For many people in their 50s, retirement becomes an increasingly relevant concern as a sixth decade approaches. For others, things only get busier as the years advance.
Take, for instance, Col. Edwin Rose (1807-1864). Born to Phebe Sanford Rose and Dr. Rufus Rose, who was a prominent citizen and descendant of some of Southampton’s earliest residents, Edwin lived only to the age of 56.
The Roses lived in a well-appointed Bridgehampton house near the border with Water Mill. This photo, from the Hampton Library’s Elise Quimby Long Island Room Collection, showcases the house and its addition, which Edwin added later in life. It was captured by the William Howard Photography Studio of Sag Harbor.
At age 19, Edwin Rose enrolled at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation, he was appointed a second lieutenant in the Army. He went on to have a busy military career, fighting in the Black Hawk and Seminole Wars until resigning in 1837. At that point, he became a surveyor in Michigan until 1839.
In 1840, Rose returned to Bridgehampton, where at different times he served as a Southampton Town supervisor, school commissioner, justice of the peace, and, from 1848 to 1857, as a New York State legislator. By age 54, Rose had had a storied life, but with the outbreak of the Civil War, he was called on yet again to serve his country.
Tapped to lead the 81st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the summer of 1861, he would fight in Virginia in what was later known as the Peninsula Campaign but would be forced to retire from combat because of failing health the following year. In turn, he was appointed as provost marshal of Long Island until his death in 1864.
To mark his legacy, the Sag Harbor chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization for Civil War veterans, was named the Edwin Rose Post.
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Julia Tyson is a librarian and archivist in the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection.
