David and Martha Averett Family in the 1870 US Census

David Franklin Averett (1837-1927) and Martha Ann Rebecca Timmerman (1847-1927) married in December 1864 while David was at home recovering from wounds suffered in the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864. He survived the war and returned to Martha after Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, of which he was a part, surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865.

David and Martha Averett appeared in the 1870 US Census in Elmore County, Alabama, along with their first two children, John Averett (1865-1956) and Mary Maude Averett (1867-1948).

(Click images to enlarge.)

Source citation:  Year:  1870; Census Place:  Township 19, Elmore, Alabama; Roll: M593_15; Page: 109A; Image: 410; Family History Library Film: 545514.

Information having to do with their family is transcribed as follows.

Page 135
Schedule 1. — Inhabitants in Township 19, in the County of Elmore, State of Alabama, enumerated by me on the 28th day of July, 1870.
Post Office: Chanahatchee
[signed] J.B. [Kerwin?], Ass’t Marshal.

• Line 25: D.F. Averette; age: 32 years; sex: male; race: white; occupation: farmer; value of real estate: $500; value of personal estate: $480; place of birth: Georgia; parents not of foreign birth; could read and write; was a male citizen of the U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards; his right to vote was not denied on other grounds than rebellion or other crime. [Did he have the right to vote at this time? Confederate soldiers were presumably allowed to regain their U.S. citizenship after having sworn to uphold the Constitution and abide by the results of the war, to include recognition that the former slaves had been legally and permanently freed. Are there records that might list his name?]
• Line 26: M.A.R. Averette; age: 24 years; sex: female; race: white; occupation: keeping house; place of birth: Alabama; parents not of foreign birth; could read and write
• Line 27: John Averette; age: 4 years; sex: male; race: white; place of birth: Alabama
• Line 28: Mary Averette; age 2 years; sex: female; race: white; place of birth: Alabama. [Mary Maude Averett (1867-1948) was my 2nd great grandmother.]

Names and occupations of their neighbors can be seen from nearby pages of the census. Almost all households appear to be farming families or people hired to work on those farms. And it turns out that David and Martha Averett lived near relatives and probable relatives.

• Page 133:
• Family 937: Benjamin Mason (farmer), Nancy Mason (keeping house), Rody Mason, Elizabeth Mason, Charles Mason (farm laborer), William Mason (farm laborer), Sarah Mason, Benjamin Mason, John Mason, Abraham Pullen, Leddie Pullen
• Family 938: J.E. Anderson (farmer), Elezabeth Anderson (keeping house), J.P. Anderson (teaching school), Mary Anderson, Willie Anderson, Salina Anderson, James Anderson
• Family 939: Isham Pollard (farm laborer), Rachel Pollard (keeping house), Louisa Pollard (farm laborer), Ellen Pollard, John Pollard, Eb Goss [This family was a black family. Were they former slaves? Were they the former “property” of some of the white people listed on these census sheets? Possibly of J.E. Anderson above or Burton Todd below?]
• Family 940: Burton Todd, Elizabeth Todd, Thomas Todd, Hattie Todd, Charley Todd, Benjamin Todd, Budar Todd, Pinkney Todd
• Family 941: James Averett (farmer, real estate $600 — equivalent to $10,700 dollars in 2014, personal estate $500 ($8900)), Mary Averett (keeping house), Nancy Averett, Webster Averett (farm laborer), Rebecca Averett, Romulus Averett (farm laborer), Charley Averett [I think Nancy Averett, Webster Averett, Rebecca Averett, Romulus Averett, and Charles or Charley Averett were siblings of David Averett. Mary Averett may have been the mother of David Averett. According to this census, she was 50 years of age in 1870, which means she was born about 1820. My data currently shows David’s mother, Mary Averett, as born around 1815. But I have also seen the birth year given as 1812. But who is James Averett?]

• Pages 134—135:
• Family 942: Jeremiah McCissick (farmer, real estate $1200 ($21,400), personal estate $1000 ($17,800)), Sarah McCissick (keeping house), Ida McCissick, Lula McCissick, Annah McCissick, Fletcher McCissick, Minnie McCissick, N.B. McCissick [McCissick or McKissick may have been related to Martha TIMMERMAN Averett, the wife of David Averett. The reason it might be true is tenuous: She had a brother named James McKissick Timmerman (1835-1863) who died of wounds suffered at the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, a Confederate victory.]
• Family 943: Green Teal (farmer), Matilda Teal (keeping house), Julia Teal, Amanda Teal, Margaret Teal, Charley Teal, Mallery Teal
• Family 944: F.W. Timmerman (farmer, real estate $800 ($14,300), personal estate $300 ($5400)), Timnah (keeping house) [F.W. and Timnah Timmerman are the parents of Martha TIMMERMAN Averett.]
• Family 945: John Redin (farmer), Sarah Redin (keeping house), John Redin (farm laborer), Mary Redin, William Redin, Frances Redin, James Redin, Louilla Redin
• Family 946: John Manning (farmer), Nancy Manning (keeping house), Mallissa Manning
• Family 947: Ellis Harden (farmer), Eliza Hardin (keeping house), Theressa Harden, Hiram Harddn, Martha Harden, John Harden, Susan Harden, William Harden, George Harden
• Family 948: T. Tinsley (farmer), Elizabeth Tinsley (keeping house), Alonza Tinsley (farm laborer), Narsissus Tinsley, Tarply Tinsley, Lougenia Tinsley, Gardner Tinsley, Ida Tinsley, Thomas Tinsley, Stella Tinsley

• Pages 135—136:
• Family 949: S. Canterburg (keeping house), Fitesque Canterburg (farm laborer), Marcus Canterburg, Elizabeth Canterburg, William Canterburg, James Harris (farm laborer), Caroline Harris, Quinn Richardson, Louis Mitcheal (farm laborer) [Richardson and Mithceal were also black. Again, were they former slaves? Were they formerly the “property” of the Canterburg’s?]
• Family 950: Evans Chatman (farmer), Roma Chatman (keeping house), Henry Chatman (farm laborer), James Chatman (farm laborer), Ewan Chatman, Minnia Chatman, James Wallace (farm laborer), Martina Wallace (keeping house)
• Family 951: D.F. Averette (farmer, real estate $500 ($8900), personal estate $480 ($8600)), M.A.R. Averette (keeping house), John Averette, Mary Averette
• Family 952: M.J. Ray (keeping house), Emily Ray, Lourena Ray, Margaret Ray, Druward Ray, J.M. Burson, Sarah Burson
• Family 953: C. Buckner (farmer), Sarah Buckner (keeping house), Elizabeth Buckner, William Ferren, Charles Ferren, M.E. Patterson

• Pages 136—137:
• Family 954: William Wood (farmer), Elvira Wood (keeping house)
• Family 955: J.E. Patterson (farmer), Margaret Patterson (keeping house), Charles Patterson (farm laborer), William Patterson, Margaret Patterson, George Patterson, Lucy Patterson
• Family 956: B. Martin (farm laborer), Mary Martin (keeping house), Elizabeth Martin, Benjamin Martin, Sarah Martin, John Martin
• Family 957: Elija Taylor (farm laborer), Rachel Taylor (keeping house), Jefferson Taylor (farm laborer), Elija Taylor (farm laborer), Louisa Taylor, Lovic Gibson, Emiline Gibson [Also a black family and also possibly emancipated slaves. Were they hired by the Martin family or by the Brown family, which could be implied by their geographical proximity?]
• Family 958: Miles Brown (farmer), Sarah Brown (keeping house), Jane Brown, Fannie Brown, Emma Brown, James Brown, Susan Brown, Almira Powers, Nancy Powers
• Family 959: K.H. Scogin (farmer), Margaret Scogin (keeping house), Sarah Scogin, Mary Scogin, Catherine Scogin, Barton Rush
• Family 960: F. Chrietzberg (farm laborer), Mary Chrietzberg (keeping house), Alonza [Alonzo?] Chrietzberg, Henry Chrietzberg
• Pages 137—138:
• Family 961: Louis Williams (black, farm laborer), Harriet Williams (black, keeping house), Williams Williams (black, farm laborer), James Williams (black, farm laborer)
• Family 962: David James (farmer), Nancy James (keeping house), John James, Mary Ann James, Quinn James
• Family 963: Miles Wallace (farmer), Annie Wallace (keeping house), D.A. Buchner, John Buchner (farm laborer)
• Family 964: George Pullin (farmer), Mary Pullin (keeping house), Charlotte Pullin, Emily Pullin, James Pullin (farmer laborer), Thomas Pullin (farm laborer), Alex Pullin, Abram Pullin, Charley Pullin
• Family 965: Richmond Ferrel (farmer), Fannie Ferrel (keeping house), Martha Ferrel, Joseph Ferrel, Stanly Ferrel
• Family 966: M.A. Terrel (farm laborer), Agnes Terrel (keeping house), Hiram Terrel
• Family 967: E.B. Ward (farmer), Rachel Ward (keeping house)
• Family 968: John Tucker (farm laborer), Polly Ann Tucker (keeping house), Mary Ann Tucker
• Family 969: Vina Mote (keeping house), Hiram Honey (farmer), Catherine Honey (keeping house), William Honey, Mary Honey, Wm Goodson (farm laborer), Texana Goodson, Baker Thomas (farm laborer), Ben Goodson (farm laborer)
• Page 138
• Familes 970—971...
• Family 974: Nathan Ledbetter (miller, value of real estate not shown, value of personal estate not shown), Massouri Ledbetter (keeping house) [Possible relatives of Mary LEDBETTER Averett (~1815—unknown), the mother of David Averett (1837—1927).]

So, where is Chanahatchee, the location of the nearest post office? It is not easy to find on Google. A person named Vicky Schuller queried the message boards on Genealogy.com in the year 2000 about the location of "Township 19, Chanahatchee, Tallapoosa County in the 1850 US Census.”

A person named Margaret Stearns Payne replied a couple of days later, saying that “Chanahatchee is now a part of Elmore County. It is more commonly referred to as Chana Creek. It is a small community close to the town of Eclectic Alabama. Elmore County was formed in [the] 1860s from Tallapoosa, Coosa, Autauga, and Montgomery Counties. Not much there now except some small Primitive Baptist Churches, their adjoining cemeteries, farms, and residences."

One of the very few resources that gives location information about Chattahatchee is a weather forecast page for Chana Creek, Alabama. It has a small map that looks like this:

The town of Electric, Alabama (32.6416606 deg N -86.0409 deg E) is, according to Google Maps, a part of the Montgomery, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. I was also able to find the Chana Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Elmore County, Alabama (32.619669 deg N -85.98923 deg E), which is 3.2 miles from the town of Eclectic.

So far, this is my best estimate of where the Chanahatchee Post Office mentioned in the 1870 US Census was located. This is what the area looks like in the satellite photo from Google Earth (on 22 May 2014). It seems to match the description of "some small Primitive Baptist Churches, their adjoining cemeteries, farms, and residences” fairly well. The location of Chana Creek relative to Dadeville (the county seat of Tallapoosa County where the Tallapoosa Times, the Dadeville Banner, and the Dadeville Banner and Times newspapers were published) and to Montgomery (the state capital of Alabama, the first capital of the Confederate States, and the location where the Daily Confederation and the Daily Montgomery Ledger, and the Daily Advertiser were published at the time). It will be shown in a future post on this blog that the part of Elmore County in which Chana Creek is located was part of Tallapoosa County until 1866, until the new county of Elmore was founded and that this change is reflected in the 1860 and 1870 US Census data for David Averett and his family.

The next screenshot from Google Earth shows the location of Chana Creek Primitive Baptist Church relative to the town of Eclectic and a second, nearby Primitive Baptist Church.

The last screenshot shows what the land around Chana Creek looks like on 11 September 2012, according to Google Earth data displayed.

1840 Census - John and Mary Averett Family

This post is intended to tentatively establish that my GGG-grandfather, David Franklin Averett (1837-1927), lived in Muscogee County, Georgia with his parents and siblings at the time of the 1840 U.S. Federal Census. His parents were John Averett (1809 - unknown) and Mary LEDBETTER Averett (1815 - unknown). This is based on comparison with the 14 September 1850 US Census (which I documented in my blog post 1850 US Census - John and Mary Averett Family) on 19 November 2011 and on a process of elimination over about 154 candidates families provided by a search on Ancestry.com.

The 1840 US Census was in some ways not nearly as informative as those that followed. For example, only the name of the head of the family was supplied, along with "binned" ages for all members of the family, free blacks, and slaves, if any. The head of the family seems to have been always male, if living, based on what I've seen so far.

In the 1850 US Census, the John and Mary Averett family, residing in Putnam County, Georgia, did not own any slaves, included:

• Line 22: John Averett; Age = 41 
• Line 23: Mary Averett; Age = 35 
• Line 24: Harris Averett; Age = 19 
• Line 25: Mary Averett; Age = 15[?] 
• Line 26: Catherine Averett; Age = 14 
• Line 27: David F. Averett; Age = 12 
• Line 28: Sarah M. Averett; Age = 9 
• Line 29: I.J.L. Averett; Age = 7 
• Line 30: Alvus Averett; Age = 5 
• Line 31: Nancy Averett; Age = 3

So in 1840,

• John Averett would have been about 31 years old,
• Mary Averett would have been about 25 years old,
• Harris would have been about 9 years old,
• Mary would have been about 5 years,
• Catherine would have been 4 years old, and
• David would have been 2 years old.

John and Mary married on 24 Feb 1830 so it is reasonable to assume that Harris was the oldest child, probably being born in late 1830 or before 14 September 1831. In the 1840 US Census the pattern we're looking for will be at least similar to:  A family of six free white people (and an unknown number of slaves, hopefully zero) distributed as shown among the following age "bins":

• 1 male (0 - 5 years old)
• 1 male (5 - 9 years old)
• 1 male (30 - 39 years old)
• 1 female (0 - 5 years old)
• 1 female (5 - 9 years old)
• 1 female (20 - 29 years old)

This will be exact if we know about all living children in 1840. That is, there would have been no children living in 1840 who subsequently died and would therefore not have been enumerated in the 1850 US Census.

Begin by searching for John Averett in any census taken in the 1840s on Ancestry.com.  The result looks like the following:

The Ancestry.com search algorithm provides two results that it thinks are especially likely possible matches, along with 152 lesser candidates. For the first, the John Averett family living in Columbus Ward 4, Muscogee County, Georgia, here is a copy of the 1840 Census enumeration sheet: (click to enlarge)

The family of this particular John Averett has two free white males under five years of age, one free white male of age 20 - 29 years, one free white male of age 30 - 39 years, one free white female under five years of age, one free white female of age 29 - 39 years, no free blacks, and no slaves (which are shown on the facing page in the census book, not shown here).

For the second John Averett, the one living in District 724 in the same county, here is a copy of the enumeration sheet.

The family of this particular John Averett has one free white male of age under five years, one free white male of age 5 - 9 years, one free white male of age 30 - 39 years, one free white female of age under five years, one free white female of age 5 - 9 years, and one free white female of age 20 - 39 years. Interestingly, this is exactly the pattern we are looking for.

Since we want to account for the cases in which children (or parents living with the family) have died during the decade of 1840 - 1850, we should look for families that have:

1. At least 1 free white male of age under 5 years,
2. at least 1 free white male of age 5 - 9 years 3,
3. at least 0 free white males of age 10 - 14 years,
4. at least 0 free white males of age 15 - 19 years,
5. at least 0 free white males of age 20 - 29 years,
6. at least 1 free white male of age 30 - 39 years,
7. at least 0 free white males of age 40 - 49 years,
8. at least 0 free white males of age 50 - 59 years,
9. at least 0 free white males of age 60 - 69 years,
10. at least 0 free white males of age 70 - 79 years,
11. at least 0 free white males of age 80 - 89 years,
12. at least 0 free white males of age 90 - 99 years,
13. at least 0 free white males of age 100+ years,
14. at least 1 free white female of age under 5 years,
15. at least 0 free white females of age 5 - 9 years,
16. at least 0 free white females of age 10 - 14 years,
17. at least 0 free white females of age 15 - 19 years,
18. at least 1 free white female of age 20 - 29 years,
19. at least 0 free white females of age 30 - 39 years,
20. at least 0 free white females of age 40 - 49 years,
21. at least 0 free white females of age 50 - 59 years,
22. at least 0 free white females of age 60 - 69 years,
23. at least 0 free white females of age 70 - 79 years,
24. at least 0 free white females of age 80 - 89 years,
25. at least 0 free white females of age 90 - 99 years, and
26. at least 0 free white females of age 100+ years.

Equivalently, we can rule out all families that have fewer than:

1. 1 free white male of age under 5 years,
2. 1 free white male of age 5 - 9 years,
3. 1 free white male of age 30 - 39 years,
4. 1 free white female of age under 5 years, and 
5. 1 free white female of age 20 - 29 years.

It should be easier to check five conditions for each family instead of twenty-six conditions for each family. The John Averett family in District 724 of Muscogee County (includes the city of Columbus, Georgia) looks promising but we need to find out how many John Averett families there were in Georgia and maybe in nearby states. Possible variations on the name include "John Averett", "John Everett", "J. Averett", "J. Everett", "Averett", "Everett", etc.

We have a list of 154 families that the Ancestry.com search algorithm has determined are similar to, or are somewhat similar to, our ideal match. I constructed a spreadsheet that summarizes the reported age distributions of each family, summarizing one family for each line in the spreadsheet. Click to enlarge:

All lines that did not satisfy the constraints were then discarded by graying them out. For example, excluding all families that did not have at least one free white male child under the age of 5 years allows us to immediately discard 97 candidate families. This leaves 57 families, some of which will also be discarded after applying the other four conditions. Click to enlarge.

At the end of the process we are left with only six families:

• John Averett family in District 724, Muscogee County, Georgia
• Allen Arentt family in Stewart County, Georgia
• Soloman Averett family in District 787, Muscogee County, Georgia
• John Everett family in Yazoo County, Mississippi
• Wilie H.H. Everett in Davidson's District 290, Jasper County, Georgia
• Jas. Everett in District 952, Chatooga County, Georgia

Keep in mind that these names are what the human transcribers wrote and are the names used by the Ancestry.com computer search algorithm. Most of the time, the accuracy of the transcribers is not bad, but sometimes they are. Inspection of the handwriting on the actual census forms shows only one difference between what I read and what the transcribers read in the names of the heads of these families:

• John Averett family in District 724, Muscogee County, Georgia
• Allen Averett family in Stewart County, Georgia
• Soloman Averett family in District 787, Muscogee County, Georgia
• John Everett family in Yazoo County, Mississippi
• Wilie H.H. Everett in Davidson's District 290, Jasper County, Georgia
• Jas. Everette in District 952, Chatooga County, Georgia

Sometimes the difference is startling so it is worth your while to see if you, being familiar with the names in question, can come up with a better transcription than what is supplied.  Examples:  "Drury Avent" should read "Drury Averett", "Thos. Avoritt" should be "Thos [or Thomas] Averett", and (worst of all):  "Philip Hockenburg" was mis-transcribed/incorrectly "corrected" by another genealogy researcher as "John Everitt". (!!!)

Since we are fairly certain that the given name of the head of the family was, in fact, "John", we can discard all but the following two families:

• John Averett family in District 724, Muscogee County, Georgia
• John Everett family in Yazoo County, Mississippi

If we had been left with no names, it would have been necessary to go back and think of another strategy to narrow the results. This is why I kept and copied so much data into my spreadsheet. I don't have enough experience yet to know whether this is going to be necessary all the time or not.

The results of the Ancestry.com search indicate that the family in Muscogee County, Georgia (3.5 stars) is much more likely than the family in Yazoo County, Mississippi (1.5 stars) to be our John and Mary Averette family. Is this only because the spelling of the surname "Averett" is exactly what we're looking for, as opposed to "Everett"? (Although"Everett" is said to be a known variant of Averett according to other research on this family.)

How try this:  sort the spreadsheet to find all candidate families in Muscogee County, Georgia. Click to enlarge the result:

We find five families, all named "Averett" and all spelled that same way, each residing in Muscogee County, Georgia. After looking for candidate families in Yazoo County, Mississippi, I found only the one "John Everett".  This doesn't prove that our John Averett is the one in Muscogee County, of course, but I have a feeling that at least some of these Averett families in the county are relatives of our John Averett. Similary, the fact that we found only one "Everett" in Yazoo County does not prove that he isn't my ancestor. But the difference in spelling, unsurprising as it might be, tends to make me think that Muscogee County is the one we want.

Tentative conclusion: It seem more likely that the John Averett family in District 724, Muscogee County, Georgia is the John and Mary Averett family to which my ggg-grandfather David Franklin Averett (1837-1927) belonged in 1840. But I would feel MUCH better if I could find some corroborating evidence to further support this conclusion.

The next step is to extract as much information as possible from the 1840 US Census for this family.

Here are the two images (facing pages, apparently) that report on this family:

1840 John Averett Family - 1840 US Census (page 1 of 2)

1840 John Averett Family - 1840 US Census (page 1 of 2)

Using a blank 1840 US Census template supplied by Ancestry.com, the column headers for the two facing pages are as follows.

Column Headers for Page 1 of 2

• Name of the county, city, ward, town, township, parish, precinct, hundred, or district
• Names of heads of families
• Free white persons (including heads of families)
• Males
• Under 5
• 5 & under 10
• 10 & under 15
• 15 & under 20
• 20 & under 30
• 30 & under 40
• 40 & under 50
• 50 & under 60
• 60 & under 70
• 70 & under 80
• 80 & under 90
• 90 & under 100
• 100+ 
• Females
• Under 5
• 5 & under 10
• 10 & under 15
• 15 & under 20
• 20 & under 30
• 30 & under 40
• 40& under 50
• 50 & under 60
• 60 & under 70
• 70 & under 80
• 80 & under 90
• 90 & under 100
• 100+
• Free colored persons
• Males
• Under 10
• 10 & under 24
• 24 & under 35
• 36 & under 55
• 56 & under 100
• 100 & upwards
• Females
• Under 10
• 10 & under 24
• 24 & under 35
• 36 & under 55
• 56 & under 100
• 100 & upwards

Column Headers for Page 2 of 2

• Slaves
• Males
• Females
• Total
• Number of persons in each family employed in
• Mining
• Agriculture
• Commerce
• Manufacture and trade
• Navigation of the ocean
• Navigation of canals, lakes, rivers
• Learned professional engineers
• Pensioners for Revolutionary or military services, included in the foregoing
• Names
• Ages
• Deaf and Dumb, Blind, and Insane White Persons, Included in the foregoing
• Deaf and Dumb
• Under 14
• 14 and under 25
• 25 and upwards
• Blind and Insane
• Blind
• Insane and idiots at public charge
• Insane and idiots at private charge
• Deaf and Dumb, Blind, and Insane Colored Persons, Included in the foregoing
• Deaf, Dumb, and Blind
• Deaf and Dumb
• Blind
• Insane and Idiots
• Insane and idiots at private charge
• Insane and idiots at public charge
• Schools & c.
• Universities or college
• Number of students
• Academies & Grammar Schools
• No. of Scholars
• Primary and Common Schools
• No. of Scholars at Public charge
• No. of white persons over 20 years of age in each family who cannot read and write

Finally, here is a transcription of the 1840 US Census form tentatively associated with my ancestors, John Averett (1809 - unknown) and his wife, Mary Averett (1815 - unknown):

(No. 4) 
SCHEDULE of the whole number of persons within the division allotted to Michael Helaske (difficult to read handwritten name) by the Marshal of the District (or Territory) of Georgia. 


Page 1 of 2 (line 25)

• location = 724th District [difficult-to-read handwriting: G M?]
• name = John Averett
• Free white males under 5 years of age = 1 [probably David Franklin Averett]
• Free white males of age 5 to 9 years = 1 [probably Harris Averett]
• Free white males of age 30 to 39 years = 1 [husband/father John Averett]
• Free white females under 5 years of age = 1 [probably Catherine Averett]
• Free white females of age 5 to 9 years = 1 [probably Mary Averett]
• Free white females of age 20 to 29 years = 1 [probably wife/mother Mary Averett]
• Free colored persons = 0
• Slaves = 0

Page 2 of 2 (line 25)

• total number of persons = 6
• no marks under any other headings, including the type of employment

I am relieved that this family owned no slaves but I am disappointed that the occupation of the husband/father John Averett was not marked. I suspect that it was an oversight and that, had it been marked, it would have indicated that he was employed in "Agriculture" because the 1850 US Census and the 1860 US Census both indicate that he was a farmer in those years.

Since this is the first time I've discussed this location in this particular blog, I have included a Wikipedia map showing the location of Muscogee County with respect to the rest of the state of Georgia. Material on Wikipedia is copyrighted under Creative Commons, which I believe gives me permission to use it here, since I have specified where it came from. Click the image to see the full Wikipedia entry for Muscogee County.

David Averett Obituaries

The following photo is of my great-great-great grandparents David Franklin Averett (25 February 1837 - 11 November 1927) and Martha TIMMERMAN Averett (27 November 1847 - 30 July 1927). I don't know the date it was made but David was 90 years old when he died in 1927 and his wife, Martha, was 79. An estimate of his apparent age in this photograph might be 60 years, which means that she would have been about 50. If true, the photograph would have been made around 1907.

The material in this post was given to my mother by a relation in Louisiana. My mother died in 1992 and I inherited her genealogy research after beginning to take an interest a few years ago. But I unfortunately have lost contact with anyone from my maternal grandfather's family (which includes David and Martha Averett). I have a couple of names that I am going to use to try to track them down after I have developed this blog. My theory is that it is easier to get potential genealogy research partners to collaborate if I have a body of work already assembled. Either way, I'm hoping to reestablish contact with one or more of them soon.

One other point:  The Internet being what it is, I am being careful to avoid naming living relatives or relatives who may still be living. For this reason, I am not going to supply information about people more recent than my maternal and paternal grandparents, all of whom passed away more than twenty years ago. But if the person who provided the material in this post to my mother recognizes his or her work, please let me know if it's okay if I add your name here.

David died about four months after the passing of his wife. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of her obituary (yet).  But here is the first of two of his obituaries, probably published in a newspaper from the Winnfield, Louisiana area.

"PIONEER CITIZEN OF WINN PARISH DIES AT 90 YEARS. Winnfield, Nov. 17 (Special) -- D.F. Averett, 90 years old, died here at his home last Friday night. Mr. Averett was one of the oldest residents of this section of the state. He was born in Coosa county, ala., and served throughout the Civil war in the Confederate army, being attached to various branches of Lee's army in Virginia. In the second battle of the Wilderness he was wounded. Up until that engagement he was a sharpshooter. On recovering from his wounds he was attached to General Lee's headerquarters as a courier. Mr. Averett was the only Confederate soldier living in this section that served directly under Lee and knew the great general personally. Immediately after the Civil war he moved to this state and raised a large family. He is survived by nine children, five sons and four daughters, Rufus Averett, Hallsville, Texas; Mrs. J.R. Watts Sr., Winnfield, W.O. Averett, Winnfield; Early Averett, Gilmer, Texas; Mrs. W.A. Stamper, Natchitoches; Mrs. Emile Somparac [sic:  Sompayrac], Winnfield; Mrs. W.H. Baker, Pocahontas, Miss.; W.W. Averett, Shreveport, and Clarence Averett, Dallas, Texas. Funeral services were held at the First Baptist church, with interment in the Winnfield cemetery."

Here is the second, also probably published in a newspaper in the Winnfield area.

“Prominent Aged Citizen Is Claimed By Death Friday - D.F. Averett, Confederate Veteran, Dies Nov. 11, at Family Home. The sad death of David Francis Averett occurred at his home last Friday morning, November 11th, at 9:45 o’clock, thus closing the last chapter of a long and useful life. At the time of his death Mr. Averett had reached the advanced age of 89 years, 9 months and 16 days and up until a few weeks prior to his death he was unusually hearty and energetic. He was born in Thomas County Georgia but was reared in Alabama and it was from that state that he entered the Civil War, serving in the Fifteenth Alabama Infantry during the entire period of the war. In 1864 he was wounded in battle and while at home on furlough for recuperation he was married to Miss Martha Timmerman, who preceded him in death only three months ago, having lived together in happy companionship for over 62 years and rearing a large and useful family. The life of Mr. Averett has ever been outstanding because of his uprightness and desire to help his fellow men. His gentle influence will be greatly missed in this community. Funeral services were conducted at the Baptist Church Saturday morning at 10 o’clock by Rev. A.H. Cullen with interment in the Winnfield cemetery. He is survived by nine children, five sons; John Rufus of Halleville, Texas; D.E. of Gilmer, Texas; W.O. of Winnfield; Walter W. of Shreveport, and Clarence of Dallas, Texas; and four daughters; Mrs. J.R. Watts Sr., and Mrs. C.E. Sompayrac of Winnfield; Mrs. W.A. Stamper of Natchitoches, and Mrs. William Baker of Pocahontas, Miss. Also many grandchildren and other relatives and friends who mourn the passing of this splendid character.

Averetts In Early Georgia Website

The gold that one can sometimes find just by idly Googling on different search strings! David Averett married Martha Ann Timmerman on 8 December 1864 in Tallahassee, Elmore County, Alabama, C.S.A., apparently just before he returned to his unit after recovering from wounds received at the Battle of the Wilderness. Last night, I was bored with what was on television and began searching on the string "david averett martha timmerman" --- and stumbled across a full website called "Averetts in Early Georgia and South Carolina".  And I already knew that David Averett was born in Thomas County, Georgia so it definitely got my attention and quickly.

It was found by way of a "Register Report for John Averett" in PDF format at the same site -- which is what actually "hit" in Google. It was easy to work up the site hierarchy until reaching the home page. Now, John Averett and Mary Ledbetter are widely cited on Ancestry.com and the Internet as being the parents of David F. Averett but, as is all too often the case, there is no proof given. And, as a genealogy amateur, my main stumbling block is the very attenuated amount of information given in the US Census prior to 1850. Generally, the census forms provide the name of the head of the household and then bin the rest of the family data such that you'll see a count of the number of boys and girls (separately) from age 0 to 10 years, 10 years to 20, etc. It doesn't even provide the name of the wife, much less those of the children. The really exciting thing about this register report is that it is fully footnoted and my initial scans of the footnotes are very, very encouraging. Whoever constructed this web site took a lot of care researching and documenting his work.

It is also worthwhile to note that the "John Averett" in the register report is not the father of David Averett, who was born about 1809; it is actually an earlier John Averett who was born about 1750. So this has the potential to break things wide open for this line in my own family tree.  Terrific stuff!! I have not found the name of the owner of the site yet. But I'm definitely going to send a grateful message to the email address it provides!

15th Alabama Infantry Regiment Muster Roll

In my first post I discussed the circumstances of the wounding of one of my great-great-great grandfathers, David Franklin Averett (1837-1927), at the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia in 1864. He had enlisted in Company "A" (the "Canty Rifles") of the 15th Alabama Volunteer Infantry Regiment at Fort Mitchell, Alabama on 3 July 1861. The muster roll for his Company is available on Ancestry.com (which I highly recommend) and this post will document his enlistment and his service in the Company.

Source:  Ancestry.com, Alabama Civil War Muster Rolls, 1861-1865 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Original data:  Muster rolls of Alabama Civil War Units. SG025006-25100. Montgomery, Alabama: Alabama Department of Archives & History.
Description:  These rolls are for Confederate units formed in Alabama during the Civil War - though many operated outside of the state over the course of the war. The records include rolls for infantry, cavalry, artillery, reserves, and often wounds, sickness, leave status, or other reasons for men being away from the unit are includes.

The muster roll runs twenty pages and the pages relevant to David Averett are displayed and transcribed here. It also contains several links to Wikipedia and other online articles on the specific battles in which he and/or his Company fought.

The first page is an identifier.

UNIT 15th Ala Inf Regt.
CO. "A"
BOOK/FOLDER  8/13

The third and fourth pages (click to enlarge) are shown immediately below and the transcription follows them. Below the transcription is an image that I spliced together because it was difficult to line up the entries for D.F. Averett when looking back and forth between the two pages in the process of transcribing them. The pages are opposite leaves in a book meant to be viewed together. Verbatim transcriptions are italicized.

Record of Company (A) Cantey [sic] Rifles Fifteenth Regiment Volunteer Infantry from the State of Alabama in the service of the Confederate States of America in the war with the United States from the 3rd day of July 1861, (date of organization) to the 31st day of December 1864.

On the third line of the third section, we find the record for David Averett:

Name: D F Averett
Rank: Pvt.
Enlisted: July 3, 1861 at Fort Mitchell, Alabama
Period: War
Born: Georgia
Occupation: Farmer
Residence (nearest Post Office): Tallassee, Alabama
Age when enlisted: 23
Marital status: Single

☞ Under "ENGAGEMENTS," head the column with name and date of battles; where the engagement lasted more than one day, take a column for each day; and use the following characters to mean P. Present and unhurt; w. Wounded; s.w. Severely wounded; k. Killed; a. Absent without leave; a.f. Absent on furlough or satisfactorily; a.d. Absent on detail or duty by order; a.s. Absent sick; a.w. Absent wounded; a.c. Absent captured; a.a. Absent under arrest; c. Captured; X. Deserted; m. Missing. M.W. Mortally wounded. + Re-enlisted under Act Dec 11 1861.

The column headings are as follows. Note the hyperlinks to online documentation of the individual engagements.

1. Winchester, Virginia on 28 May 1862 ("present and unhurt"); 
2. Cross Keys, Virginia on 8 Jun 1862 ("present and unhurt"); 
3. Cold Harbor, Virginia on 27 Jun 1862 ("present and unhurt"); 
4. Malvern Hill, Virginia on 2 Jul 1862 ("present and unhurt"); 
5. Cedar Run, or Slaughter’s Mountain, Virginia on 9 Aug 1862 ("present and unhurt"); 
6. Hazel River, Virginia on 22 Aug 1862 ("present and unhurt");
7. Manassas Junction, Virginia [2nd Battle of Manassas, aka 2nd Battle of Bull Run] on 28 Aug 1862 ("present and unhurt");
8. Manassas Plains, Virginia [2nd Battle of Manassas] on 29 Aug 1862 ("present and unhurt");
9. Manassas Plains, Virginia [2nd Battle of Manassas] on 30 Aug 1862 ("present and unhurt");
10. Chantilly Farm, Virginia on 1 Sep 1862 ("present and unhurt");
11. Harpers Ferry, Virginia on 15 Sep 1862 ("present and unhurt");
12. Sharpsburg [Battle of Antietam], Maryland on 17 Sep 1862 ("present and unhurt")
13. Shepardstown, Virginia on 20 Sep 1862 ("present and unhurt")
14. Fredericksburg, Virginia on 13 Dec 1862 ("present and unhurt");
15. Suffolk, Virginia on 8 May 1863 ("present and unhurt");
16. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania  on 2-3 Jul 1863 ("present and unhurt");
17. Big Battle Mountain, Virginia on 24 Jul 1863 ("present and unhurt");
18. Chickamauga, Georgia on 19-20 Sep 1863 ("present and unhurt");
19. Moccasin Point, Tennessee on 27 Oct 1863 ("present and unhurt");
20. Lookout Valley, Tennessee on 28 Oct 1863 ("present and unhurt");
21. Campbell’s Station, Tennessee on 16 Nov 1863 ("present and unhurt");
22. Knoxville, Tennessee on 25 and 29 Nov 1863 ("present and unhurt");
23. Dandridge, Tennessee on 24 Jan 1864 ("absent on furlough or satisfactorily");
24. Wilderness, Virginia on 6 May 1864 ("severely wounded");
25. Spotsylvania, Virginia on 8 May 1864 ("absent wounded");
26. Spotsylvania, Virginia on 12 May 1864 ("absent wounded");
27. Cold Harbor, Virginia on 3 June 1864 ("absent wounded");
28. Chester Station, Virginia on 17 June 1864 ("absent wounded") Problem:  The battle of Chester Station occurred on 10 May 1864, according to Wikipedia. Ambiguity to be resolved.
29. Deep Bottom, Virginia on 14 August 1864 ("absent wounded");
30. Fussell's Mill, Virginia on 16 August 1864 ("absent wounded");
31. Fort Gilmer[, Virginia] on 29 September 1864 ("absent wounded");
32. Fort Harrison[, Virginia] on 30 [?] September 1864 ("absent wounded");
33. Darbytown[, Virginia] on 7 October 1864 ("absent wounded");
34. Darbytown, Virginia on 13 October 1864 ("absent wounded");
35. Williamsburg Road, [state?] on 27 October 1864 ("absent wounded") Problem: Need to find documentation about this battle.

REMARKS. 

 ☞ Herein show accurately all dates, as of elections, promotions, resignations, deaths, transfers, desertions, discharges, retirement, capture, exchange or escape. Mention meritorious or dishonorable facts, and character of serious and disabling wounds, and when and where received. Note "conscripts" and "substitutes," and for whom the latter were received. Note also, "reenlisted men" under Act of Dec. 11th, 1861, and where and from what organization." 

 "Promoted Corporal Mch [March] 1 62 [1862], To 1st Sergt [Sergeant] Feb [February] 16 62 [should be 1863?]; a good true soldier & one of the bravest of the [unreadable]; promoted for merit & good soldiership"

My corrections are based on the book The War Between the Union and the Confederacy and Its Lost Opportunities with a History of the 15th Alabama Regiment and the Forty-Eight Battles in Which It Was Engaged, by [CSA Colonel] William C. Oates, 1905 [Reprinted by Morningside Bookshop, Dayton, Ohio in 1985] on page 575:

"D.F. Averett was 23 years old when enlisted. He was one of the best soldiers in his company, and participated in all the campaigns and nearly all the battles in which the regiment was engaged. At the Wilderness, May 6, 1864, he was severely wounded and disabled, and did not return to duty until about the 1st of 1865. He was promoted to corporal in 1862 and to first sergeant early in 1863, and remained at his post to the surrender at Appomattox."

HISTORICAL MEMORANDA.

☞ Make such succinct narrative or organization and service, as of Stations, Marches, Battles, incidents, &c., as may be necessary for perfect record, being particular as to dates.

This company was organized at Fort Mitchell Russell Co [County] Alabama [inserted:  July 26, 1861] Ninety one (91) enlisted men and four officers one of whom has been promoted to the Colonelcy of the Regt [Regiment] one died and two assigned and one Killed in action [inserted:  + Chories (? -- unreadable)] This latter officer was the adjutant of the Regt and was unanimously by by [sic] the Company as its Captain after the promotion of Capt Lowther. His name does not appear on the rolls of the Company. The Company holding its position on the right flank of the Regt necessarily became one of the skirmish Companies and was principally drilled with that object in view. It has been engaged in many skirmishes [two words unreadable, the second being "kindest"?] of general engagements when the active Regt was engaged and particularly during the Campaign of 1864, in conjunction with another [?] Company (G) did all all the skirmishing for the Regt being out every other day and frequently twice a day. It is and has been one of the best companies for aptness at drill [unreadable word] good soldiership [unreadable word] and easily managed in the service and deserves all the encomiums that could be heaped upon it. Like other bodies of men it has had Its bad members but as a body there has been no better body of men extant. [Inserted text:  + The company went as a part of the organization of the 15th Ala Regt of Infantry which was formed at the same time & place]

I hereby certify that the foregoing Record of names, dates, facts, and historical memoranda, is correctly given.
STATION: Camp near Richmond, Va [Virginia]
DATE:  December 21st 1864
[signed] F. Key Shaaff, Battalion Com'dg. [Commanding] 


Inspection of the Roster of Commissioned Officers of Company A (click to enlarge) reveals that Alex A. Lowther was elected Captain of the Company on 26 July 1861 and that Francis K Shaaff was appointed by [then] General Canty on 16 August 1862.

Parenthetically, the page also indicates that there were a total of seven commissioned officers and 115 enlisted men in Company A.


This 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment muster roll record stops on 31 December 1864. The Wikipedia article on the 15th Alabama Infantry (viewed 2 September 2011) indicates that the only engagement in which the 15th Alabama participated was the "Appomattox Campaign from March 29 to April 9". Unfortunately, the article, again as of 2 September 2011, provides no reference for this campaign and I will research this further with respect to the service of David Averett. The extremely valuable book by Confederate States Army Colonel William C. Oates, quoted above and in my first post on this blog, does not contain much detail on what happened with respect to the 15th Alabama Regiment in 1865, although Oates confirms that David Averett was with his unit in the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, when it surrendered on 9 April 1865. (Oates was wounded at Petersburg, Virginia, losing his right arm, and had returned home when news of the surrender at Appomattox arrived.)

This final engagement of the 15th Alabama, at which David Averett was certainly present, remains to be investigated and documented by me at a future date.

Was David Averett Wounded at Tapp Field?

One of my great-great-great grandfathers, David Franklin Averett (1837-1927), was badly wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia on 6 May 1864. The story I was told when growing up was that he was struck in the forehead by a bullet and was left for dead by his unit (Company A "Canty Rifles", 15th Alabama Volunteer Infantry Regiment). He later regained consciousness and, although temporarily blinded, followed the sound of the battle to try to find his unit. It is not clear whether he found his unit or was picked up by medics but he survived and convalesced at home in Alabama for the remainder of 1864.  If you look closely at his forehead in the following picture, which was taken much later in life, it is possible to see the indentation in his forehead. I was told that the skin covered the wound but that the bone did not grow back.

Another photo, which appears to have been taken even later, shows the mark much more clearly:

David Averett rejoined his unit at the beginning of 1865 and served until the surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865.

So the purpose of this post is to try to identify the location at the Battle of the Wilderness where he was wounded. The story of his wound may be significant to my own theory about his location when it happened.

Before beginning, we know that he volunteered for the "Canty Rifles" (Company A) in the 15th Alabama Volunteer Infantry, enrolling on 3 July 1861. I will post his records in this blog at a later date.  Col. William C. Oates commanded the 15th Alabama Infantry during the War Between the States and Oates later wrote a memoir entitled The War Between the Union and the Confederacy and Its Lost Opportunities, with a History of the 15th Alabama Regiment and the Forty-Eight Battles in Which It was Engaged and published it in 1905. On pp. 574-575 in the edition reprinted by Morningside Bookshop, Dayton, OH in 1985, Oates stated the following about "D.F. Averett":

D.F. Averett was 23 years old when enlisted. He was one of the best soldiers in his company, and participated in all the campaigns and nearly all the battles in which the regiment was engaged. At the Wilderness, May 6, 1864, he was severely wounded and disabled, and did not return to duty until about the 1st of 1865. He was promoted to corporal in 1862 and to first sergeant early in 1863, and remained at his post to the surrender at Appomattox.

(Oates devoted an entire chapter, pp. 342-353, to the participation of the 15th Alabama Infantry in the Battle of Wilderness.)

Location of the Tapp Field in the Battle of the Wilderness. Scanned from map obtained at the Wilderness Battlefield Exhibit Shelter

The 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment was part of Law's Brigade, commanded by Colonel (later Brigadier General) W.F. Perry. This brigade, in turn, was part of General James Longstreet's 1st Corps of three divisions.

It is my belief that David Franklin was shot and wounded somewhere in the vicinity of the western side of an open field called "Tapp Field", about mid-way up from the southern to the northern end of the field, probably near the Tapp Farmhouse (which no longer stands there).

Wilderness Battlefield National Park Sign at Tapp Field (Driving Tour No. 6)

Here is a view of the Tapp Farm (or Tapp Field) at the Wilderness Battlefield National Park near Fredericksburg, Virginia in the vicinity of (38.291395N -77.725629E). It is accessed by the public at the Driving Tour Stop No. 6 "Tapp Field" of the Wilderness Battlefield and this sign is located just off Hill-Ewell Drive near the top of the map.



The following is the view of the open field, looking south from the sign, just off Hill-Ewell Drive:

Tapp Farm at Wilderness Battlefield - looking south from Driving Tour Stop No 6

Longstreet's 1st Corps arrived arrived in the morning of 6 May 1864 at the southern end of the open Tapp Field and this was the first time his men had participated in the battle.

Features of Tapp Field at the Battle of the Wilderness

The Union Army was pushing south from the Plank Road, down through the dense foliage to the northwest of the cleared field, until they broke out into the clear area. They were met by Longstreet's Corps and were gradually pushed back over the course of the day until the "front" was essentially as far north as the vicinity of present-day Hill-Ewell Drive. But the Confederates also dug a trench as a fallback position across the middle of the Tapp field, from northwest to southeast, which is labeled in the present-day satellite view above. The remains of this trench still exist.

Longstreet's Line across the Tapp Field - dug in the evening of 6 May 1864:  Park Info Sign

The text of the sign reads:  "Confederate Earthworks. Longstreet's troops began erecting these infantry entrenchments after fighting ended on the evening of May 6 and improved them the following day. This was a reserved line, the main Confederate position being a few hundred yards in front of you along modern Hill-Ewell Drive..."

The next two pictures associated with these earthworks were taken by me at the Wilderness Battlefield National Park on 13 August 2011.

Longstreet's Line across the Tapp Field - dug in the evening of 6 May 1864

Longstreet's Line across the Tapp Field - dug in the evening of 6 May 1864:  zoomed-out view

The following photo was taken on 13 August 2011 of the National Park Service sign just to the south of the trench, showing the array of units making up Longstreet's group. It can be plainly seen that Law's Brigade was in the rear, moving up behind Benning's unit, and that the two of them appear to be located in what I interpret to be the vicinity of the Tapp farm house.

Array of units in Longstreet's attack to the north in the Tapp Field on the morning of 6 May 1864

This map of the cleared Tapp field as it existed in 1864 does not exactly match the current configuration shown in the 2011 Google map above, but it seems likely to me that Law's Brigade was, in fact, in the vicinity of the Tapp house.

My theory is that David Averett was hit soon after Longstreet entered the cleared Tapp field from the south and that, over an unknown amount of time on that day, the front moved gradually moved north from where he fell. When he regained consciousness, I think there's a chance the front may still have been in the cleared area of the Tapp field. Either way, he heard the sounds of the battle and walked forward, until he met either Confederate soldiers or medics. Due to the position of the Confederate earthworks at the end of the day, he almost certainly was still in the cleared field. But even if he was hit in the wooded area, the Confederates were advancing and he would have encountered Confederates as he walked forward. He was likely evacuated from the area at that time to be treated by a doctor. I consider it a miracle that he survived this wound. And it must have been a painful journey back to Alabama, probably in the back of a horse-drawn wagon and probably taking many days to accomplish.

To summarize my argument:

1. Averett's regiment, the 15th Alabama Infantry, was part of Law's Brigade in Longstreet's corps during the morning of 6 May 1864.
2. Longstreet did not participate in the fighting in the Battle of the Wilderness before that time.
3. Averett is known to have been wounded on 6 May.
4. The Confederate trench stretching from northwest to southeast across the Tapp field was dug at the end of the day on 6 May.
5. The battle ended that day. (It began on 5 May and resumed a few days later as the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse.)
6. Therefore, Averett must have been wounded somewhere in the vicinity of Tapp field because that was where his unit was on that day. Although an unknown amount of time elapsed between his wounding and recovery of consciousness, Confederate position and works (i.e., the trench) make it likely that he was wounded in the cleared area of the Tapp farm

As a postscript, Longstreet undertook a flanking maneuver around the east end of the Union position in the afternoon or evening, on his right and the Union left in the dense forest. He almost succeeded in destroying those Federal units but was wounded by friendly fire. By the time control was reasserted by his successor, the moment of opportunity had passed and the battle ended in stalemate. It resumed a few days later at the Spotsylvania Court House.

Finally, here is the relationship between David Averett (1837-1927) and my maternal grandfather William Obeyn "Jack" Jackson (1909-1988). Click to view full size.