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).

W.O. Jackson Training at Citizens' Military Training Camps in 1927 and 1928

My maternal grandfather, William Obeyn Jackson (1909-1988), said on 4 July 1985 that he

"went to the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps?] Camps near Anniston, Alabama and in Pensacola, Florida. Government paid all expenses -- 30 days of military training. He went four years in all. There are relatives in Anniston, Alabama area but Obeyn didn't know them."

The following images (front and back) show two certificates he earned at "Citizens' Military Training Camps" in the summers of 1927 and 1928 at Fort Barrancas, Florida. According to the Wikipedia article on Citizens' Military Training Camps, viewed 27 December 2011,

"The Citizens' Military Training Camps (CMTC) were military training programs … held annually each summer during the years 1921 to 1940 … [Their purpose was to allow] male citizens to obtain basic military training without an obligation to to call-up for active duty … CMTC camps were a month in length and held at about fifty Army bases nationally. At their peak in 1928 and 1929, about 40,000 men received training … The program established that participants could receive a reserve commission as a second lieutenant by completing four successive summer courses (titled Basic, Red, White, and Blue)." 

I have his certificates for the completion of the "Red" and "White" courses. Presumably, he also completed the Basic course. I do not currently know if he completed the Blue course. But when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943, he entered the service as a private so it appears unlikely that he attended/completed the fourth course. In fact, the Wikipedia article states that,

"Only 5,000 [2nd lieutenant] commissions were awarded over the 20-year history of the CMTC. Apparently, no records exist that document total participation, but it is estimated that 400,000 men had at least one summer of training."

I have not located any information about his attendance at CCC or CMTC camps at Anniston yet.

"Red" Course of Instruction, Coast Artillery Branch, 1927

(Click images to enlarge.)

1927 Certificate, Side 1 of 2

Transcription of side 1 of 2: 

MILITARY TRAINING CERTIFICATE
Citizens' Military Training Camps

TO ALL WHO SHALL SEE THESE PRESENTS, GREETING:

KNOW YE, THAT William O. Jackson, HAS ATTENDED THE Red COURSE OF INSTRUCTION, Coast Artillery BRANCH, AT THE CITIZENS' MILITARY TRAINING CAMP HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT OF THE UNITED STATES AT Fort Barrancas, Florida, FROM June 15, TO July 14, ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN.

GIVEN AT Fort Barrancas, Florida, THIS 14th DAY OF July, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN.

REMARKS: [left blank]

(signed) R.W. COLLINS,
Lt. Colonel, 13th C.A. [Coast Artillery],
COMMANDING

1927 Certificate, Side 2 of 2

Transcription of side 2 of 2:

Keep this Certificate and present it whenever you seek employment. It is valuable as a personal record and is evidence of your Military and Citizenship Training. In case you join any of the Military forces of the United States show it to each Commanding Officer who may be placed over you.

CERTIFICATE OF TRAINING

I hereby certify that the candidate whose name appears on this certificate has been given training and instruction in the Red Course, CAC Branch at this camp and has completed the course.

He is recommended further training in White Course (Show recommendations in accordance with par. 17, AR 350-2200)

Remarks [left blank] (Show Organization of the Army of the United States or Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Show marksmanship and other qualifications, if any. Show property loss, if any)

[signed] H.B. Kraft
1st Lieut. 13 CA. [Coast Artillery],
Commanding.

Only young men in good physical condition and of good moral character are accepted for attendance at Citizens' Military Training Camps.

Those who complete the course have received the typhoid-paratyphoid inoculation and smallpox vaccination.

A young man who attends a Citizens' Military Training Camp renders voluntary service to the United States Government and this certificate is evidence of his patriotism and loyalty.

Graduates of the Red, White, and Blue Courses are entitled to wear the insignia for service.

Citizens' Military Training Camps are conducted by the War Department under the National Defense Act. This is the basic law which governs all military training. The Government pays the expenses of those attending, consisting of transportation to and from camp, uniforms, food, and medical attendance.

The object of these camps is to bring together young men of high type from all sections of the country on a common basis of equality and under the most favorable conditions of outdoor life; to stimulate and promote citizenship, patriotism, and Americanism; and, through expert physical direction, athletic coaching, and military training, to benefit the young men individually, and bring them to realize their obligations to their country.

There are four (4) courses of instruction: BASIC, RED, WHITE and BLUE. Each course lasts 30 days and only one course can be taken in any calendar year.

Following are descriptions of the different courses:

1. The BASIC COURSE. -- For physically fit male citizens of the United States, 17 to 24 years of age. Previous military training not required. Applicants must possess average general intelligence, be able to read and write english, and be of good moral character.

This course provides preliminary military training, including physical development, athletics, school of the soldier, squad and company drill, rifle marksmanship, first aid, camp sanitation, personal hygienic, military courtesy, meaning of discipline, and studies in citizenship. Those taking this course will be given an opportunity to qualify for the next higher, or Red Course. Attendance at this course does not constitute any present or future contract of enlistment in the Army of the United States.

2. The RED COURSE. -- For physically fit male citizens of the United States, 17 to 25 years of age. Applicants must be graduate of the Basic Course or have had military training equivalent thereto, must possess average intelligence, be able to read and write English, and be of good moral character.

This course provides training in different branches of the Army: Infantry, Field Artillery, Cavalry, Coast Artillery, Corps of Engineers, and Signal Corps. Advanced instruction in the subjects covered in the Basic Course is included.

Those who take this course will be given the opportunity to qualify in the same branch for the next higher, or White Course. Attendance at this course does not constitute any present or future contract of enlistment in the Army of the United States.

3. The WHITE COURSE. -- For physically fit male citizens of the United States, 18 to 28 years of age and enlisted men of the Army of the United States. Applicants must have a grammar-school education or its equivalent, possess qualities of leadership, and be of good moral character.

This course provides training in different branches of the Army: Infantry, Field Artillery, Cavalry, Coast Artillery, Corps of Engineers, and Signal Corps for the purpose of qualifying candidates as specialists and noncommissioned leaders. This course is open to candidates who have completed the Red Course and who have been recommended to pursue the White Course, to selected citizens who have had military training equivalent to the Red Course, and to selected enlisted men of the Army of the United States.

Those who attend will be given the further opportunity to qualify in the same branch for the next higher, or Blue Course, but it will be required that they possess, or show that they later will possess, the mental and physical qualifications to become officers in the Officers' Reserve Corps. This requirement will be fully explained to all candidates before or during the White Course. Attendance at this course does not constitute any present or future contract of enlistment in the Army of the United States.

4. The BLUE COURSE. -- Age limits, 19 to 31. Qualifications for admission are as follows:

Applicants must be warrant officers or enlisted men or selected civilians who are physically fit.

Applicants must have not less than a completed high-school education or its equivalent, and must possess the personality, appearance, tact, bearing, and general adaptability which will fit them, after further training in the Blue Course, to take the necessary mental and physical examination to be officers of the Officers' Reserve Corps.

Applications from warrant officers and enlisted men must receive the approval of immediate commanding officers.

NOTE. -- Graduation from the Blue Course does not of itself confer legal eligibility for appointment in the Officers' Reserve Corps.

The applicants' preference for branch training in Infantry, Field Artillery, Cavalry, Coast Artillery, Corps of Engineers, and Signal Corps will be granted when such training is available and practicable from an economic and military point of view.

"White" Course of Instruction, Coast Artillery Branch, 1928

1928 Certificate, Side 1 of 2

Transcription of side 1 of 2:

MILITARY TRAINING CERTIFICATE
Citizens' Military Training Camps

TO ALL WHO SHALL SEE THESE PRESENTS, GREETING:

KNOW YE, THAT WILLIAM OBEYN JACKSON, HAS ATTENDED THE WHITE COURSE OF INSTRUCTION, COAST ARTILLERY BRANCH, AT THE CITIZENS' MILITARY TRAINING CAMP HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT OF THE UNITED STATES AT Fort Barrancas, Florida, FROM June 17 TO July 16, ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-eight.

GIVEN AT Fort Barrancas, Florida, THIS 16th DAY OF July, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-eight.

REMARKS: [left blank]

(signed) H.L. BUTLER
Lt. Colonel, 13th Coast Artillery,
COMMANDING

1928 Certificate, Side 2 of 2

Transcription of side 2 of 2:

Keep this Certificate and present it whenever you seek employment. It is valuable as a personal record and is evidence of your Military and Citizenship Training. In case you join any of the Military forces of the United States show it to each Commanding Officer who may be placed over you.

CERTIFICATE OF TRAINING

I hereby certify that the candidate whose name appears on this certificate has been given training and instruction in the [left blank] Course, [left blank] Branch at this camp and has completed the course.

He is recommended For training in the blue course (Show recommendations in accordance with par. 17, AR 350-2200)

Remarks Property loss [handwritten] none (Show Organization of the Army of the United States or Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Show marksmanship and other qualifications, if any. Show property loss, if any)

[signed] H.K. Diles
Commanding.

Photos of W.O. Jackson at CCC or CMTC Camp(s)

The following photos of W.O. Jackson were taken while he was participating at either the CMTC Camp or at a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp. The following photos were marked later as taken at a "CCC" camp in "1925" but that may not be correct, based on the dates on the Pensacola, Florida (Fort Barrancas) certificates above. W.O. Jackson graduated from high school in 1925 at the age of 16 years and he would have had to have been 17 years of age to take the CMTC "Basic Course" that year.

The photos that show artillery pieces in the background are more likely to have been taken at Fort Barrancas, as opposed to Anniston, Alabama but I can't be sure of that at this point.

(Click images to enlarge.)

W.O. Jackson (1909-1988)

W.O. Jackson is on the left.

I am not certain this is W.O. Jackson but the facial features in the blurry photograph seem at least similar to his. (There are other photos that he apparently took of the camp, his fellow trainees, and officers.)

I am more certain that this is W.O. Jackson. He looks pretty "green" so it may be that this one was taken at his first camp, possibly the "Basic Course".

Posing with an artillery piece, he looks considerably less "green" in this photo.

This is probably W.O. Jackson.

I suspect the man in the right foreground is W.O. Jackson.

I have not (yet) located any documentation to support his attending a CCC or CMTC Camp in Anniston, Alabama.

W.O. Jackson notes in Europe during WWII

I'm going through my maternal grandfather's papers and in a tiny, deteriorating 1943-1944 calendar/address book, he wrote where he was and when after shipping out to Europe. Gives the name of the ship that transported him to England and the name of the boat that transported his unit to France. It's only a few lines but because the letters he wrote to my grandmother were censored, he could never say exactly where he was (only "France", "Luxembourg", "Germany", etc.) or what he was doing. He couldn't even say where he was wounded (St. Malo, France on 12 August 1944 a bit after the great breakout from the Normandy area). This info fills in some of the gaps in what I've been able to piece together from their letters. It wasn't until a month or two after VE day that censorship was discontinued the first time. It appears he was writing this stuff down some time after that in order to remember as many details as he could.

More info to come as I transcribe the info and organize it. Even more will follow after I transcribe the letters, which will take quite a while. Right now, all I have done is to scan this material and save as image files.

Fun Link: Genealogy for Geeks

Here is an interesting article from Wired magazine that might explain some of the addiction phenomenon of genealogy: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/04/genealogy-for-geeks-part-1/ 

"Some might argue that all genealogy is for geeks. It’s designed for us. Where else do you get to dive into the facts and daily lives of thousands of ancestors? Follow one branch, and that leads to another, and another, but wait, backtrack and take care of that other branch, and then the one on your mother’s side… It’s an information addict’s delight."

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.

1850 Census - John and Mary Averett Family

David Franklin Averett (1837-1927) probably lived in Putnam County, Georgia with his parents and siblings at the time of the 1850 U.S. Federal Census. The census page shown below was completed on 14 September 1850 and the purpose of this post is to point out correlations between the John and Mary Averett family in this 1850 US Census and the John and May Averett family in the 1860 US Census that I documented on 16 November 2011. Based on these associations, which includes fairly consistent ages and names of children, I assess that these two families are, in fact, the same family.

(Click graphic to enlarge.)

Here is a transcription of the 1850 information relevant to David's family:

SCHEDULE I. -- Free Inhabitants in [unreadable] 70th District in the County of Putnam, State of Georgia, enumerated by me, on the 14th day of Sept 1850. L.H. Jackson, Ass't Marshal.


Column Headings:

1. Dwelling house numbered in the order of visitation.
2. Families numbered in the order of visitation.
3. The Name of every Person whose usual place of abode on the first day of June, 1850, was in this family.
4. Description: Age
5. Description: Sex
6. Description: Color: White, black, or mulatto.
7. Profession, Occupation, or trade of each Male Person over 15 years of age.
8. Value of Real Estate Owned.
9. Place of Birth, naming the State, Territory, or Country.
10. Married within the year.
11. Attended School within the year.
12. Persons over 20 y'rs of age who cannot read & write
13. Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict.

Lines in which the John and Mary Averett family appear:

• Line 22: Dwelling house = 180; Family = 180; Name = John Averett; Age = 41; Sex = Male; Color = Unmarked [which presumably means = white]; Occupation = Farmer; Value of Real Estate Owned = $900 [indistinct: could say $700 or $900]; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Married within the year = no [unmarked]; Attended School within the year = no [unmarked]; Persons over 20 years of age who cannot read & write = no [unmarked]; Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict = no [unmarked]
• Line 23: Mary Averett; Age = 35; Sex = Female; Color = White [unmarked]; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Attended School within the year = [unmarked]
• Line 24: Harris Averett; Age = 19; Sex = Male; Color = White [unmarked]; Occupation = Farmer; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Attended School within the year = [unmarked]
• Line 25: Mary Averett; Age = 15[?]; Sex = Female; Color = White [unmarked]; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Attended School within the year = yes [marked]
• Line 26: Catherine Averett; Age = 14; Sex = Female; Color = White [unmarked]; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Attended School within the year = yes [marked]
• Line 27: David F. Averett; Age = 12; Sex = Male; Color = White [unmarked]; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Attended School within the year = yes [unmarked]
• Line 28: Sarah M. Averett; Age = 9; Sex = Female; Color = White [unmarked]; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Attended School within the year = no [unmarked]
• Line 29: I.J.L. Averett; Age = 7; Sex = Male; Color = White [unmarked]; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Attended School within the year = no [unmarked]
• Line 30: Alvus Averett; Age = 5; Sex = Male; Color = White [unmarked]; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Attended School within the year = no [unmarked]
• Line 31: Nancy Averett; Age = 3; Sex = Female; Color = White [unmarked]; Place of Birth = Ga. [Georgia]; Attended School within the year = no [unmarked]

By way of comparison, the following siblings of David F. Averett appear in the 1860 US Census:

• David F. Averett (age 12 years in 1850 and age 22 years in 1860)
• John L. Averett (named "I.J.L." and age 7 years in 1850 and age 17 years in 1860)
• Alvis E. Averett (named "Alvus" and age 9 years in 1850 and age 14 years in 1860) -- inconsistent ages
• Nancy L. Averett (age 5 years in 1850 and age 12 years in 1860) -- inconsistent ages
• Willson W. Averett (age 10 years in 1860)
• Romulus Averett (age 8 years in 1860)
• Rebecca Averett (age 6 years in 1860)
• Charles Averett (age 2 years in 1860)

Willson W. Averett (age 10 years in 1860) does not appear in this 1850 US Census, so he must have been born after 14 September 1850 (the day on which the Census form was completed). Romulus, Rebecca, and Charles would have been born after 1850.

So we see three very similar given names (David, Alvus/Alvis, and Nancy) and one somewhat similar name (I.J.L./John L.) for four of the children of John and Mary Averett. We see perfect age consistency for David and and John L. but we see not terribly good consistency in ages for Alvis and Nancy. But, from what I have seen over the past few years, the accuracy of data in census data is highly variable in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The census takers were probably being paid for how many names they collected, not how accurately they recorded the data. Human nature being what it is, laziness or impatience have not changed since then. They probably wrote down what they thought they heard and moved on. There may have been some kind of error checking in place, probably based on whether the managers of the census takers knew the families being interviewed, but it wouldn't have been much more than that. So I don't think the inconsistency in ages for Alvis and Nancy, by itself, necessarily proves the two families are not the same.

Next, the following siblings of David Averett appeared in the 1860 US Census but not in this 1850 US Census

• Harris Averett (would have been approximately 29 years old in 1860)
• Mary Averett (would have been approximately 25 years old in 1860)
• Catherine Averett (would have been approximately 24 years old in 1860)

All three of these children would have been more than old enough to marry in 1860. It is reasonable to assume that they either died at some point between the taking of the 1850 US Census and the taking of the 1860 US Census, or that they married and started their own family and resided in a separate household.

And, as a matter of fact, on line 26 of the 1860 U.S. Census, immediately following lines 16 through 25, which enumerated the members of the John and Mary Averett family, is one "Harris H. Averett", age 26 years (but not 29 years as would be expected based on the 1850 US Census), whose occupation was "mechanic" and who was born in Georgia. His wife, shown in line 27, was Malinda A. Averett, age 24 years and also born in Georgia. Their son, "Amona A. Averett, age 1 year, was born in Alabama. It seems reasonable that Harris might be the son of John Averett, although that would have to be further substantiated.

Parenthetically, since David Averett's occupation was shown as "mechanic" in the 1860 US Census, it is possible that he worked for or with his brother Harris.

Note to self: Look for Mary and Catherine in the 1860 US Census. It'll be tougher to find them if they married because they would have changed their surnames to reflect that of their husbands.''

Finally, because this 1850 Census was from Putnam County, Georgia, it may be relevant to point out that I found a marriage record for "John Averette" and "Mary Ledbetter" that occurred on 24 February 1830 in Putnam County, Georgia on the LDS FamilySearch.org web site:

If this is the right marriage record, I will have determined the maiden name of John Averett's wife, Mary (thus confirming what has been reported on other family trees found on Ancestry.com). But family trees on Ancestry.com and elsewhere on the Internet say a LOT of different things, much of which is incorrect. So I continue to be careful about concluding anything until I can confirm it with other sources, hopefully primary sources when available. So I am not ready to assess that Mary's surname was "Ledbetter" but if it was, the date of their marriage, 24 February 1830, would be consistent with the birth year of their first son, Harris. Harris was born about 1831 according to this 1850 US Census ("age 19 years").

I found the following graphic showing the location of Putnam County in Georgia from Wikipedia on 19 November 2011:

1860 US Census - John and Mary Averett Family

David Averett lived in Tallapoosa County, Alabama at the time of the 1860 U.S. Federal Census with his mother and father, along with his younger brothers and sisters. The census page shown below was completed on 22 June 1860, several months before the election of Abraham Lincoln as president of the United States. That fateful electoral result led directly to the attempted secession of the southern states and life as he knew it must surely have been destroyed over the next five years, even if he hadn't enlisted in the Confederate Army. See my blog posts from 20 August 2011 and 3 September 2011 for more information about that.

I have three real purposes for the documentation represented by this posting. The first is to establish the names and ages of David's brothers and sisters living with the family in 1860. The second is to infer the time when the family moved from Georgia to Alabama based on the listed birth places of his siblings. And the third is to establish a baseline of names of his brothers and sisters to better evaluate a particular 1850 US Census sheet that I recently found. In other words, I'm trying to decide if this John and Mary Averett family in 1860 is the same John and Mary Averett family shown in that 1850 Census form. The name of his 14-year-old brother, Alvis E. Averett, should be particularly useful for this, owing to its relative uniqueness among census records that I have read over time. I will write more about the 1850 US Census in a subsequent blog post.

(Click graphic to enlarge.)

Here is a transcription of the 1860 information relevant to David's family:

Page 13. SCHEDULE 1. -- Free Inhabitants in Western Division ([unreadable] 8) in the County of Tallapoosa, State of Alabama, enumerated by me, on the 22nd day of June 1860, Y.T. [?] Strickland, Ass't Marshal. Post Office: Realtown. 

• Line 16: John Averett, age 37 years, male; his occupation was farmer; the value of his real estate was $500, the value of his personal estate was $400; he was born in Georgia; he was able to read and write.
• Line 17: Mary Averett, age 45 years, female, she was born in Georgia, she was able to read and write.
• Line 18: David F. Averett, age 22 years, male; his occupation was mechanic; he was born in Georgia; he had not attended school within the year; he was able to read and write.
• Line 19: John L. Averett, age 17 years, male; his occupation was farmer; he was born in Georgia; he had not attended school within the year.
• Line 20: Alvis E. Averett, age 14 years, male; he was born in Georgia; he had not attended school within the year.
• Line 21: Nancy L. Averett, age 12 years, female; she was born in Georgia; she had not attended school within the year.
• Line 22: Willson W. Averett, age 10 years, male; he was born in Georgia; he had not attended school within the year.
• Line 23: Romulus Averett, age 8 years, male; he was born in Alabama; he had not attended school within the year.
• Line 24: Rebecca Averett, age 6 years, female; she was born in Alabama; she had not attended school within the year.
• Line 25: Charles Averett, age 2 years, male; he was born in Alabama; he had not attended school within the year. 

Since Willson, age 10 years, was born in Georgia, and his younger brother, Romulus, age 8 years, was born in Alabama (as were Rebecca and Charles), it seems straightforward to conclude that the family moved from Georgia to Alabama sometime between 1850 and 1852, inclusive, assuming that Willson was born in 1850 and that Romulus was born in 1852. The reason for their move is currently unknown to me.

David's apparently worked as a mechanic, although both his father and his brother John L. Averett were farmers. I do not currently know what a mechanic did in 1860, decades before the appearance of the first automobiles. This is a question that I will investigate later. If newspapers from the area could be located, advertisements or simply "goings-on about town" news might be useful in further characterizing how David contributed to the family livelihood. They might also give further clues about what the political and social climates were with respect to the upcoming 1860 election. I have read that Lincoln's name did not even appear on the ballot of many southern states and I wonder if that implies a widespread condition of regional patriotism among the general population or merely a sense of disquiet among what we would today call "the elite".

Finally, where was Realtown, Alabama, the site of the closest Post Office to the farm owned by John Averett in 1860?  A Google search indicates that the spelling was probably "Reeltown" instead of "Realtown", which is in Tallapoosa County.  Here is where Reeltown is in Alabama, according to Google Maps. (Click to enlarge.)

Note the proximity of Reeltown to Tallassee. The name of Tallassee is familiar to me, being the place where:

• Alvis E. Averett enlisted in Company A, the Cantey Rifles, of the 15th Alabama Volunteer Infantry Regiment on 5 February 1864.
• A muster Roll dated 19 Jul 1861 for the "Tallassee Guards", The 13th Alabama Infantry, Company F, shows that a Private “Averett, John L. [died during the war]”. Is this the John L. Averett who was the brother of David?
• Was listed as the nearest Post Office for David Averett when he enlisted in the Army on 3 July 1861 (see again my blog post from 3 September 2011).

This may not be all. I seem to remember "Tallassee" among some of my other genealogy materials but cannot put my hands on them at this time. If I do find more, I will write again about this town. In any event, here is where Tallapoosa County is located in the state of Alabama, according to Wikipedia, viewed 16 November 2011.  Information and graphics found in Wikipedia are licensed for general use under the Creative Commons license, so I believe it is okay to reproduce this graphic here.