Henry Edward Glanville was born in London, Shoreditch, a sub-district of St. Saviour, in the County of Middlesex, England on March 20, 1844. He was the son of a clerk, Henry Harris and Ann Brown (maiden name) Glanville. Henry was officially baptised on September 2, 1849 in Felpham, Sussex, England. Henry’s father, Henry Harris, died around August 1849 in London, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England. In 1851 the Middlesex Census Records show Henry at age seven residing with his grandparents on his mothers side, Charles and Jane Brown, in the village of Felpham, Sussex County, England. 

Henry sailed for the United States in 1862 and after his arrival he enlisted at eighteen years of age in the United States Navy on October 6, 1862, at 9 Cherrie Street, New York,. Henry then served aboard the U.S. receiving vessel the USS North Carolina, and later aboard the USS Pembina, a steam screw operated Union gunboat, being discharged on November 9, 1863. Henry again enlisted in the United States armed forces on November 17, 1863, at Brooklyn, New York, into the 14th New York State Militia, known as the 14th Brooklyn, which was incorporated into the 84th New York Infantry Regiment; Henry’s Regiment, at which time he joined Company “H”. 

The 14th State Militia was organized under Col. Alfred M. Wood, recruited in Brooklyn, under special authority from the War Department as a regiment of volunteers. Failing to be ordered to the front in the first call for troops, it was mustered in the service of the United States for three years between May and August, 1861 into the 84th New York Infantry Regiment, and turned over to the State in September 1861.  As stated, Henry did not join the 84th until November 17, 1863 and as such he saw very limited service with the 84th, as their term of service expired on May 21, 1864. 

It was also in May of that year that Henry was transferred back into the United States Navy, presumably when the 84th period of service expired, and Henry was sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serving aboard the receiving vessel USS Princeton, and later aboard the USS Saratoga, a 146 foot long Sloop of War carrying 22 cannon, and the USS Lehigh, an offspring of the USS Monitor, a 200 foot long Casco third class monitor that floated so low in the water and it was not serviceable; both at Charleston, South Carolina and on the James River. 

Henry was discharged at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 24, 1865 and still not tired of military life re-enlisted yet again in the Navy for another three years; serving on the USS Colorado, a steam screw frigate, and the USS Ashuelot, an iron-hulled, double-ended, side-wheel gunboat; eventually being discharged at Yokohama, Japan. From there Henry migrated to Australia, where he was later employed as a woodcutter in the state of South Australia. 

Henry was residing at Port Pirie, South Australia when he took sick and eventually died at 48 years of age of plumbism, a toxic condition caused by the absorption of excessive lead into the system which we today know as ‘lead poisoning’; on July 24, 1892. His records at the time of his death state his occupation was that of a labourer.

Henry Edward Glanville was buried in an unmarked grave in the Port Pirie Cemetery; in the Common Protestant Section, lot 37, grave 8. According to Mr. David Evans, Records Administration Officer of the Port Pirie Regional Council, he was buried and recorded, however, under the name of Henry Edward ‘Granville’; not Glanville as has been reported and it has been found that here are some Glanville’s that do interchangeably use the spelling of Granville. There is also a headstone on his burial site with the name of ‘James Ramsay’ who was buried there on June 19, 1917 at the age of 42 years. Somewhere down the line they must have been relatives, as Port Pirie Cemetery, per Mr. David Evans, does not reuse old graves. The lease on the Henry Edward Glanville gravesite is current until the year 2047.

In a letter to the United States consul in Melbourne, Victoria dated March 21, 1891, Glanville requested a new copy of all his discharge papers, as all 'five' of his discharge papers and other effects that he had were destroyed when his tent caught fire. 

An important descendant of Henry Edward Glanville, Mr. Jay Glanville, lives today near Birmingham, in the West Midlands, in England. He is a full time Computer and Electronics technician as well as a family researcher and provided much of the information for this article. Anyone interested in Glanville genealogy should visit his website at www.glanvillenet.info/default.htm.

David Evans, Records/Administration Officer, Port Pirie Regional Council

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Henry Edward Glanville Birth Certificate

Henry Edward Glanville Death Certificate

Jay Glanville, descendant, Middlesex, England

National Archives, Washington, D.C.

New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. Frederick Phisterer. Albany: J. B Lyon Company, 1912.

New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, Saratoga Springs,  NY

Port Pirie Cemetery Records

Port Pirie Regional Council

State Records of South Australia

The Civil War Archive, Union Regimental Index, New York State

Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Military Statistics of the State of New York, Albany, 1866.

U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania

U.S. Consulate Papers and  Documents

84th New York Regimental History and Rosters