John’s Death

For the longest time, I had no idea when John Last died. All of a sudden he just disappears from the census records. I know he didn’t die in the Civil War since he is back with his family in 1870. Then, I came across this listing of headstones that were donated to war veterans. In it, I found John Last’s entry with his death date, August 14, 1872.

His cause of death is listed as “Inflammation” on other records. Inflammation can be caused by things such as frostbite or even wounds. Two things he could have easily received during his tenure in the Dakota Territory during the Civil War.