Delbert Demo was born in November of 1846 in Wood County, Ohio. He was the son of William Demo and Mary Reeve. William was born in Ohio, but it is not currently known where Mary was born. Mary died in 1847, leaving the one year old without a mother. By 1850, it appears he had been sent to live with the Ferguson family on Miami County, Indiana. By 1860, as evidenced by the census report, his father had remarried and Delbert (called Adelbert on the census) and his four siblings had been reunited with their father and were living in the Kansas Territory near Osawatomie.
With the coming of the Civil War, Delbert enrolled in Company F, 2nd Battalion Missouri State Militia Cavalry at Harrisonville, Missouri on April 10, 1862 for the period of the war. He admitted to being age 18, but that was a little of an exaggeration as the truth would probably not have allowed him to enlist. As with most of the men in the unit, Delbert furnished his own horse and equipment which was valued at $83. He was in the fighting at Lone Jack and lost his horse and equipment. Still, he survived without being wounded. He got another horse, valued at $90, continued to serve with the unit and he mustered out with the 2nd Battalion when it ceased to be a unit in March 1863. He did owe for the cost of a canteen.
On August 13, 1863, Delbert enlisted in Company D of the 9th Kansas Cavalry as a private. At that time he admitted to being 17 years of age. He had hazel eyes, brown hair, a dark complexion and was five feet six inches tall. He served the rest of the war with that unit and mustered out of service as a private on July 17, 1865 at DeVall’s Bluff, Arkansas.
According to the 1865 Kansas Census, taken August 16, 1865, Delbert was back with his father and family in Miami County, Kansas. The value of his Personal Estate was $200. He did note that he had been a member of the 9th Regiment but did not mention his service in the Missouri unit. On July 24, 1866, E. S. Freeman married Delbert and Mary Elizabeth (“Lizie”) Tally. She was born in Tennessee in July 1845, and in 1865 was living with the Levi Smith family as a “Domestic”. She had indicated she could not read or write. August 8, 1869 saw the birth of their first son, William Leonard.
By the 1870 Census, Delbert (listed as Adelbert on the census), Lizie and William were living in Osage Township, Miami Co., Kansas. He was listed as a farmer and neither he nor Lizie could read or write. In the same residence were Hezekiah Dehart and his family which included his wife and five children. That made a total of ten people living together. Interestingly, Delbert and Hezekiah enrolled the same day, served together in Company F of the 2nd Battalion, mustered out together, and both were at Lone Jack. Further, these families were living next to Delbert’s father and his family.
Their second son, James V., was born on August 10, 1873. Then, on January 28, 1877, a third son, Joseph Franklin, was added to the family. The 1880 Census showed that Delbert (shown as A Dalbert) was still listed as a farmer and he could read but still could not write. He, his wife and their three sons were living in Chelsea Township, Butler Co., Kansas. The 1888 Muster Roll of the membership of the W.H.L.Wallace Post of the GAR included Adelbert Demo. He was living in El Dorado, indicated he was a stone mason, and did list his service in both the 2nd Battalion and the 9th Kansas.
Delbert’s father died on April 15, 1890 and on June 20 Delbert filed for a Veteran’s Pension and received Certificate no. 555,478. According to the 1900 Census, Delbert (listed as Delber), Mary, and two of their sons, William and Frank, plus Mary’s sister, Catherine, were living in El Dorado Township, Butler Co., Kansas. He was back to being listed as a farmer and all in the household could read and write. He owned the farm but it was mortgaged. Sometime between 1900 and 1909, Delbert’s wife, Mary, left the scene. It is unknown at this time what happened to her. What is known is that in 1909, Delbert married Ida Ellen Soule. Ida was born on June 16, 1856 in Jackson Co., Ohio. She was the daughter of Sardine Soule and Sarah Chambers. Both of them were born in Ohio. The marriage of Delbert and Ida was a second marriage for each of them. Ida had been married to Nelson Cooper and had five children from that marriage.
In 1910, Delbert and Ida were still in El Dorado Township, Butler Co., Kansas. He was listed as a self-employed farmer on a “Town Farm” which he owned but was mortgaged. The 1920 Census showed that Delbert (shown as Albert) and Ida were living at 1204 South Topeka Street in El Dorado, Kansas and they owned this home free and clear. In the same household was Ida’s fourth son, G. M. Cooper and his wife, Marie.
In 1925, Delbert and Ida (Iva on the census) were still living in El Dorado Township, Butler Co., Kansas, in the home they owned, and it appears he was retired. Charles and Lena Demo were living in the same household and paying rent. On April 1, 1926, Delbert died and was buried in the Sunset Lawns Cemetery in El Dorado, Kansas. Ida filed for a Widow’s Pension on May 3, 1928 and on December 8, 1932, she applied to the War Department for a headstone for him. That stone marks his grave. Ida continued living in El Dorado and died on April 20, 1950. She too was buried in the Sunset Lawns Cemetery, but she was buried with her first husband.