James H. Gifford was a Civil War veteran. A check of the records left no doubt that this was the case. His service record indicated that he enlisted as a Private in the Union Army on October 8, 1862. He enlisted in Warren, New York, which is the birthplace of the manager. He gave his age as 18, which is one year than the listed age of the manager, but such discrepancies were common. He was assigned to Company K of the 152nd New York Infantry and served for nearly three years, eventually being promoted to Full Corporal. He was mustered out in Washington on July 13, 1865. The former manager died in December 1901 in Columbus, Ohio, and his widow Elizabeth filed for a pension on January 16, 1902, citing the name James H. Gifford and his service in Company K of the 152nd New York.
Born in Warren, New York, Gifford died in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 56, and is interred in Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus.

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