James H. Hatheway was the older brother of Sarah Jane Hatheway Gamble and the brother in law of Wilson M. Gamble. He was probably born at New Hagerstown, Carroll County, Ohio. He was the oldest son of Samuel H. Hatheway, a farmer and saddle maker, and Isabel Hagerty Hatheway.
A Biography of the Life of James H. Hatheway
James joined the Union Army in October of 1861, serving in the 43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry until 1864, when, his enlistment completed, he accepted the rank of sergeant in the 111th United States Colored Troops (111th USCT). In the fall of 1864 he was captured by the Confederates and was imprisoned in a series of prisoner of war camps, including the infamous Andersonville Prison, from which he was ultimately freed in the spring of 1865.
The Civil War Service Record of James H. Hatheway with the 111th USCT
including References to his Time at Andersonville
The Strange Case of Corporal James Hagerty, Co. C.,
43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry
at Andersonville Prison Camp 1864-1865
Upon his return to Ohio, he set up in business running the S&G (or S&S) Steam Mill near Bowerston on land of his future father in law George Fisher in 1865. He married Mary Mahalia Fisher, the daughter of George Fisher of Bowerston, Ohio, on Christmas of 1865.