Ira Brooks was a soldier of the famous 76th New York Infantry during the Civil War. He was counted on the census in Cortlandville from 1850 through 1865. On the 1855 census, he indicates he lived in Cortlandville for 14 years. The town of Cortlandville is commonly called Cortland.
On both the 1855 and 1865 censuses, Herkimer County is given as his birthplace. Herkimer County was created in 1791 and was originally much larger, prior to it's division. In 1794, Onondaga County was split off from Herkimer County and in 1808, Cortland County was split off from Onondaga County. (Read more about the formation of Cortland County here).
As for his birth year, based on these four censuses shown below, he was born sometime between 1814 and 1818.
In 1870 his family was counted on the census in Cortlandville without him. He had filed a pension as an invalid in April of 1863 and his wife, Amy, filed a claim in 1878.
In 1875, Amy was living in the home of Clark & Mary Creque in Cortland. Saratoga County is given as her birthplace. (View on FamilySearch).
When did Ira Brooks die? Where is he buried? For these answers, I'll keep digging! Stay tuned! Anyone with information about Ira, please comment below!
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