Mt Olive Cemetery Veterans Tour

Joe K. Bailey (24th Infantry Unit)

Joe Bailey biography coming soon!

Lucien Barker (101st USCT)

Lucien Barker was born in Green Springs, Virginia in 1834, and while still a baby, he was brought to Christian County, Kentucky. His mother was Nelly Barker and the family consisted of five boys: Peter, Charles, Coleman, Stephen, and Lucien and three girls: Elizabeth, Maria, and Henrietta. By 1900, the whole family was deceased. The family was owned by Charles Barker. While still a slave, Lucien married his first wife Eliza Catlin who belonged to Jack Catlin. The marriage occurred about 1851 and required the permission of both Charles Barker and Jack Catlin. To even see her, he required a pass from his owner to travel to the farm she lived on. Lucien and Eliza had two children who did not live very long.

In 1864, Lucien ran away to the Contraband Camp in Clarksville, TN, and was recruited into Company K, 101st USCT from there on November 7, 1864 for 3 years. His muster in document describes him as 30 years old, 5 feet 7 inches in height, black hair and eyes, and black complexion. His occupation was listed as farmer, and he was paid a $300 enlistment bounty, the first installment of this was noted as being paid in March/April 1865. The only other note of interest in his military record is that in July/August 1865 he lost a wiper, screw driver, and a tompion (a cylinder, usually made of wood, which is pushed into the muzzle end of a gun barrel preventing rain, snow, mud, etc. from entering the barrel). Because of this loss, he owed the army 34 cents.

He spent his entire enlistment in Nashville, TN and while serving there, he was visited by his wife Eliza. During this visit, she became sick and died in 1864. He mustered out on January 21, 1866 in Nashville. He owed the government $5.20 in his clothing account and was paid the last $100 of his bounty.

Lucien returned to Clarksville and in 1869, he married for a second time to Harriet Dabney. They lived at a place called Cabin Row which was in South Montgomery County 12 or 14 miles from Clarksville. Their happiness was short lived. About a year after they married, Harriet died and was buried in Cabin Row. Lucien and Harriet had one child which did not live long enough to get named.

The 1870 census shows Lucien living with his brother Charles working as a laborer on Charles’s farm. Lucien had no personal or real estate property, but Charles had a personal estate worth $200 and real estate worth $540.

On January 8, 1871, Lucien married for the final time. Rebecca Ramey was born on August 15, 1854 to Phillip Dix and Adline Ramey. She also had been married before to a wagon driver named William Hillman. William died in 1870, about a year before she met Lucien. Lucien and Rebecca had 7 or 8 children, but only 2 or 3 of them lived to adulthood. The confusion occurs due to the 1900 and 1910 censuses which list Rebecca as having a total of 7 children with 3 living to adulthood. Her deposition in

the pension record states they had 8 children with only 2 still living. The 1880 census lists Lucien’s occupation as farmer and shows that there were two children in the family. Mary Barker born 1868 aged 12, and Charlie Barker born 1874 aged 6. Neither of these children appear on subsequent documents on the family and are not mentioned in any depositions in the pension records.

In the Clarksville City Directory of 1895, the family is listed as living on Martin Street. The house was described as a small box house on a tiny lot on Martin Street in South Clarksville valued at $150. Lucien died in this house which was numbered 108 S. Martin Street by 1910.

Lucien applied for and received a pension for neuralgia in the face, lost sight in his right eye, and two large tumors on his right shoulder and back caused by carrying cartridge boxes. His tumors were described as shaped like bladders the size of tea cups. Witnesses state that you could see the tumors through his clothing.

Lucien Barker died at 6:30 a.m. on December 6, 1896 at his home on Martin Street. No doctor attended him because the final illness occurred and concluded so fast that he was dead before the doctor could get there. He left behind Rebecca and two daughters: Lucy born January 27, 1883 and Pearl born September 14, 1888. Lucien Barker was buried in Mt. Olive on December 7, 1896.

Rebecca applied for a widow’s pension claiming extreme poverty and received $8 a month starting on June 7, 1897. By the time she died, she was receiving $30 per month. She is listed in the 1911 Clarksville City Directory as a laundress. Her eldest daughter is listed as a maid. Rebecca died on February 15, 1915 at age 70 of general paralysis resulting from hemorrhage from the brain. Her death certificate lists her occupation as house-keeping. Rebecca is buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery and is one of the few USCT wives with a headstone. When she died, her little box house was valued at $400 which resulted in the rejection of Pearl’s claim for reimbursement of the expense of nursing and burying her mother.

Marshall Burr (15th USCT)

Marshall Burr was born William Marshall Owen to Martin Owen and America (Merisa) Rutherford in Logan County, Kentucky in 1846. At some point in his teens, he was sold to Edmond Burr of Springfield, TN. On September 28, 1864 at the age of 18 years old, he enlisted as Marshall Burr in Company I of the 15th USCT for 3 years. He was 5’8” tall with a black complexion and black hair and eyes. His occupation at the time of enlistment was as a farmer. He received a bounty of $300 for enlisting.

His military record shows he was charged for one tampion (amount unknown) and 2 cents for ordinance due to stoppage. On July 3, 1865 he was absent sick in the General Hospital in Nashville until he mustered out on April 7, 1866 when they paid him the last $200 owed on his bounty and $16 in pay. Due to General Order #101 dated 30 May 1865, Marshall was able to buy his weapon for $6. He was hospitalized for pneumonia and scorbutus (known today as scurvy and results from a deficiency of vitamin C).

After Marshall was mustered out he came to Clarksville. His Father, mother, sister: Margaret, and brothers were living in Clarksville at the time. His father convinced him to take the family name of Owens. After this point, he was known variously as William Owens, Marshall Owens, William Burr, and Marshall Burr. His family later moved to Kansas where they died. Marshall’s sister and brother would die before he did. One brother, named Henry Fisher, was also living in Clarksville and chose to stay when the rest of the family left.

On November 18, 1869, Marshall was married Delilah Johnson by Rev. Henry Wilcox at St. John Baptist Church in Clarksville, TN. This church is known today as St. John Missionary Baptist Church at 1833 Tiny Town Road. Marshall was a member of this church. His marriage license lists him as William Owen. Together they had six children Jennie born in 1868 whose date of death is unknown, Callie (also known as Lilley) born September 15, 1871 and died September 1874, Rachel born February 20, 1874 whose date of death is unknown, Ruth born June 24, 1876 and died June 1, 1890, Solomon born November 11, 1875 whose date of death is unknown, and William born on July 15, 1878 and died on the same day.

Delilah was born in Robertson County and was a former slave of Cave Johnson by inheritance. Her mother Silvesta or Silvey Johnson was also one of Cave Johnson’s slaves and lived in Clarksville.

After mustering out of the Army, Marshall worked in a brickyard for five years. He then became a section hand for the L & N Railroad moving up to working at the freight depot for the last 16 years of his life. All of these jobs involved hard physical labor. He was also a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows whose purpose is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan”.

Marshall started to have problems with his health in February 1886 when he was diagnosed with chronic lumbago. In September 1889, he was treated for pneumonia. Marshall Burr died of Tuberculosis of the lungs on March 31, 1890 at the age of 42. Two months after he died, his last surviving child, Ruth, died. One of the physicians that treated Marshall was Ernest Angus, a black Clarksville physician. He was also treated by Dr. Thomas Dixson Johnson, a member of the family that formerly owned Delilah.

Delilah Burr applied for a widow’s pension on May 24, 1890. Part of receiving this pension required Delilah to connect the cause of her husband’s death to his service in the USCT. The pension request claimed that his death from consumption was due to a heavy cold caught while in the Army at Springfield, TN in January or February 1865. She had to get statements from all his doctors. Dr. Johnson, whose office was at 124 Strawberry Alley declined to give her a statement because he did not remember Marshall’s treatment well enough to know what he treated Marshall for. Delilah also had to declare her personal wealth. At the time of Marshall’s death, they owned two houses: 317 Ninth St. and 1028 Franklin Street. She rented the one on Franklin Street to Mrs. Julia Anderson for $2 a month.

In 1900, Delilah was living with her mother Silvey Johnson and her niece Cherry Polk aged 10 at 317 Ninth Street. Cherry was the daughter of Delilah’s sister. By 1910, Silvey died and was buried in Mt. Olive and Delilah and Cherry were living at 1028 Franklin Street. On October 12, 1916, Delilah died of Mitral Insufficiency and was buried in Mt. Olive. She left everything to her two nieces, Cherry Polk and Jennie Owens. Jennie would go on to marry William Keesee, an undertaker who buried quite a few people in Mt. Olive.

Thomas Campbell (16th USCT)

Thomas Campbell was born in Warrick County, Virginia in 1841. It is unknown how he came to Tennessee but during that time frame, Virginia and North Carolina became important in the exporting of slaves to other states since importing slaves from Africa was outlawed in 1808.

Thomas enlisted in Company H, 16th USCT on January 21, 1864 in Clarksville, Tennessee for a term of three years. He was 23 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall with black hair and eyes and a black complexion. He had been a farmer before he enlisted. His service record is unexceptional until he was granted a 15-day furlough which started on November 24, 1865. He was charged $6.20 for transportation to and from wherever he spent his furlough. Most USCT units were kept on active duty until 1866 but after hostilities ended, the units granted furloughs wholesale to their troops. Otherwise, Thomas was never absent from duty and did not loose any of his equipment. Company H does not seem to have left Chattanooga at all during its time on active duty so Thomas would not have seen action at the Battle of Nashville. When he was mustered out of the Army on April 30, 1866, the Government owed him $11.38.

Thomas is listed in the 1880 Census as living in District 12 of Montgomery County, Tennessee. This district encompasses Clarksville City proper. Listed with him is his wife Sarah who was born in 1840. They have no children in the household and Thomas listed his occupation as Laborer.

Thomas knew and was friends with William Logan. He made a deposition for William Logan’s application for a pension dated February 10, 1890. In his deposition, Thomas attested to the fact that he knew William both before and after the war and could state from personal knowledge details of William’s health problems and their effect on William’s ability to do any labor. Thomas had worked with him and testified that William was unfit to do labor.

Thomas, himself, filed an application for a pension on August 11, 1890 and like so many of the Clarksville USCT veterans, his initial attorney was R. D. Newton who was paid $10 to forward his claim. His application stated that he suffered from dropsy and its results which left him unfit for labor. Dropsy is an old medical term that refers to the swelling of soft tissue that usually indicates congestive heart failure.

Thomas Campbell’s pension record is extremely brief and includes a mere 13 pages. His initial application was a standard form that indicates his unit of service, dates of service, reason for unfitness

for labor, and details of who his attorney was. On April 9, 1891, Thomas had an appointment for a medical examination in Russellville, Kentucky. A note appears on this form stating “Claimant failed to appear within the specified time. A letter from a Clarksville attorney, J. W. Robarts with an office at 93 Strawberry Alley is dated July 11, 1892. He stated in the letter that the claimant was indebted and inquired about reimbursement of Thomas Campbell’s claim. This is the sum total of information in the pension record of Thomas Campbell.

The reason he did not appear at his medical examination was that he died on December 7, 1890. We can make the assumption that he died of his cardiac condition. We know the date that he died because someone asked the Federal Government for a USCT headstone for his grave. He may have left a small paper trail but his service in the United States Colored Troops left a large legacy.

Sterling Campbell (16th USCT)

Sterling Campbell was born into enslavement in 1838 in Christian County, Kentucky. His enslaver was John P. Campbell, and his parents were Adelaide Campbell and Louis Gibson. He had one brother named Henry Gibson. In 1858, Sterling received the permission of his enslaver and the permission of Randel Boyd, the enslaver of his intended wife, to marry Nancy Boyd. Nancy was the daughter of Roe McCulluct and Eliza Boyd. The couple’s enslavers, John P. Campbell and Randel Boyd were partners in the tobacco industry and lived close to each other.

On January 21, 1864, Sterling enlisted in Company H, 16 ^th  USCT in Clarksville, Tennessee. He was 26 years old, five feet four inches tall, with black eyes and hair, and a black complexion. It is probable that at the time of his enlistment, Nancy had also escaped to freedom in Clarksville. The 16 ^th  USCT left Clarksville for Chattanooga, Tennessee in April 1864. On September 18, 1864, Sterling was treated for diarrhea. He was sick in the Regimental Hospital on October 30, 1864 but was present with his unit during the Battle of Nashville where the 16 ^th  USCT was part of the Federal Army’s reserve and participated in the march back to Chattanooga after the battle. In January/February 1865, Sterling was charged forty cents for lost Camp and Garrison Equipage. He was admitted to the Regimental Hospital on August 6, 1865 for diarrhea and was so sick that they transferred him to General Hospital Number 1 where they diagnosed him with hepatic dropsy (body swelling caused by liver disfunction). He returned to duty on September 16, 1865. Sterling was allowed to go home on furlough on November 24, 1865 and returned December 8, 1865. From January 21 ^st  to the 23 ^rd , 1866, Sterling was treated for a headache which may mean that it was a migraine headache. He was in the hospital again with diarrhea from January 28 to February 1, 1866, and was hospitalized with dysentery from February 19 through February 22, 1866. Sterling’s military history highlights the dangers of camp life, and shows how disease killed more soldiers than bullets did in the Civil War. He was mustered out of the Army in Nashville, Tennessee on April 30, 1866. The Army owed him seventeen dollars and twenty cents at the time of his discharge.

The 1870 Montgomery County, Tennessee census is the only census that listed Sterling Campbell. The family was living in District 12 which included downtown Clarksville. He is listed as a 35-year-old laborer. Nancy, aged 30, was listed as keeping house. Sterling’s 65-year-old mother, Adelaide was living with them. Three children were listed with them. Daughter Jud was fourteen, sons Sterling, Junior and Lewis were aged 4 and 2 respectively. Two other children were added to the family later: daughter Eliza Jane was born in 1874 and the final child, George was born in 1875.

Sterling Campbell died on April 14, 1876 of heart disease. Two of his children, Jud and Eliza Jane, had predeceased him. It is not currently known where the two children are buried but Sterling was buried in Mt Olive Cemetery by Henry Roberts. In one of life’s ironies, Henry Roberts was deposed for Nancy’s Widow’s Pension application and stated his records were burned in Clarksville’s big fire of 1878. He stated he remembered burying Sterling in Sterling’s own garden. But for the discovery of his headstone, Sterling’s resting place would be unknown.

Nancy Campbell applied for a widow’s pension on April 5, 1889. At the time she applied, Nancy had three living children: Sterling Junior, Lewis, and George. All three children were eligible for a minor’s pension since they were less than sixteen years old when their father died. The minor’s pension would pay each of them $2 per month until they reached the age of sixteen. Stephen O. W. Brandon was Nancy’s pension agent. He wrote down the statements of her witnesses and guided her through the pension process, but he was not a lawyer. Nancy was granted a pension on January 22, 1895. By the time of her pension the laws were changed so that when a pension was granted, it was backdated to the original application date. Nancy received money on her pension and the children’s pension starting from 1889 which amounted to a first check of $450. Stephen O. W. Brandon lobbied Nancy to get her to agree to give him 1/3 of her first check for the work he did to help her get her pension. This was in violation of the pension laws which only allowed pension lawyers and agents to receive a maximum of $10. Nancy would not agree to this and shrewdly took her son Lewis with her when she picked up and cashed her first check. She offered Brandon the $10 he was authorized and he refused it. She added five dollars and met with another refusal. Brandon finally accepted $30. Unfortunately for him, Nancy reported the transaction. A special examiner was sent to take her statement as well as one from her son. The special examiner found more cases where Brandon required more than ten dollars in payment and recommended that Brandon be criminally prosecuted.  Brandon was found guilty on four counts of violation of the Pension Act of June 27, 1890. He was sentenced on April 28, 1896 to 13 months in the Brooklyn Penitentiary for each count. Sentences were to be served concurrently.

The 1910 Montgomery County, Tennessee census listed Nancy Campbell living at 314 Kellog Street with her sister, Margaret Boyd. Nancy owned the house and no occupation was listed for her. Margaret was working as a cook for a private family. Nancy’s son Lewis was married with nine children and living next door at 312 Kellog Street. Sterling Junior was married and living at 437 Lee Street. Both Sterling Junior and Lewis were working as laborers in a tobacco factory. Sterling Campbell died on March 22, 1911 of tuberculosis. His burial place is currently unknown. Nancy Campbell died five years later on June 4, 1916 of chronic bronchitis. She was buried in Mt Olive Cemetery on June 5, 1916 by Nace Dixon’s Undertaking firm. No headstone has currently been found for her.

Bibliography

Clarksville, Tennessee City Directory (1911).

Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the United States

Colored Troops: Infantry Organizations, 14 ^th  through 19 ^th , Civil War, Campbell, Sterling, National

Archives Building, Washington, D. C.

Montgomery County, Tennessee Census (1870, 1900, 1910).

Pension File 406492, Campbell, Sterling, Civil War, National Archives Building, Washington, D. C.

Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1958; Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee.

“The Penalty: Thirteen Months in the Brooklyn Prison for Each Offense,” Clarksville Weekly Leaf-

Chronicle, April 28, 1896.

Shelby Clark (16th USCT)

Shelby Clark was born into slavery in Christian County, Kentucky about 1842. When he was 22 years old, he crossed the state line into Tennessee and enlisted in Company G of the 16th USCT. His enlistment date was January 15, 1864 but he had to wait three days before being mustered into the Army. Soldiers were not paid until they mustered in and often, they were required to wait until a full company had been recruited before the muster occurred. The 16th USCT had a recruitment station and a camp in Clarksville, Tennessee near what is now Ft. Defiance. The station was in operation from December 1863 until April 18641. Shelby committed himself to three years of service to the Army.

The Army described him as five feet four and one-half inches tall with copper skin, black hair, and brown eyes. His pre-army occupation, not surprisingly, was farmer. When the 16th USCT left Clarksville, it went to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since all the major battles in the area were over by November of 1863, the 16th was basically an occupation force. The unit came back to Nashville in late November 1864 to bolster Union strength during Confederate General Hood’s attempt to retake the city. They were involved in minor skirmishes before and after the Battle of Nashville, but were part of the reserve force during the battle. They were part of the pursuit force chasing Hood’s Army after the battle, but were ordered to march back to Chattanooga when they got to Murfreesboro. These men basically walked back to Chattanooga during a cold winter.

This may account for an entry on Shelby’s January/February 1865 roll card stating that he lost his haversack (cost 40 cents) and his canteen (cost 45 cents). However, the rest of his military record indicates that he was probably very careless of his equipment. The September/ October roll card reports he was charged twelve cents for ordinance and had lost a lampion (a small oil lamp) and a cartridge belt plate. He committed the ultimate soldier sin in January/February 1866. It is recorded that he lost “by neglect” one Enfield R musket (cal. 58) for which he was charged $18.50. When he mustered out on April 30, 1866, the Army owed him $8.32.

He must have traveled straight back to Clarksville, Tennessee after his discharge because he married Sarah Wyatt on October 13, 1867 in Montgomery County. The 1880 Montgomery County Census lists Shelby, aged 38, Sarah, aged 29, John, age 8, and Lilley, age 5 living in District 12 in Montgomery County. His pension indicates they had another son, George, born in 1868. Since he doesn’t appear on the 1880 census, he probably died before the census was taken.

Shelby found work at the Lafayette Mill which was located by the Depot on Spring Street. His job was moving wheat from the granary to the mill. He was employed by W. T. Dorch. He also worked as a laborer at one of the tobacco factories. His work for the mill was performed in all types of weather and was hard manual, outdoor labor. The two buildings for the old Depot still exist and are used as City Government offices today.

The Clark family continued to grow. A daughter, Shelbina, was born in 1881. The following year Clarence was born. Their final child Lura, a daughter, was born in 1886. Lura had not attained her 6th birthday when Sara died and was buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery on April 6, 1891 by Henry Roberts, a local black undertaker. That left Shelby with five children, four of them under the age of 18. Sarah was a member of the Household of Ruth which is the female lodge in the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows. Wives, unmarried daughters, and sisters of Odd Fellows may join. This means that Shelby was a member of the Odd Fellows2.

Just before Sarah died, Shelby applied for a pension on February 12, 1891. He complained of rheumatism in his left hip and leg which in his first application he stated was due to exposure from his job at the mill. He had such a bad attack of rheumatism in January of 1874 that he was confined to his bed for 6 months. He had a reoccurrence in the fall of 1876 which lasted 3 months, and the problem reoccurred every year until his death. His first application was denied since it was not service related. He applied again and stated his rheumatism was caused by cold and exposure suffered in November 1864 near Nashville. His physical exam for this application revealed a heart murmur, chronic sciatica and muscle atrophy in the left leg, and joints stiffened and painful in motion.

He was granted a pension of $12 per month which started on February 4, 1893. He only collected three months of pension before he died on April 15, 1893 of consumption. His three youngest children, Shelbina, Clarence, and Lura, were under the age of 16 when he died. On May 8, 1893, Cube Steele, a neighbor and fellow veteran of the 16th USCT became the guardian of Shelby’s minor children. In 1894, he applied for minor’s pensions for the three of them and succeeded in getting them pensions which started in June of 1905.

On July 9, 1902, Lura married Jas Martin. They moved to Evansville, Indiana. Lura was 15 years old when she married. Shelbina married Julien Bell on November 1, 1895 at the age of 14 years. Shelbina died on May 30, 1905, and the location of her grave is currently unknown. Clarence is listed in Cube Steele’s household in the 1900 Montgomery County census. His relationship to the head of household is listed as nephew, and he was working as a tobacco factory laborer. When he died or where he is buried is unknown at this time.

Chesterfield Dabney (16th USCT)

Born in 1846 in Montgomery County, Tennessee

Enlisted on December 26, 1863 in the 16th USCT Infantry Company F. When he enlisted, his occupation was listed as Farmer. He enlisted in Clarksville, TN for a period of 3 years.

His description on his muster-in was an 18 year old who was 5’5” with copper skin, black eyes and black hair.

He was promoted to Corporal on June 26, 1864 at Chattanooga, TN. On the muster roll dated May and June 1865, he was listed as sick in the Regimental Hospital in Nashville, TN.

He was mustered out on April 30, 1866 in Nashville, TN

On August 28, 1874, he married Mary Buckner who had been previously married and had an 8 year old daughter, Willie May from the previous marriage. Willie took The Dabney name. Chesterfield and Mary had one child together John who was born July 28, 1878.

They lived in Clarksville, TN from 1866 to 1908. On 1910 census, Chesterfield and Mary were living in Louisville, KY where he was employed as a tobacco packer by Luckett Wake Tobacco Company.

Mary died in 1917. The 1920 census finds Chesterfield and his son John living with stepdaughter Willie and her husband James H. Lewis in Louisville, KY. John died in 1921 of retention of urine. Willie May died of pneumonia in 1925. The 1930 census finds Chesterfield probably living in a boarding house or hotel since the census lists the number of people living in the building at 64.

Chesterfield died in Louisville, KY on November 26, 1931 of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). He was 85 years old and had outlived his immediate family. His nearest relative was Stella Dabney Parker, a niece, who lived in Indiana.

For his service with the Union Army he was awarded a pension In 1901 of $6 per month for rheumatism. Under the Act of July 6, 1907 his pension was increased to $12 per month. In 1912 it was raised to $17 per month. In 1915 when he was 70 years old, he applied for another raise in his pension due to attaining the age of 70 years old. The application was rejected because they considered his birth day to be the day he enlisted. Chesterfield had to wait until December to apply again.

Joseph Dorris (13th USCT)

Joseph Dorris was born in Benton County, Tennessee in 1846. His last owners were Will and Brad Dorris of Henry County. His mother’s name was Mary Rushing, and his father is unknown. His mother called him Joab which is the name he enlisted under. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall with a dark black complexion and black hair and eyes. At 19 years old he enlisted in Company B of the 13th USCT on April 25, 1865. He spent time in the Cumberland Hospital in Nashville in October 1865 for fever, diarrhea, and pneumonia. He was mustered out on January 10, 1866. He received a $300 bounty for joining.

After he left the army he lived in Memphis, Henry Station, Stewart County, and finally Clarksville, TN. He was married twice. His first wife was Rachel Travis with whom he had two daughters only one of which survived to adulthood. Rachel died while they lived in Stewart County and was buried in March 1874 in a graveyard on the Stacher farm which was 2 or 3 miles from Dover.

On December 22, 1875, Joseph married Caroline Smith Crockarell at Fort Donelson in a ceremony presided over by Reverend London Winston. Caroline was born in 1849 to Winsom Smith and Eliza Sanders. Her last owner was Ed Landy. She also had been married before to Nathan Cockarell. She divorced him in Stewart County on October 6, 1875 because he tried to kill her. Nathan Cockarell died before Caroline married Joseph Dorris.

Joseph Dorris applied for an invalid pension for rheumatism in his right ankle, knee, and hip, and for a disabled left hand from a gunshot wound received during a skirmish. He also claimed that while in the hospital in Nashville, his eyes were injured and slight deafness occurred. His left hand was described as being drawn out of shape with the fingers being stiff. At first, he had trouble getting the pension since he enlisted after the war was considered over, but eventually they granted him a pension starting on February 16, 1891 of $6 a month.

Six months before he died, Joseph left Caroline and lived in a boarding house on the corner of College and Poston Street. For the last ten years of his life, he could only do light work and gardening. He is described as being disabled ½ for performance of manual labor and was not a drinking man. On November 1, 1900, Joseph was sawing wood in Mile’s Wood Yard when he dropped dead. Since several people including Nace Dixon, the undertaker, stated that Joseph suffered from shortness of breath to

the point that at least one time he had to be helped home from work, his cause of death was determined to be heart disease.

Caroline survived him by about 32 years dying on June 26, 1932. She applied for a widow’s pension and was finally granted $8 a month in March 1901 which was increased to $40 in July of 1930. She earned her living as a laundress, and lived with Joseph’s daughter in the last years of her life at 843 College Street. She is buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery.

Joseph’s daughter, Callie Trice, took care of burying her step-mother and put in a claim for reimbursement to the government. This was refused since Caroline left enough money to cover the costs. Caroline left everything she owned to her step-daughter.

Robert Faulkner (101st USCT)

Robert Faulkner was born in Trigg County, Kentucky in 1838 to Sarah Faulkner and both were owned by Dr. Hutch Faulkner who lived about four miles from Port Royal. His future wife Margaret was born in 1843 in Robertson County, Tennessee and belonged to Tom Bowen. Tom Bowen’s place was about four miles from Dr. Faulkner’s so the two knew each other from childhood. While they were still slaves, Robert and Margaret were married in the summer of 1862 by Kit Humphrey, a black preacher. The ceremony took place in Tom Bowen’s yard. The couple would go on to have 12 children but only one survived after the parents died. Unfortunately, we only know the names of three of the children.

Robert enlisted in Company H, 101st USCT on January 15,1865 in Clarksville and seems to have spent his entire term of service here. The 27-year-old was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, black hair and eyes with a yellow complexion. The March/April 1865 muster roll notes that he was absent sick in hospital at Clarksville, Tennessee since March 25, 1865. On September 1, 1865, Robert was promoted to sergeant. His military career came to an end when he was mustered out of the Army on January 24, 1866 in Nashville. The Army owed him $3.15 in pay, and paid him a $100 bounty.

Robert and Margaret are listed in the 1870 Montgomery County, Tennessee census with two daughters: Eliza born in 1866 and Phebe born in 1868. In 1870 they added another daughter, Mannerva to the family. They lived at 216 Poston Street in a house described as a small rudely constructed frame cabin which was probably built by Robert himself. The house was renumbered several times as Clarksville grew. In 1910 it was renumbered 132 and in 1911 it was renumbered 415. In the 1870 census, Robert was working as a grocer and by 1880 he was listed as a laborer.

The community of USCT veterans seems to have been mutually supportive. In February of 1890, Robert witnessed a deposition that John Christian and Thomas Campbell gave supporting William Logan’s application for a pension. By this time, Robert was 52 years old and suffering from heart disease. Dr. N. L. Camey diagnosed him with organic heart disease due to exposure and wrote a deposition to that effect in support of Margaret’s application for a widow’s pension. During the last two weeks of his life, Robert was confined to bed. Margaret described his death on July 1,1890 as follows: “He got up, and walked out, and fell dead in the garden.” His daughter Phebe died in 1898. It is unclear when Eliza died and there is no record of where either of them is buried.

Margaret found herself living alone in the family house in 1900 working as a laundress. She owned the house outright with no mortgage. In the 1910 census, she is still living alone but is no longer working very likely due to her widow’s pension which she applied for in 1900. By 1920, Mannerva, her sole

surviving child, was living with Margaret in the family home along with her husband Reed Smith and their daughter Maggie.

Margaret died on August 31, 1925 of a perforating ulcer and was buried in Mt. Olive by Nace Dixion’s Undertaking Company. She was 82 years old. The total cost of her funeral was $170. At the time she died, her widow’s pension paid her $30 per month.

Isaac Fields (16th USCT)

According to the 1880 Census, Isaac Fields was born in 1838. He joined Company D, 16th USCT on December 24, 1863. His Descriptive Roll states he was 22 years old with black hair, brown eyes, and brown complexion standing 5 feet 7 inches tall. He was born in Montgomery County and joined the Army in Dover, Tennessee. His occupation when he joined was farmer. Unusually, when he mustered in he was given the rank of Corporal.

Company D of the 16th USCT spent its existence in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and it seems so did Isaac Fields. On the July/August 1865 Muster Roll, he is listed as in confinement at Chattanooga, Tennessee since August 27, 1865. His pension records show he was reduced in rank to Private on June 26, 1865. Muster Rolls indicate he was back with his company in September/October 1865.

Isaac Fields was mustered out of the Army in Nashville, Tennessee on April 30, 1866. His military record shows that he owed the government $4.67 on his clothing account. The next record found on Isaac Fields is the record of his marriage to Hannah Steger on 29 August 1875. At this time, he was living on Lewis Bower’s farm in St. Bethlehem near the old fairgrounds. Both he and Hannah worked on this farm and during the time they were there, their son, Floyd, was born. According to her petition for a widow’s pension, Hannah states that two years after Floyd was born they had a second son who lived just one week and a day. In 1880, they were living in downtown Clarksville according to the Census his occupation was laborer. He was 42 and living with Hannah and Floyd now aged 5. In Hannah’s statement for her pension request, she stated that Isaac earned his living as a brick maker.

Shortly before his death, Isaac and Hannah separated. According to statements made by Hannah and their neighbors and friends who gave depositions in her application for a pension, they had a very stormy marriage. It seems Isaac was a lady’s man. Testimony paints a picture of a man who ran around with women quite a bit before his marriage and did so after his marriage as well. In depositions, Charity Bradly stated “She could not stand him. He was awful mean to her.” Shelby Barker stated “She belonged to the church and he didn’t.” Monroe Warfield who was raised by Hannah and was living in the house at the time testified that Isaac came home drunk and beat her. She knocked him in the head, and he bundled up his clothes and moved in with another woman. He remained with this woman until just before his death when he moved in with his sister, Arlensen Ligger, who lived on Franklin Street. Statements in the pension request indicate that Isaac’s spine and kidneys were bad and that just before he died, he could hardly walk.

Isaac Fields died in his sister’s house. Most of the records state he died on July 26, 1890, and his wife stated he died at 6 a. m. In the pension application, C. W. Beaumont, Clarksville Health Officer who kept the mortuary record, stated that Isaac Fields died on July 15, 1888 and was buried in Mt. Olive by Henry

Roberts on July 16, 1888. He states Isaac died of Bright’s Disease. Bright’s Disease is a kidney disease characterized by inflammation of the kidney, apoplexy (bleeding in internal organs), convulsions, blindness, and coma. It is diagnosed frequently in patients with diabetes.

In September of 1890 as a result of a change in the law, Hannah Fields applied for a widow’s pension. As a result of a problem with conflicting dates in statements in her application, her pension request was referred for investigation. During the investigation, attention focused on her morals and if she had lived with another man since Isaac died. In 1893, Hannah was living at 1119 Franklin Street. In 1898 she was living at 1020 Franklin Street. At this time that part of town was called “Scuff” Town and was inhabited by “lewd colored women”. It is clear from the questions asked by the investigator that just living there called her morals into question. Some of the people deposed made clear that there was a man living in her “house” which at the time consisted of two rooms, one upstairs from the other. Her landlord stated that this man paid the rent for her rooms for several weeks. She denied any cohabitation and stated that she allowed him to stay a short time in the upstairs room while she stayed in the downstairs room.

Her application for a widow’s pension was rejected for adulterous cohabitation since the death of the soldier. She applied for reconsideration in 1897 but was rejected again on the same grounds.

No further records have been found at this time either on Hannah Fields or Floyd Fields.

It is interesting to note that both William Logan and his wife Eliza gave statements on behalf of Hannah Fields. William is one of the USCT buried in Mt. Olive but was in a different regiment. Eliza is also buried in Mt. Olive.

Charles Griffey (15th USCT)

Charles Griffey was born in 1840 in Columbia, Tennessee. He was owned by George G. Griffey and spent most of his life on a farm in Noah Springs, Kentucky which was in Christian County, Kentucky not far from the state line with Tennessee. While a slave, he had a wife named Sue Kendrick with whom he had a daughter named Charley Ann. Slave marriages were not considered legally binding and this one was even less binding due to the fact that George Griffey did not give his permission for Charles to marry. He apparently snuck out at night to go see Sue who was owned by Smiley Kendrick.

On February 16, 1864, Charles crossed the state line and came to Clarksville, Tennessee and enlisted in Company A, 16th USCT. He is described as 24 years old, 5 feet 2 inches tall, with brown complexion and hair and black eyes. He enlisted for 3 years. The 16th USCT spent almost all of its existence in Chattanooga, Tennessee. On the January/February 1865 muster roll, Charles is charged $1.25 for a canteen (45 cents) and two haversacks (80 cents). He was promoted to corporal on April 1, 1865.

The 16th USCT was ordered to Nashville, Tennessee in December of 1864 in response to Hood’s advance on that city. The 16th USCT fought in some initial skirmishes but was held in reserve during the battle. After the battle, Company A, 16th USCT, marched back to Chattanooga from Nashville. According to Charles’s bunk mate, this march took 12 to15 days and this is when his bunkmate noticed that Charles had problems with rheumatism. He stated that Charles walked bent over, and frequently had to use two sticks to walk. Many of his comrades stated in their depositions that Charles complained of rheumatism pains while in the Army and that he went to the regimental doctors to get medicine for it.

He was mustered out in Nashville on April 30, 1866 and owed the government 87 cents, and apparently the government did not owe him any money. He did not come straight to Clarksville after mustering out. Delia, his wife, states that he went to St. Louis to see his mother. He was back in Clarksville by 1867 because he married Delia Elder on August 3, 1867 in the basement of the white Methodist Church. Dr. Taylor presided over the ceremony. Delia had belonged to Joshua Elder who sent his slaves to a cousin in Little Rock, Arkansas when the war broke out. She came back to Clarksville in December of 1864. She met and became engaged to Charles while he was still in the Army. His relationship with Sue Kendrick had ended when he joined the Army by mutual consent.

Charles built a house at 146 Commerce Street in Clarksville soon after they married. He worked at Winfield Rove’s stable until his rheumatism began to cripple him. First his feet and legs caused him

problems, then it moved to his spine. He stopped working at the stable in the fall of 1867. When he was able, he worked as a painter because he could no longer do heavy work. In April of 1885, Charles went to see Dr. Charles Wilson who diagnosed him with locomotor ataxia which is described by Wikipedia as “the inability to precisely control one’s body movements.” Patients walk in a jerky, non-fluid manner and don’t know where their limbs are unless they look. This is a condition often connected with syphilis. Dr. Wilson only treated him a short time before his death. He did state in a deposition that he saw no other signs of syphilis and that the condition could be caused by other health issues. When Delia applied for a pension, the special examiner asked tactful questions of the people being deposed which were designed to see if Charles showed any signs of syphilis. No one had seen any signs of this disease.

Towards the end of his life, Charles was so crippled that he was confined to his house. He died there on February 6, 1888 at 6 pm. He was buried in Mt. Olive by Henry Roberts and the grave was dug by George Vance.

Delia got her pension and appears on the 1900 census living in their house with her widowed Sister-in-law and her nephew. Delia died on May 21, 1918.

As a side issue, when Delia first applied for a widow’s pension, her local lawyer was R. D. Newton. He is described as a crippled black lawyer. R. D. Newton’s name appears in several pension records. According to Delia, Newton convinced Charley Ann, Charles’s daughter, to apply for some of his pension money. On April 17, 1895, R. D. Newton was convicted of pension fraud and was sentenced to 13 months in jail.

Barry Gupton (16th USCT)

Very little is known about Barry and Kittie Gupton before the war. The pension record gives little to no personal information on them or their lives. The first records we have on Barry are his military records which show that he joined Company D of the 16th USCT on February 18, 1864 in Clarksville, Tennessee. He was 33 years old and had been born in Christian County, Kentucky in 1831. He was 5 feet 8 inches in height with black hair and eyes and a black complexion. His occupation prior to the Army had been farming.

His service was unremarkable. He did not rise in rank above private and did not loose any of his equipment. On October 19, 1865, like so many other USCT troops, he was given a furlough which he spent in Clarksville. The government charged him $11.80 for transportation to Clarksville and then back to Chattanooga, Tennessee. He returned to the unit in November of 1865. On March 30 and 31, 1866 Barry was treated for a sprain. His record does not specify what part of the body the sprain was in. When he mustered out in Nashville on April 30, 1866, the government owed him $25.23 in pay.

As a member of the 16th USCT, the majority of his time in the Army was spent in Chattanooga on occupation duty. He was in Nashville, Tennessee with his unit for the Battle of Nashville in December of 1864 but did not take part in the battle since the 16th USCT was held in reserve.

After his discharge, Barry returned to Clarksville where on June 3, 1866, he married Kittie Hatcher. On November 19, 1866, George and Ben Pennington were passing the newlywed couple’s house when Ben started “abusing” Kittie. Barry ordered him to leave and to stop mistreating his family. Ben drew a pistol on Barry who snatched it from Ben’s hand. Barry went into the house with the pistol. Ben’s brother, George, followed and attempted to retrieve the gun. When George would not get out of his house, Barry hit him on the head with the pistol killing him. The killing was ruled justifiable homicide. This account was carried in the Clarksville Chronicle.

In the 1870 census, Barry listed his occupation as laborer and a personal estate of $15. Kattie’s occupation is listed as keeping house. His personal estate starts to get interesting after 1870. On March 23, 1871, Barry and Jeff McReynolds bought 4 lots in an auction and divided them between the two of them. On September 20, 1878, Barry bought 5 more lots at auction for $135.

The 1880 census lists Barry’s occupation as carpenter with Kittie listed as keeping house. Jo Ann Oldham is listed in their household as a 10-year-old granddaughter. This is very strange since all accounts state that Barry and Kittie had no children. This granddaughter might have been the product of a relationship that Barry had before the war.

On November 2, 1880, Barry bought the land that Jeff McReynolds kept from the first auction from Jeff’s wife for $105. On November 19, 1881, Barry transferred ownership of eight lots to Kittie.

Barry Gupton first applied for a pension December 13, 1890 and listed his address as 527 Ford Street. He stated that on the march from Nashville to Chattanooga he became exhausted in an effort to keep up with his company and suffered an affliction in his shoulders and breast from carrying his accoutrements that affected him from that time on. Fellow soldiers who gave depositions in support of his application recalled that he had to put his gear in the company wagon. They remember him complaining of pain in his heart and shortness of breath. One of the soldiers who gave a deposition was Stephen Kimbrough who is buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery.

C.V. Roman a doctor living in Clarksville wrote a medical affidavit dated March 8, 1892 for Barry which stated five disabilities:

1. Articular and muscular rheumatism of the chest, shoulders, and knee joints that rendered him unfit to work in damp weather.

2. The heart was weak and circulation was feeble.

3. Atony of the bladder which caused frequent retention of or dribbling of urine.

4. Chronic cough with a decided tendency to asthma.

5. Total deafness in his left ear.

A report dated November 22, 1893 by a doctor who performed examinations for the pension office found that Barry was deaf in his left ear but it wasn’t service connected. An analysis of Barry’s urine failed to find any abnormalities. A light murmur in the aortic opening was found but all other heart valves sounded normal. The doctor saw stiffness in Barry’s movements but no other signs of chronic rheumatism. The verdict of the doctor was: “He is a robust looking man and still capable of performing manual labor.”

Needless to say, they rejected his application. He appealed and was rejected again. He appealed a third time and was finally given a pension of $6 a month for heart and bladder disease starting on November 3, 1893. It ended when he died on July 31, 1894. There is no death certificate, but from the chest pain and shortness of breath reported by everyone who gave a deposition, he probably died of heart disease.

One final thing. In one of the depositions it was stated that Barry was a member of the Order of the GAR. GAR stands for Grand Army of the Republic. This was a veteran’s group for former Union soldiers.

Kittie applied for a widow’s pension on July 15, 1895. All of her depositions deal with her property. When Barry died, he left her 11 lots with small cabins on them. Most of them were in the area of Kellogg Street (now known as 8th Street), Marion Street, and Ford Street. One of the lots was on Martin Street. Most of her statements on the properties are confusing because she was trying to make the case that she did not receive much income from them. She stated that she owned 16 lots with 14 tenement

houses valued at $2,880. Two of the 16 lots were vacant lots. The taxable value of her husband’s estate was $2,500. She stated she paid $73 for three years on 12 tenement houses and $11 for three years on the house she lived in. After expenses she claimed that her income from the rent of these houses was $20.50 per month. The pension record is unclear about when she started receiving a pension but a note dated September 8, 1916 increased her pension to $20 per month.

The 1910 census lists Kittie living alone at 527 Marion Street with no occupation listed, but the 1911 Clarksville City Directory lists her as having the occupation of Laundress. In the 1920 census her house number changed from 527 to 825 Marion Street and no occupation listed.

Kittie died on March 10, 1923 of senility. She was 95 years old. All her property was left to her brother John Wesley Williams and his children. She directed that $100 be used for her funeral expenses. According to the estate accounts, S.A. Dabney was paid $309 for “one burial outfit”. This was probably the total expense for funeral, burial, and headstone. She and Barry are buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery under one of the most beautiful gravestones in the cemetery.

Six people had valid claim to her estate. Each one received $12.72 in cash from the estate and the real estate property was split between them. At the time of her death, Kittie was receiving $30 per month from her widow’s pension.

825 Marion Street exists as an address today. The property was appraised in 2019 at $76,100.

William H. Harris (24th Infantry Regiment)

William H. Harris biography coming soon!

Stephen Kimbrough (16th USCT)

Stephen Kimbrough was born into slavery near Allensville, Todd County, Kentucky in 1836. His master was Gaff Kimbrough and he does not seem to have married during his bondage. At 28 years old, he escaped slavery and came to Clarksville, Tennessee and joined Company D of the 16th USCT on February 16, 1864. His military record describes him as 5 feet 7 inches tall with brown complexion and eyes and black hair. Later a coworker in a deposition would describe him as a big stout man. Unsurprisingly, his pre-army occupation was as a farmer.

His military record is unremarkable except for a note that in August 1864 he was on duty at work with Captain Giffin. His medical record shows that he was treated for intermittent fever on November 24 and December 6, 1864. He was treated for pleurisy on November 30 and December 3, 1864. On November 30, 1864 he was treated for lumbago.

He was with the 16th USCT during the Battle of Nashville. The regiment was held in reserve during that battle. Depositions in Stephen’s pension records state that the 16th skirmished with Confederate Generals Forrest and Wheeler at Pulaski, Tennessee. The conditions were very bad for the soldiers. They dealt with snow, mud, and very cold temperatures. Stephen stated these conditions gave him a severe cold. These conditions probably caused the pleurisy noted in his medical record.

Stephen was mustered out of the Army on April 30, 1866 in Nashville. The Army owed him $25.49. After leaving the Army, he returned to Clarksville where on May 21, 1866 he married Arabella “Bell” Gill. They must have known each other before the war based on two things: the short time between returning to Clarksville and their marriage, and the fact that Bell was also from Allensville, Kentucky. Stephen got a job at Kellogg’s Saw Mill, and the couple settled down in Clarksville. They had two years of married life. Bell got very ill before she died, and her mother, Fanny Gill, came to Clarksville and took her back to Allensville to nurse her. Bell died on May 15, 1868. Stephen’s coworkers describe him as immediately quitting work when he heard the new so that he could go to Allensville and bury her.

Stephen continued to work at Kellogg’s Saw Mill and was working there still when he married Irene Herring on March 22, 1871. Irene had been a slave of John Kessee and had married William Steele while they both were slaves. She stated that they were married the year of the “Negro riot in Tennessee.” This would probably put her marriage in 1857. There were rumors of a slave uprising all over the South

with much of it centered on the iron furnaces in this area. William Steele or Thompson (he went by both names) died during the war. He was a carpenter who was working on the railroad bridge over the Cumberland River when he fell off the bridge and drowned. They never recovered his body. Irene and William had at least one son named Nerral.

On July 21, 1869, Irene married Lewis Herring. One year and four months later, he died. This places the date of his death in November of 1870. They say that the third time is the charm. Irene states that she was introduced to Stephen by her brother-in-law, Dan Martin. Dan was also a USCT, and he and Stephen returned to Clarksville together.

Around 1874 or 1875, Stephen left Kellogg’s Saw Mill and began working for Gracey and Brother at the freight depot. He would work at the depot until his death. The 1880 census shows him living in District 12 with Irene and four children: Henry, age 8; Eddie, age 7; Bell, age 10; and Clarence, age 2. On April 27, 1885 George Stephen Kimbrough was born and the following year on March 13, 1886, their last child, Louisa was born. There is an older son, Norman, who doesn’t appear in the 1880 census. His birth year is unknown but he seems to have been old enough to go out on his own. In 1892 the family was living at 603 Franklin Street. At some point after that, he acquired two lots: one on Paradise Street where he had moved the family by 1894, and one on Taylor’s Hill in Ward 9. Currently, Taylor’s Hill has not been identified. The lot on Taylors hill had a small frame house with one room and a kitchen which they rented out. The Paradise Street house was a two-story frame house with four rooms.

Stephen joined the Odd Fellows Lodge and was a person of influence in his community. On February 23, 1891, he gave a deposition in support of Mary Watkins, wife of Given Watkins, in her quest to obtain a widow’s pension. On November 22, 1892, he gave a deposition for Barry Gupton, a well-to-do former USCT, in his quest for an invalid’s pension.

Stephen, himself, applied for a pension on May 4, 1891. For quite a number of years, he complained of chest and back pain and shortness of breath. He was treated for these complaints by R.G. Martin, a black doctor living in Clarksville. He received a pension and at his death was receiving $8 per month. On February 13, 1896, Stephen went upstairs to lie down for an hour. When they went to call him for dinner at 12 o’clock, he was dead. This was a surprise for he had been out and about the day before. The cause of death was organic heart disease. He was 61 years old. Two of his children, George and Louisa, were below the age of 16 years old when he died and received minor’s pensions of $2 per month until they achieved the age of 16. On May 5, 1896 Irene applied for a widow’s pension which when it started paid $8 per month. After her husband died, Irene worked as a laundress.

The 1900 census shows Irene, Clarence, George, and Louisa living at 32 Paradise Street. By 1910, Irene, George, and Louisa were living at 419 First Street. The census indicates that Irene owned the house free of mortgage. On February 8, 1911 George married Bessie W. Whitfield and the couple moved in with Irene and Louisa. In 1911 Irene was working as a laundress, George was a laborer with the L & N Railroad, and Louisa was working as a sick nurse. Norman was living with wife, Annie in 627 South Second Street and was working as a mail carrier.

Irene Kimbrough died on July 2, 1914 of ulcerative bowels complicated by dysentery. Her death certificate says she was born in South Side, Tennessee, and her father was Ike Kessee. She was buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery on July 4, 1914. At the time of her death, her pension had risen to $12 per month. George Kimbrough spent the last years of his life in Central State Hospital in Nashville. This hospital was

an insane asylum. He died there on September 7, 1924 of myocarditis with a contributing factor of general paralysis of insane. He was buried in Clarksville but the cemetery is unknown.

Norman lost his wife Annie, exactly when is unknown, but on February 28, 1920 he married Mattie Gibson. Norman was a decon at St. John’s Baptist Church which still exists on Tiny Town Road. He was a member of numerous lodges and continued to be a letter carrier until just before his death. Six weeks before he died, he collapsed on his route. He died of chronic valvar heart disease at 2 am on February 14, 1926. He is buried in Golden Hills Cemetery.

Edward Kimbrough moved to Chicago and married a woman who was a physician. He was in Clarksville visiting Norman and was present when he died. After the funeral, Edward returned to Chicago. So far, no record on Louisa has been found past the 1910 census. This can probably be explained by marriage.

The house on Paradise Street does not exist today. Neither does Paradise Street. Valleybrook Park now occupies the area where Paradise Street once stood.

A.W. King (16th USCT)

A.W. King biography coming soon!

William Logan (12th USCT)

William Logan was born in Todd County, Kentucky in 1836. He was taken to war by his master (who he does not name in his statement) fourteen months before he enlisted which would be in July 1862. Both he and his master were captured in Murfreesboro. William was taken to Nashville. He enlisted in Company H, 12th USCT on September 28, 1863 for 3 years. He was 27 years old, five feet ten inches tall, with black complexion, black hair, and black eyes. He joined at Elk River, Tennessee and listed his pre-army occupation as laborer; however, he worked as a brick layer and plasterer.

Company H, 12th USCT remained at Elk River, Tennessee training and guarding a bridge there during September and October of 1863. They then marched to Nashville and from November 1863 to August 1864 the regiment built and guarded the Nashville and North Western Rail Road. From August 14 – 31, 1864 the Regiment returned to Elk River, Tennessee. In September and October 1864, they were at Kingston Springs, Tennessee. The Regiment marched to Clarksville on the 1, 2, 3, and 4 December 1864. They then marched to Nashville on 5, 6, and 7 December 1864. The Regiment participated in the Battle of Nashville on December 15 and 16, 1864 assaulting Peach Orchard Hill and Overton Hill with the 13th and 100th USCT. They marched to Franklin on December 17, 1864 and then on to Murfreesboro on December 18, 19, and 20 December 1864. The regiment was sent by rail road to Huntsville, Alabama on 23, 24, and 25 December 1864. On December 26, 1864, they marched to the Tennessee River, and on December 27, they crossed the river and participated in a skirmish with Rebel Cavalry. The Regiment was at the occupation of Decatur, Alabama. On December 28, 29, and 30, 1864, the Regiment marched to Courtland, Alabama. January through December 1865, the unit remained at Kingston Springs, Tennessee.

William Logan was with the Regiment for all of this history. The movements of the Regiment after December 16, 1864 were in pursuit of Hood’s retreating and shattered army. According to his pension record, William suffered frostbite in December about the time of Hood’s raid. His feet were so swollen that he could not wear shoes on the march from Franklin to Murfreesboro. On January 1, 1866, William was on duty when a drunken comrade struck him on the head with his musket causing a fracture of the skull. He did not go to a hospital for either of these injuries but was treated by the Regimental Surgeon. William was mustered out at Nashville on January 16, 1866. He owed the government $17.27 on his clothing allowance for a cartridge box belt plate and a haversack.

On 22 January 1866, he married Eliza Demass in Davidson County, Tennessee. They apparently did not have any children. They moved to Clarksville where in the 1870 Census William was listed as a laborer. By the 1880 Census, William was working as a brick layer and they lived at 492 Franklin Street. In 1884, he applied for a pension. He complained of burning in his feet that caused lameness and problems with his head. He complained of dizziness, headaches, and problems with forgetfulness. His medical evaluation noted that he had a ventral hernia. He also complained of rheumatism. His problems with his head grew worse in the summer to the point that he could not work out of doors during this season. He finally started to receive a pension of $12 per month in August of 1890. By July 1892, William was confined to his house and was unable to get around. He and his wife Eliza were living at 114 South 10th Street which they owned and was valued at $125.

The last eight to nine months of his life, William was an invalid. He died in 14 October 1892. He was 56 years old. His obituary in the Tobacco Leaf of October 17, 1892 recorded that he was a deacon in Mt. Olive Baptist Church and his funeral was attended by the largest crowd ever at a colored funeral.

Leonard Mabry (16th USCT)

Enlisted in Company B, 16th Regiment of the USCT in Clarksville, TN on November 27, 1863. At that time, he was listed as 40 years of age which makes his birth year 1823. His military records describe him as 5’5’’ tall, dark complexion, and hair and eyes that were black. He was born in Montgomery County, TN and his occupation at enlistment was farmer.

On January 1, 1864, he was promoted to Corporal. By March of 1864, he is demoted back to Private and transferred to the Invalid Corps. In April of 1864, he was sick and listed as absent at Post Hospital in Nashville, TN and returned to the unit in May 1864. Company B, 16th USCT was stationed in Chattanooga, TN He was mustered out April 30, 1866. According to this document, he had pay due from enlistment and owed the government $9.21. In April of 1864, he had lost by carelessness one screw driver costing 46 cents, one ball screw costing 12 cents and one canteen costing 41 cents.

Leonard Mabry earned a Certificate of Disability for Discharge which was given in Chattanooga, TN on May 24, 1864 for “prolapses ami”. His commander Artemas Curtis of Company B, 16th USCT certified that he had been unfit for duty 60 days out of the last 2 months and that his condition was caused or developed by change of diet together with exposure while on duty at Clarksville, TN during the months of January and February 1864 and that he was a good faithful soldier previous to his disease. This certificate of disability allowed him to join the Invalid Corps organizing at Nashville, TN. The certificate also certified that Leonard had not been paid since his enlistment. He then became a member of Company C, 101st USCT on June 27, 1864.

While in the 101st USCT, he was listed as absent sick in General Hospital on the July/August 1864 muster roll and also on September/October 1864 roll. He was detached for duty at the Contraband Camp from December 31, 1864 to August 31, 1865.

In his pension records, it becomes clear exactly what caused all these admissions to the hospital and his eventual transfer to the 101st USCT. While with Company B, 16th USCT he developed a very bad case of diarrhea and camp cough. He also developed an inguinal hernia or rupture (the abdominal wall gives way and allows the intestines to protrude usually caused by severe straining). Leonard Mabry connected this rupture to two things: drilling at Nashville in April 1864 and the severe camp cough and diarrhea he suffered in Chattanooga.

After he left the Army, he worked both as a farmer and laborer using a truss (padded supportive sling) to hold his intestines in place. By 1890, his rupture was so bad he could no longer work and was

dependent on charity. He could no longer use a truss because it was too painful. His hernia is described by his neighbors as being the size of two fists put together. He also had pain in all his joints and described his condition as not being able to get out of bed or dress himself without help. He received a pension which at the time of his death was $8 a month.

Leonard Mabry married Charity Drane while he was serving in the Army. He had lived with her while they were slaves and had formalized their relationship once they were free. She died about 1895. The 1870 census lists a little girl Mattie age 9. Mattie was not listed in the 1880 census.

He died on February 16, 1900. There is no Physician’s Certificate indicating what he died of. He had no living relatives so he left his house to a friend, Susan Wilcox.

Martin Means (101st USCT)

Both Martin and Macie Means were born in Christian County, Kentucky and belonged to slave-owners who were neighbors and very likely friends. Martin was born in 1833 and Macie was born probably about 1840. Martin belonged to Samuel Means and Macie belonged to Robert Brenaugh. An indication of the fact that the slave-owners were friends is that on September 15, 1855 Martin Means and Macie Brenaugh were married in Robert Brenaugh’s house by Isaac Gains, a black Baptist minister. They were allowed to live together as man and wife. In order to marry and live together, both slave-owners would have to agree to the marriage and living arrangements.

Regardless of how good their living arrangements were, Martin left and went to Clarksville, Tennessee and enlisted in Company H, 101st USCT on July 26, 1864 for 3 years. The 5 foot 7 inch Martin is described as being 31 years old with black eyes and hair and having a brown complexion. In his pension record a former fellow slave described him as “a large man, very fat and robust and who was regarded as Means’ stoutest slave.” His occupation was listed as farmer, and he was paid a $300 bounty for enlisting.

Martin was very lucky in his choice of units. Company H spent almost its entire existence in Clarksville and it is not credible that he would not have moved his family to Clarksville. When the company moved from Clarksville to Carthage, Tennessee in April 1865, Martin was placed on detached duty starting on March 2, 1865 to guard Regimental Headquarters in Clarksville. He returned to duty with the unit when it returned to Clarksville in May 1865. In July/August 1865, Company H was in Nashville and Martin was with it. During this time, the Army paid him $100 on his bounty. By September/ October 1865, Company H was back in Clarksville. Martin was mustered out on January 24, 1866 in Nashville. The government owed him $7.23.

Martin returned to Clarksville by 1870. He is listed on that census with Mary Means age 16. There is no indication as to where Macie is until the 1880 census when the three if them were living at 358 College Street with two other large families. Both censuses list Martin’s occupation as laborer. In subsequent censuses, Macie is listed as having had two children. One

of her children married Andrew W. Roberts and is referred to as Annie by Macie. It is probable from the dates of the children born to this marriage that Mary and Annie are the same person. There is no record of the date of this marriage but before he died, Martin and Macie were living with the Roberts at 1112 Commerce Street. By 1890, Martin is described as a cripple who could hardly walk from rheumatism in his shoulder and right arm and hip. From November 1890 he was lame and frequently confined to bed and was also treated for heart disease. From this point on he was unable to work. Macie took in washing and ironing.

On February 1, 1892, Martin applied for an invalid pension citing rheumatism, heart problems, and vision problems stemming from his service. His doctor’s deposition in support of Macie’s widow’s pension states that on May 5, 1892, Martin suffered a stroke that caused paralysis. Ironically, Martin was dressing to go to Nashville for an examination for his pension when he was stricken. Martin Means died on June 1, 1892 at his son-in-law’s house.

Macie applied for a widow’s pension on June 30, 1892. And after at least one rejection, finally received a pension of $8 per month. Her daughter died June 26, 1899 leaving behind 11 children ranging from age from 23 to 2 years of age. Macie became very involved in helping to take care of her grandchildren. By the 1910 census, there were still eight children at home. Macie died on January 11, 1915 of lumbago. Her son-in-law, Andrew W. Roberts filed for reimbursement for her burial expenses. The invoices he submitted to the pension office listed $4.85 for the physician and $154 for nursing care during Macie’s last illness. Nace Dixon’s firm charged $81 and the grave digger charged $2.50.

Both Martin and Macie were buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery.

Alexander McNeal (59th USCT)

Alexander McNeal was born in Hartman, Tennessee in 1845. The names of his parents are not known but his pension record lists two brothers: Lee and Napolein McNeil and a sister, Emma Calyten. His life is one confusing mystery after another. The name of his master is unknown but after he fled slavery, he stayed in Memphis for a short time, probably working as a civilian laborer. Eventually he enlisted in the Army on June 1, 1863 at Bolivar, Tennessee for three years. The unit he joined was Company C, 1st Regiment West Tennessee Infantry African Decent. Basically, he was among the first recruits to the unit which was mustered in at La Grange, TN later that month. On March 11, 1864 in accordance with the new Army policy of standardizing unit designations for black regiments, it became the 59th USCT. He is the only member of this unit buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery.

The new soldier was 18 years old when he joined and was 5 foot 6 inches tall with black hair and eyes and black complexion. Before he became a soldier, he was a farmer. Alex spent the first part of his life and most of his Army career around the Memphis area. The first mystery is what brought him to Clarksville.

The Unit stayed in La Grange until August 1863 when it proceeded to Corinth, Mississippi where they stayed for the rest of the year. They returned to Memphis in January 1864. In June the unit returned to Mississippi. They were part of the expedition commanded by Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis which ended in a Union defeat at the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads. Alex had been listed on the March/April 1864 roll as on detached service since April 2, 1864 but was back in the unit by the May/June 1864 roll so he would have participated in this

expedition. The regiment lost 3 officers and 143 men. Company C lost 1 First Lieutenant, 1 private killed, and 1 private missing.

In July 1864, the unit was part of the Tupelo Expedition commanded by Major General Andrew J. Smith. The unit was engaged in the Battle of Harrisburg, Mississippi on July 14, 1864. The regiment lost 1 killed, 10 wounded, and 3 missing. On July 15, 1864, the regiment started its march back arriving at La Grange on July 21. From there they returned to Memphis by railroad and arrived on July 23, 1864.

Company C again left Memphis on an expedition commanded by Major General Smith. On August 3, 1864 they left for Oxford, Mississippi arriving on August 21. On the same day, they turned around and went back to Memphis arriving on August 30. The company records reported no enemy engagement and that they marched 170 miles. This was the company’s last expedition. The unit was assigned to Ft. Pickering in Memphis until it mustered out.

On the November/December 1864 roll, Alex was on detached service at General Chetlain’s headquarters starting on December 8, 1864. This lasts through the January/February 1865 roll, but the March/April 1865 roll lists him absent under arrest since January 14, 1865. In his record is Special Order number 129 which releases him from arrest and restores him to his unit. The rest of his record lists him as present with his unit until the November/December 1865 roll which shows him absent on furlough for 10 days since December 20, 1865. Alex mustered out on January 31, 1866.

The special examiner’s report in his pension record states that he did not come to Clarksville immediately after discharge and that he does not know where the soldier was during this time period. By 1870. Alex was in Montgomery County living northwest of the Ringgold area probably close to the state line (per Montgomery County Archivist Jill Hastings). He was living and working on Lou Clardy’s farm.

The 1880 census gives another mystery. Although all of the depositions in Alex’s pension records say that he never was married before 1885, the census lists him as living in New Providence with a wife named Dicy and a 3-year-old daughter named Sue. There is only one marriage record for Alex and that is in 1885. It is

possible that they had just “taken up together” and they either went their separate ways or his wife and child died.

On July 6, 1885, Alexander McNeal married Mary L. Moore at Steel Springs, Montgomery County, TN. They were married by a black preacher named Abe Wimberly who lost their original certificate and had to get them a second one. Mary states in her deposition that she knew Alex for 6 or 7 years before they married. This is another mystery because this would mean that she knew him while he was with Dicy. Also, Steel Springs is across the Cumberland River in the Cumberland Heights area in a bend of the river that isn’t close to any ferry. If Mary lived in this area before they were married, courting would have been difficult.

By the 1891 Enumeration, Alex and Mary were living in Clarksville proper probably at 68 Marion Street. His pension records describe Alex as owning a lot with a small house valued at $300 which was mortgaged to a Clarksville Building and Loan Association. He applied for a pension on May 21, 1892 and was awarded $6 a month for rheumatism and disease of the heart starting on December 6, 1892. He and Mary had one child who was still-born. Alexander McNeal died on February 5, 1895 at his home of consumption. He was 48 years old and was working as a barber probably for Buck’s Barber Shop when he died. The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle reported that Abe Smith, a colored bootblack who once worked at Buck’s Barber Shop disrupted Alex McNeal’s funeral on February 6th with “very indecorous conduct” and outlandish behavior.

Mary McNeal applied for a widow’s pension and received one starting on February 8, 1897. When her pension was discontinued, she was receiving $8 per month. Mary married William Collier on November 17, 1898 and the 1900 census shows them probably living in the McNeal house. The census lists them as renting the house. Currently this is the last record found for them.

Benjamin Mimms (14th USCT)

Benjamin Mimms was born in Clarksville, Tennessee around 1826 and was owned by William Mimms of Montgomery County, Tennessee. He enlisted in Company A, 14th USCT in Gallatin, Tennessee which indicates that he was employed by the Union Army as a laborer before he enlisted. He was mustered into the Army at Bridgeport, Alabama on December 31, 1863. As a recruit, he was 37 years old and was described as 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall with a yellow complexion, brown eyes and black hair.

His unit spent most of its time in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but he was detached for recruiting duty to Atlanta, Georgia on September 25, 1864 returning to his unit by November 1864 in time to go with them to Nashville, Tennessee. In December of 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood attacked Nashville and the 14th USCT was one of the regiments that fought in that battle and participated in the pursuit of what was left of the Confederate Army. On the 23rd or 24th of December 1864 at Block House #1 on the N & C RR, an exploding shell wounded Benjamin in the left knee. The wound was bad enough that he couldn’t walk so he was left behind when the unit moved on. Benjamin states he was captured and taken to Columbia, Tennessee where he managed to escape and returned to the Union Army at Franklin, Tennessee. He did not go to the hospital for his wound. He and his comrades treated it.

January/February 1866 found him on detached duty again. He mustered out of the Army on March 26, 1866. The Army owed him $17.42 in pay, and he paid $6 to keep his rifle.

The 1870 Census for Montgomery County finds him working as a farm laborer and living with wife Sally A. and children: Coaty, 17, daughter; Tennie, 13, daughter; Boots, 11, son; Sarah, 7, daughter; and Thomas, 6 months, son.

The 1880 Census lists his occupation as laborer and shows him living with wife Sally and children Tennessee, Sarah, and Thomas.

In November1887, Benjamin made the first of three applications for an invalid pension. He cited his wound to the knee and had depositions from men who served with him and knew him after the war saying that his knee had bothered him. Surgeons examined his knee and found scars consistent with a gun shot wound to the left knee. They also found no disability caused by the wound. His last application in 1892 cited his problems as piles, rheumatism, weak back, weak eyes, and senile debility as well as the gun shot wound. Two of his pension applications were denied because the surgeon failed to find any disability from the wound. The last application was abandoned.

On April 6, 1893, paperwork in his pension records shows him living in St. Bethlehem. Benjamin wrote his Congressman about his pension on November 25, 1893. He died on April 15, 1895.

His wife Sally A. shows up on the 1900 Census living with her daughter Coatney and her husband Thomas Barbary who was a garden laborer and their children.

Now his record begins to get strange. On March 23, 1912, a man claiming to be Benjamin Mimms, Jr with an address of Vandenberg County, Indiana tried to put in a claim on Benjamin Mimms pension. He received a reply stating that he would have a claim if he was under the age of 16 at the time of the soldier’s death. Since he had stated he was 57 years old, he made no other attempt to make a claim. On April 23, 1912, Addie Mimms of 528 E. Johnson St, Danville, Illinois wrote a letter asking about the

status of Benjamin Mimms’ pension. She received a reply which gave the particulars of his claims and again stressed that if she was below the age of 16 when he died, she might have a claim.

On March 12, 1918, Minnie Mimms applied for a widow’s pension. Her address at the time was Depot Street, Clarksville, Tennessee. She stated she was born March 3, 1831 in Todd County, Kentucky and that she and Benjamin were married as slaves in 1855 at Hadensville, Kentucky (just on the other side of Guthrie) by Abram Edwards. She stated they had two children Bill born March 1861 in Todd County, Kentucky and Ada born May 1877 in Cherry Station, Tennessee. Her initial pension request got his unit and enlistment date wrong (Co C, 16 USCT in 1864).

On April 19, 1918, she sent in another application with an address of 1016 Madison St., Clarksville, Tennessee. On June 1, 1918 she was sent a letter from the Pension Office telling her she needed to submit proof of the soldier’s death, proof of marriage, witness statements, proof she hadn’t remarried, and a statement naming places of residence since the death of the soldier. The last thing in the pension records is a letter from her daughter Ada announcing her mother died on October 8, 1918 and stating that she and her brother had paid their mother’s medical and burial expenses.

Minnie Mimms appears in the 1880 Census living with Edmon and Lucy Trice and working as a laborer. No family members appear on the census with her. The 1910 census shows her living at 216 Depot Street, Clarksville, Tennessee working as a picker in a chicken house. Her daughter Ada Ester is living with her and works as a Chamber Maid at a hotel. Both censuses list Minnie as divorced. The 1911 Clarksville City Directory lists Ada Esters as a cook living on Depot Street.

Slave marriages were not usually considered by the white community as legal. It was customary in some places to alter the vows to last until they were separated by sale to another owner. It is possible that Benjamin and Minnie were married as slaves but once they were separated, Benjamin felt free to take another wife. No record of his marriage to Sally A. has been found. No death certificate has so far been found for either Sally A. or Minnie.

Moses Parrish (16th USCT)

Moses Parrish was born in Virginia in 1826 and at some point in his life was brought to Kentucky. At age 38, he enlisted in Company C, 16th USCT on December 10, 1863. The 16th USCT had a recruiting station in the area of Ft. Bruce (today known as Ft. Defiance) from about November 1863 to about March or April of 1864. The Army would not muster in a company until it had a certain minimum of men and would not pay the men until after the unit mustered in. The first muster roll for Moses is dated April 30, 1864. He is described on the Company Descriptive Book as 5 feet 7 inches tall, brown complexion, hazel eyes, and brown hair. His occupation at the time of enlistment was as a farmer.

On August 28, 1864, he was detailed to report to Captain Giffe, Commander of Company H, 16th USCT by order of William B. Gow, Colonel Commanding 16th USCT. He was back with the unit by September 1864.

In 1865 when hostilities ceased, commanders began to authorize furloughs so the men could see their families. The July/August 1865 roll records that Moses was absent on furlough by command of General Thomas. He was charged $2.79 for transportation while on furlough.

February 1866 found Moses on duty as a laborer in the Quartermaster’s Department. He was mustered out in Nashville on April 30, 1866. The government owed him $38.52 in pay.

Moses, age 46, appears on the 1870 Census in District 7 of Montgomery County. The majority of this district is between 6th Street and 9th Street and between Franklin Street and College Street in downtown Clarksville. His occupation is listed as laborer and three children are listed as living with him Lucinda, age 20; Mary, age 1; and Adam, age 14. Moses is listed on the 1871 Enumeration of Voters as paying a poll tax of $1. Seven years later on August 8, 1878, Moses was married to Mary Henry by Harvey Thompson. This marriage occurred just four months after 13 acres of downtown Clarksville burned down. The fire was concentrated on Franklin Street between 2nd and 3rd Street and did not reach the area of District 7; however, the Courthouse did burn down.

Moses is mistakenly listed as age 70 on the 1880 census and is living with his wife, Mary, age 58, and four granddaughters: Ella Henry, age 16; Dora Henry, age 12; Julia Garth, age 4; and Cintha Moody, age 8. His occupation is listed as shoe maker and he is now living in District 12 which by this time included downtown Clarksville and areas of the county to the east, south, and west of downtown. In all probability, he was still living in the same neighborhood as he was in 1870. This neighborhood is the same one that William Logan and Isaac Fields lived in. In July 1889, Moses gave a deposition for Hannah Fields in support of her application for a widow’s pension stating that he visited Isaac in his last illness and helped prepare the body for burial. In 1892, the year before his death, Moses gave a deposition for William Logan in support of his application for an invalid pension stating he lived 1/4th mile from William

and visited him often, worked with him frequently, and knew him since 1866. He attested to Logan’s disabilities.

Moses applied for a pension on July 19, 1890 and does not seem to have had a hard time getting approved for a pension. His application states that several years before, he was breaking stones when a piece struck his right eye and as a consequence, he lost sight in that eye. His medical examination confirmed the damage to his eye and on June 14, 1892 he was approved for a pension of $8 per month from July 19, 1890. His pension was increased to $12 per month from December 4, 1891. Moses applied for an increase in his pension due to partial loss of sight in his other eye. His pension record gives us his address in 1892: 1034 Franklin Street.

Moses Parrish died on April 18, 1893. The Weekly Leaf-Chronicle published this obituary of him on April 21, 1893: “Mose Parrish, colored, better known as “Uncle Mose,” died at his home in the eastern suburbs last Tuesday of pneumonia. Mose was an old landmark in that part of the city, and his death will be read with regret by his friends.”

Wilson Thomas (15th USCT)

Wilson Thomas was born into slavery in 1834 in Christian County, Kentucky on Ike Thomas’s farm. At some point before the Civil War started, Wilson started living with Lucy Garrett. Both of them stated later that they were never married. In October 1864, the 5 foot 2 ½ inch, copper skinned, 30-year old black haired and eyed man left slavery and joined Company B, 9th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery (USCHA). He was mustered into the unit on October 2, 1864 and received a $300 bounty for enlisting.

Company B, 9th USCHA left Clarksville and from December 31, 1864 through June 1865 the unit was stationed in Nashville where they worked on fortifications. In August 1865, the 9th USCHA was broken up and the men were transferred to other units. On August 11, 1865, Wilson was transferred to Company I, 15th USCT. At the time he joined the unit, it was stationed at Sulpher Fork Bridge, Tennessee. In September they moved to Springfield and remained until November 1864 when they were transferred to Nashville in response to Hood’s attack on that city. In January 1865, the unit returned to Springfield. In May 1865 they returned to Nashville and remained until they were mustered out of the Army.

Wilson had some bills that followed him when he transferred to the 15th USCT. He was charged 25 cents for ordinance and owed H.H. Pugh, the sutler of the 9th USCHA $23 which was noted on his July/August 1865 muster roll. His military record noted that he was absent sick in hospital since August 12, 1865 for chronic diarrhea. The November/December 1865 muster roll notes that he was paid $100 on his $300 bounty. He returned to duty on March 27, 1866 and mustered out of the army in Nashville on April 7, 1866.

After leaving the army, Wilson returned to Kentucky and lived in the Longview area of Christian County working as a farm laborer. He returned to Lucy and the 1870 census shows them living and working on Robert Garnett’s farm. The census shows him as having a personal estate of $200 which may have been the rest of his $300 bounty. Either in 1878 or 1879, Lucy left Wilson. In a deposition she admitted that they weren’t getting along. She married a man named George Vaughn and the two of them continued to live and work on the Garnett farm as did Wilson.

On December 23, 1882, Wilson married a widow named Victory Green. They were living on adjoining farms when they met. The 1880 census shows Victory, age 40, living with her children by her first husband Bob Green near Pembroke, Kentucky. They had six children: William, 21; Sally, 15; Henry, 13; Ruben, 11; Martha, 9; Lizzie, 4; Bobbie, 11 months. Bob Green had also been in the war due to his owner taking Bob with him when he joined the Confederate Army. Bob Green died in 1878.

Wilson and Victory moved to Montgomery County in 1884. They were living and working on Duke Smith’s farm near the state line. Their post office was in Kennedy, Kentucky. On February 14, 1887,

Wilson applied for an invalid pension. He stated that he was engaged in wheeling a wheelbarrow of dirt onto a breastwork in 1865, and while going up the plank, he fell and the wheelbarrow fell on top of him and hurt his side resulting in a rupture of the right side. It started as a small knot but increased in size over time fully developing after he was discharged. At the point he made the application it had spread to his other side as well. On advice, he purchased a truss to “keep his parts in place”. As part of the application, he was examined by a surgeon who verified that Wilson had a double hernia. He was granted a pension on November 25, 1895 for $8 a month. Unfortunately, this was a little late, Wilson Thomas died in his home at 102 South Spring Street of paralysis on November 10, 1895. He had been paralyzed for a year before he did and was treated by R.G. Martin, a black doctor.

After Wilson died, Victory moved in with her children from her first marriage. She worked for them and they supported her. The 1900 census shows Victory, age 56, living at 18 Sullivan Alley with her mother Matilda Moore, age 86, and her children Ruben, age 31; Lizzie, age 23; Bobbie, age 19; Victoria, age 6; and Sally, age 9. Victory applied for a widow’s pension on November 25, 1895. That it was granted is apparent because on August 5, 1911, she applied for a new certificate. She had lost the original.

The last census Victory appears in is the 1910 census. She is living at 218 Kellogg Street with her mother who was now 104 years old and two of her children: Sally now 19 and Victoria age 15. Also living with her is a grandson, Stanley Martin, age 9.

On November 24, 1915, an entry was made in Victory Thomas’s widow’s pension that she was dead. There is no death certificate and no one requested reimbursement for her burial expenses. Currently, no obituary has been found so exactly when she died and where she is buried is unknown.

Robert Vass (101st USCT)

Robert was born in Christian County, Kentucky in 1837 as a slave of James Hall and was raised near Pembroke, Kentucky. When one of James Hall’s daughters married, Robert was one of the gifts that the newlywed couple received. On December 2, 1864, Robert Vass joined Company H, 101st USCT for 3 years. He was 28 years old with black eyes, hair, and complexion. He was five feet nine inches in height and listed his occupation as farmer. A friend later described him in a deposition as “a tall well-built man who stuttered badly.”

There is some confusion in his pension record about a gunshot wound in his right calf. Some of the depositions say he got the wound at Ft. Donelson but at least one says he got the wound in Nashville during Hood’s attack. It is more likely that he was wounded in Nashville since he enlisted in time for that battle. The last battle in the Dover area was in 1863.

Almost from the start, Robert served as a teamster. He first served his company in that capacity and then in May 1865, he became a regimental teamster. On March 25, 1865, he was taken to the hospital in Clarksville. In a deposition for a pension, he explained that he never saw the Regimental Surgeon because he was so sick, they took him straight to the hospital. He was still sick in hospital when the regiment moved out to Nashville, but he went along with the regiment. Addison Garett, a member of the regiment, stated in a deposition that Robert had contracted measles while in the Army. Robert was in a danger group for getting complications from this disease which include ear infections, diarrhea, and pneumonia. When they arrived in Nashville, he became a patient in the hospital at Nashville. When he mustered out on January 24, 1866, he owed the government $13.28, and the government owed him $100 in bounty.

After he left the Army, Robert went to work at Hillman’s Furnace which is located near Cadiz, Kentucky in the Land Between the Lakes. He worked there for three years from 1866 to 1869. He then moved back to his home area working on Charles Barker’s farm in Longview, Kentucky as a teamster. He appears on the 1870 census living near Hopkinsville working as a farm laborer with a personal estate of $125. He cannot read or write. In the 1880 census, he is still single and is living in Longview working as a farm laborer.

According to depositions in his pension record, Robert started living with Nancy Foston in 1871. Nancy was born in 1842 in Spring Creek, Montgomery County, Tennessee but was raised in Kentucky near St. Elmo, Christian County. Her family was owned by Whitfield Killebrew. When he died, the family was split up. Her father James Chilton was given to another branch of the family and Millie, her mother, and the girls became the property of Fanny Carter and her husband Jack.

Despite not being found in an 1880 census with Robert, the couple had five children all of which were claimed by Robert as his own: Mary, born 1875, Dorey, born 1881, Ruby, born 1884, Alameda, born 1888, and Curdy, born 1893. When the pension department asked Nancy where she was living in 1870 and 1880, she told them she was in Longview the first time. When they asked again because they could not find her in the census, she stated she was in Providence

and Peacher’s Mill in Tennessee. Currently a search of the census in these two places has not successfully found her. She does state that the family was living on Mr. Barker’s farm near St. Elmo when Alameda was born in 1888.

Although it doesn’t appear on his pension index card, Robert Vass applied for a pension sometime in the 1870’s for asthma, rheumatism, and loss of teeth through neuralgia. His first lawyer was R. D. Newton who later went to jail for pension fraud. Robert’s record may open an interesting view on that. There is a medical deposition dated February 6, 1889 by J.P. Allen, a doctor in St. Elmo which stated he treated Robert for asthma and rheumatism and was very helpful for the pension claim. When a Special Examiner later interviewed the Doctor, discrepancies were found in the deposition on record and what Dr. Allen would swear to. Dr. Allen stated he found the discrepancies earlier and brought them to the attention of the man assisting Robert. Dr. Allen says the man was agitated and soon left the county and since died. When shown the affidavit, he declared it a forgery. Between 1888 and 1899, Robert endured at least four intensive medical examinations. Their conclusions go back and forth between finding no evidence of disability and finding heart disease and rheumatism.

Finally on April 28, 1888, Robert received a pension of $2 per month which was increased to $4 a month on August 30, 1893, to $6 on March 2, 1895, to $8 on June 9. 1897, and finally to $10 on October 5, 1898. He was informed his pension would be increased to $12 but the notice arrived after his death.

Robert married Nancy on September 1, 1897 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Between their marriage and his death, Robert purchased from F.J. Runyon one house and lot bounded on the north and east by Shelby Barker and on the south by Main Street. The house had two rooms and a kitchen. He paid $420 and his mortgage payments were $8 per month. Nancy lost the house soon after he died due to inability to make the mortgage payments.

Robert Vass died on August 3, 1900 of pericarditis and dropsy. For two years before his death, Robert was confined to his house and had to sleep in a sitting posture because of smothering spells. His doctor at the time states that his urine samples had high levels of albumen which is indicative of kidney disease.

Nancy applied for a pension and had a hard time getting one. First it was denied because she married the soldier after the date of the act she was applying under. They denied it again because common law marriages weren’t legal in Kentucky. They gave her and her daughter, Ruby, after her a lot of trouble about the Hall Vass name. After the war, Robert used the name of his first master, Hall, because that was the name he was known by in the neighborhood. He used the name of his last master, Vass, during his army service and after he moved to Clarksville. Nancy finally got a pension which included an extra $4 per month for two children who were under the age of 16 when Robert died.

When she died on March 7, 1936. Ruby, her only surviving daughter, applied for renumeration of the costs of her mother’s last illness and burial. The total expenses came to $176. The

physician cost $48, nurse & care cost $72, and the undertaker cost $128. The breakdown of a burial in 1936 is interesting. N. Dixon and Company charged $5 for body preparation, the casket cost $100, hearse service was $10, one auto cost $4, opening the grave cost $4, and a robe cost $5.

Both Robert and Nancy rest in Mt. Olive Cemetery.

Alexander Vick "Carr" (16th USCT)

Alexander Carr was born in Logan County, Kentucky on February 17, 1842. He grew up in the same neighborhood as his future wife Mary Ann Teasdale and knew her since she was 6 years old. He was owned by Jimmy Allison of Russellville, KY until Mr. Allison’s death when he became part of the estate that went to Jimmy’s daughter Susan. Susan had married a man named John Vick so Alexander’s last name changed from Allison to Vick.

On March 1, 1864, the 22 year old Alexander Vick enlisted in Company I, 16th USCT at Clarksville, TN for three years. He was described as 5 feet 5 inches with a black complexion, and black hair and eyes. He listed his occupation as farmer. The 16th USCT was stationed in Chattanooga, TN for the duration of the war except for the period when they were ordered to Nashville in response to Confederate General Hood’s attack upon the city. The 16th USCT was in reserve so it did not participate in the battle. Alexander was in the city at that time because his uncle, Joseph Allison, who was also in the Army had a chance to see him after the battle.

Aside from a note in the May/June 1865 roll stating he was detailed to the Engineer Department which ended by the July/August roll, Alexander was present with his unit for his entire enlistment with no lost equipment. He was mustered out on April 30, 1866 in Nashville, TN and owed the government $6.30 on his clothing allowance.

Upon leaving the army, he returned to Russellville, Ky. After a year, he moved to Clarksville, TN in 1867. On April 24, 1869, Alexander married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Ann Teasdale. They had five children together, but only two survived to adulthood. Ever Carr was born in 1870 and her brother Eugeen Carr was born in 1876. When he moved to Clarksville, Alexander met up with his father, Barry Carr. Barry convinced Alexander to change his name to the family name of Carr. His father had also served with the USCT during the war, and later moved to Kansas where he died.

The 1880 census shows Alexander, Mary, and the two children together in one household. Alexander was working as a laborer and could not read or write. They bought 219 Ford Street on June 24, 1893 from Dr. N. L. Carney. It was a four bedroom house on a small lot. The location is described as being on Taylor’s Hill in the north part of town.

Alexander filed for an invalid pension on February 17, 1894. He complained of rheumatism, a sprained ankle (sprained while on camp duty when he slipped in a hole and sprained it), deafness, pain in his back and hips, disease of the heart, gravel in his bladder, and being unable to lay on his left side. According to a deposition given in support of his pension request, he had been a black-smith but had to quit due to failing health. After examination by a physician, he was awarded a pension of $6 a month for rheumatism and heart disease. One of these exams done on November 25, 1896 noted he was 54 years old with a height of 5 feet 5 ½ inches and weighed 159 pounds.

The 1900 census lists Alexander, Mary and Eugene living at 219 Ford Street. At that time. Alexander was working as a body laborer and owned the house with no mortgage. On June 2, 1903, Alexander Carr died in his house of Cardiac Hypertrophy (a thickening of the muscle wall of the heart) with Rheumatism as a contributing factor. At the time he died, his occupation was listed as stone mason. He was buried by Nace Dixon in Mt. Olive

Givins Watkins (101st USCT)

Given Watkins was born a slave in 1843 in Todd County, Kentucky. He was the property of William Watkins and was raised by another slave named Eliza Watkins. There is no record of Given’s actual parents. Eventually Given married Martha Watkins, Eliza Watkins’ daughter, probably around 1853 or 1854 (based on their eldest child’s age). They had three children (based on the 1870 census).

On July 30, 1864, Given became a free man by joining Company H, 101st USCT in Clarksville, Tennessee. He was 30 years old and probably had health problems since the 101st was an invalid unit made up of men not healthy enough for a regular line unit but able to do garrison duties. At the time of his enlistment he was 5 feet 8 inches in height with black hair, eyes, and complexion. His occupation is listed as farmer, and he signed on for three years.

His military record is one of steady promotion. His first promotion came very shortly after he enlisted. On September 24, 1864 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. The next year on May 1, 1865, he was promoted to First Sergeant of Company H. In October of 1865, he became Acting Sergeant Major. In May/June of 1865 he was charged $5.45 for loss of ordinance, and in July/August of 1865 he was paid $100 bounty.

Company H, 101st USCT spent almost all of its existence in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Company record shows that they were in Clarksville from September 1864 through March 1865. On April 6, 1865 they moved to Carthage, Tennessee, but were back in Clarksville in May 1865 through December 1865. It seems this company was mustered out in Clarksville. Given was mustered out in Clarksville on January 24, 1866.

Given is listed on the 1870 Montgomery County Census as living downtown in Clarksville near the river with his wife Martha and children: Laura, age 16; Albert, age 11; and Walter, age 10. However, the next census in 1880 shows him living on College Street with Mary Bailey and her son Joshua. Martha was living on Commerce Street with son Walter.

The Chancellery Court records show that on April 22, 1886, Martha Watkins was not present at court despite having been issued a subpoena 5 days before the beginning of session, and she had not answered it. On April 24, 1886, Givens was granted a divorce from Martha on the grounds that she was a habitual drunkard. He was ordered to pay the court costs for the divorce which amounted to $16. Four days later on April 28, 1886, Given married Martha Bailey. They did not have long to enjoy wedded bliss because on January 11, 1887 Given Watkins died.

It is unusual to find ex-slaves seeking a legal divorce, but considering the short time frame between the divorce, remarriage, and death, it is reasonable to assume that Given knew his time was short. It is also

reasonable that he expected that Mary would apply for a widow’s pension and had sought the legal divorce so that she would have an easier time getting one. Mary did apply for a widow’s pension on August 11, 1890.

Mary worked as a cook in a restaurant owned by Edward Peacher after Given died. She also later worked as a cook in their private homes first for Arthur Kleeman on Main Street and then for Jay Jackson on Franklin Street. Probably sometime in 1892, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer and by April 1894 she was too ill to work. On May 5, 1892, the pension office sent her a letter with some clarification questions. She sent back an affidavit from Chicago, Illinois answering the questions. Mary owned no property and had only the income realized from working as a cook. Three of her former employers wrote affidavits in support of her pension application which reveal that they were worried about her and wanted to help her. Very likely, one of them paid for her trip to Chicago. At the time, Chicago had a number of excellent hospitals. One of which was the Chicago Hospital for Women and Children which was dedicated to treating women and children among the respectable poor. By September 6, 1893, Mary was back in Clarksville living at 1013 Franklin Street. By November 8, 1893 she had moved to her final address of 915 Main Street in a cabin belonging to W. A. Beavans.

Reading the depositions written in support of her pension request is heart breaking. Jay Jackson her last employer described a poor woman who is an object of charity with no one legally bound to help her. This is revealing since it means her son Joshua was either dead or moved too far away to be of help. He described her sleeping “sitting in a chair with her feet on a trunk because she can’t lie down”. Benjamin F. Poston described her as “wasting away rapidly”.

On March 28, 1898 there is a request in the record for Mary to be dropped from the rolls due to failure to claim her checks. She was last paid $8 on 4 November 1884. The reason she did not claim her checks was because she was dead. Mary died on February 2, 1895.

Mary Bailey Watkins was born in 1852 could read and write. She went to school in Elkton, Kentucky. Where she was born and who her parents were is currently unknown. Given Watkins loved her enough to do all he could to ensure she would be taken care of when he was gone. She had a community which cared about her and tried to help her.

Her obituary in the local paper reads: “Mrs. Mary Watkins, (col.) died at 2 o’clock this morning from cancer, at her home 206 First street. She was a prominent member of her race. Her funeral will be preached at St. Peter’s A.M.E. Church at 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon: Interment at Olivet Cemetery.” Mary Watkins was 43 years old.

Woodson Wheeler (16th USCT)

Woodson Wheeler’s military record states he was born in 1821 in Buckingham County, Virginia. Later the census records would list his birthplace as Kentucky. This is understandable as in all probability he came to Kentucky early in his life. His owner Elizabeth Watkins was born in the same county as Woodson and brought him to Kentucky after marrying Dr. James Wheeler. They settled in Christian County, Kentucky on a 445-acre farm named “Richland.” This farm was not far from the Tennessee state line. In January 1864, Woodson escaped to the recruitment camp of the 16th USCT located in New Providence not far from present day Ft. Defiance. There on January 22, 1864, the 43-year-old 5-foot 5-inch farmer joined Company H, 16th USCT for 3 years. He was described as having copper skin and black hair and eyes. His military record shows his rank as cook.

On March 31, 1864 Woodson was listed as deserting in Clarksville. This is about the time that the 16th USCT was leaving Clarksville. In May, the Army charged him $23.90 for his uniform. On September 15, 1864, Woodson rejoined his unit at Chattanooga. The January/February 1865 roll notes he was awaiting trial on charge of desertion. By March/April 1865 he was waiting the sentence of Court Martial. He was acquitted of the charge of desertion but found guilty of absence without leave for 20 days. He was fined one month’s pay plus loss of pay and allowances for the 20-day absence. May/June 1865 found Woodson sick in quarters, and the January/February 1866 roll showed that the government owed him $21.21 for transportation. When Woodson mustered out on April 30, 1866 and this $21.21 is all that the government owed him.

Woodson returned to Clarksville after being mustered out because on November 5, 1866 he married Amanda McCurtis in Montgomery County. The 1870 Census shows Woodson and Amanda living in the 9th Street, 10th Street, Franklin Street corner of Clarksville. They have four boys living with them: Jerry, age 14; Richard, age 18; Walter, age 21; and Robert, age 6. This possibly explains his desertion. If these are Woodson and Amanda’s sons, which is highly likely, their ages indicate that Woodson and Amanda were man and wife during slavery. Woodson could have spent his 20 day absence getting his family to Clarksville.

The Montgomery County 1870 census was taken in June 1870. In July 1870, Woodson appears in the Christian County, Kentucky census in the same area as his old master’s farm working as a farm laborer and living with nine other unconnected people. None of his family that appeared on the Montgomery County census are with him. This possibly indicates that he left his family in Clarksville and returned to work on Dr. Wheeler’s farm.

The1880 census shows him back in Clarksville but the only member of his family living with him is Jerry who is now 23 years old. They are both listed as laborers. Curiously, on the census Jerry’s gender is obviously changed from male to female and he is listed as Woodson’s wife.

The last document found on Woodson is an unused marriage license dated 12 March 1881 for Woodson to marry Nancy Campbell. The note on it is “This license destroyed not used.” Nancy Campbell was a 30 year old widow who was living in the same area as Woodson. The reason the marriage was called off is unknown. Nancy died in 1916 and was buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery.

Woodson Wheeler died on March 28, 1889. He was 66 years old.

Wyatt Barker (16th USCT)

Wyatt Barker was born in 1845 in Montgomery County, Tennessee to Joe Barker and Harriett Barker. When he was 18 years old, he left to join Company G, 16th USCT in Clarksville. His three-year enlistment began on December 31, 1863. His muster-in roll describes him as 5 feet 9 ½ inches tall with a copper complexion and black hair and eyes. His occupation before joining the Army was farming.

He was on a scouting expedition out of Clarksville when he became ill. He was admitted to the post hospital in Clarksville with pneumonia on March 17, 1864. In April 1864, the 16th USCT moved out to Chattanooga on occupation duty. Wyatt was still in the hospital. Although the hospital returned him to duty on May 1, 1864, Wyatt never rejoined his unit. He was carried as sick in hospital until February 1866 at which time, his unit listed him as a deserter. His muster-out sheet lists him as a deserter, states he was never paid and that the Army owed him $82.

On October 21, 1875, Wyatt married Ella Pardue. The 1880 census lists him in District 15 with the occupation of farmer. His household consisted of wife Ella, age 39, who was keeping house and with three children: Darthula, age 4, Clarance, age 2, and Hattie, age 8 months. Also living with them was Callie Pardue, age 10, Ella’s sister.

In March 1889, Wyatt began the process to try to get the charge of desertion removed from his record. His first deposition stated that when he was released from the hospital, he did not know where the regiment was and that the regiment did not send for him. On April 3, 1889, his Application for Removal of Desertion was denied. The original application was made with R. D. Newton as his attorney. He hired Milo B. Stevens, a Clarksville attorney, and tried again. On April 12, 1889, he received another denial. Another denial came on April 3, 1890 and again on March 2, 1892.

In 1892, Wyatt hired another attorney N. Bickford and submitted depositions describing his condition after being released from the hospital. Wyatt and his witnesses state that he suffered from inflammatory rheumatism that was so severe that his feet and legs would swell so that he couldn’t walk. He was cared for by friends and relatives. He states that he was allowed to remain in the hospital and do duty as a nurse by permission of the Hospital Surgeon and did this until the hospital was abandoned in 1865. Depositions describe him as being unable to walk without sticks and that he moved around by crawling. Several of the depositions were made by former USCT who attested to seeing him in the hospital in this condition. Wyatt claimed that this condition lasted three years. He stated he was treated by Dr. Johnson after the war, but that Dr. Johnson was dead.

The Army searched the rolls of the hospital and found that Wyatt did not appear after May 1, 1864. The records for the hospital ended on April 30, 1865 when it was shut down and he was not listed on the staff record either. On September 3, 1892, his request was again denied and his lawyer, N. Bickford, asked why the mass of evidence in the form of numerous depositions was not enough. The government replied that they couldn’t undertake an analysis of the testimony but it was not enough to remove the charge.

One thing is puzzling. The 101st USCT had their regimental headquarters in Clarksville during the time Wyatt claimed he did not know where his regiment was. Why he did not report there undercuts his claims. The Army points out that after May 1, 1864, Wyatt was not under Army control and can not be accounted for. After September 1892, Wyatt gave up trying to remove the desertion charge.

The 1900 census finds Wyatt living in Civil District 1 as a share cropper. Ella is not listed so sometime between 1890 and 1990 she died. Living with Wyatt is Darlene, age 24, Hattie, age 20, Theodore, age 14, and William, age 10. Both of the boys are listed with an occupation of farm laborer.

On March 27, 1909, Wyatt married for the second time to Annie Mimms. The 1910 census finds the family living on Russellville Pike Road in District 12. Wyatt was working as a general farm laborer and rented the house they were living in. Anne, age 45, and Darthula, age 27, were working as laundresses. Theodore, age 25, and William, age 20, were working as railroad laborers. Shortly after this census was taken, Theodore and William moved to For Ran Road in Hopkins County, Kentucky and were working as coal miners. They also appear on the 1910 census for Hopkins County.

On June 1, 1918, Wyatt dies of Acute Brights Disease. At the time, he was living in the Kenwood area. He was buried in Mt. Olive by Nace Dixon and Company. Theodore Barker registered for the WWI Draft on September 12, 1918 in Madisonville, Kentucky listing his sister Darthula as his nearest relative. She was living in St Bethlehem at the time. There is no record of Theodore being called up to serve. Anne Barker died on November 14, 1918 of broncho-pneumonia from influenza. She is also buried in Mt. Olive.

The 1920 census shows Theodore Barker living on the Greenville-Princeton Road in St Charles, Hopkins County, Kentucky. He was 35 years old and working as a coal miner. Theodore died September 26, 1920 of a fractured skull due to a railroad accident. He was buried in Clarksville but no cemetery is listed.

The 1930 census lists Darthula Barker living in District 6 as a live-in servant to Eddie B. Slaughter. In 1942, Darthula was confined in Central State Hospital in Nashville for Manic Depressive Psychosis, Manic type. She died there on July 30, 1954 of Chronic Myocarditis and was buried in Rossview Cemetery.

High (14th USCT)

High biography coming soon!

Cube Lyle "Steele" (16th USCT)

In 1840, Charles Steele and Sallie Lyle had a son that they named Cube. Both parents were slaves. Charles belonged to Squire John Steele who lived on the South Side about 6 or 7 miles from Clarksville. Sallie belonged to Margaret M. Lyle, a widow with two daughters, who also lived on the South Side of the Cumberland near Antioch Camp Ground about 4 miles from Clarksville. Cube was born on the Lyle farm. The law at that time stated that children born to slave women were born slaves and belonged to whomever owned the mother. Cube had a sister Melvina who moved to Kansas after the Civil War.

On February 8, 1864, Cube went to the recruitment station near Ft. Defiance (then Ft. Bruce) and enlisted in Company I, 16th USCT. He was present with his unit for the rest of the war except for the following hospital stays: June 1, 1864 pneumonia, June 27 – 30, 1864 helminthiases (the condition of having worms anywhere in the body although usually affecting the intestines), November 4, 1864 diarrhea, and January 4 – 6, 1866 constipation.

Cube was 18 years old when he enlisted and was describes as being 5 foot 5 ½ inches tall with black complexion, hair, and eyes. Later he described a scar on his right leg and stated that he was missing half of the second and third fingers of his right hand probably due to the fact that he worked in a saw mill after the war. He also had Phthisis (a wasting away or atrophy of the body or a part of the body) of his left eye due to being struck in the eye by a splinter.

The 16th USCT was stationed in Chattanooga, Tennessee for all of its existence except for being called to Nashville in response to Hood’s attack on that city. The 16th did not participate in the battle because they were part of the reserve force. They initially were part of the force that chased Hood when he withdrew but were sent back to Chattanooga early in the march. Cube was there for the battle and initial pursuit because in his application for a pension he stated that on the march from Nashville to Columbia Tennessee, he incurred severe cold that affected his lungs and back. These two complaints affected him the rest of his life. Also, he suffered an injury to his left elbow working on Nashville’s battlements. A piece of timber fell on his arm causing the injury. Cube also complained of suffering from varices (swollen, twisted, and distorted lengths of veins anywhere in the body) in his left calf and thigh starting in December 1865.

Cube was mustered out on April 30, 1866 in Nashville. He owed the government $5.11 on his clothing account. He returned to Clarksville right after being mustered out because on December 15, 1867 he married Mary Eliza Crittle.

Mary Eliza Crittle was born in 1847 to Margaret Norfleet. No record currently has been found that identifies her father. She was born into slavery and prior to the war lived with Jasper Bradley. This relationship ended when Jasper Bradley joined the 16th USCT. There is no indication that Cube knew either Mary or Jasper before the war. Jasper seems to have died in Memphis of Cholera around 1866. This relationship would cause Mary some problems when she applied for a widow’s pension. She swore, and produced witnesses to the fact that she had no relationship with Jasper after the war and that they had never been legally married.

At the time of Cube’s marriage to Mary, he worked as a laborer at Kellogg’s Saw Mill in Clarksville. This is where he received the injury to his eye and probably lost part of two fingers. He suffered a partial loss

of sight in the damaged eye. It was also probably about this time that he dropped the last name of Lyle and adopted his father’s name of Steele.

The 1880 Census is the first census that the Steele family appears in. Cube was 35 years old and working at a flour mill. Mary was 35 and was keeping house. Mary’s mother Margaret Norfleet Manley, aged 60, was living with them and was working as a wash woman. Three children were listed: Sam, age 9; Maggie, age 4; and Charlese, age 2. In his pension application, Cube reported that he and Mary had thirteen children. Eleven of these children were dead by 1915. Sam died in 1911 at age 40. Maggie and Charlese survived both their parents and were twins.

In 1890, Cube applied for an invalid pension with R. D. Newton as his lawyer. He based his application on affliction of the right arm and partial blindness of his left eye. They granted him a pension of $6 per month which was raised to $12 in 1907 when he achieved an age over 60 years. In 1912 his pension was raised to $17. When he died, Cube was receiving $23 per month.

On February 14, 1894, Cube applied for a minor’s pension on behalf of Shelby Clark’s three children that were below the age of 16 when Shelby died. In the 1900 census, Cube was working as a teamster and Clarence Clark, age 18, was listed in his household as his nephew. Clarence was working as a laborer in a tobacco factory. Cube’s two daughters were married by this time, but Maggie, the 21-year-old widow of Albert Carnel, was living in her father’s house with her son Maurice, age 3. Samuel was still living with his parents and working as a mail carrier. Charlese was now the wife of Odie Harris with a house of her own. The Steele family was living at 14 Paradise Street which Cube owned.

By 1910, Cube and Mary’s children had all left the nest. George M. Carnel, age 14, was listed as a grandson and was living with them. They had two boarders living with them as well. Cube was still working as a teamster. Mary does not have an occupation listed but in the 1911 Clarksville City Directory she is listed as a laundress. In the 1912 directory, Cube’s occupation is listed as a common laborer.

Cube Steele died on November 7, 1916 from hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body) of the left side. Mary Steele applied for a widow’s pension in December 1916. By 1918, Mary was living at 524 Front Street and had her U.S. Representative, Joseph Byrns inquiring about the status of her pension for her.

Mary was granted a pension and when she died, she was receiving $30 per month. She died of a stroke on October 15, 1922. Both Mary and Cube are buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery. It is currently unknown where Sam and Charlese are buried. Maggie is buried in Evergreen Cemetery. Currently no headstone for either Cube or Mary has been found in Mt. Olive Cemetery. There is no record that the government ever issued a USCT headstone for Cube.

Samuel Merryweather "Berry" (16th USCT)

Samuel Merriweather-Berry was born in 1837 in North Carolina. He was enslaved at the beginning of his life to a man named Berry. About 1857 he was bought by Charles N. Merriweather and brought to Montgomery County, Tennessee. He worked for the Merriweather family on their 600-acre farm in District 6 near Trenton, Kentucky. On January 2, 1864, Samuel joined Company G, 16th USCT in Clarksville, Tennessee and served under the name Merriweather. He was 27 and described as 5 feet 5 ½ inches tall with black hair, eyes, and complexion. His three-year enlistment was uneventful until December 1864 when the 16th USCT was brought to Nashville and was held in reserve during the Battle of Nashville. The January/February 1865 report states he lost his haversack costing 40 cents and a canteen costing 45 cents. This time frame matches the 16th USCT’s march from Nashville back to Chattanooga. He was mustered out on April 30, 1866 with the Government owing him $9.91. The last note in his military record states that on August 22, 1890, the Government replaced his discharge certificate.

By his own testimony, Samuel did not return right away to Clarksville. He states he went to Tullahoma, Tennessee and worked for the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railroad building a branch line to the Cumberland Coal Mines. He states he hewed ties. After this job, he worked on the river steamer Tyrone for a year. The Tyrone ran between Nashville and Cairo, Illinois on the Cumberland River.

By 1870 Samuel was back in Clarksville because he appears in the 1870 Montgomery County census. He was listed as 40 years old, living in District 12, and working as a laborer. His wife is listed as Ann although her full name was Zilpha Ann Merriweather. There is no record of their marriage which means they possibly were married during slavery. There is no maiden name associated with Zilpha which may also mean that she was a Merriweather and that they were both enslaved by the same owner. Zilpha was listed as 26 years old and keeping house. The household was rounded out by a child, Harriet, age 10 years old.

About 1872, Samuel was working for Hugh Dunlop on his farm located in the area where the hospital is today on Dunlop Lane. He worked for Mr. Dunlop for about three years.

By the 1880 census, Samuel had changed his name back to Berry, the name of his first owner. He was still living in District 12 and working as a laborer. He and Zilpha now had four children: Joseph, age 11, Jim, age 5, Sam, age 3, and Ruth, age 1.

Samuel applied for a pension for loss of sight in his left eye, tumor of the neck, rheumatism, and disease of the rectum and received $12 a month starting September 9, 1890. Two of the forms in Sam’s pension record had Daniel Holmes as a witness. Shelby Clark and Moses Parish both gave depositions in support of his pension request. In April 1894, the Pension Office sent Sam’s pension to the Chief of the Board of Review because they questioned the veracity of Shelby Clark and Moses Parish’s depositions. They don’t give a reason for this suspicion but the depositions listed use the exact same wording to testify to Sam’s disabilities. A Special Examiner was sent to reinterview all the people who gave depositions and to seek new witnesses.

The Special Examiner, F. M. Lowe was not impressed with Samuel and the feeling was mutual. By the time Lowe came to Clarksville, Shelby Clark and Moses Parish were resting in Mt. Olive Cemetery. In his report he complains that “I am of the opinion that but little confidence can be placed in any statement

made by the Negros around Clarksville, Tenn. without a cross-examination. Under the tutelage of the wily R. D. Newton, who is now serving a sentence in the penitentiary for pension frauds, they learned a recklessness of statement that is astounding.” Sam did not give him any joy either. Lowe found Sam to be sullen and would not give Lowe any names of witnesses for his various injuries. When pressed for the names, Samuel told him that he “was not going to have the Government going all over the United States hunting up witnesses in my claim”. Sam was also upset that they talked to witnesses that he did not name.

Sam’s claim stated that he was blind in his left eye because a cap from his musket struck him in the eye while practicing on a firing range. The tumor on his neck (now as large as a goose egg) was caused by irritation from his knapsack, haversack, and gun on the long march back to Chattanooga from Nashville. This march also caused his rheumatism because during the march his boots wore out and he made part of the trip in his bare feet. His rectal disease (hemorrhoids) was caused by camp diarrhea. Despite Lowe’s disinclination to believe Sam’s case, and Lowe’s claim that Sam had “a reputation for drinking whiskey by the barrel”, the Pension Office never revoked the pension.

Zilpha Ann Merriweather died in the Spring of 1895 and was buried in Mt. Olive Cemetery. There is no record of what she died of or how long she was sick. Sam married twice widowed Martha Morris on September 1, 1896. Their wedded bliss did not last very long. In December 1897, Sam deserted Martha. As she put it, he “left my bed and home.” Sam made no provision for her support, maintenance or comfort, so in April 1899, she wrote the Pension Office asking to receive ½ of Sam’s Pension. When they replied that this was not an action they could take, she reminded them of the Act of March 3, 1899 of the 1896 Amending Section 4766 of the Revised Statutes which allows ½ of the pension to be paid to deserted wives and children. They then sent a detailed paper telling her what she needed to do to apply. Before this paperwork could be completed, Samuel Merriweather Berry died on July 9, 1899. She then applied for a widow’s pension which she never got. There is no record of why Sam deserted her.

Martha is listed in the 1900 Montgomery County Census living with a daughter, Laura Branaugh, from one of her previous marriages. She appears on no other local censuses and there is no record of her death or burial.

The documentation for Samuel and Zilpha’s deaths and place of burial comes from a deposition in the pension record by Sallie Warfield who was present at both burials.