Colonel Peter Stryker Noble was born in Albany County, Rensselaerville, NY
on November 30,1844. At the age of six he moved with his family to
Prattsville,Greene County, NY. At eleven years of age moved to Binghamton,
Broome County, NY, and at the age of fourteen in 1858 moved to Flowerfield,
Saint Joseph County, Michigan. In Flowerfield Colonel Noble's father engaged
in the manufacture of furniture and wagons by water power. In circa 1860 the
Noble family moved from Flowerfield to Decatur, VanBuren County, Michigan,
where Colonel Noble's father continued to run his furniture and wagon
business. The business was located on the North side of Sherwood Street,
opposite the Michigan Central Railroad Depot.(A store called Short Stop is
located there now.) The Noble residence was located at the corner of
St. Mary's Street and Phelps Street with an address of 1 W Phelps. In
September of 1861, a man came up from Three Rivers, Michigan, recruiting
for the Union army. Peter then 16 enlisted with his three brothers, Lewis,
James Madison as privates.His brother Addison Rudolph, enlisted when the 11th Michigan was reorganized. Peter enlisted with the 11th Michigan
Volunteer Infantry, which later became the 14th Corps, and later became part
of the Army of the Cumberland. Peter was mustered in on September 24, 1861.
The muster rolls mistakenly list private Noble as 18, as he lied about his
age. Private Noble participated in the Battles of Belmont, Chicamaugua,
Rocky Face Ridge, AKA Buzzard Roost, Mill Creek, and Dug Gap, both Dalton,
Georgia battles, Ringgold, Georgia, Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, Marietta,
Pine Hill, Pine Mountain,Gilgal Creek, Ruff's Mill, Noonday Creek, and
General Sherman's entire Atlanta Campaign. Private Noble was never sick,
wounded, or off duty.After these battles, Private Noble, was detailed
as a clerk on General Rosencrans staff at Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Private Noble was mustered out of the service of the Union Army on September
30,1864. After leaving the army Mr.Noble attended The Academy at Elmira, NY.
After going to The Academy Mr. Noble returned to Decatur, Michigan, where he
engaged in his father Leander's furniture business. He was married on June
17, 1868 to Emily(Emma) Flagg of Utica, Oneida County, New York when he was
23 years old. Later Peter Noble and his wife moved to South Haven, Michigan
about 1869, where Ward S. Noble was born to them on June 14, 1869. Mr.
Noble and his family then moved to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois in circa
1870. on October 8, 1871 Mr. Noble lost $32,000 in the Great Chicago fire,
and had to start all over again. The Nobles then moved to Independence,
Kansas in 1872, where Mr. Noble learned shorthand and became a court
reporter. Later the Noble's moved to Atchison, Kansas, where Mr. Noble
entered the law firm of Horton and Waggoner, where he read law and acted
as a court reporter until the firm dissolved in 1878 when the senior
partner was appointed as Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court by
Governor, George T. Anthony. On April 8, 1878 Mr. Noble was appointed
Adjutant General of Kansas and was given the honorary rank of Colonel,
by Governor Anthony. Then on April 30, 1878, Dwight Merwyn Noble was born.
When John P. St. John was elected Governor Colonel Noble was again appointed
to Adjutant General twice and served in the position until January 7, 1883.
When George W. Glick was elected Governor, Colonel Noble was appointed
Adjutant General again but, declined because Glick was a Democrat.
Instead Mr. Noble accepted a position in Washington D.C.
as a Special Examiner with the U.S. Pension Bureau. When President Grover
Cleveland was elected, Mr. Noble was dismissed from his post as Special
Examiner but, was re-appointed to the same post by President William
McKinley. Later on in life Mr. Noble recalled that as Adjutant General,
through his solicitation of Governor Anthony, caused to be built the armory.
Mr. Noble while Adjutant General, started what was called in it's day the
Kansas State Militia.(Now known as the Kansas National Guard.) As Adjutant
General, Colonel Noble, along with General Sherman, and President Rutheford
B. Hayes, and the First Family, traveled to Fort Dodge(Dodge City) on the
Santa Fe Railroad. At that time Fort Dodge was the Western outpost of
Kansas and the cattle supply place. Before this trip, Colonel Noble had
previously been to Fort Dodge and enjoyed the pleasure of meeting and
making friends with it's leaders. Colonel Noble later in life wrote in a
letter to his grandaughter that, when on the trip with General Sherman, and
President Hayes, that when the train reached the Fort Dodge train depot,
the Mayor of Fort Dodge, Mike Kelly, and town Marshal William Barclay (Bat)
Masterson upon seeing Colonel Noble amongst the passengers embarking the
train said "Whay thar's the Ajint Ginnrel" and dragged him off the platform,
and paid no attention to General Sherman or President Hayes. Later that day,
when Colonel Noble was re-united with the General and the President,
General Sherman said laughing, "Well, Colonel tham boys seems to know ya"
Later in life Colonel Noble was a member of the I.O.O.F., and a member of
the Lincoln post #1 of the G.A.R. of Topeka Kansas. Mr. Noble was also
the proprietor and editor of the Smith County Pioneer newspaper which he
purchased in July of 1882. Mr. Noble was also a director of the Kansas
Protective Union, and a director of the Leads Gold, Silver Mining Company
of Colorado. Mr. Noble was also a member of the District of Columbia
Society of the Sons of the American Revolution until his death in 1934.
Colonel Noble's burial site is in Vicksburg National Military Cemetery, Section L Grave 6552-A, Vicksburg Mississippi. His brother James is buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Cassopolis, Michigan, and his brother Addison is buried in the family plot in Oak Grove Cemetery in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. Colonel Noble's wife is
buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Lacrosse, Wisconsin as too are other members of Colonel Noble's family.
