In this post, I'll discuss the life of Jason Sexton, an agriculturalist from New York who fought in the Civil War and later was elected to the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a representative from Montgomery County.
Early Life
Jason Sexton (1834-1910) was born in the town of Sharon, New York. Back home, his father owned a large dairy farm where Jason grew up, embracing the rural life. His father was elected to the New York state legislature in 1848, leaving his farm to Jason to take over.
In 1862 Jason said his goodbyes to his wife and children and enlisted to serve the Union in the Civil War as a private in the 44th Regiment of New York Volunteer Infantry, also known as the "Ellsworth Avengers."
Fun Fact #1: He joined the front to sing "We Are Coming, Father Abraham, Six Hundred Thousand More."
His regiment was assigned to General Daniel Butterfield's 3rd Brigade, 1st Division of the 5th Corps, Army of the Potomac. He experienced battles at Antietam, Snicker's Gap, and Chancellorsville. While marching at Gettysburg, Jason was struck with typhoid fever and was sent to the hospital, missing out on the battle.
On December 13, 1862 at Fredericksburg, he and the others were unable to climb on the Confederate breastworks, and ended up lying directly in front of the enemy lines in the mud all night until Monday morning. They all returned to their old camps at Falmouth, Virginia.
In 1864, Jason was mustard out of the 44th Regiment, and was later commissioned by the war department as first lieutenant in Company E of the 175th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry. His division was commanded by General Cuvier Grover.
The regiment was assigned to General Philip Sheridan's 19th Army Corps, fighting in the Shenandoah Valley. He also participated in the Battle of Cedar Creek and fought against the army commanded by John S. Mosby, also known as the "Gray Ghost" of the Confederacy.
His regiment later joined General William Sherman at Raleigh, North Carolina where General Edward Johnson's army surrendered. After returning to Savannah, Georgia, Jason and the others were put in charge of the government stores, and supplied food to the starving people of the South.
Jason was in charge of the 400 Confederate prisoners in Fort Pulaski.
Post Civil War
After the Civil War, Jason returned to his home in New York where he officially became the owner of his father's farm. But in 1876, he moved to Spring House in Gwynedd where he was the superintendent of William Singerly's model farm, the Sheep Farm. It was said that he was behind the innovative farming methods at Singerly's farms in Whitpain and Spring House since Singlery had little farming experience.
"He had charge of the breeding of several hundred registered Holsteins and Jerseys, South sheep and Berkshire pigs, also feeding as many as 125 steers and from 800 to 1,000 sheep, besides milking a large dairy of from 50 to 100 cows."
- Farmers' Institutes in Pennsylvania (1900), 84
He lived at Singerly's Sheep Farm for 23 years since arriving to Spring House.
In 1896, he was elected in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he served for four years.
Ever since moving to Spring House and working with William Singerly, he became involved in public affairs in the community: he was the president of the Lower Gwynedd school board; director of the North Wales National Bank; member of General Meade's Post, No. 1, G.A.R. (1887-1898) and General Zook's Post, No. 11 G.A.R. of Norristown.
He was well-known for his lectures on farming. Read about his lecture on raising baby lambs here from 1893.
Bibliography
"175th Infantry Regiment." New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. Accessed December 16, 2021. https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/unit-history/infantry-2/175th-infantry-regiment.
"175th Regiment NY Volunteer Infantry | Flank Markers | Civil War." New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. Accessed December 16, 2021. https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/flags/infantry/175th-regiment-ny-volunteer-infantry/175th-regiment-ny-volunteer-infantry-flank-markers-civil-war.
Bean, Theodore Weber. History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume 2. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1884): 858.
Farmers' Institutes in Pennsylvania to be Held Under the Auspices of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. (Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, 1900): 83-84.
"Hon. Jason Sexton. A Legislative Candidate of the People's Own Choosing--His Proud Record as a Civilian and a Soldier--Grew Up With the Party--His Life and Work." Ambler Gazette. October 27, 1898. Page 1. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/565/rec/3.
"Jason Sexton." Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Accessed December 16, 2021. https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=5754&body=H.
"Jason Sexton is Deceased." Ambler Gazette. June 2, 1910. Page 1. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wivp-gazett/id/5473/rec/8.