Lum and Phoebe had the following children:

• John Rainey Steakley (b. 1857, d. unknown)
• William C. Steakley (b. September 15, 1860, d. May 18, 1922)
• Sarah E. Steakley (b. between 1862 – 1864, d. abt. 1905)

Phoebe appears to have died sometime in the mid-1860’s following the birth of her daughter Sarah.  On December 4, 1866, Lum married Nancy Elizabeth Goforth (b. August 3, 1843) in Van Buren County.  Nancy was the widow of Lum’s nephew Jesse Steakley (the son of Lum’s brother Daniel).  Jesse appears to have died during the Civil War.

Lum and Nancy had the following children:

• Betty Augalene Steakley (b. November 20, 1867, d. December 22, 1929)
• Mary M. Steakley (b. January 1869, d. unknown)
• Becky Jane Steakley (b. 1871, d. unknown)
• Maggie Martha Abigail Steakley (b. 1874, d. unknown)
• Fannie Ida Steakley (b. September 19, 1877, d. unknown)
• Minnie Mae Steakley (b. March 28, 1880, d. April 30, 1954)
• Caldonia Steakley (b. July 29, 1882, d. unknown)
• James Columbus Steakley (b. November 5, 1887, d. aft. 1961)

Also living in Lum and Nancy’s household was George Carter Steakley, son of Jesse and Nancy Steakley.  George Carter appears in the 1870 and 1880 censuses in Lum’s household.  Lum died December 29, 1887 in Van Buren County and was buried the next day in Molloy Cemetery in Van Buren County.  Nancy lived on for many years following Lum’s death, eventually dying on March 1, 1918.  She appears in the 1900 and 1910 censuses for Van Buren County, Tennessee.  In 1910 she is living in the household of her son-in-law Charlie Payne (husband of her daughter Caldonia).

William and Delphia had the following children:

• Matilda Steakley (b. 1845, d. December 22, 1938)
• Isabella “Ibby” Steakley (b. October 29, 1846, d. August 13, 1931)
• Wiley J. Steakley (b. February 29, 1848, d. December 3, 1914)
• Mary Jane Steakley (b. October 5, 1849, d. April 28, 1918)
• Arminda Steakley (b. 1854, d, unknown)
• Nicholas Steakley (b. November 7, 1857, d. bef. 1900)
• William Nathan Steakley (b. November 7, 1857, d. July 15, 1940)
• John Steakley (b. 1860, d. unknown)
• James Monroe Steakley (b. March 9, 1863, d. February 8, 1936)
• Millie Clementine Steakley (b. 1866, d. unknown)
• Columbus Steakley (b. July 1871, d. unknown)

As of the date of this post, I have not found any record of William or Delphia after the 1900 census.

1850 Census (Van Buren County)

Additionally, he was referenced in Van Buren quorum court minutes in 1840 regarding the construction of a county road:

“We the undersigned being appointed by the county court of Van Buren County at June term of 1840 to view and mark a road  of the second class from Spencer in said County to the County line on the direction to Chattanooga being duly sworn Report as follows:  beginning at Spencer then to Nicholas Gillentine’s then to Uriah York’s then to Wiley Johnston’s then to John Flemings then to county line near the widow Boulden’s place on savage road on Cumberland mountain this 25th June 1840.

Uriah York
Major Parsons
Wiley Johnston
Wiley Steekley
John Fleming”

The children of Wiley and Priscilla Lewis are listed below.  Five of their sons served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and only two survived the war.  One son, Pinkney, died of disease in a Union prison camp, and two sons, John Jay and James Christopher died in action during the Battle of Perryville in Kentucky.

•  Clarinda Isabella Steakley (b. September 26, 1830, d. December 31, 1922)
• William Lewis Steakley (b. March 8, 1832, d. February 17, 1891)
• James Christopher Steakley (b. September 25, 1833, d. October 8, 1862)
• Pinkney Lewis Steakley (b. October 4, 1835, d. May 12, 1862)
• Mary Maloy Steakley (b. August 2, 1837, d. unknown)
• Infant Steakley (stillborn May 3, 1839)
• John Jay Steakley (b. September 13, 1840, d. October 8, 1862)
• Elizabeth Steakley (b. March 24, 1842, d. unknown)
• Sarah Gillentine Steakley (b. March 24, 1842, d. unknown)
• Wiley Steakley II (b. February 23, 1844, d. June 21, 1941)
• Infant Steakley (Stillborn December 29, 1845)
• [Priscilla Steakley] (b. October 22, 1847, d. March 7, 1916)
• Isaac Lonus Steakley (b. January 23, 1849, d. October 1, 1935)
• Infant Steakley (Stillborn December 20, 1850)

Priscilla Lewis Steakley died in childbirth, along with her child, on December 20, 1850.  On March 7, 1852 in Van Buren County, Wiley was remarried to Stacy Mitchell (b. 1809), herself already twice widowed.  Her previous husbands were Andrew Kincannon Parker and Joseph Sparkman.  Stacy’s children by these two men were:

• Spencer Parker (b. 1837, d. unknown)
• Elizabeth Parker (b. abt. 1838, d. 1901)
• Danny Parker (b. 1842, d. unknown)
• Frances Parker (b. 1844, d. unknown)
• Adrian Sparkman (b. 1845, d. unknown)
• Stacey Sparkman (b. 1848, d. unknown)

Wiley Lonus Steakley died in 1857 at his home in Hickory Valley, Tennessee.

1830 Census (White County)
1840 Census (White County)
1850 Census (Van Buren County)

Christian Stickley/Christopher Steakley was the son of Daniel Stickley (Sep. 10, 1743 – Sep. 1797) and Sybilla Dellinger (1753-1815).  He was born in Shenandoah County, Virginia on March 1, 1777.  On April 7, 1787, Christian/Christopher was baptized in the Lutheran faith at the “Old Pine” Lutheran Church, along with all of his siblings.

According to family lore, Daniel and Sybilla Stickley moved their family from the Shenandoah Valley to the New River Valley in Southwest Virginia in the late 1780′s before settling in Knox County, Tennessee in 1792.  During the October 1797 term of the Knox County court, the last will and testament of Daniel Stickley was probated and Christian/Christopher was appointed co-executor of his father’s estate, along with Henry Lonas, as the other co-executor.

On October 5, 1802, Christian/Christopher married Mary Isabel Creeley (1783 – bet. 1850-1860).

Christian/Christopher appears periodically in the county court records of White County, Tennessee beginning in 1809. Such references include the following:

• November 17, 1809 – Christopher Steakley summoned for jury duty for February 1810 session.
• February 13, 1810 – Christopher Steakley served on a jury in 3 cases:  (1) Jeremiah Potts v. Thomas Carrol, in a civil action where the jury found in favor of Potts and awarded him damages of $112; (2) Morris and Priscilla Blackwell v. Joseph Fleming and others, wherein the jury found that Fleming was not guilty of “throwing stones”; and (3) Thomas McDaniel v. Alexander Cook, where the jury found Cook guilty of trover and conversion and assessed damages against him in the amount of $35.
• February 15, 1810 – Christopher Steakley served on a jury in the case of James Anderson v. Jacob Anderson for trespass.  Jacob Anderson was found guilty and ordered to pay damages of $15.
• August 13, 1810 – Christopher Steakley, along with 6 other men, were appointed to survey and mark a road.
• February 15, 1811 – Christopher Steakley summoned for jury duty for May1811 session.
• 1812 – Christopher Steakley appears on a tax roll as a resident of White County, Tennessee.
• October 1820 – Christopher Steakley served on a jury in the case of Graham Jackson v. Isaiah Cole.  This record is referenced in minutes dated July 21, 1821.
• April 8, 1822 – Christopher “Stokely” was ordered to assist in the construction and maintenance of a county road.
• October 14, 1822 – Christopher Steakley and his son, Wiley Steakley, are ordered to assist in the maintenance of a county road overseen by Terry Gillentine.
• July 4, 1836 – Christopher Steakley is appointed to lay off and mark a road of the “second class” near Cain Creek and Dry Cove.

In 1816 (following the 1815 death of his mother, who maintained a defeasible fee interest in her husband’s property), he appeared in Knox County, Tennessee to settle his father’s estate.

He first appears in federal census records in 1820 in White County, Tennessee and is also present in the 1830 and 1840 federal censuses in White County.  He received a federal land grant in 1849 in White County, Tennessee.  He appears in the 1850 census in Van Buren County, Tennessee (which county was formed in 1840 taking part of the lands previously within the boundaries of White County).  It is believed that Christian/Christopher settled in the Caney Fork area of White County that now straddles the border of White and Van Buren Counties.

Christian/Christopher and Isabel Steakley had the following children:

• Wiley Lonus Steakley (Dec. 3, 1803 – 1857)
• Elizabeth Steakley (bet. 1804-10 –  aft. 1843)
• Mary Steakley (Jun. 17, 1805 – Nov. 15, 1856)
• Daniel Steakley (abt. 1810 – bet. 1862-70)
• Lathey Steakley (1816 – ?)
• John Steakley (1820 – 1860)
• William T. Steakley  (Oct. 1821 – aft. 1900)
• James Steakley (abt. 1825 – bet. 1863-64)
• Christopher Columbus “Lum” Steakley (1829 – Dec. 29, 1887)

Christian/Christopher died sometime between 1858 and 1860 in Van Buren County, Tennessee and his wife, Isabel, died sometime between 1850 and 1860 in Van Buren County, Tennessee.  It is not presently known where they are buried.  Much of the information about Christian/Christopher is available in the public records referenced above (e.g. census records and court records).    Additionally, reference is made to Christian/Christopher in a Second Edition unpublished manuscript compiled by Eugene Prentice Steakley in 1961 entitled “The Steakley Family – Genealogy and History.”  While there is some good information to be taken from this publication, some of the information in that book consists of assumptions presented as fact, that have since been proven incorrect, namely, that the family is of English origin and that Christian/Christopher was born in Ireland.  These statements are NOT accurate.  The family is of Swiss origin and Christian/Christopher was born in Virginia.  There is reference in this publication, however, to a first-person narrative of Maggie Steakley Panter, daughter of Lum Steakley and granddaughter of Christian/Christopher.

Ms. Panter , who was 87 years old at the time the manuscript was drafted, recalled that her father was the youngest son of Christian/Christopher and that he had brothers named Daniel, Wiley, William and perhaps James.  There was no reference to the potential brother John, and his identity will be explored in a later post.  Ms. Panter also recounted that her grandfather was known to be an avid hunter.

1820 Census (White County)
1830 Census (White County)
1840 Census (White County)
1850 Census (Van Buren County)

https://www.ark.org/doh_dcs/

June 5, 1919 - October 25, 2012

Geneva Steakley McDaniel, a resident of West Memphis for more than 60 years, passed away on Thursday, October 25, 2012, in Little Rock. She had resided in Little Rock for the past two and a half years.

Mrs. McDaniel worked in retail sales for many years, primarily at McAuley’s and Hallum’s ladies’ clothing stores.  She was an active member of First Assembly of God Church since 1952, having served in many volunteer capacities.  She leaves her daughter, Julianne M. Stalls, Baton Rouge, LA; sons Charles D. McDaniel, Little Rock, AR, and Dr. J. Stephen McDaniel, Atlanta, GA; grandchildren Amy S. Linton, Darrow, LA, Holly M. Wheeler, Fayetteville, AR, and David McDaniel, Kyle McDaniel and Allison McDaniel, Little Rock, AR; and great-grandchildren, Kathryn Linton, Eleanor McDaniel and Ross Wheeler. She is also survived by two sisters, Junette S. Gist, Creve Coeur, MO; and Jeraldean S. Bragg, Nesbit, MS, and six nieces and nephews. She also leaves her daughter-in-law and sons-in-law, Diane L. McDaniel, James E. Stalls, Jr. and David Purcell.  Mrs. McDaniel was preceded in death by her husband of 38 years, Charles Woodrow McDaniel; her parents Frank and Mamie Steakley; sisters Jewell Steakley, Jessie Steakley and Joda S. Strickland; brother Ralph Steakley and infant brother Randolph Steakley.  Visitation will be held Friday, October 26, 2012 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Roller-Citizens Funeral Home. Funeral is scheduled for Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 11:00AM at the funeral home, followed by burial at Crittenden Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First Assembly of God Church.

The 29th Illinois Infantry left Paducah, Kentucky on February 3, 1862 as part of the invasion force that would capture Fort Henry, a Confederate fort sitting on the eastern bank of the Tennessee River, just south of the Kentucky border.  The 29th, along with the 8th Illinois Infantry; 18th Illinois Infantry; 29th Illinois Infantry; 30th Illinois Infantry; 31st Illinois Infantry; Stewart’s, Dollins’s, O’Harnett’s, and Carmichael’s cavalry companies; and Schwartz’s and Dresser’s batteries, composed the First Brigade (commanded by Col. Richard J. Oglesby) of the First Division (commanded by Brig. Gen. John A. McClernand) of the army which would eventually be known as the Army of the Tennessee.  The soldiers of the First Division were aboard transport ships headed up (southbound) the Tennessee River and were accompanied by the Essex and St. Louis ironclad gunboats.

Union Invasion Routes

Fort Henry was constructed in 1861 on the eastern bank of the Tennessee River.  It was a five-sided structure that comprised ten acres of real estate.  The site for the fort was scouted by Brig. Gen. Daniel S. Donelson and was named in honor of Tennessee Senator (C.S.A.) Gustavus Adolphus Henry, Sr.  The location of the fort provided for a two mile field of fire downriver.  This was, however, the only benefit to the location.  The fort was situated on low-lying swampy ground that was prone to flooding and was overshadowed by high-reaching bluffs across the river on the west bank.  To secure the bluffs overlooking Fort Henry, the rebels constructed an earthen fort on the west bank, named Fort Heiman.  Prior to the siege of Fort Henry, rebel soldiers numbering 1,885 and 1,100 manned the fortifications at Fort Henry and Fort Heiman, respectively, with Col. Heiman in command of all troops.  The defenses of Fort Henry consisted of 20 foot masonry walls, 20 feet thick at their base and tapering up to 10 feet thick at their crest.  Seventeen guns defended the fort:  one (1) 10-inch Columbiad, one (1) 24-pounder rifled cannon, and fifteen (15) 32-pounder smoothbore cannons.  Eleven of these were gazed upon the river, while the remaining six were facing inland to protect against an overland assault. In addition to the large guns, the rebels had sunk torpedoes (mines) in the river channel to protect against the invading gunboats.   The garrison of Forts Henry and Heiman were armed with old flintlock rifles that had been in action since the War of 1812.

Brig. Gen. (CSA) Lloyd Tilghman

In the early morning of February 4th, McClernand’s First Division disembarked at Itra Landing 8 miles north of Fort Henry on the east bank.  While the First Division disembarked, General Grant boarded the Essex and participated in a naval reconnaissance along with two other ironclads.  The fleet steamed upriver within a mile or two of the fort and engaged in a brief cannonade with the fort, with one rebel shot passing over the heads of General Grant and Commander Porter of the Essex and landing a direct hit through the cabins and steerage of the Essex. Having tested the range of the rebel guns and also locating a closer landing site, the fleet returned to Itra Landing where the First Division was told to pack up and file back onto the transport ships.  The First Division was ordered to disembark for a second time at Bailey’s Landing, 4 miles north of the fort on the east bank.  On the evening of February 4th, the men of the First Division went into camp just outside of Bailey’s Landing at a camp that Gen. McClernand dubbed Camp Halleck.  Grant’s Second Division, under the command of Brig. Gen. C.F. Smith, arrived on the night of the 4th and made camp at Camp Halleck.

Naval Assault on Fort Henry

On the morning of February 5th, a detachment of men in Oglesby’s First Brigade were sent on a reconnaissance mission between Camp Halleck and Fort Henry, where they engaged rebel skirmishers.  The Union troops retired to Camp Halleck before rebel reinforcements could engage.  Also on the morning of the 5th, Smith’s Second Division (with the exception of the Third Brigade of the Second Division), were ferried across the river with orders to take Fort Heiman on the bluffs overlooking Fort Henry.  During the evening of the 5th, General Grant issued general orders to McClernand to move his First Division at 11:00 AM on the 6th to a spot on the Dover Road 8 miles south.  The Dover Road linked Fort Henry to the town of Dover and Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland River, about 10 miles to the east.  The dual purpose of this movement was to prevent soldiers from Fort Donelson from reinforcing Fort Henry as well as to prevent the evacuation of the garrison of Fort Henry.  Also on the evening of the 5th, Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote met with his gunboat commanders to decide a plan of attack for his Western Flotilla gunboats:   the ironclads Cincinnati (the flagship), St. Louis, Essex and Carondelet and the timberclads Tyler, Conestoga, and Lexington.

Brig. Gen. Lloyd Tilghman (C.S.A.) commanding the garrisons of Forts Donelson and Henry left Fort Donelson and arrived at Fort Henry late at night on February 4th after hearing the initial gunfire from the ironclads. At daybreak on February 5th, Tilghman ordered the garrison at Fort Heiman to abandon that position and move to Fort Henry.  Rising river waters showed the poor location of Fort Henry, as the twenty foot walls rose only a few feet above the water level, allowing gunboats to come very close and lob shells from a higher position.  At 10:00 AM on the morning of the 6th, Tilghman ordered the garrison of the fort to move out on the Dover Road, out of range of the gunboats and await further orders.  Tilghman stayed in the fort with a lone artillery company to man the guns and delay the Union advance.

Naval Assault on Fort Henry

Shortly thereafter, at 10:20, Flag Officer Foote, aboard the Cincinnati, ordered the signal to prepare for battle to be hoisted.  The gunboats then steamed up river toward the fort.  At 1,700 yards, the ironclads formed a battle line, four abreast with their bows pointed toward the fort.  Each boat was armed with three 9-inch Dahlgrem bow guns.  At 12:34, the gunboats began firing on the fort.  Within minutes all 12 guns were raining down shells on the fort as the boats closed the gap.  The rebel artillery held their fire until the gunboats were in range, and then opened up with the Columbiad, the 24 pounder and the 32 pounders.  About 30 minutes into the fight, the rebels landed a fortuitous shot onto the Essex, which penetrated her middle boiler, spewing scalding steam through half of the boat and disabling her.  Several sailors,including Commander Porter, suffered severe burns, and some went overboard to escape the steam.  The Essex floated listlessly downriver, she was out of the fight.  Shortly after the Essex went out, the rebel 24-pounder and Columbiad were out of commission – one due to an explosion and the other to a jammed priming wire.  The rebel gun crews were suffering from wounds and exhaustion.  At one point, Tilghman jumped in and manned a 32 pounder, firing two shots at the Cincinnati.

USS Essex

At about 1:50, there were not enough able rebel gunners left to man the guns and Tilghman gave the order to strike the colors and raise the white flag.  Heiman was given the order to proceed to Donelson with his troops. McClernand was still en route to his ordered position, but could not catch the garrison before it escaped.  Flag Officer Foote sent Commander Stembel of the Cincinnati on a yawl to the fort to accept the surrender of the fort on behalf of Foote.  Because of the high water level, Stembel was able to sail the yawl right through the front gates of the fort.  Stembel accepted the surrender of the fort and took Tilghman to board the Cincinnati to present himself to Foote.  Aboard the Cincinnati, Tilghman honored Foote by stating his happiness to surrender to such a gallant officer, Foote apparently responded by stating “You do perfectly right sir, in surrendering, but you should have blown my boat out of the water before I would have surrendered to you.”  With that Tilghman became a prisoner of war, and would remain so until August of 1862.  He would later die during the Vicksburg campaign.  In addition to Tilghman, Foote captured 60 or 70 artillerymen and another 60 invalids aboard a captured hospital ship docked near the fort.

The scorecard for the gunboats was as follows:  the Cincinnati fired 112 shots, received 31 hits from rebel guns, and suffered 1 killed and 9 wounded; the Essex fired 72 shots, received 15 hits from rebel guns (including the shot to the boiler) and suffered 10 killed, 23 wounded, and 5 missing (likely drowned after going overboard); the St. Louis fired 116 shots, received 7 hits from rebel guns and suffered no casualties; and the Carondelet fired 107 shots, received 6 hits from rebel guns and suffered no casualties.

The First Division marched toward the fort once the firing ceased, with the 18th Illinois Infantry reaching the fort at 3:30.  Once McClernand realized that the garrison had evaded him, he sent his cavalry after the retreating rebels.  The cavalry harassed Heiman’s rear guard, consisting of the 26th Alabama Infantry and the 15th Arkansas Infantry, for much of Heiman’s exhausting 22 mile march back to Fort Donelson.  McClernand’s cavalry were able to capture 6 guns and 38 prisoners.  General Grant wanted to move on Fort Donelson, and its then garrison of 7,000 soldiers, as quickly as possible before reinforcements arrived from Nashville, and he wired Gen. Halleck that he would move on the 8th.  Foote’s ironclads, however, were in no shape to immediately engage another land battery, and headed back to Cairo for repairs.  When they arrived, they were flying captured rebel flags – upside down.  Grant was forced to delay his assault on Fort Donelson, and McClernand moved his First Division east on February 11th.  Confederate General Albert S. Johnson, then Commander of the Western Department (which encompassed western and central Tennessee) believed that Fort Donelson would meet the same fate as Fort Henry – yielding to the gunboats without the need for a Union ground assault.  However, due to the superior placement of the river batteries of Fort Donelson, he would be mistaken.

Timberclad Raid – Tyler, Conestoga and Lexington

Having not suffered any damage, Foote’s timberclads, under the command of Lt. Phelps, steamed up the Tennessee River, unchecked, into Northern Alabama, destroying bridges and capturing rebel ships.  They returned to Fort Henry on February 12.  This was the benefit of the capture of Fort Henry – to provide an expressway for invasion deep into the Confederacy.  The Cumberland River, and a direct river route to Nashville was next.

Sources:  The War of the Rebellion:  a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies

Bearss, Edwin C., The Fall of Fort Henry Tennessee, The West Tennessee Historical Society, Vol. XVII (1963).

On April 16, 1862, the C.S.A. government passed the Conscription Act, pursuant to which able-bodied men in the southern states were subject to conscription into the confederate army.  William Robert Lancaster was drafted into the Confederate army and traveled to Mobile, where he was enrolled in Company G, 40th Alabama Infantry on October 1, 1862.  He remained in Mobile until December 1862, training and receiving drill instruction.  In December, the 40th Alabama moved to Vicksburg to assist in the defense of that city.  Upon arrival in Vicksburg, the 40th Alabama was brigaded with the 37th Alabama, 42nd Alabama, and 2nd Texas, under the command of Brigadier General John Creed Moore.  William Robert was detached from his company and served as a wagoner for the battalion.  Company G of the 40th Alabama served in the garrison of Vicksburg during the siege of that city.  When Lt. General John C. Pemberton surrendered Vicksburg to the army of U.S. Grant on Independence Day 1863, the men of the 40th Alabama, including Lancaster were captured.  Lancaster was paroled on July 9, 1863 after signing an oath stating that he would not take up arms against the United States.  Confederate service records list his status as absent without leave following his parole.  It is possible that he honored his oath and returned home to Pickens County to rejoin his wife.

W.R. Lancaster Service Records

Records on the Alabama Civil War Service Database, however, indicate that Lancaster rejoined his regiment, serving thereafter  in Company B (known as the “Pickens Planters”), after his parole and fought until the conclusion of the war.  Also serving in the Pickens Planters company were a Joseph Lancaster and Eli J. Lancaster, likely relatives of William Robert Lancaster, and John William Sanders, William Robert Lancaster’s brother-in-law.  If Lancaster served in Company B following his parole, he likely saw action at Mission Ridge, Lookout Mountain, the Atlanta campaign, Mobile and in North Carolina.  The authority for this information comes from a personal statement from Lancaster in a 1907 tax assessment and from the 1921 census of Alabama confederate veterans.  In the 1921 census, Lancaster states that he was wounded during the war.  Notwithstanding the lack of service records backing up his claim, it is highly likely that Lancaster was telling the truth and served for the duration of the war.  Circumstantial evidence supporting this claim is that Catherine Sanders did not have any children during the period beginning when her husband left for war and ending upon termination of the war.  Robert Lee Lancaster, his eldest son, was born in April 1866.  This supports the notion that Lancaster was away for the duration of the war.

At any rate, William Robert Lancaster survived the war and returned home to Pickens County, Alabama, where he lived until his late 80′s.  He died on October 14, 1928.  He and Catherine had nine children:  Mary Francis, Robert Lee, James Lonnie, William Thomas, John Henry, Sallie C., James Ambus, Lona R. and E.P.

W.R. Lancaster Family Group Sheet

She is survived by her husband, Frank Letzig; daughters, Susan Roehrenbeck (Bill), Diane McDaniel (Chuck), son, Charles Letzig (Lynda) of Little Rock, AR; grandchildren, Billy Roehrenbeck (Anna Kaye) of Little Rock, Brad Roehrenbeck (Allison) of Winston-Salem, SC, Ryan Roehrenbeck (Kecia) of Little Rock, Scott Roehrenbeck (Katie) of Little Rock, Keith Roehrenbeck of Little Rock, Holly McDaniel of Fayetteville, David McDaniel (Vanessa) of Kansas City, MO, Kyle McDaniel of Little Rock, Allison McDaniel of Little Rock, Jessica Letzig of Little Rock, Cara Wilkerson (Eric) of Little Rock and Will Letzig of Little Rock; great-grandson , William Daniel Roehrenbeck of Winston-Salem, NC.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 20 at 10:30 a.m. at The Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock by Rev. Matthew Garrison, followed by burial in Roselawn Memorial Park. The Rosary will be held Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Little Rock Funeral Home, preceded by visitation beginning at 6:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Cathedral of St. Andrews Building Fund, 617 S. Louisiana St, Little Rock, AR 72201 or the Monsignor Hebert Endowment Fund at Christ the King School, 4002 N. Rodney Parham Rd, Little Rock, AR 72212. Special thanks to the Staff at Arkansas Hospice for the wonderful care given to Charlus.

Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Ct., Little Rock, (501)224-2200. Mrs. Letzig’s online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.

SAN ANGELO Jimmie McDaniel, 84 years old, of San Angelo, died peacefully in his sleep on Monday, March 29, 2010. Memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 31, 2010, in Johnson’s Funeral Home chapel. The Rev. Charles Greenwell will be officiating. Inurnment will be in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, at a later time. Arrangements are by Johnson’s Funeral Home. Jimmie is survived by his only daughter, Marcel Beck of Troy, Mich.; grandchildren Aaron Beck and his wife, Carrie of San Angelo and Tana Beck of West Hollywood, Calif. Great-grandchildren are Emily and Mason Beck. His surviving brothers are Charles McDaniel of San Angelo and Bobby McDaniel of Bay, Ark. His one sister-in-law is Billie (Mrs. Charles) McDaniel. Nephews are Rusty McDaniel, Ricky Gray, Gaylon, Jim and Michael McDaniel. Nieces are Debbie and Penny. Most importantly, Jimmie is survived by his loving wife, Karen, who faithfully and steadfastly cared for him and unselfishly sat by his side through good and bad times. They were true helpmates for each other throughout their 14-year marriage. Karen’s children (and Jimmie’s stepchildren) are Melissa, Glenna and Philip. Grandchildren of his wife Karen are Reed, Holden and Camille. Jimmie proudly served his country in the elite 101st Airborne Unit, (The Screaming Eagles) of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment as a paratrooper in World War II. This is where he prestigiously earned his Purple Heart. He later became the fire chief in Okinawa, Japan, where he and his wife, Marie McDaniel, resided for three years. In most recent years, Jimmie was president of the local National Association of Retired Federal Employees and vice-president of the national chapter. He was active in many community organizations, one favorite being the Area Agency on Aging. He was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and even taught line dancing at San Angelo’s Senior Community Center. Jimmie was preceded in death by his parents, William F. and Minnie Jane Chambers McDaniel; his twin sister, Genevieve Gray; and two brothers, Thomas McDaniel and Lonnie McDaniel. Honorary pallbearers for the service will be his grandson, Aaron Beck, and great-grandson Mason Beck; his brother, Charles McDaniel; and his nephew, Rusty McDaniel. In place of flowers, Jimmie’s wish is for contributions to be made to the Lighthouse for the Blind. His loved ones are proud of his service to our country and are proud to be an important part of his life.

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and Cemetery are located at the corner of Big Hill Rd. (Co. Rd. 3) and Ponds Church Rd.  The first Catholic Church was built near this site in 1848 or 1849 and the cemetery was established about the same time.  Most early Catholic settlers of the Pond Settlement area – families such as the Hickeys, Maloneys, Lawlers, Dailys, and Keanes – are buried there.  The first Irish Catholic settler in Gallatin County was John Lawler, father of Civil War Union General Michael Kelly Lawler, who arrived in 1816.  John Lawler is buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.

Old Shawneetown Pictures

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church/Cemetery Pictures

Embarkation of General McClernand's Expedition into Western Kentucky - January 10, 1862

To prevent the rebels from reinforcing General Simon Bolivar Buckner, who was threatening General Buell at Bowling Green, Kentucky, General Grant ordered General Charles F. Smith to lead his division up the Tennessee River from Paducah to feign an attack on Forts Henry and Heiman.  Additionally, General John A. McClernand led a mixed force of infantry, cavalry and artillery, consisting of 6,000 men, on an expedition into western

Brigadier General John A. McClernand

Kentucky.  General Grant accompanied McClernand’s expedition.  The 29th Illinois Infantry was a part of McClernand’s expedition.  On January 10, 1862, McClernand’s expedition arrived at Fort Jefferson, Kentucky, a few miles south of Cairo.  On the 11th, McClernand’s cavalry companies led multiple reconnaissance patrols east and south of Fort Jefferson in the direction of Columbus.  On the 12th, McClernand ordered a demonstration be made toward Columbus.  Six companies of cavalry along with the 10th and 18th Illinois Infantry regiments were engaged.  This column surveyed the area around Columbus, captured some Confederate prisoners, and returned to camp at Fort Jefferson.  On the 14th, McClernand’s entire force proceeded east toward Blandville, Kentucky then south near Milburn, Kentucky, where they formed a line of battle about ten miles east of Columbus.  At sunrise on the 16th, most of the expedition, including the 29th Illinois entered the town of Milburn and established a defensive position.  The Confederates were confused as to whether McClernand intended to attack Columbus or Camp Beauregard, a Confederate encampment about 20 miles southeast of Columbus.  Terrible weather conditions – snow and mud – made movement for McClernand’s forces very difficult.  Both McClernand’s and Smith’s movements into Kentucky and Tennessee achieved their stated goals – preventing reinforcements from joining Buckner in eastern Kentucky.  Additionally, McClernand’s expedition had gathered a great deal of intelligence concerning troop concentrations and uncharted roads in the vicinity of Columbus.  The 29th Illinois returned to Cairo on January 21st.  Intelligence gathered by General Smith indicated that Grant could move with ease from Paducah up the Tennessee River to the Kentucky/Tennessee border and assault the Confederate fortifications – Fort Heiman (on the west bank) and Fort Henry (on the east bank).  Once these forts were leveled, the Union navy would have an open highway from the Ohio River to Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Grant’s planned invasion of Tennessee would require a joint army-navy effort.  The inland navy in the western theater was known as the Western Flotilla and later the Mississippi River Squadron, and consisted of a mixture of wooden (timberclads) and metal (ironclads) riverboats that had been equipped with canons.  Orders for additional gunboats had been placed in 1861.  These gunboats, known as the “city-class” river ironclads because they were each named in honor of a city that lies on the banks of the Mississippi or Ohio Rivers, were commissioned into service in January 1862.  Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote commanded the Western Flotilla beginning in August 1861.  With the intelligence gathered by Smith and the support of Flag Officer Foote, Grant once again requested permission from General Halleck to proceed with two divisions and several gunboats up the Tennessee River to engage the forts.  Grant received orders on February 1, 1862 to attack Fort Henry.  His invasion force left Cairo the next day to rendezvous at Paducah.  The invasion force consisted of 15,000-17,000 men organized into two divisions – one commanded by General McClernand and the other commanded by General Smith – and seven gunboats, consisting of four ironclads – the USS Cincinnati, the USS Carondelet, the USS St. Louis, and the USS Essex – and three timberclads – the USS Conestoga, the USS Tyler, and the USS Lexington.  On February 2, 1862, Corporal Michael Hickey of Company C, 29th Illinois Infantry, with his military issued equipment consisting of a musket; ball, cartridge and powder; a knapsack; haversack; canteen; several days rations; a blanket; a shelter tent; a woolen overcoat; a tin cup and a tin plate; a metal knife, fork and spoon; a bible; stationary; a toothbrush and a shaving kit, sat on the deck of a transport ship steaming up the Ohio River to Paducah.  He was a part of the force that would spearhead the invasion in the western theater and help General Grant in securing his reputation as a quick-thinking, aggressive military leader.

Regimental Colors of the 29th Illinois Infantry

As mentioned in prior posts, Company C of the 29th Illinois Infantry consisted of men from Gallatin County, Illinois.  As was common practice during the Civil War, units were raised locally and the officers were elected by the members of the unit.  When first organized, the men of Company C elected John A. Callicott as the Company’s Captain and John Eddy as the Company’s First Lieutenant.  What follows are brief biographical sketches of some of the men of Company C:

John A. Callicott – John Callicott was a southerner by birth, having been born in Smith County, Tennessee in 1824.  He moved to Shawneetown in the 1840′s where he apprenticed as a harness-maker.  At the outbreak of the Mexican War, he enlisted in Captain Michael K. Lawler’s company of dragoons and served throughout the entire war.  Upon the cessation of hostilities, he returned to Shawneetown and returned to harness making before going into the riverboat transport business, working up and down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.  Along with John Eddy, Callicott raised C Company and was elected its first captain.  Callicott was wounded 5 times at Fort Donelson.  After the battle of Shiloh, he was promoted to Major and joined regimental staff.  He was promoted to Lt. Col. on August 22, 1863, and served as second in command of the 29th Ill. Infantry Regiment for the duration of the war.  After the war, he returned to Shawneetown and engaged in the saddlery business and the riverboat transport business.  He died in a great flood at Shawneetown on April 3, 1898.  He was buried on his farm in a graveyard now known as the Kanady cemetery.

John Marshall Eddy – The Eddy family was one of the first families to settle in Gallatin County.  John’s father, Henry Eddy, was a newspaper publisher and lawyer from Vermont.  Henry Eddy settled in Shawneetown in 1818, where he published the Illinois Emigrant and practiced law.  John Eddy was born in 1830 in Gallatin County and was responsible, along with John Callicott, for raising C Company.  He was elected First Lieutenant of the company and served on General McClernand’s staff, including a stint as his aide-de-camp at the Battle of Belmont.  Eddy resigned from the company due to disability (likely due to disease or wounds received in battle) shortly after Shiloh.  Upon returning home in 1862, he was elected sheriff of Gallatin County and served as provost marshall of the home guard of Gallatin County, protecting the area from Confederate guerillas from Kentucky.  John died in 1902 in Shawneetown and is buried in Westwood cemetery.

Eli W. Green – Eli Green was born about 1834 in Illinois.  He was the original Sergeant Major of the company.  He served as captain of the company for the duration of the war.  He was promoted to Major at the end of the war.  After the war, he served as an agent of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Colorado County, Texas.

Sanford B. Kanady – Kanady, a resident of Shawneetown, enlisted as a sergeant in Company C.  He was promoted to Second Lieutenant and served in this capacity throughout the duration of the war.  He was mustered out as a captain.  Kanady settled in Indiana after the war and died in 1905.

Marion McCool – Marion McCool was born about 1834 in Gallatin County.  His grandfather, Abraham McCool, was an officer in the American Revolution, serving under General Marion – the namesake of his grandson.  Marion McCool enlisted as a sergeant in Company C.  He fell in battle on February 15, 1862 during the siege of Fort Donelson.  He is buried at Fort Donelson National Cemetery.

William Boswell – Boswell was a native of England.  He enlisted in Company C as a First Sergeant in August 1861.  After Fort Donelson, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant.  He fell at Shiloh.

Michael Hickey – Michael is the primary subject of my posts pertaining to Company C.  He enlisted in August 1861 as a corporal in the company.  He was promoted to First Sergeant in March 1862, after the Battle of Fort Donelson.  He stayed with the company throughout the war, seeing action at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, and Mobile.  His tour expired in August 1864 and he re-enlisted as a veteran and received a 30 day furlough.  He returned to Cairo, Illinois, to marry Catherine Maloney, a girl he had courted prior to the war.  After the wedding and a brief “honeymoon” in Cairo, he returned to war.  He was mustered out as a First Lieutenant in Texas in November 1865.  Like many soldiers during the war, he endured miserable conditions and suffered bouts of disease (dysentary and typhoid fever) during the war, the effects of which would plague him for the rest of his life.  After the war, he settled in Little Rock, Arkansas, operated a dry goods store and was involved in local politics.  He died in 1886 from the effects of rheumatism and heart disease, which were attributed to his service during the war.  He is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock.

Farmer Brothers – Amos (b. 1834), George (b. 1836), Samuel (b. 1840), WIlliam (b. 1842) and Robert Farmer (1846), all brothers originally from Ohio, served as privates in Company C.  Amos was wounded in 1862 and discharged in November of that year.  George, Samuel and William all served in the company from its inception until the end of the war.  Too young for service at the outbreak of war, younger brother Robert joined the company as a recruit in 1864, upon turning 18.

Edward Cain – Edward joined the company as a recruit/replacement in 1863 when the 131st Illinois was consolidated into the 29th.  Edward was a cousin of Michael Hickey.

Daniel Maloney – Daniel Maloney was the brother of Catherine Maloney and eventual brother-in-law of Michael Hickey.  He was born in Ireland in 1839, and enlisted in 1862 in the 131st Illinois Infantry, which was consolidated into the 29th in 1863.  After the war, Daniel returned to Gallatin County and farmed.  His descendants still reside in Gallatin County and farm the same land.

This is only a small sampling of the men of Company C.  For a nearly complete list, click here.  I have identified additional veterans of Company C that are not listed on that page and will prepare a comprehensive list in the future.  At the onset of war, all of the men consisted of volunteers who were honored to serve their country.  Before the war, they lived, worked, prayed and played together.  At the beginning of the war, they marched, drilled, trained and lived together.  Beginning in 1862, they fought and died together.  By 1864, as was common with most of the regiments in both the Union and Confederate armies, the ranks of the company had been lessened by death and disease.  In March 1863, President Lincoln signed into law the Enrollment Act of March 3, 1863, better known as “the draft.”  Most of the new enlistees of Company C after that time were draftees or substitutes – men who were paid by a draftee to take his place.  These men were generally regarded as inferior soldiers when compared to the core volunteers of the company.

Ohio Street in Cairo, Illinois

On September 4, 1861, the 29th Illinois boarded the Illinois Central Railroad and headed to their first post – Cairo, Illinois.  Cairo was a strategic location at the convergence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.  The U.S. government had created a military camp and naval base at Cairo.  The pre-war population of Cairo increased by 600% in 1861 with the arrival of thousands of Union soldiers.  Just south of the small town, there was a very large parade ground with camps and barracks all around.  Cairo is a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides, with a 15 foot levee encircling most of the town.  During high rains, the valley created by the levee would effectively become a very large mud pit, making for very uncomfortable living conditions.  On the easternmost side of Cairo, parallel to the Ohio River, was Ohio Street.  General Ulysses S. Grant, commander of all Union troops in Southeast Missouri established his headquarters on Ohio Street on September 4, 1861.

On September 3, Confederate General Leonidas Polk violated the declared neutrality of Kentucky by moving troops and artillery to Columbus, Kentucky, a small town with bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, opposite Belmont, Missouri.  General Grant responded in kind by moving troops to Paducah, Kentucky, a city located at the convergence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers.  In addition to Polk’s battery at Columbus, Grant was concerned with the actions of Brigadier General Jeff M. Thompson and his band of Confederate soldiers in Southeast Missouri.  From October 22 – October 24, the 29th Regiment was part of an expedition to Bloomfield, Missouri in pursuit of Thompson’s forces.  The expedition did not yield any results.  On November 2, the 29th was assigned to Col. Richard Oglesby’s brigade of about 3,000 men.  Oglesby’s brigade set off for Bloomfield again on November 2 in pursuit of Thompson.  Oglesby’s brigade met Thompson’s skirmish line.  Thompson’s forces retreated in the direction of New Madrid, Missouri on the Mississippi River on November 6 and Oglesby’s brigade gave chase.

Richard Oglesby

At this time, General Grant learned that Polk was planning on sending troops from Columbus, Kentucky across the Mississippi River to cut off Col. Oglesby’s brigade.  Grant, who had been itching to attack Polk at Columbus, but whose proposed assaults had been vetoed by military command, acted fast to engage Polk prior to Polk’s engagement with Oglesby.  Grant sent correspondence to Oglesby ordering him to move his troops toward Belmont, Missouri.  Meanwhile, Grant led a force of about 3,000 men, along with the gunboats USS Tyler and USS Lexington down the Mississippi towards Columbus.  Grant and his troops disembarked from their transports on the west bank, several miles upriver from Columbus and out of the range of the artillery sitting atop the bluffs at Columbus.  The Tyler and the Lexington initially stayed to guard the transport boats.  Grant’s soldiers

Bluffs at Columbus, Kentucky

moved overland and attached the Confederate camp at Belmont, Missouri, pushing the rebels back to the river.  After this initial victory, the Union soldiers lost all sense of discipline and began pillaging the camp and engaging in a premature celebration.  To regain control of his men, Grant ordered the camp torched.  In the confusion, some Confederate soldiers may have been burned alive.

At this point, the artillery from Columbus came to life and began shelling Belmont.  Additionally, Polk sent transport ships loaded with reinforcements, commanded by Brig. Gen. Gideon Pillow, across the river.  The celebration of the Union soldiers turned to panic, but they were encouraged by their officers and reformed a line of battle.  The Tyler and Lexington left their positions and headed down river to engage the artillery, and to draw their fire away from the infantry.  The gunboats also fired volleys against the attacking rebels, to provide covering fire to allow Grant’s infantry to retreat.  Aboard the transport ships, Grant returned to Cairo.  Col. Oglesby’s brigade did not reach Belmont prior to the federal retreat, and the brigade marched north back to Cairo.  The Battle of Belmont did not result in any strategic or tactical gains for the Union or Confederacy.

Battle of Belmont

Official Battle Map - Battle of Belmont

Reported casualties were:  Union 607 (120 dead, 383 wounded, 104 captured/missing) and Confederate 641 (105 killed, 419 wounded, 117 captured/missing).  General Grant was chastised in the press for his conduct in the battle, however, President Lincoln admired Grant’s aggressive nature and desire to fight, something that was lacking in the generals in the east.  In his memoirs written over 20 years later, Grant took the opportunity to justify his actions by stating that the Battle of Belmont was necessary to allow Oglesby’s forces to escape.  Historians argue, however, that Grant used this as a pretext to attack Polk’s forces at Columbus, an action he had previously been forbidden from undertaking.  At any rate, Oglesby’ men were not attacked and lived to fight another day, and a large contingency of Grant’s command was able to experience combat prior to the invasion of the south that would begin a few months later.

Orphaned at age 16, Michael inherited his father’s farmland, but went to live with his uncle and neighbor, Patrick Keane.  Hanora’s fate after 1856 is unknown.  Patrick Keane operated a small one-room schoolhouse on his property, and likely provided his nephew with a proper Catholic education.  Michael spent the next five years after his father died working a plow and possibly working in the salt mines of southern Gallatin County.

The Maloneys were another Irish Catholic family that had settled in the Pond Settlement area of Gallatin County.  Arthur and Catherine Casey Maloney arrived in New York in 1849 with their children Daniel, Lizzie and Michael, and quickly made their way to Illinois by way of the Ohio River.  Two of their children, Catherine and Patrick, remained behind in County Limerick to care for elderly family members that could not make the journey to America.  Catherine finally arrived in America in 1860, and legend has it that Patrick settled in Australia.

Michael, then only 19 years old, met Catherine shortly after her arrival in 1860 and was instantly smitten with her.  This was a very tumultuous time in America, and 1860 was an election year.  The issue of expansion of slavery into the territories and the Kansas-Nebraska Act had bubbled over into bloody conflict and guerilla warfare in Kansas and Missouri.  Increasing sectionalism threatened to divide the country.  The formerly dominant Democratic party was divided among sectional lines over the issue of slavery, and the party split into northern and southern factions.  This split allowed Republican Abraham Lincoln to win the presidency with only 40% of the popular vote and without winning a single southern state (many of which did not even place his name on the ballot) or border state.  Running on a platform that included the prohibition of expansion of slavery into the territories, many southerners equated Lincoln’s election to a direct assault on their sovereignty and way of life.  In response to Lincoln’s election, on December 20, 1860, South Carolina officially seceded from the Union.  South Carolina was followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana in January 1861 and Texas in February 1861.  Lame duck President James Buchanan denied that the southern states had a legal right to secede, but also refused to intervene, arguing that the federal government had no right to use force to prevent secession.  As a result, nearly all federal arsenals and forts in the southern states surrendered to the Confederate troops.  In addition, Buchanan’s Secretary of War, Virginian John B. Floyd, was alleged t o have sent large stores of arms and ammunitions to federal arsenals in the southern states, in anticipation of the ensuing war.

This was what Lincoln inherited when he accepted the oath of office on March 4, 1861.  There were only a handful of U.S. military installments in the southern states that had not peacefully surrendered to the Confederacy.  At this point, war was all but inevitable, but which side would be the aggressor was still to be determined.  For a variety of reasons, including international perception, neither side wanted to fire the first shot.  Lincoln had three options:  (1) surrender the last of the U.S. forts in the south, Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, South Carolina, (2) engage the Confederate forces at Fort Sumter, or (3) force the hand of the Confederacy and make them fire the first shot.  Lincoln chose the third option.  In April 1861, Fort Sumter was surrounded and running out of supplies, and Lincoln ordered merchant ships to the fort to resupply it, knowing that the Confederates would not allow the fort to be supplied.  The Confederacy resolved to attack the fort and force its surrender before the supply ships arrived.  On April 12, 1861, the Confederate troops, under the command of Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard, opened fire on the fort, forcing its surrender the next day.  The war had begun.

President Lincoln immediately put out a call for 75,000 volunteer soldiers, with a quota from each state, to enlist for 90 days to quash the rebellion.  In response to that call for soldiers, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina refused to send their sons to fight against their southern comrades, and voted to secede and join the Confederacy.

All the while, Michael Hickey was living in southern Illinois, an area at the crossroads of northern and southern hostilities.  The Ohio River was the natural border between Kentucky (a declared neutral) and Illinois and Indiana.  While most men in Gallatin County were Union men, southern sympathizers were not exactly rare.  However, for the Irish immigrants of Gallatin County, the United States had provided an opportunity for prosperity and an escape from the harsh conditions of Ireland.  These men yearned for an opportunity to fight for their newly adopted homeland.  Michael Hickey was no different.  In August 1861, at the age of 20, with no living immediate family members, going off to war seemed like an adventure he could not pass up.  Undoubtedly, he bid farewell to Catherine Maloney and promised he would return to her.  Along with many other young men of southeastern Illinois, he set off for the state capital, Springfield, to enlist.  Arriving at Camp Butler on August 25, 1861, he was mustered in as a private in C Company, 29th Illinois Infantry, a regiment consisting of men from  southern Illinois (C Company consisted of nearly all Gallatin County men).  It was a company of brothers, cousins, and friends, a common theme among regiments and companies in the Civil War.  The 29th’s initial commanding officer was Col. James Reardon, a Gallatin County man.  The regiment was initially assigned to the division of Brig. General John A. McLernand, also a Gallatin County man.  The 29th remained at Camp Butler for about two weeks learning basic drill instruction and receiving small arms training.  In September, the regiment would move to Cairo, Illinois, a strategic location at the southernmost tip of Illinois, at the intersection of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and a staging ground for the invasion of the Confederacy in the west.

Nearly all U.S. legal opinions have been transcribed and are available on online searchable databases.  In the past, these databases were generally only available to attorneys and other professionals and were very expensive.  Two of the more prominent online databases are Westlaw and Lexis/Nexis.  Other, less expensive online databases have popped up over the last few years, such as LoisLaw, Casemaker, and FastCase.  With the advent of Google Scholar, there is now a free online legal database.  Google Scholar is essentially a normal Google search that is narrowly focused on legal opinions.  One caveat with this resource is that it may be difficult to distinguish persons with very common surnames.  When searching for ancestors with common names, it may be helpful to narrow your search by adding geographic locations (particularly counties) where your ancestor resided.  For instance if you had a relative named John Smith that resided in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, an effective search may be “John Smith” AND “Mecklenburg County” AND “North Carolina.”

To provide an example of a successful research experience involving legal opinions, I performed an online search for one of my indirect ancestors – Christian F. Liebke (the brother-in-law of my great-great-great grandfather, Christian Ernst Letzig).  I knew that Liebke and Letzig had operated a successful lumber mill/logging operation in St. Louis.  When I ran a search for “Liebke” I discovered nearly a dozen legal opinions from courts in Missouri and Arkansas.  One of the cases was even appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court (Thomas v. Liebke, 116 U.S. 605 (1886)), where Liebke was victorious.  After reviewing all of the legal opinions, I gained a greater understanding of Liebke’s business and learned that he operated one of the largest lumber mills on the Mississippi River.

Through this site, I am presenting my genealogical research in an organized and searchable fashion.  Click on “Genealogy” above to access my research.  An account is not required to access my genealogical research, however, any information regarding living individuals is not available without an account.  It is easy and free to apply for an account, just click here to get started.

If you research any of the families included on this site and would like to contribute to this site, please register for an account and indicate your desire to contribute in the Notes or Comments section, and I will provide you with the appropriate level of access.

It is my intention to regularly post to this blog.  The subject matter of my posts will be either (i) research tips or suggestions or useful resources that I have found or (ii) a discussion of historical events and the role that certain of my ancestors played in those events or how those events effected certain ancestors.  If you have any suggestions for posts, please let me know.  And of course, I welcome your comments to any of my posts.