Alabama Pioneer

School is finally out for the summer and I'm finding it difficult to get time for my blog on a consistent basis. I may get this one done just in the nick of time.

The prompt this week is "The Old Homestead" and I've chosen to write about my 4th great grandfather Henry Athey.

This week I ran across a new to me resource - The General Land Records Bureau of Land Management database where you can look up land records. If you're lucky you can download a copy of the actual record and you can even view that land on a map. After plugging several of my ancestors into their little search box I finally came across one who seemed to have purchased quite a bit of land in the early days of Alabama history - and according to some of these records he fought during the Indian Wars (Creek War of 1836 and the Second Seminole War also called Florida War) Henry Athey.

According to census records, Henry Athey was born in South Carolina in the year 1809. His parents are said to be Henry Athey Sr. and Carrie Hartman.

I think I will try to lay out the information I have on him in a timeline.

• Aug 20, 1834 at the age of 25, Henry purchased 79.81 acres in Montgomery County, AL
• Aug 02, 1837 Henry, now 28,  purchased 40.05 acres also in Montgomery County (there is a duplicate for this land record and the one following recorded for the date July 28, 1838)
• Aug 12, 1837 He purchased 40.11 acres in Montgomery County
• Aug 15, 1838 Henry married Sarah L. Brunson
  
• 1839 Sarah gave birth to a son, William Athey
• 1840 Sarah gave birth to a son, Barnett Athey
• 1842 Sarah gave birth to a son, Wilson Athey
• 1843 Sarah gave birth to a son, John Athey
• 1845 Sarah gave birth to a son, James Athey
• 1847 Sarah gave birth to my ancestor, Benjamin Franklin Athey
• 1849 Sarah gave birth to Thomas Athey
• 1850 the family is found in Pike County, AL those listed are Henry (41), Sarah (37), William (11), Barnett (10), Wilson (8), John (7), James (5), Benjamin (3), Thomas (1) and Joseph H. Robb (22)
• 1852 Sarah gave birth to their youngest, George Athey
• Nov 02, 1854 Henry was awarded 40 acres of Bounty Land for his service as a Private in Captain McDougall's Company, Alabama Militia during the Florida War in Walton & Washington County, FL

• Feb 14, 1857 Henry sold a slave, *Matilda, who was pregnant to a Mr. Littleton Olive. The events that followed this transaction would end up in the Supreme Court as Athey v Olive, 34 Alabama 711 (1859). You can download a free EBook with most all of the information about this case.
• May 03, 1860 Henry was awarded 119.85 acres Bounty Land in Crenshaw County, AL for his service in the Creek War under Captain McDougald, Alabama Militia. Crenshaw County at that time would've been Pike County, AL (Here's a link to an Alabama Formation Map)
  
  
  On that same day in the records lists this same parcel of land being sold to Henry by the Widow of  James F. Johnston, Sarah Johnston.
  
  Henry Athey's Bounty Land Record:

Sarah Johnston - War of 1812 Bounty Land Record Assigned to Henry Athey:

•  Jun 08, 1860 Henry's family is once again in the Pike County, AL census minus his wife, Sarah and son William. Those listed are Henry (51) Josiah B (19) Wilson W. (17), John W. (15) James B (14) Benjamin (12) Thomas (10) and baby George (7).  William is still living though I can't find him listed in the 1860 census. He is later named as the Administrator of his father's Estate in 1862. From papers found in Henry's Estate File I have deduced that Henry must've died between months of April and Dec 1862. Below is a note that includes his signature in bottom right corner..
   
  Below is an image from his Estate File that proves he is no longer alive by Dec 1862
   
  Below is an image I put together of the parcels of land recorded by the BLM for Henry Athey
   
  
  
  Where his homestead was exactly is a mystery. But according to one Brunson decendant I believe it would be somewhere close to where he registered land on Nov 01, 1858
  
  That square with the star in it looks like this upclose. Notice the Patsaliga Creek.
  
  A letter in the Crenshaw County News, written by one of David Brunson’s grandsons talks about several of the family members, and early residents of Pike/Crenshaw County. Source: “Obits and Abstracts 1910-1919, compiled by Joyce English 

   "My grandfather was first stuck on lands in Clark County on the Tom Bigbee River near Salt Springs, and after a while, he sold out to the Benbows & moved to Clark County. After my father was grown he came back to the Valley & married Elizabeth Jinkins and moved to Montgomery county four miles north of Pine Level. In 1852 he came back to the Valley and settled on the ridge that forms the Patsaliga Bluff that was, when I was five years old Precincts 8 and 9. This county was then an uninhabited territory . At that time Henry Athey and Walter Compton lived in between Mt. Ida and the Patsaliga, and a little lower down lived Daniel Plancy & his sons Job & Daniel then down at the Bluff, lived my uncles Ben and David Brunson, and out from the river were Umphrey Capps and Mr. Holiday, and down in the bend where H.W.Carnes now lives. Uncle V.A.T. Underwood lived."

  **The Benbow's and Compton's are mentioned in Henry's Estate File.
  
  Until next week,
  Becky Drake
  
  Please check out my SIL's blog over at Days of Our Lives

Captured At Vicksburg

This week the prompt from No Story Too Small is 'Military', and I have chosen to write about my 4th great grandfather Asa Franklin Moore.

According to census records, Asa was born about 1830 in South Carolina. I am not certain of his parentage, but I believe it to be Hutson and Susanna Moore. In the 1850 Laurens County South Carolina census, dwelling #1941, is Hutson  (53), Susanna (44), Oliver (22), Alsey F. (21), Luraney (19), William (18), Stephan B. (16), Parthena (14), Perncey (12), Malissa (10), John B. (8), Lei M. (6) and Munro (4).

I believe "Alsey F." to be my Asa. I have looked up the will of Hutson Moore, who died in 1874 and he makes no mention of any of his children -- only his wife, Susanna. But "Perncey" aka "Perneecy" from this household ends up marrying William Marion Riddle and settling not far from my Asa Franklin Moore in the same county (Johnson) in Arkansas. Also - my ancestor Franklin Redford Moore, son of Asa, named his first child, a daughter, Alsey. Maybe Alsey was his nickname?

Also in Laurens County, SC 1850 census is family # 1717 - the household of Solomon and Barbary "Golasby" (Gillespie) with several children, including 19 year old daughter Amanda. Sometime between 1850 and 1852 Amanda and Asa Franklin Moore marry.  In 1852 Amanda gives birth to their first child Mary J. Moore. I find Asa that same year in the Franklin County Georgia Tax books. I also find him in the tax lists for the years 1854, 1858 & 1867. In 1854 Amanda's father Solomon is also in Franklin County, GA, where he remarries a MUCH younger Elizabeth Pierce. His former wife, Barbara is still alive and in Laurens, South Carolina, living with a Vaughan and Bolt family.

In 1855 Amanda gave birth to their second child, Martha, then George Washington in 1859, and Amanda Silvenus in 1863 (I'm sure Asa was gone fighting, possibly at the siege of Chattanooga, at the time of her birth.).

On May 12 1862 Asa F. Moore, along with his brother-in-law *Simeon Thomas, volunteered on the side of the Confederacy in Franklin County GA with Captain Russell A. Jones Company, Johnson's Regiment Georgia Infantry which later became Company G, 34th Regiment Georgia Infantry.

"This unit was sent to Tennessee, then Mississippi where it was assigned to T.H. Taylor's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. It participated in the battle at Champion's Hill and was captured at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. Exchanged and reorganized it was placed in General Cummings' Brigade, Army of Tennessee. The 34th was active in many engagements from Chattanooga to Nashville, and ended the war in North Carolina. It reported 34 casualties at Chattanooga, contained 369 men and 266 arms in December, 1863, and had 219 fit for duty in Janaury, 1865. Very few surrendered in April. The field commanders were Colonel J.A.W. Johnson, Lieutenant Colonel J.W. Bradley, and Majors Thomas T. Dorough and John M. Jackson" ~ Taken from The National Park Service.

Below is the roster in which Asa F. Moore is listed as prisoner #351, captured at Vicksburg.

Known skirmished that Asa's unit fought in are:

Vicksburg Campaign (May-July 1863)
Chattanooga seige (Sept.-Nov. 1863)
Battle of Cahttanooga (Nov. 23-25, 1863)
New Hope Church (May 25 - June 4, 1864)
Atlanta (July 22, 1864)
Jonesboro (Aug 31-Sept 1,1864)
Nashville (Dec. 15-16, 1864)
Bentonville, NC (March 19-21, 1865)
they were at Joe Johnston's surrender on April 26, 1865.

 

Asa with his youngest son William.
(Notice the way he holds his right hand)

After Asa returned home from war Amanda gave birth to my ancestor, Franklin Redford "Red", in 1866, the following year they had Rosanna E.

In 1870, the same year Amanda gave birth to Solomon Jasper, the family can be found living in St. Clair County, AL where they are also found 10 years later in 1880. By then Amanda had given birth to their last child William T. who had been born in 1873. I wonder what prompted them to move.

By 1889 Asa and his family had moved again to Johnson County, AR where on Christmas Eve of that year Amanda passed away at the age of 58. She is buried in Stillwell Cemetery, in Johnson County.

In  July 1897 Asa filed his application for his pension. According to his application on July 25th 1864, at the Battle of Atlanta, he was shot in the forearm of his right hand. Dr. John W. Mitchell said in his report that the wound was "of right forearm midway between wrist and elbow" When asked  how this wound was cause for disability pension the doctor's response was "Feeble heath incapacity due not only to old age, but the wound lacerated muscle of arm causing wasting or atrophy and inability to grasp anything and at times becoming almost useless."


Fellow members of the 34th Regiment who came forth as witnesses for Asa's pension were Benjamin F. Ellis, Andrew J. Burgess and of course, *Simeon Thomas.

In March of 1901 Asa's pension was approved and he was allowed $60.00 to be drawn from.

On 25 Mar 1909, Asa Franklin Moore passed away. He was buried in Stillwell Cemetery, Johnson County, AR with his wife.


*Simeon Thomas married Amanda Gillespie's sister, Elizabeth Jane Gillespie.

Until Next Week,
Becky