Spanish American War pictures

css3menu.com

html menu by Css3Menu.com

Spanish American War
John Ingersent Cann

CANN, John I., Priv. Co. D; Res. Oil City, Pa. (N. G. P.); Enrd. April 27, 1898;
M. I. May 10, 1898; M. O. with Co. Dec. 28, 1898.
John I. Cann (insert picture)in lower left hand corner is the Uncle of John I Cann in the group photo.
Photo information by Linda Blum-Barton - lblumb@gmail.com

Here is the history of John Ingersent Cann He died at the age of 26 on April 30, 1899 at the home of his mother Mrs. Ann Cann widow of William Honey Cann at 3:50 pm Sunday afternoon of Appendicitis. The death came very sudden. On Tuesday afternoon he he was taken with what he supposed was cramps in the stomach & left work. He grew worse during the afternoon, & had been in great agony since that time until his death came to his relief at the time mentioned. He was born in Meadville, April 30, 1873 & was just 26 years to the day that he died. He came to Oil City about 12 yrs ago to learn his trade as a machinist in the National Transit shops, having been employed steadily by that company from the time he entered the shops as an apprentice. Three days before Company D left for Mt. Gretna to enlist in the volunteer service he enlisted with the company as a private and was with the organization throughout the Porta Rican campaign. It is thought the exposure to which he was subjected in that country weakened his system & that his death was indirectly at least caused by his service to that country. He was especially industrious, and was almost the sole support of his mother, and was generally admired for his steady habits & care for her.
Services in memory of the late John I. Cann will be held at Trinity M.E. Church at 2:30, where the body to leave the house at o'clock. As a mark of respect, the National Transit shops, where the young man learned his trade as a machinist, and had been employed for the past 9 years will be closed during this afternoon, and the employees will attend in body, meeting at the shops' office. The deceased was a private of Company D and that organization will also attend in a body, and the burial will be with military honors. Captains James request all members to meet at the city building not later than 2 o'clock to march to the National Transit shops to accompany the employees to the church. Friends are invited.
Services in Memory of John I. Cann were held in Trinity M.E. church on Tuesday afternoon and were attended by a congregation as large as the church would hold. The body was escorted from the home of the mother of the deceased by 50 members of the Company D, 16th Regiment, N.G.P., and it's officers, and 200 employees of the National Transit shops, headed by John S. Klein. Lodge No. 113, I.A. of M., was represented by 50 members. The offering of flowers was notably large. Among the emblems was a beautiful pillow of white roses bordered with red, inscribed " Company D, Sixteenth Regiment, P.V.I. " On the coffin was a great cluster of Easter lilies & roses, and at the head, the emblem of the Machinists' union, a floral gear wheel, with calipers and square and the initials of the order, " I.A. of M ." The services were conducted by Rev. Thomas Thoburn, pastor of the Trinity M.E. Church assisted by a choir of two male & two female voices. The interment was in Grove Hill Cemetery with Military honors, a volley by a firing squad composed of Privates Stapleton,Fitzpatrick,Meals,Siegel,Boden,Corbett and Nelson, commanded by Sergeant Fry & Corporal Barbour, and taps sounded by Williams Wadsworth, foreman of the National Transit Machine department. The following were honorary pall bearers: Corporals Lynch,Brown,Cousins,and Privates Martin,MacGregor,Raynor,Reed and Helle. The active pallbearers were the following shop mates of the deceased: John Giegel, Will Ulander, James Benner, Alex Haggard, Ed Truby and Charles Carson. He was the first to die after the battle of San Juan Hill, & was a sharp shooter. There was a Spanish American War camp in the area named for him. I am still trying to locate it. So when it comes to the Cann name he is tied in with the history to the Spanish American War & the history of the National Transit Company from when it came from Bradford along with his father, brothers William Abraham & George.

Contributor
Deborah Cann Ritts - lildeb1@peoplepc.com