By William "Bennett" White, Spring 2023  

Cary Edward Lynch was born in Norfolk, VA sometime around 1847. His parents were Peter and Bridget Lynch. As a 17-year-old laborer, Lynch enlisted in Company B of the 2nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment in Portsmouth on July 6, 1863. His regiment was officially mustered at Arlington, VA on July 12. On November 14, 1864, Lynch was promoted to Corporal. He saw action at Natural Bridge, FL in March 1865, where his unit unsuccessfully launched an amphibious assault on Confederate troops stationed at Newport, FL to push inland and capture Tallahassee. After his service, Lynch was listed in the 1880 US Census as a fireman for the US Navy and lived in the Western Branch area of Norfolk. Sometime after the war he married Mary Lynch before becoming a widower. He remarried Leah J. Mason on January 23, 1884. He died of asthma and diabetes complications on October 24, 1891 and was buried at West Point Cemetery.

Sources: 

Full Name: Cary Edward Lynch

Also Known as: Cary Lunch, Cary E. Lynch

Birth Date: ca. 1847

Birthplace: Norfolk, VA

Parents: Peter Lynch, Bridget Lynch

Ethnicity:

Race: African American

Spouse: (1st) Mary Ellen Lynch (née Butt), (2nd) Leah J. Lynch (née Mason)

Children:

Marriage Date (1st): May 16, 1867 (Mary Ellen Butt), 

Marriage Place (1st): Norfolk, VA

Marriage Date (2nd): January 23, 1884 (Leah Mason)

Marriage Place (2nd): Norfolk, VA

Death Date: October 24, 1891

Death Place: 27 James Street, Norfolk, VA

Burial Date: October 24, 1891

Burial Place: West Point Cemetery, Norfolk, VA

Major Keywords/Search Terms:

Cary Edward Lynch | Cary Lunch | Norfolk, VA | United States Colored Troops| 2nd Regiment, United States Colored Infantry |

Sources:

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The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the United States Colored Troops, 2nd through 7th Colored Infantry including 3d Tennessee Volunteers (African Descent), 6th Louisiana Infantry (African Descent), and 7th Louisiana Infantry (African Descent); Microfilm Serial: M1820; Microfilm Roll: 9

Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

Year: 1870; Census Place: Western Branch, Norfolk, Virginia; Roll: M593_1667; Page: 556B

Year: 1880; Census Place: Western Branch, Norfolk, Virginia; Roll: 1381; Page: 235D; Enumeration District: 067

National Park Service, “The Civil War: Battle Unit Details,” Last modified (n. d.), Accessed on March 17, 2023, Battle Unit Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

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National Park Service, “The Civil War: Battle Unit Details,” Last modified (n. d.), Accessed on March 17, 2023, Battle Unit Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

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