George Toriello sent me this information on December 11, 2019 after he had viewed George W. Kohler grave marker on our website.  George Toriello researched from
<American Civil War Soldiers-Database on-line> and
<U.S. Civil War soldiers’ records and profiles, 1861-1865> and this is what he found out about his life and service:

George W. Kohler according to one source was born in New Jersey 1846, but where in New Jersey death records state unknown. George W. Kohler Enlisted into the Union Army Substitute Company I, 6th Infantry Regiment New Hampshire on August 14, 1863 at the age of 20. George W. Kohler was captured by Confederate forces on May 29, 1864 at Totopotomy River Virginia and was sent to the notoriously famous Andersonville Prison of the Confederacy.  George W. Kohler survived the prison ordeal at Andersonville and was discharged from Company I, 6th Infantry Regiment New Hampshire on July 17, 1865.  After his service records show from (Source: Private Family Tree Ancestry website) in 1880 he lived in
Jackson, Ocean Co., NJ and in 1892 had moved to Ramapo Rockland County,
New York.  George Washington Kohler passed away on July 1, 1896 at the age of 50. He may have still been living in Rockland County, NY, but no way of knowing for sure.  According to records, George Washington Kohler had one photo and no flowers present at his memorial and was buried in the Civil War section of Hackensack Cemetery by the Civil War monument in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey.   


An interesting note, George Toriello received a message from someone on ancestry.com who stated:

“George Washington Kohler was in the Civil War. His father, Francis, was a farmer and needed money. George was paid by someone wealthy to take their place in the Union army. His alias was James Williamson. He was captured and sent to Andersonville and POW camp. He did live through that terrible experience.
His wife's name was Lylly Siems.”


All of this revealed on this man’s life George Washington Kohler from an extremely faded gravestone.


Written by:
Bob Meli
January 9, 2019