Is John H. Mohn, as they say in the genealogical world, a "brick wall"? A researcher's obstacle, a stubborn block moving backward in time, an enigmatic character, the exhaustion of detective resources? However, we know in history, walls do not last - time and pounding take their reckoning. These pages may not ultimately tumble down John's wall, but they do crack the ramparts. In the 1870s, John and his new bride Katherine Elizabeth Eckenrode moved to central Pennsylvania. Was he a Civil War veteran Hospital Steward of the 53rd U.S. Colored Troops as claimed? His and Katherine's early deaths left many questions. The author attempts to resolve missing data, inconsistencies, and questions about their lives. The author, in traditional genealogical research, chronicled the descendants of John and Katherine to the present.