Military Record of Frederick Molesdale
Most of the military records for Frederick Molesdale are for disability and pension increases. The brief facts about his military service from these records are that he enlisted in the 32nd Missouri Infantry, Co. F at Steelville, Crawford Co, MO, on August 13, 1862 as a private and was honourably discharged in Louisville, Kentucky on July 18, 1865 obtaining the rank of corporal for 2 of those years.

At the time of his enlistment he was 20 years old and described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, light complexion, blue eyes, light hair, and a farmer born in Ashton, England. However in two different places that he signs with a notary, he states that his birth date is June 29, 1842, where it was actually June 13, 1842. Not a major discrepancy, but interesting.

MISSOURI CIVIL WAR REUNION LADDER BADGE. This original badge has its original pin and has the owners name “F. Molesdale” on the top bar. Second bar has ton name “Prosperity MO.” And the last, the badge has company F 32nd Infantry, Missouri Volunteer Infantry. And a “40 Rounds” symbol with 15 A.C. (15th army corps) on the bottom. A super badge and really hard to find with a town bar. From DoughboyMilitary.com

He made several claims for disability for various ailments. In his claim of Nov. 29, 1891, he states that while on a march to Jackson, Mississippi, in July of 1863 after the fall of Vicksburg, he was ordered to forage and was on a mule which threw him. He claimed that this fall detached (in a different report it says dislocated) some ribs which had affected his spine and caused permanent damage.

He stated that he was treated at a regimental hospital on a steamer but he couldn't remember the name. He even has testimony from a neighbour in 1898 (some 35 years later) saying that Frederick has never been able to work fully because of this disability. In that same claim he says that during the war he was also overcome by heatstroke causing the loss of his left eye (unclear if this was temporary or permanent, although his photo suggests the latter) and vertigo.

In another claim filed Dec. 24, 1892, he alleges a new disability from his time in the service of permanent problems from scurvy, diarrhoea and piles which he had in the military due to exposure and improper diet. I don't know how much he got for this, but one document in 1892 says that he was receiving $8.00 a month, and at the time of his death in 1916, he was receiving $24.00 a month in pension and disability.

Now to personal information from the records. In a document dated 1898, he stated that his wife's name was Louisa Jane Molesdale (maiden name Woods). He further states that they were married September 8, 1874 (or at least it looks like a 7 - it looks more like a man who didn't want it to be clear) in Joplin, MO by a W. Davis.

The marriage certificate is on file at Carthage, MO. He states that he was not previously married and that at the time (in 1898) he had two children — Ezra Grant Molesdale born Dec. 21, 1868, and Mrs Lucy Jane Johnson born April 6, 1867 — both of those birth dates before the date of marriage. This just adds more questions.

In the 1880 census, there is a daughter listed as Isabell, born 1862, who didn't die until 1901 so she would have been alive in l898. Louisa wasn't even married to Isaiah in 1862, so whose child was she? Is she not listed because she wasn't a child of Louisa and Fred, did Fred lie when he said he hadn't been married before, or had he just fathered a child?

He also states in another document that from the end of the war 1865 until 1871, he lived in Crawford, Co, then moved to Jasper county. This would agree with Lucy's statement that she was born in Crawford, Co, in 1867, but it still seems strange that if you run off with your father's wife that you stay in the neighbourhood.

One final document has him dropped from the pension roll because of death on June 15, 1916. His tombstone says June 10, but the 15th may have been when the military was informed.