[74-829b] HENRY JOHN STAGER, same as above, m 2nd time, Jan. 13, 1887, ALICE BELLE (SMITH) DAVIDSON, b July 10, 1851; dau J. Dennison and Rebecea (Crist) Smith. Widow’s res., 1408 Grant Ave., Asbury Park, N. J. No issue. (1919.)
Henry John Stager, to whom the Patriotic Order of the Sons of America is profoundly indebted for its success and influence, and due to whose efforts Valley Forge was made one of the most imposing patriotic memorials in the world, was born in Schuylkill Haven, Pa., Aug. 27th, 1842. The outbreak of the Civil War called him from his profession as a printer in Phila., and he enlisted on July 22, 1862, in the 124th Regiment of Pa. Vol. Asa sergeant in Co. G of this regiment he passed unharmed through some of the bloodiest battles of the war, taking part in the engagements of Antietam, Chancellorsville, ete. .
At the expiration of his enlistment in May, 1863, he enlisted again, this time as an orderly sergeant in Company I, 39th P. V. M. He was discharged to receive an appointment as 2nd lieutenant in the 29th U.S. C. T., but he did not see active service again. In 1864 he married Roxanna Frances Carver, of Philadelphia.
He was an influential member of the G. A. R., being the organizer of Posts 51 and 77, and a member also of Posts 8 and 26. It was because of his services for and achievements in the Patriotic Order Sons of America that he was most widely known. He joined this organization in 1858, when it was called the “‘Junior Sons of America.’” He became the First State Secretary of the Order in 1866, which post he held until 1884; he also served as the First National Secretary, which position he occupied from 1872 to 1885. As one of the two incorporators of the State Camp of Pennsylvania, he was honored with the State Presidency during 1886-1887, was made National President in 1872, and finally Ex- Commander General in 1891. For over forty-four years he was the treasurer of Washington Camp No. 7. One of his most signal services was his founding, in 1866, of the ‘‘Camp News,” a monthly journal of thirty-three pages devoted to the interests of the order. As editor and publisher of this magazine from 1866 to 1904, when he resigned because of ill health, he raised it to the pinnacle it now oceupies, and as one of the pioneers of the order in Pa., his untiring and efficient efforts made the organization of the Order in the Keystone State the largest and most influential of any state in the Union.
“Henry J. Stager was the most noted Patriotic Son of America who ever lived . . . He was the man who deserved more credit for the Order which he served so long without financial consideration; more praise while here on earth; more consideration in his old age from our members than any other living man. His service to our cause cannot be overestimated. He lived for us. He died for us. He left a lesson of sincere devotion to our cause for every young American in our ranks to follow and emulate.” [C. B. Helms.];
Valley Forge Park will prove the most lasting monument of his life. Until 1878 Valley Forge was neglected; the remnants of the old fortifications were rapidly being demolished by the wind and rain; even Washington’s Headquarters was in a state of decay that threatened complete dilapidation. In 1878 several patriotic women raised enough money to purchase the property, but public interest soon lagged, and not enough money could be raised to pay the interest on the mortgage. This came to Mr. Stager’s attention in 1885, and due to his efforts at a convention of the Order held at Norristown in that year, an official excursion was made to Valley Forge to learn the true state of affairs. Becoming State Secretary at this time, Mr. Stager called the State Executive Committee together and laid before them a plan to raise enough money to pay the interest and cancel the mortgage. At the next meeting of the Order held in Altoona in the following year, Mr. Stager was able to inform the convention that the mortgage had been liquidated, and he was made chairman of a committee of thirteen appointed to complete the work. He held the post of Vice-Regent Valley Forge Headquarters Association until 1904. Meanwhile, through the medium of his journal, ‘‘Camp News,” he had been steadily influencing public opinion, the members of the Order contributed generously, and in 1886 the State Legislature voted $5,000 for the maintenance of Valley Forge Park. Eventually the State Legislature became so interested that its total appropriation is more than $300,000; almost a thousand acres have been purehased, and as a result of Mr. Stager’s efforts, Pennsylvania can boast of one of the finest patriotic monuments in the world.
Throughout his life Mr. Stager was interested in better education and better government, and earried the Christian ideals toward which he was always striving as guides of his every day conduct. For six years he was School Director in the 13th Ward, Phila., until his removal to Glenside, Pa. From 1897 until his death he was Treasurer of the Second Dutch Reformed Church, of Phila. He died on July 22, 1919, and is buried at Schuylkill Haven.
He is the author of “Freundschaft,” a compilation of facts, incidents and traditions relating to the Stager-Rudy relationship, which was published in 1912, and of the ‘‘History of the Junior Sons of America,” which was published posthumously.