Andrew A. St. John was born in 1835 at Fairfield County, Connecticut. At age 27 and being a dentist by profession, St. John enlisted as a private into Company B, of the 141st Pennsylvania Infantry, on October 13, 1862. On August 22nd of the same year he was mustered in as a Corporal, at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Volunteers was at that time a three year enlistment Regiment.

The 141st Pennsylvania Infantry regiment was composed of recruits from the counties of Bradford Susquehanna and Wayne and rendezvoused at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where it was mustered into the U. S. service in the latter part of August 1862, for three years. It was barely organized, when it was hurriedly sent to Washington, D.C., arriving on August 30th during the progress of the second Battle of Bull Run. It was a raw, inexperienced regiment and the first few weeks being extremely harsh, took a heavy toll on the health of the men.   Some 300 men were hospitalized at one time and another 500 were reported unfit for duty.

It was assigned to Gen. Robinson’s 1st Brigade in Birney's Division, 3rd corps. It remained at Washington, engaged in perfecting itself in drill and discipline, until the close of the Maryland campaign, and was then posted at Poolesville for a time, engaged in picket duty. 

It went into winter quarters at Falmouth on November 25th and was in reserve during most of the battle of Fredericksburg; but it was likely by that time St. John was no longer with the company, having received a Disability Certificate on December 5th. On December 5, 1862 at Roland Chapel Hospital in Washington, D.C., a Certificate of Disability was issued for St. John. In it was a statement indicating St. John was being treated for an “incomplete indirect inguinal hernia”. It further stated the injury had first been detected in September of 1862, during a prolonged march from Fort Lyons to Fort Muncey, Virginia.

After leaving military service Andrews met and married his wife, Clara and by 1870, U.S. Federal Census record indicates that Andrew St. John was living in Midland, Michigan; at age 35.   St. John listed his occupation at that time as being a  “County clerk,” and stated that he lived with wife Clara, age 28, and daughter Geraldine, age 4.  Clara was born in Pennsylvania and Geraldine was born in New York, indicating that St. John and Clara had resided in New York, where Geraldine was born in 1866. 

Andrews and his wife Clara, sometime after 1870, his having been assigned as a U.S. Consul, left the United States and after a long sea voyage ended up in the Fiji Islands where he took up his post as the U.S. Consul to the Fiji Islands. After serving there for  a period of time, they left the Fiji Islands and arrived in New Zealand; living in Auckland, New Zealand. Andrews A. St. John died at his home in Auckland, New Zealand on December 14, 1902. In a pension application, for a widow’s pension after Andrews death, Clara identified herself as the widow of Andrews A. St. John who had served with the 141st Pennsylvania Infantry and who had also served as “Consul of the U.S. in the Fiji Islands.

Upon his death at 67 years of age, on December 14, 1902, Andrew A. St. John was living on Nelson Street, and  was interred at the Waikumete Cemetery, in Auckland, New Zealand;  in the Non Conformist Block, row “C” 8, in plot number 42; without a headstone.  The Funeral Director for his services was said to be Mr. Wheeler of Waikumete.

“A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion”, Frederick H. Dyer

 Auckland, New Zealand, Death records

Christine Haskins , Waikumete Cemetery & Crematorium

 “History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the

        legislature”, Samuel P. Bates

 “History of the One Hundred Forty-First Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers”, David

        Croft, 1885

Puke Ariki Library, New Plymouth, New Zealand

U.S. Consulate’s Office, Washington, D.C.

 Waitakere City Council