitehouse, Bishop of Illinois on Wednesday, 11 Nov 1857.
Below is a picture of Bishop Whitehouse, second Bishop of the Diocese of Illinois.


At the 21st annual convention of the Diocese of Illinois, meeting at St. Paul's Church, Springfield 15-17 Sept 1858 Richard is listed as the rector of Zion Church (now called Grace Church), Freeport.  He became rector of Zion Episcopal Church on 9 May 1858.  Their original 1852 building was destroyed by a tornado on 18 July 1861, a year after Richard left to return to Ohio.  In his convention address Bishop Whitehouse mentioned Richard's ordination in Chicago, and in another report he is listed as a candidate for ordination.  St. Andrew's first rector, the Rev. Anson Clark, is listed as the rector of Emmanual Church, Rockford, Illinois in the convention report.

Richard married Ella Rebecca Howard of Elyria on 18 Sept, 1861.   She was born in June 1838 in Washington DC, the daugher of Sebra (Sebring) and Ellen Howard.  The family had moved to Elyria by 1850 and attended the Methodist Church.  Ella's father was a contractor according to the 1859 Elyria city directory.  The family home was on the West side of Cedar street North of Broad street.  Ella's father died on 19 March 1862.  The Chittenden home was at the corner of Middle Avenue and 3rd street, the site of the present church building. 

Ella was received into the Episcopal Church by Assisting Bishop Gregory T. Bedell.  Richard and Ella were married by Bishop Charles Pettit McIlvaine at St. Andrew's, one of the few couples at the time who were actually married in the church builing as most couples were married in the rectory or their own home.  One of the witnesses was Wagar Swayne, the man who would soon be one of Richard's fellow officers in the 43rd OVI.  He must have been a personal friend of Richard to be a witness at his wedding.  They both grew up in Columbus, although Richard was four years his senior.

At the time of the 1850 census Richard was living in Ward 2 of Columbus, Franklin Co., Ohio and was a student.

At the 1860 census Richard was renting rooms from the Norton family in Elyria and had taken up the post as Rector at St. Andrew's.  Oddly there is no Norton family listed in the 1859 Elyria city directory.  Perhaps the Norton's moved to Elyria just before Richard did.

At the 1870 census he was living in Elyria, Lorain Co., Ohio. His mother-in-law, Ellen Howard (born c.1810 in Maryland) and Ella's sister Emma C was living with them (Mr. Howard had died in March 1862).  They had one daughter, Mary Campbell Chittenden (Parks), born 2 March 1866.  Their son Lucius Howard Chittenden who had been born in 1863 died on 3 Feb 1865.

At the 1880 census they were in East Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio. Two more daughters had been born, Harriett E (Witmer) in 1871 and Grace M (Taylor) in 1875. Ella's sister Emma C Howard (b. 1849/50) was still living with the family as well as her mother's sister Caroline Howard (b. 1815).

By 1895 Richard was the rector of three small parishes in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; All Saints, Paradise, Grace Church, Nickel Mines and Christ Church, Leacock.  All three seem to be extinct now, but their cemeteries still exist.

Richard died 15 Nov 1913 in Paradise, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania and is buried in All Saint's Episcopal Cemetery.  Ella died in 1920 and is buried beside her husband.

Below are the colors of the 49th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry