NARA records arrive!

In my last post I mentioned sending off for whatever records NARA had for my gg-grandfather, John H. Brown, who served with the 3rd (later 3 and 5) Missouri Infantry, CSA. Saturday the packet arrived, containing a Compiled Service Record.

I hate those things. I mean, I appreciate them, it's more information than I had before, but it always leaves so many things unanswered!

He appears to have been out sick twice (I know disease was rampant in the camps during the Civil War) and wounded once. The first time was in April, 1862 (4 months after his muster-in date of January 1862); his company muster roll card for March and April note that he was "in hospital Memphis, Tenn April 11 1862." Which means he missed the surrender at Vicksburg (the 3rd was involved in the Seige of Vicksburg), which is why I couldn't find a parole for him at Footnote.com.

He was absent again, May through August, in 1863; the May/June card notes: "in hospital in Canton, Miss." and the July/August card "absent on detached duty."

Finally, he was wounded and sent to hospital June 3 1864, and noted as being on sick furlough for July/August. There's a card titled "Appears on a Register of Way Hospital, Meridian, Miss." that says "Complaint: wound," "Admited January 27 1865," and "Remarks: Furloughed." Another card notes he was wounded in the shoulder and reported to command in February 1865. He's on a Roll of Prisoners of War dated Meridian, Miss., May 11, 1865.

Bezaleel Brooks, the subject of my last post and John H.'s uncle-in-law (he was the younger brother of John H.'s wife's mother) was also wounded, in the upper thigh, so badly that 10 months after being wounded he submitted his resignation.

So now I'm curious about the hospitals and medical care of the time. Also, apparently neither man lost the wounded limb, but I'm wondering how their war wounds would have affected their lives after the war. I feel like the Elephant's Child, full of 'satiable curiosity.

Bezaleel "disappears" after his 1863 resignation, and John H. didn't live long enough to apply for a pension when Missouri started providing them in 1911 (though he survived the war by 40 years), nor have I found any evidence that his second wife, who died in 1924, ever applied for a pension. So pension files as a source of information are out, at least for these two men, at least for now (hope on, hope ever).

I am, however, wondering whether it would be worth the $75 to send off for the pension file of my Yankee gg-uncle, John A. Boston, who served with the Ohio 100th Infantry during most of the war. $75 is pricey for me. I'd like to see a "sample" file before I try to come up with the money.

You can, btw, order compiled service records and pension records online from NARA

*S*P*L*A*S*H*!

Into the Swamp!

Okay, so last night I was doing some backtracking on Hardins, trying to fill in some blanks, and while letting FTM v.16 do a search, who should pop up but--Ella M. AGEE of Chariton Co., MO, married to a Hardin.

Who, I asked, the heck is Ella M? So I ran a check and found she's the granddaughter of Powhattan Agee, and my 4th cousin 2x removed. She married Samuel Buckner Hardin.

So, having identified Ella, I set out to identify Samuel. Samuel turns out to be the son of Charles Buckner Hardin and Lunette Mosby.

Wait a minute, I said--Mosby. MosbyMosbyMosby. That's really familiar. Ran a check--and found that somewhere in the 1780s, Susannah Mosby married a Colonel Lipscomb. Their daughter Nancy Lipscomb was the second wife of Joseph B. Agee, a grandson of Matthieu ("The Immigrant") Agee, and is the 1st cousin 2x removed of Lunette Mosby Hardin.

Powhattan is the gg-grandson of Matthieu, through Joseph's older brother John.

I tried to sketch it out because it's a lot easier if you can look at the relationships, but the vertical lines disappeared when I published the post, darn it. My printer here isn't working, but I'll see if I can print the chart out, then scan it in as a photo, and insert it that way.

Future Chart Here

I'm not 100% positive on the Mosby dates, but census and death certificate verify the Hardins and Lunette, and the Agee line is pretty thoroughly researched. I haven't tracked Charles B. Hardin back yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be a descendant of Mark Hardin/Hardouin, who was, like Matthieu Agee, a French Huguenot immigrant. I don't *think* my Hardin line descends from Mark Hardin, but I'm still trying to learn if the Benjamin Hardin line is English and separate from the French Mark Hardin line.

Two Civil War Families

First, I'd like to apologize for taking so long in getting back to people who e-mailed me. That particular account is my secondary account and I sometimes go several weeks without looking at it. Obviously, I must mend my ways!


Now. I thought perhaps it was time I started putting some names and dates here, and I mentioned I was going to enter some information about relatives of mine who fought in the Civil war, so here's the first installment:

Browns Corners, Huntington Co., Indiana, 1860: Sometime between 1850 and 1860, William H. Boston moved his family from Fairfield Co., OH to Huntington Co., IN, by ox-cart according to the obituary of his son Jacob. The family consisted of

• William H., b. abt. 1801, maybe Virginia, maybe Maryland
• his wife Rachel Rader, b. 1804 in Virginia
• daughter Mary, b. 1830, Fairfield Co., OH
• daughter Lucinda, b. 1834, Fairfield Co., OH
• son John A., b. 1838, Fairfield Co., OH
• son Jacob, b. 1840, Fairfield Co., OH
• son William H., b. 1842, Fairfield Co., OH

The elder William was a wheelwright, and his three sons worked as carpenters. In 1862, the oldest son, John, enlisted with the 100th Ohio Infantry, Co. E. The regiment's history, according to the National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors site (http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/regiments.cfm)

Organized at Toledo, Ohio, July to September, 1862. Ordered to Cincinnati, Ohio, September 8, thence to Covington, Ky., and duty there till October 8. to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of Kentucky, Dept. of the Ohio, to October, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of Kentucky, to January, 1863. District of Central Kentucky, Dept. Ohio, to June, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 23rd Army Corps, Army Ohio, to July, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 23rd Army Corps, to August, 1863. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 23rd Army Corps, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 23rd Army Corps, Dept. of North Carolina, to June, 1865. SERVICE.-Ordered to Lexington, Ky., October 8, 1862, thence to Richmond, Ky., December 1, and to Danville, Ky., December 26. To Frankfort, Ky., January 3, 1863. Duty at various points in Central Kentucky till August. Expedition to Monticello and operations in Southeastern Kentucky April 26-May 12. Burnside's Campaign in East Tennessee August 16-October 17. Telford Station and Limestone September 8. (240 men captured at Telford Station while guarding railroad.) Knoxville Campaign November 4-December 23. Siege of Knoxville November 17-December 5. Pursuit to Blain's Cross Roads. Duty at Blain's Cross May 1-September 8. Demonstrations on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8-11. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Cartersville May 20. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Lost Mountain June 15-17. Muddy Creek June 17. Noyes Creek June 19. Cheyney's Farm June 22. Near Marietta June 23. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2-5. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Peach Tree Creek July 19-20. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Utoy Creek August 5-7. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Duty at Decatur till October 4. Pursuit of Hood into Northern Alabama October 4-26. Nashville Campaign November-December. Columbia, Duck River, November 24-27. Battle of Franklin November 30. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. At Clifton, Tenn., till January 16, 1865. Movement to Washington, D. C., thence to Federal Point, N. C., January 16-February 9. Fort Anderson February 18-19. Town Creek February 19-20. Capture of Wilmington February 22. Campaign of the Carolinas March-April. Advance on Goldsboro, N. C., March 6-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 21. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Near Raleigh April 13. Bennett's House April 26. army. Duty at Greensboro, N. C. till June. Mustered out June 20, and discharged at Cleveland, Ohio, July 1, 1865.

John returned to his family in Indiana after the War, where he worked as a "house-joiner" in 1870. Then I lose him until 1900, when he's living in the Dayton Military Home, Montgomery Co., OH, and where he died in 1918; he's buried in the Dayton National Cemetery. (Here's a link to a virtual tour of the old Dayton Military Home, now the Dayton VAMC: http://www.dayton.va.gov/museum/index.asp) I haven't been able to learn whether John was ever married: I haven't been able to locate him anywhere in the 1880 census, while the 1900 and 1910 censuses show him as being a widower, and his death certificate indicates he was single.

The middle son, Jacob, enlisted with the 153rd Indiana Infantry, Co. C, in 1865.

Organized at Indianapolis, Ind., March 1, 1865. Left State for Nashville, Tenn., March 5. Stopped at Louisville, Ky., while en route and sent to Russellsville, Ky. Operating against guerillas in vicinity of Russellsville till June. Lyons County April 29 (Detachment). Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 16, and duty at Taylor's Barracks till September. Mustered out September 4, 1865.

Jacob somehow met Mary Meyer of Brunswick, Chariton Co., MO, married her, and returned to Browns Corners, where he lived and raised a family until about 1882 or 1883, when he moved his family to his wife's hometown. He died in 1932.

I haven't been able to ascertain whether the youngest brother, William, served in the War or not. There is a William Boston in the roster of the 10th Indiana Light Artillery, and one in the 8th Ohio Infantry. He died young, apparently unmarried, in 1872.

Lafayette Co., MO, 1860 - Sometime between 1840 and 1850, Alexander Richard Brown moved his family from Breckinridge Co., KY, to Lafayette Co., MO. The family consisted of:

• Alexander Richard Brown, b. 1795, Virginia
• his wife, Harriett A., b. 1808, KY. I believe her maiden name may have been Colville, and that she had Hales connections, but haven't yet been able to prove either idea
• daughter Elizabeth, b. 1838, KY
• son John Hales, b. 1840, KY
• daughter Harriett A., b. 1842, KY
• son Alexander Richard, b. 1844, KY
• son James Oscar, b. 1846, KY
• daughter Sarah Louise, b. 1848, MO
• son Colville G., b. 1850, MO

In 1862, oldest son John enlisted with the 3rd Regiment Missouri Infantry Volunteers, Co. F.

3rd Infantry Regiment [also called 2nd Regiment] was organized near Springfield,
Missouri, in January, 1862. Many of the men were from St. Louis and Jefferson
and Franklin counties. The unit soon moved east of the Mississippi River and was
active in the engagements at Iuka and Corinth. Later it was assigned to Bowen's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. The 3rd fought in various conflicts during the Vicksburg siege and was captured on July 4, 1863. Exchanged and assigned to General Cockrell's Brigade, it was consolidated with the 5th Regiment. This command participated in the Atlanta Campaign, endured Hood's winter operations in Tennessee, then aided in the defense of Mobile. The 3rd lost 5 killed, 65 wounded, and 23 missing at Corinth, had 13 killed, 63 wounded, and 44 missing at Champion's Hill, and during the Vicksburg siege had 18 killed and 83 wounded. In the Atlanta Campaign, May 18 to September 5, the 3rd/5th reported 128 casualties and 68 at Allatoona. Very few surrendered in May, 1865. Its commanders were Colonels William R. Gause, James A. Prichard, and Benjamin A. Rives; Lieutenant Colonels Finley L. Hubbell and James K. McDowell, and Major Robert J. Williams.

The two middle Brown boys, Alexander Richard (who sometimes appears in records as Alex and sometimes as Richard) and James Oscar (frequently listed as J.O., sometimes as Oscar), signed up with Co. C., Elliot's Regiment.

Col. Benjamin Elliott's Cavalry regiment was also known as the "1st Missouri Cavalry Battalion" or the "10th Missouri Cavalry Regiment" as well as the 9th Missouri Cavalry. 1st Cavalry Regiment was formed during summer of 1861. Many of its members had served with the Missouri State Guard. The unit fought at Elkhorn Tavern, then moved east of the Mississippi River and was dismounted. After fighting at Iuka and Corinth, it was assigned to M.E. Green's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. It took an active part in the fight at Big Black River Bridge and on July 4, 1863, was captured at Vicksburg . After the exchange it was assigned to General Cockrell's Brigade, and consolidated with the 3rd (Samuel's) Missouri Cavalry Battalion. It fought with the Army of Tennessee throughout the Atlanta Campaign and was part of Hood's operations in Tennessee. Later it was involved in the defense of Mobile. On May 4, 1862, the regiment contained 536 effectives and lost 9 killed and 54 wounded at Corinth. The 1st/3rd Battalion reported 25 killed, 80 wounded, and 3 missing during the Atlanta Campaign and sustained 56 casualties at Allatoona. The small command surrendered with the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. The field officers were Colonel Elijah Gates; Lieutenant Colonels Richard B. Chiles, George W. Law, and William D. Maupin; and Majors Robert R. Lawther and William C. Parker.

The youngest boy, Colville, was not necessarily too young to have served, perhaps as a drummer, but I haven't found any indication that he ever enlisted.

Alex and Oscar married and raised families in Lafayette Co., MO. Alex and his wife Julia were admitted to the Confederate Veterans Home in Higginsville, MO; Alex died in 1928 and is buried in the Higginsville Confederate Cemetery. (http://www.mostateparks.com/confedmem/geninfo.htm)

J.O. had 5 sons, but in 1910 is living with one of Alex's daughters and her family. He applied for a Confederate pension from the State of Missouri in 1914. I haven't been able to find a death certificate for him, nor have I been able to find him or any of his sons in the 1920 census, in
Missouri or any other state, but the search continues.

Young Colville went to live with his eldest brother John after the death of their mother, and died in 1876. He's buried in the Brown Family Cemetery in Chariton Co., MO.

John married Drucilla Raiford Agee of Brunswick, Chariton Co., MO, where he farmed his mother-in-law's land. The couple had 5 children, only one of whom survived to adulthood. John died in 1907.

Being an incurable romantic, I love the parallels between the two families--both families making a long and arduous move to new territory at about the same time, sons from one family fighting for the Union and from the other for the Confederacy and being at the same place at least once (the siege of Atlanta), one brother from each family ending his days in a veterans' home and being buried on the grounds, the youngest son in each family dying young.

And the best part? John Hales Brown's son Lon married Jacob Boston's daughter Nora, and they became my great-grandparents.

(If you have any questions about any of the principals mentioned above, please contact me, as I have more information about the various Browns and Bostons.)

Brick walls and a stop in the swamp

We all have 'em, right?

Here are a few of mine:

Maria Susannah Agee. B. abt. 1785 in Buckingham Co., VA, d. 1861, Buckingham Co., VA. Married Vincent Reid Brooks, had 11 children. The problem is that no one seems to know for sure which Agee family she belongs to. Buckingham Co. was crawling with Agees at that time, but when you consider that they were all descended from the 3 sons of Matthew Isaac Agee, who arrived in Virginia with a group of Huguenot immigrants around the end of the 17th century, you wouldn't think it would be that hard to track. No go, though. Buckingham Co. is a "burned" county, and most of the official records are gone, and what information I have found about her seems unlikely.

William Butler Ensor. How cool a name is that, anyway? B. 1856 in Washington Co., KY, d. ? Married Mary Agnes Megown, had 3 children, is last seen officially in the 1915 Kansas state census, last mentioned unofficially in his sister Fanny's obituary in 1925. Vanishes without a trace.

William H. Boston - b. abt. 1801, maybe in Virginia, maybe in Maryland. First officially shows up in marriage records in Fairfield Co., OH, when he married Rachel Rader in 1825. Had 5 children, died in Browns Corners, Huntington Co., IN in 1872. Can't go any farther back with the Bostons than William.

John A. Boston - eldest son of William, b. 1838, Fairfield Co., OH. Served with the 100th Ohio Infantry in the Civil War, went back home and worked as a carpenter with his brothers in 1870, then disappears until 1900, when he's listed as living at the Dayton Military Home. In 1900 and 1910 censuses, he's shown as a widower; on his death certificate it says he's single (which, technically, he was at the time of his death). Where was he between 1870 and 1900, and was he or wasn't he married?

Harriett L. Brown - b. 1808 KY; d. 1873 Ray Co., MO. Don't know what her maiden name was. She married Alexander Richard Brown, and had a son named Alexander Richard--Brown family names. There was also a son named John Hales Brown, and a son named Colville G. Brown. It's purely a guess that Hales and Colville are from her side of the family: I have enough information to know it's not from the Brown side, and Colville is a fairly unusual name. Problem is, I can't find any Hales or Colvilles/Colvils/Colevilles in KY in the 1800 or 1810 census.

Bezaleel Brooks. Great name, isn't it? You wouldn't think I could lose someone named Bezaleel. Bezaleel is one of the sons of Maria Susannah Agee and Vincent Reid Brooks, b. 1822 in Buckingham Co., VA. He was a 1st Sgt/2nd Lt. of the "Jeff Davis Guard," Co. A. of the 57th VA Infantry. I've found nothing to indicate he was killed in action. I can't find him or his wife, Ann Moseley Brooks, in any post-Civil War census; his son, William Reid Brooks, went out to join the Chariton Co. Agees by 1880, which would seem to indicate that his parents had died.

Hales. If Harriett Brown's maiden name was Hales, or if her mother's maiden name was Hales, my next question is: Is there an Agee connection? When I talk about the genealogical swamp, it's the Agees I'm talking about. The Agees and their extremely complicated family relationships. With the Agees and "allied families," as the genealogists say, you have to enter everyone in every family into your database, because if you don't, 2 or 3 generations down the line you're going to find out that person A married person B, who turns out to be the son of the guy whose half-sister's mother was the daughter of person A's grandfather's younger brother. You can get lost for days following the twists and turns of these people, until you get dizzy and fall in. They would fit right into The Shire (you may remember that hobbits love genealogy and everyone knows who is related to whom in what degree). Fortunately, they're reasonably easy to track because of their naming habits, and if a name like Darby or Mourning pops up, you know you need to backtrack and see where it came from, and if there's a Maria Susannah in someone's family, there's likely to be a Maria Susannah or Mary Susan in the families of all of Maria Susannah's siblings (so you'd better get your dates straight).

Therefore, when John Hales Brown shows up and marries Drucilla Raiford Agee (Drucilla Raiford married John Dickerson Mask, and is the great-grandmother of Drucilla Raiford Agee), AND when Elizabeth Hales marries Matthew Ayres, who is the father of Nathan Ayres, who married Mary Agnes Bondurant, who is the first cousin 3x removed of Drucilla Raiford Agee (are you dizzy yet?) -- well, I just get suspicious, that's all!

The Civil War in Missouri

First, I want to say yikes and wow! 324 visitors already! Looks like I'd better get posting!

There's so much I want to put here, but I know that with this kind of blog it's best to keep each post limited to one topic (and I'm terrible at sticking to one topic). After exchanging a couple of posts with a fellow Missouri Musick, I thought I would post a bit about a couple of my Civil War families.

I'm by no means an expert on the Civil War in Missouri, but I do get the idea that it was pretty nasty--no big battles, but lots of families fighting other families within the same communities or counties--a little like Iraq today, maybe. Think Kansas bushwhackers. A lot of the older men didn't enlist into regular units for either side, but banded together into home guards to try to protect their families, farms, and businesses. These groups were called Enrolled Missouri Militia if they were Union. I'm sorry to say I can't remember what they were called if they were Confederate. Men who served with the Enrolled Missouri Militia or the Confederate equivalent weren't considered regular soldiers and weren't eligible for pensions, so they often don't show up on Civil War sites.

BUT--If you have a male Missouri ancestor who was alive during that time, you might try looking for him here: http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soldiers/ This is one of the State of Missouri's on-line searchable databases (and how I wish more states had these online!), and covers Missouri soldiers from the War of 1812 through World War I. One nice thing about these records is you can just plug in a county and indicate which conflict you're interested in, and it will pull up all the records for the county, so if your ancestor's name got spelled differently or transcribed differently, you might still be able to find him--or his cousin or brother-in-law or some relative you didn't know you had.

Another place to look for Missouri Civil War-related information is the index of Missouri's Union Provost Marshall Papers 1861-1866. http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/provost/default.asp This is incomplete--261 of 300 rolls of microfilm, according to the site--but in progress. I need to do more reading to really get what it was the Provost Marshall did, but there's no telling what you might find here. For instance, I found this entry:

Moberly, Wm. E.
Chariton
Brunswick
Peter Abee, currently on trial, is a good and loyal man
08-23-1864
F 1213

My guess is that "Peter Abee" is actually "Peter Agee" in part because I'm not aware of any Abees in Chariton County (there were Abees, but they seem to have been mostly in North Carolina and Ohio in 1860), and in part because there was a Peter Agee (my 2nd cousin 4x removed) living in Brunswick at this time. What's interesting about this is that Peter came from a slave-holding family, though his name isn't in either the 1850 or 1860 Slave Schedules, and Moberly served as a Colonel in the Chariton Co. EMM. The microfilms are part of NARA records, and I assume one could request copies, so getting a copy of this statement is on my "to do" list.

I was actually going to talk about the two families I've done the most Civil War research on, but this is already too long, so I'll save it for later.