War Service Records of John O. Jackson (1834-1861)

The Fold3.com web site recently offered two weeks free access to their Civil War records and I was able to find service records for some of my ancestors in the Confederate Army. Among them were:

• Elphege Joseph Dugas (1846–1896), my 2nd great grandfather, who was a Private in Company H, 28th (“Thomas’”) Louisiana Infantry Regiment and was captured on 3 July 1863 when Vicksburg, Mississippi fell to U.S. Grant. He was paroled and released the next day, a practice on both sides that was not suspended until later in the war when it was realized on the Federal side that, owing to the much smaller resources of the Confederate Army in men (and materiel), the practice was disproportionally advantageous to the Confederate cause. Many parolees on both sides rejoined their units after their release, although the agreement they signed prohibited them from doing so. Elphege Dugas did not do so and, unfortunately, his widow Emma MARTIN Dugas (1858–1924) was denied a Confederate widow’s pension in the 1920s because of that.
• John O. Jackson (1834–1861), my 3rd great grandfather, who was a Private in Company E, 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment, who died of disease in a Confederate Army camp in Huntsville, Alabama on 16 October 1861.
• John L. Averett (1843–1862), my 3rd great grand uncle, brother of David Franklin Averett (1837–1927) who was a Corporal in Company F, 13th Alabama Infantry Regiment and died of disease in a Confederate Army camp in Yorktown, Virginia.
• James McKissick Timmerman (1834–1863), my 3rd great grand uncle, who was a Private in Company K, 24th Alabama Infantry Regiment (incomplete records), who died 21 September 1863 in the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia.
• William Jasper Pyron (1843–1921), my 3rd great grand uncle, who was a Private in Company B, 56th Georgia Infantry Regiment, (incomplete records) who survived the war.

I believe there are more to be found, including

• Alvis Early Averett (1845—unknown), who survived the war and moved to California. He was another brother of my 3rd great grandfather David Franklin Averett (1837-1927).

Alas, I did not find service records for David Averett at Fold3.com. I wonder if this is due to the fact that he surrendered with his regiment at Appomatox Court House, Virginia with General Lee’s Army of Northern in Virginia in April 1865 — and that the Confederate government had virtually ceased to exist by that time, having abandoned Richmond, Virginia shortly before.

This post documents the files found in the service records of John O. Jackson (1834–1861), whose grave I visited in Hunstville, Alabama in March 2014. The source of the his records found at Fold3.com web site was Publication No. M311 Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, The National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives Catalog ID 586957, Record Group 109, State of Alabama, Roll 0274, Nineteenth Infantry:

Owing to my own inexperience with reading these records, I do not know the meaning of all notations written on the papers and will update this blog post in the future as I become more knowledgeable.

The first image is the scanned image of the outside of the folder that contained his records. They are transcribed as follows.

1026
Jackson, John O.
Co. E, 19 Alabama Infantry.
(Confederate.)

Private Private

Card Numbers.
44606306
50445921

Number of medical cards herein: 0
Number of personal papers herein: 0

Book Mark: [left blank]
See also: [left blank]

The second image is a card containing information from a Company Muster Roll for the 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment in which his name appeared. My impression is that, as information was requested about specific soldiers, a clerk would locate the archived information and copy it out on one of several standard forms, which would then be included in the soldier’s service record in a separate location. The information on this particular card is transcribed as follows:

(Confederate.)
J 19 Ala.
John O. Jackson
Pvt, Co. E, 19 Reg’t Alabama Infantry.

Appears on

Company Muster Roll

of the organization named above, For Aug. 12 to Oct 31, 1861.

Enlisted:
When: Aug 12, 1861.
Where: Kirks Grove, Ala.
By whom: Capt Kirkpatrick
Period: 3 yrs

Last paid:
By whom:
Pay due from Enrolmt [Enrollment]
To what time: [blank], 186[blank]

Present or absent
Remarks: Died Oct 16, 1861, Hunstville, Ala.

Book mark: [blank]
[signed] W.J. Hearst
Copyist.
(642)

The next card records the appearance of the name of John O. Jackson due to his widow’s claim of his back pay, his enlistment bounty, and money found on his clothing after he died prior to burial. It is transcribed as follows.

(CONFEDERATE.)
J 19 Ala.

John O. Jackson
Co. C. [error:  should be E?] 19 Regt

Name appears on a

Register

of Claims of deceased Officers and Soldiers from Alabama which were filed for settlement in the Office of the Confederate States Auditor for the War Department.

By whom presented: A.E. Jackson [his widow, Atharilla Elizabeth Roberts (1833–1908)]

When filed: March 4, 1863
Where born: [left blank]
Where died: Huntsville, Ala.

Comptroller:
When reported to: July 21, 1864.
When returned: July 23, 1864.

Number of settlements:
Certficates: 17406
Report: [left blank]

Amount found due: $99.20
By whom paid: [left blank]
No. Of Paymasters’ Settlements: [left blank]
Abstract and No. Of Voucher: [left blank]

Confed. Arch, Chap. 10, File No. 26, page 63.

[signed] J. Cary [?]
Copyist
(635)

The next card records his name appearing on a register of deceased Confederate soldiers, along with some of his information.

(CONFEDERATE.)
J 19 Ala

J.O. Jackson
Co. E 19 Regt

Name appears on a

Register*

of Officers and Soldiers of the Army of the Confederate States who were killed in battle, or who died of wounds or disease.

Where born: [left blank]
When deceased: Oct. 16, 1861.
Where and from what cause: Huntsville, Ala
Amount of money left: [left blank]
Effects: [left blank]
In whose charge: [left blank]
When received: March 18, 1864
Number of certificate: 62
Remarks: [left blank]

* This register appears to have been compiled in the Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office from returns furnished by Hospitals and by Regimental and Company Officers.

Confed. Arch., Chap. 10, File No. 2, page 138.

[signed] G. C. West
Copyist.
(635)
3014

The next card is similar but provides a bit more information that did not appear on the first card, namely that he died of disease in camp.

(CONFEDERATE.)
J 19 Ala

John O. Jackson
Co. E 19 Regt

Name appears on a

Register*

of Officers and Soldiers of the Army of the Confederate States who were killed in battle, or who died of wounds or disease.

Where born: [left blank]
When deceased: Oct. 16, 1861.
Where and from what cause: Huntsville, Ala. Disease.
Amount of money left: [left blank]
Effects: [left blank]
In whose charge: [left blank]
When received: [left blank]
Number of certificate: [left blank]
Remarks: [left blank]

* This register appears to have been compiled in the Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office from returns furnished by Hospitals and by Regimental and Company Officers.

Confed. Arch., Chap. 10, File No. 2, page 133.
[signed] G. C. West
Copyist.
(635)
3014

The next card reports on the disposal of property of deceased Confederate soldiers. For John O. Jackson, he had no effects to be given to his family, except for $7.40 found in his pockets after he died. It also states that he was due back pay from the time of his enlistment in the Confederate Army. 

(CONFEDERATE.)
J 19 Ala

John O. Jackson
Pvt. Co. E. 19 Regt Ala. P.A [I don’t know what “P.A” means]

Appears on a

Register

containing a record of the Property of Deceased Confederate Soldiers.

Date: Nov. 14, 1861.
Died: in Hunstville
Oct. 16, 1861

Remarks: No effects. Entitled to pay from 12th of Aug 1861 & $7.40 on clothing.

Confed. Arch., Chap. 1, File No. 27, page 160.

[signed] L.E. Fehl
Copyist.
(635)
(5649)

The next record appears to be a cover sheet for folded records used to settle accounts with the widow of John O. Jackson.

[unreadable handwritten notations]

No. 17,406.

Account.

John O. Jackson, Deceased.
Private of Capt. Israel’s
Co. E, 19 Alabama Reg’t.

Due: $99.20

APPROPRIATION. Pay of officers and privates of the army — volunteers, militia, &c.

Reported: July 20, 1864.
Confirmed: July 23, 1864.

The other side of that cover sheet reads as follows:

THE CONFEDERATE STATES,

To: Atharilla E. Jackson, Widow of
John O. Jackson, deceased,
Late private of Capt. M.M. Israel Co. E,
19 Reg’t Alabama Volunteers Dr.

For pay of said deceased from 12 August 1861 when enlisted to 16 October 1861 When he died.
Two months & six days at $11 per mo. $24.20
Comniulation [difficult to read handwriting: should be “commutation” or “the payment substituted”?] for clothing: $25.00
Bounty Fifty dollars $50.00

Due: $99.20

As per report of G.J. Williams herewith
Payable to: Atharilia E. Jackson Widow
Care of A. Woods Jacksonville Alabama

TREASURY DEPARTMENT
SECOND AUDITOR’S OFFICE,
July 21, 1864.

[signature difficult to read] Clerk.

COMPTROLLER’S OFFICE,

July 23, 1864.

[signature portion difficult to read] Hester, Clerk.

The next image appears to be the cover of another packet of records for settlement with the family of Jackson.

No. 62.
J.O. Jackson
Co. E
19 Ala.

[handwritten difficult to read]

Mar. 4/63 [March 4, 1863]
Order 80 15 Feby 1864 [15 February 1864]

The other side of that page consists of two forms, which read as follows:

FORM NO. 4.

I CERTIFY that the within named John O. Jackson a Priv’t of Captain M.M. Israel’s Company (E) of the 19th Regt. of Ala Vols [Alabama Volunteers] born in [difficult to read handwriting] in the State of Georgia, aged 24 [incorrect, should be 26: born 17 Dec 1834, died 16 Oct 1861] years, 5 feet, 8 inches high, fair complexion, blue eyes, Dark hair, and by occupation a Farmer was enlisted by Capt. Kirkpatrick at Kirksgrove Ala. on the 12th day of Aug, 1861, to serve three years, and is now entitled to a discharge by reason of died in hospital, Huntsville Ala Oct 16th 1861.

The said Soldier was last paid by due pay to include the [badly focused printing difficult to read] day of [handwriting difficult to read] from[?] enlistment[?] and has pay due from that date to the present date, day of his death.

There is due to him [left blank] Dollars traveling allowance from [left blank], the place of discharge, to [left blank] the place of enrollment, transportation not being furnished in kind.

There is due him 23 46/100 bounty for enlisting 50.00 dollars,

He is indebted to the Confederate States [left blank] dollars,
Account of [left blank]

Given in duplicate at Walton GA , this 6th day of January, 1864.

[signed] Joseph Williamson, [handwriting difficult to read], Commanding Company.


FORM NO. 5. — Account to be made by the Quartermaster.

For pay from 12 of Aug, 1861, to 16 of Oct 1861, being 2 months and 4 days, at 11 dollars per month, 23.46

For pay for traveling from [left blank] [handwritten: Commlation?, for clothing not drawn [handwriting difficult to read] to [left blank], being [left blank] miles, at ten cents per mile [left blank] 8.62

[handwritten: Bounty for Enlistment] 50.00
Amount ………… 82.08
Deduct for Clothing overdrawn, …………… [left blank]
Balance paid, ………… [left blank]

Received of [left blank], C.S. Army, this [left blank] day of [left blank] 186[left blank]

[left blank] Dollars and [left blank] Cents, in full of the above account.

[left blank] [SIGNED DUPLICATE.]

WITNESS: [left blank]

Note that I do not currently know where in Georgia he was born and I am not quite able to read the name of the town noted in red. If anyone reading this blog post can read it or otherwise knows the information, I would be grateful if you would post it in a comment below.

A bureaucratic form to further confirm the settlement from the point of view of the Confederate government:

Treasury Department, Second Auditor’s Office,

Sept. 4, 1863.

THE ADJUTANT AND INSPECTOR GENERAL, C.S.,

SIR:

Please report me the term of enlistment and the service and death &c., of John O. Jackson Dec’d late Pr [Private?] of Captain Kirkpatrick’s Company E 19 Regiment Ala. Vols.

Very respectfully, &c.,

Alleged, died Oct. 16 1861.

[signature difficult to read]
Ch. Div. Deceased Soldiers.

[handwritten:]
Enld [Enlisted]
12th Aug 1861 [for the duration of the?] war
Died 16th Octo 1861.

And another:

Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office,
Richmond, Va. Jany 6th 1864

It appears from the Muster Roll of Capt Kirkpatrick Company, (E) of the 19 Regiment Ala Volunteers, on file in this office, that Jno O Jackson of his Company was enlisted for war 12th Augs 1861, and died on the 16th Oct 1861.

[signed]
Ed. A. Palfrey
Lt. Col. & A.A. Gen’l.

Finally, Jackson’s widow apparently had to submit an affidavit certifying that she was his widow. I know very little about probate law and assume this was necessary.

THE STATE OF ALABAMA,
CALHOUN COUNTY.

I ALEXANDER WOODS, Judge of the Court of Probate in and for said State and County, hereby certify that Calvin M Wheeler [handwriting difficult to read] whose genuine signature appears to the within and foregoing [handwriting difficult to read] affidavit [handwriting difficult to read] certificate is and was at the time of certifying and attesting the same a Justice of the Peace in and for said county of Calhoun, duly commissioned and sworn according to law; and all his official acts are and ought to be entitled to full faith and credit. I further certify that I am the Clerk of said Court as well as Judge of the same, and that there is no other presiding magistrate of said court other than myself; that said court is a court of record, having a seal annexed thereto, and that this certificate is in due form of law and by the proper officer.

All of which I certify under my hand and the seal of said Court, at Office in the Town of Jacksonville, Alabama, on the 11th day of October A.D. 1862. [handwritten notation difficult to read] A. Woods, Judge of Probate.

[Handwritten]
John O. Jackson
[handwriting difficult to read] Kirkpatrick
Co. [left blank] 19 Ala

A.E. Jackson
wid [widow]

R 4 Mar 1863.

[handwritten notation difficult to read]

Sept. 4, 1863.
[handwriting difficult to read]

Address A Woods
Jacksonville
Ala

More of the affidavit:

[Handwritten]
The State of Alabama
Calhoun County

On this 23rd day of August 1862 personally appeared before me Calvin M. Wheeler a Justice of the peace in and for said County of Calhoun Athariles E. Jackson a resident of said county of Calhoun, who being duly sworn by me according to Law States on [Oath?] that she is the late wife and now the widow of John O. Jackson deceased, that on the the 13th day of August 1861 the said John O. Jackson was mustered in to the Army of the Confederate States as a private for the War, at Huntsville Ala, [handwriting difficult to read] Co. Commanded by Capt. D[?] Kirkpatrick 19th Regt commanded by Col. Whales[?] Ala Vols that on the 16th day of October 1861 the said John O. Jackson departed this life at the Hospital in said Huntsville Ala, and and affiant as the widow and legal heir of the said John O. Jackson deceased [handwriting difficult to read] this affidavit for the purpose of obtaining the [handwriting difficult to read: Military pay account….?] while was [handwriting difficult to read] the said John O. Jackson at the time of his death on account of his service in said Company & Regiment, he having served in said Co. & Regt two months & 2 days without having drawn anything for his service, affiant further states that she has been [handwriting difficult to read] upon the Estate of the said John O. Jackson deceased. Sworn to & subscribed before me this 23rd day of August A.D. 1862.

Atharila E Jackson (X her mark)

Calvin M. Wheeler, J.P.[?]

I am puzzled by the use of “her mark” because each of the U.S. Census returns on which she appears indicate that all members of her family above the appropriate age, including her, were able to read and write. Except for this one bit of evidence, I have no reason to doubt that she was able to do so.

Further:

We, Joshua Roberts & John D. Cheatwood hereby certify that we reside in Calhoun in the State of Alabama that the foregoing affidavit made by Atharila E. Jackson was signed and acknowledged[?] by her in our presence, that we have [handwriting difficult to read] said Athariler E. Jackson personally for many years, as well as her deceased husband John O. Jackson in his lifetime mentioned in the foregoing affidavit all residing in the said neighborhood in said County of Calhoun, that we therefore State from personal knowledge, that the said Athariles E. Jackson & John O. Jackson lived together as man & wife & were so regarded by the community in which they lived, and we further State that the said Athariler E. Jackson is a Lady of [handwriting difficult to read] and veracity, and we are satisfied that the facts deposed to by her in the foregoing affidavit are true, we further State that we have no interest in the final result of the prosecution of this claim, sworn [and?] subscribed before me this 23rd day of August 21, A.D. 1862.

[signed] John D. Cheatwood

Calvin M. Wheeler J.P.[?]

Note: I think it is likely that this Joshua Roberts was the father, Joshua Robert (1795–1876), of Atharilla E. ROBERTS Jackson (1833–1908). I do not know who John D. Cheatwood might have been. It may or may not be relevant that the neighbors and good friends of the William Joseph Jackson (1881–1956) and Monnie Ethel WATTS Jackson (1885–1985) family in northern Louisiana was named Cheatwood. If there is a connection, it will need some kind of evidence that has yet to be found by me.

And finally:

I [space left blank] a Justice of the peace in and for Calhoun /County, State of Alabama hereby certify that the foregoing affidavit made by Athariles E. Jackson was signed and acknowledged by her in my presence, that the foregoing certificate made by Josehua Roberts & John D. Cheatwood was also signed and acknowledged by them in my presence, and Know that they are credible Witnesses residing in said County of Calhoun, & I further know that the said Athariles E. Jackson the claimant is the identical person she represents herself to be.

Given under my hand this 23rd day of August 1862
Calvin M. Wheeler J.P.[?]

Speculation: "Rodney Ferry" Route from Alabama to Louisiana

While scanning through some of the issues of the Jacksonville Republican newspaper printed in Jacksonville, Alabama in 1860, I came across the following clipping. It is from the 2 February 1860 issue, was originally placed on 15 December 1859, and was to run for two months.

NOTICE
TO
Emigrants moving to Louisiana and Texas. 

WE beg leave to state, that there is a NEW and SUBSTANTIAL Ferry Boat at Rodney, and that the route by this “Ferry” is the best of all seasons, and nearer by 180 miles. We have been requested by persons travelling this “route” to publish a “Way Bill” for the convenience of those who intend moving west — which we furnish over the card of Mr. S.W. Davitte.
THOS. M. REA & CO. 

WAY-BILL. 

Vanwert, Geo.
Jacksonville, Ala.
Greensport, Ala.
Ashville, Ala.
Elyton, Ala.
Gainesville, Ala.
Scooba, Ala.
DeKalb
Big Oak
Union
Brandon
Monterey
Dear’s Ferry on Pearl River
Ferry on N.O. And Jackson R.R.
Port Gibson
Rodney Ferry. 

Rodney Ferry, Nov. 12, 1859. 

I HAVE just travelled the route to this “Ferry,” and recommend it to all persons intending to move West. The roads are perfectly good, affording an abundance of all necessary supplies — accommodations at the Ferry are also very good. The boat is new and safe; and the proprietors attend to it themselves and are accommodating.
S.W. DAVITTE
December 15, 1859. 2m.

Click to enlarge

My 3rd great grandparents, David Averett (1837–1927) and Martha TIMMERMAN Averett (1847—1927) moved their family to Louisiana in 1877 (seventeen years later, admittedly) from the Reeltown/Tallassee, Alabama area. Stories my mother collected during her lifetime indicate that David and his family had intended to move to Texas. Instead, when they stopped to visit his sister in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana on the way to Texas, they decided to stay there. This is one possible route they may have taken.

John William Jackson (1856–1926), my 2nd great grandfather, and the son of John O. Jackson (1834–1861) who I have mentioned in other posts as having lived in Kirk’s Grove, Alabama in Cherokee County, also ended up in Louisiana, although it was later in the 19th century. John William’s son, William Joseph Jackson (1881–1956), married David Averett’s granddaughter, Monnie Ethel Watts (1885-1985), in Winnfield, Louisiana (Winn Parish) in 1908. William Joseph and Monnie Ethel WATTS Jackson were two of my great grandparents.

If David and Martha Averett followed this route, they probably would have joined it after leaving the Reeltown/Tallassee area somewhere west of Elyton, Alabama and east of Scooba, Mississippi — subject to the availability and condition of the roads, of course. The goal of this post is to show which of the way points I was able to locate on the advertised route.

• Van Wert, Georgia
• According to the Polk County Chamber of Commerce Historic Sites website, Van Wert, Georgia is located in what is now Rockmart, Georgia. It has been designated a historic township by the State. The geolocation is 33.986641N -85.040874E.
• Jacksonville, Alabama
• Jacksonville, Alabama still exists in Calhoun County. Jacksonville State University, the source of my Civil War-period Jacksonville Republican newspapers, is located there. According to Wikipedia the geolocation is 33.815833N -85.760556E.
• Greensport Alabama
• Greensport was a bit more difficult to find. According to a person named Rick Wallace responding to a query on Genealogy.com, "Greensport and Greensport Ferry were located on the Coosa River, South of Gadsden and about 5 miles northwest of Ohatchee. On a present day map find the Henry Neely Lake on the Coosa River, south of Gadsden. Greensport was on the north bank of the river in St Clair County. Greensport was about where the Henry Neely Dam is and pretty well sitting on top of the point where St Clair, Calhoun and Etowah Counties all join.” The following map shows where I believe it is (geolocation 33.848190N -86.079126E).

According to Wikipedia, "The Coosa River is the major tributary when it joins the Tallapoosa River near Wetumpka, Alabama to form the Alabama River.” These locations are important to the story of David Averett, which is why I include the detail here and I intend to return to the subject in more depth in the future. Wikipedia also provides a very nice map that was created by Wikipedia user “pfly":

• Ashville, Alabama
• Ashville, Alabama still exists in St. Clair County. Geolocation 33.843611N -86.266111E.    
• Elyton, Alabama
• Elyton or Ely’s Town, Alabama is now a part of Birmingham. The geolocation is 33.5014942N -86.8408239E.
• Gainesville, Alabama
• Gainesville, Alabama still exists in Sumter County, near the border of Mississippi. Geolocation is 32.817317N -88.158026E.
• Scooba, Alabama
• The advertisement in the 2 February 1860 newspaper says this is a town in Alabama but I believe it is a misprint. Scooba, Mississippi, on the other hand, is in Kemper County, near the border with Alabama. Geolocation 32.830382N -88.474783E.
• DeKalb, Mississippi
• DeKalb, Mississippi is also in Kemper County. Geolocation 32.769751N -88.650407E. 
• Big Oak, Mississippi
• I have not been able to find any information about Big Oak, Mississippi. The closest items that I have found are Big Oak Methodist Church (32.721977N -88.765469E) and Big Oak Church (32.684782N -88.843395E) in Mississippi. They are about five miles apart, but they appear to line up nicely on the route defined by the other geographic locations specified in the advertisement.

• Union, Mississippi
• Union, Mississippi still exists and is located in Neshoba and Newton counties. Geolocation 32.571320N -89.118118E.
• Brandon, Mississippi
• Brandon, Mississippi is the county seat of Rankin County. Geolocation 32.280330N -89.998470E.
• Monterey, Mississippi
• Monterey, Mississippi is a “populated place” in Rankin County. Geolocation 32.185N -90.081E.
• Dear’s Ferry on the Pearl River
• “Dear’s Ferry” or “Dears Ferry” is a historic site and is a crossing of the Pearl River in Hinds County. Geolocation 32.0918189N -90.2411994E. For future reference, the linked “iTouchMap” web site contains other useful geographic and historical information about Mississippi and other states: Various place types (arroyos, basins, crossings, etc.), including many river crossings.   

• Ferry on N.O. And Jackson R.R.
• I haven’t been able to find this. Searching on this in Wikipedia connects to the page on the “New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern railroad” which connected Chicago with New Orleans and was completed just before the start of the war. One site on the Internet indicates that it was considered one of the best Confederate Railroads. The Federal Army captured New Orleans in 1862 and spent the rest of the war trying to disrupt the railroad, which they apparently largely succeeded in doing.
• Port Gibson
• Port Gibson, Mississippi is a city in Claiborne County near the Mississippi River. Geolocation 31.956243N -90.983124E.
• Rodney Ferry
• According to Wikipedia, Rodney, Mississippi doesn’t exist as a town anymore because the Mississippi River changed course. Carolyn Jean Adams Switzer indicates that the town was incorporated in 1828, was a “thriving boomtown” in the 1830s, and had become a “struggling ghost town” in the 1840s. Some buildings are still there and Wikipedia relates an interesting story (unsourced, alas) from the Civil War about how several Union officers were taken prisoner while attending services at the Presbyterian Church in 1863. But the population is now apparently zero, although Switzer indicates that the Baptist Church is still in use. The geolocation is, according to Wikipedia, 31.861389N -91.199722E.

If one wanted to go to Texas, would the idea have been to reach the Mississippi River and then ride a boat down to New Orleans, and then another boat to Texas? But where in Texas? Galveston? What cities existed on the Texas Gulf Coast in 1859? Or would one have crossed Louisiana by road to arrive in Texas?

My 2nd great grandfather, John William Jackson ended up in Hico, Texas before doubling back to Louisiana. The following Wikipedia map of Hico, Texas is by Seth Anthony.

Unless one traveled up a river to reach Hico (I have no idea if this is possible), it might have been easier to simply cross Louisiana to get there.

It seems likely that there was more than one route commonly taken from Alabama to Louisiana but it will take a lot more research to determine just how many routes were taken and how many ferries across rivers, especially the mighty Mississippi river, were available and able to accommodate wagons carrying the personal effects of entire families. Families such as that of David and Martha Averett, my 3rd great grandparents and John William Jackson and his wife, Carrie Eliza Michael (1860–1910).

I might start by plotting the locations of all the historical river crossings in Alabama and then Mississippi using the data from the iTouchMap site. This might identify a few choke points through which all traffic had to be funneled. The topic is worth revisiting in the future.

Grave Site of John O. Jackson (1834-1861)

I recently visited the grave of my great-great-great (“3rd great”) grandfather, John O. Jackson (1834-1861). At the time of his death, he was a Private in the 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment, Company E, Confederate States Army. He is from my maternal grandfather's (William Obeyn Jackson, 1909-1988) line.

"JOHN O JACKSON, PVT CO E 19 ALA INFANTRY, CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY, OCT 16 1861" (Photo by Robert Luke - click images to enlarge)

It is located in a section (34.734380N -86.573223E) of the Maple Hill Cemetery (34.733168N -86.574609E) in Huntsville, Alabama set aside for graves of (apparently then) unknown Confederate soldiers. The Maple Hill Cemetery is located at 202 Maple Hill Street SE, Huntsville, Alabama 35801.

"MAPLE HILL CEMETERY, ESTABLISHED 1818, OLDEST AND LARGEST MUNICIPAL CEMETERY IN CONTINUOUS OPERATION IN THE SOUTH. COLONEL WALTER ASTON CHAPTER XVII CENTURY, HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, 2006." (Photo by Robert Luke)

The following is a diagram provided to me by the cemetery staff at the main entrance office that day.

In that section of the Maple Hill Cemetery I counted 193 simple white grave stones that said only "Unknown Soldier C.S.A." It was cold and blustery that day, 27 deg F; since I had only a light jacket, I kept needing to blow on my hands and my count may not be completely accurate.

"UNKNOWN, SOLDIER, CSA" (Photo by Robert Luke)

There are also about 62 name plaques mounted on the fence that surrounds this section, one of which is for my grandfather. A close-up picture is shown above and it is mounted on the lower left on the fence in the following photo. These individual plaques are about 5 inches by 8 inches in size.

(Photo by Robert Luke)

According to the 1860 US Census, John O. Jackson was a farmer in Cherokee County, Alabama and preacher. He was probably a Baptist minister, as I think several other of my ancestors in that area were Baptists. One of his sons, John William Jackson (1856-1926), was my second great (“great-great”) grandfather.

According to a 29 September 1984 interview of Carrie Maude “Jackie” JACKSON Grote (1911-1998), a great-granddaughter of John O. Jackson, by my mother (1938-1992), a second-great grand daughter of John O. and also Jackie’s niece:

“[John O. Jackson] went to the Army during the War and they never heard from him again. The day he left, Grandpa [John William Jackson] (he was real small) tried to go with him. His dad took him back and the second time he tried to follow, his dad spanked him."

It is my impression from this interview - and from the lack of any information that I inherited from my mother’s genealogy research materials - that the family as a whole simply didn't know what became of John O. Jackson. I didn't know either, until I happened to find his name at the findagrave.com memorial web page maintained by Sarah Johnson (a great-great granddaughter of John O. Jackson) and created by Leah Brannon in 2009. The fact that he was identified as being in this particular section of this particular cemetery means records of some kind were kept that were not generally available until some time after 1901, as explained below. I need to research this further but the family may never have been notified. I have read in various sources in the past that unfortunately, but perhaps inevitably, this happened to many families on both sides in the War Between the States. 

Probably the same Sarah Johnson wrote in the Military History Online - Civil War Genealogy Database indicates that John died of disease:

"Name:  John O. Jackson, Rank: Private, Company: E; John O. Jackson enlisted in Co. E, 19th Alabama Infantry on August 12, 1861. He died from disease in a CSA camp in Hunstville, AL on October 16, 1861. He was born on December 17, 1834 to Solomon H. Jackson and Eunice 'Eunicy' Clements Jackson. John was married to Atharilla Elizabeth Roberts Jackson in 1855 and they had four children. John was my great, great grandfather." (by Sarah Johnson). Date added: 12/7/2010."

John O. Jackson enlisted on 12 August 1861 in the 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment being raised in Huntsville, Alabama. His death from disease in the camp was a common fate on both sides. There are estimates that two out of three deaths in the Civil War were due to disease (WGBH American Experience web site), out of a total of between 650,000 and 850,000 deaths due to all causes (J. David Hacker, Binghamton University, New York, as reported in 2 April 2012 NY Times). I suspect there was an epidemic in the camp because a number of the name plaques show men from the 19th Infantry Regiment who died within just a few days of the date when John O. passed away -- 16 October 1861.

From a Regiment’s chronology shown below, the 19th Regiment was located at Camp Bradford in Huntsville at the time of his death, before moving out to Mobile, Alabama in November. Among many other battles and skirmishes, the Regiment eventually fought at Shiloh (1862); Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge (1863); and Kennesaw Mountain and others defending Atlanta against Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman in 1864.

"In Memory of THESE CONFEDERATE UNKNOWN, BG JOHN HUNT MORGAN #2541, UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY" (Photo by Robert Luke)

The fenced area for graves of what were then unknown Confederate soldiers appears to have been improved by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and perhaps others. It is separated from the rest of the cemetery by what appears to be a black wrought iron fence with a gate on each of two sides. The original monument for the area was placed in 1901.

C.S.A., The Lost Cause, "Furl that Banner, for 'tis weary.", July 21, 1901 (Photo by Robert Luke)

The quote is likely from the poem, “The Conquered Banner” by Abram Joseph Ryan (1838-1886), a chaplain in the Confederate Army and dubbed “The Poet-Priest of the Confederacy”.

"UNKNOWN CONFEDERATE DEAD" (probably 1901?) (Photo by Robert Luke)

It looks to me as if there are both older and newer gravestones present. The newer gravestones, about one foot wide and having about two feet exposed above the ground, are largely clean and are certainly readable and they are likely more recent than 1901. Based on the presence of a few thinner stones that remain, overgrown by the roots of trees among them, the newer stones have been placed more recently. I did not find any examples of the older, thinner gravestones that had a visible inscription. In fact, none of them had enough of their faces exposed so that any inscription would have been visible.

(Photo by Robert Luke)

Based on the inscription on the bench shown above and again just below from a different point of view, I suspect these plaques may have been placed by the UDC in 2009.

(Photo by Robert Luke)

(Photo by Robert Luke)

My working hypothesis is that lost burial records found between 1901 and 2009 identified the remains of a portion of the men buried here. But, again, I need to research this further.

"IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF OUR CONFEDERATE DEAD, 1861-1865" (Photo by Robert Luke)

Finally, here is a diagram of the relationship between my 3rd great grandfather, John O. Jackson (1834-1861), and my maternal grandfather, William Obeyn Jackson (1909-1988).