JOHN FRANKLIN HAGER was our 3X Great Grandfather through the Gibbar/Hager line. He was born about 1819, in Lincoln County, North Carolina, the son of Frederick Hager and Margaret (nee Hinkle) Hager.​​​

John Hager had 5 brothers: Aaron, James, Frederick, Alexander and Milton. The Consolidated List for the Draft in the Third Congressional District in the State of Missouri shows that John Franklin enrolled in Perry County in 1862 at 43 years of age. 

John Franklin's three younger brothers, Aaron, Frederick and Milton, enlisted as well. John (43), Aaron (42) and Frederick's (36) names are either adjacent or in close proximity to each other on the registry, suggesting that they may have gone together to enlist. 

The fact that all three of the Hager brothers were married and had families at the time of the compulsory draft (although not listed on the draft registry as such), yet did serve, suggests that they most likely enlisted. 

The youngest Hager brother, Milton, had already served as a private in Company E in the Missouri State Militia Infantry from October, 1862 until August, (1863). His name appeared in the Special 1890 Census Schedule of Surviving Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Widows (Bois Brule Township). This special census is one of the only surviving documents we have from the 1890 Federal census, which was destroyed by fire.​​​

Frederick Hager served as a Private in Company C of the 45th Missouri Infantry, as well as in the 50th Missouri Infantry.​ All four of the Hager brothers survived the war. The two remaining Hager brothers, James and Alexander, were both deceased before the war began

In addition to his three brothers, John Franklin's son, James Reuben Hager, also served in the Civil War, enlisting at the age of 18 in Company C of the Missouri 47th Infantry Regiment. He served from August 15, 1964 until March 29, 196​​​5. Although father and son did not fight in the same Regiment or in the same battles, they did fight for the same cause.

John Franklin mustered on August 10, 1862 with the rank of Private in Company A of the 64th Regiment of the Enrolled Missouri Militia under Captain Wilkinson. The remarks on his muster documentation do not include his actual days in service.​

The regiment was enrolled between 9 August 1862 and 11 October 1862. The final discharge was between 28 November 1864, and 11 December 1864. They served under Colonel Robert M. Brewer, Captains Christopher H. Eddlemann, and Wilkinson. Many of the men were from Perry County.

John's brother-in-law, Richard Burtelow, the husband of Eliza Hager (John's sister), also served in the war. Richard was a Corporal in Company B, 30th Regiment of the Missouri Volunteers under Capt. William F. Wilkinson. 

During the Civil War, Keokuk, Iowa, became an embarking point for Union troops heading to fight in southern battles. Injured soldiers were returned to Keokuk for treatment, so several hospitals were established. A national cemetery was designated for those who did not survive.

Unfortunately, Richard Burtelow was one of those soldiers who did not survive. On September 8, 1863, he succumbed to chronic dysentery, a disease responsible for nearly 95,000 deaths during the war, and is buried in a military grave at the Keokuk National Cemetery. ​​

John's sister, Eliza, had already died on July 8, 1862, leaving their two young children, Margaret and Fredrick Burtelow, as orphans. John assumed legal guardianship for the his nephew and niece and was tasked with securing for each the pension due them based on their father's military service. After petitioning the government, ​​​​​​​he received (in the name of each child), $8 dollars per month until each of them attained the age of 16. He applied for, and received, an increase in their pension in 1866. This increased each of their pensions another $2 for a total of $10 per month.