Showing posts with label POW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label POW. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

On the Austin Side: Samuel Williamson, Confederate (Mahone's Brigade)

Michael David Austin's 2x great grandfather (Grace Drumwright Austin's maternal grandfather)

The following copied from Findagrave.com:



Samuel Williamson

Samuel Williamson, a well known and very highly esteemed citizen, passed away this morning at 4:15 o'clock at his home on Windsor Avenue, after several weeks of severe illness, in his 78th year. He had resided in Norfolk 30 years.

Mr. Williamson was a Confederate veteran. In the war between the states he enlisted in Company F, 41st Virginia infantry, Mahone's brigade. He participated in a number of engagements,[...]and in an action at Burgess Mill on October 28, 1864, he was taken prisoner and carried to Point Lookout, where he was held until the Confederate forces surrendered in 1865, at Appomattox Courthouse.

In 1868 Mr. Williamson was married to Miss Martha Wright[...].

Mr. Williamson has for a number of years been an active member of the Park Avenue Baptist Church[...].

—The Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch, (Thurs.) Oct. 16, 1919
_____________________________________________________

SAMUEL WILLIAMSON DIES AT HOME HERE
Native of Princess Anne Was Veteran With Gallant Record


Samuel Williamson, one of Norfolk's most widely known citizens, died at his home, 715 Windsor Avenue, yesterday morning at 4:15 o'clock. He was 78 years of age. Mr. Williamson met with a severe accident several months ago, which greatly impaired his health. During his last illness he was confined to his room.

Mr. Williamson was born in Princess Anne County, May 14, 1842. He served through the Civil War as a Confederate soldier, having enlisted in the Fourth Virginia infantry. He served in the following battles during that war: second battle of Manassas, Spottsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Fredericksburg, Wilderness, Petersburg, Hatcher's Run, Crater, Gettysburg. He was taken prisoner at Burgess Mill on October 28, 1864, and held until the Confederate army surrendered in 1865.

He is survived by his wife, who before their marriage was Miss Martha Wright, of Princess Anne County; six children, S. B. Williamson, George Williamson, Mrs. Annie L. Shipp, Mrs. C. E. Drumwright, and Miss Florence Williamson, of Norfolk, and Mrs. D. L. Watson, of Washington, D.C.; a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren; two brothers, John T. Williamson and H. J. Williamson, and one sister, Miss Mary E. Williamson, all of Norfolk.

The funeral will take place this afternoon at 3:30 o'clock at the residence, 715 Windsor Avenue, Rev. J. T. Riddick officiating. Burial will be in Elmwood.

—The Virginian-Pilot & Norfolk Landmark, (Fri.) Oct. 17, 1919
_____________________________________________________

Funeral of Mr. Williamson

The funeral of Samuel Williamson took place this afternoon at his late residence, 715 Windsor Avenue, and was largely attended. The service was conducted by Rev. J. T. Riddick, of the Park Avenue Baptist Church. There were many floral offerings. The burial was in Elmwood, the pallbearers being: W. T. Owens and J. T. Hargraves, Confederate veterans, and W. L. Jackson, L. B. Acree, E. S. Philhower, N. C. Taylor.

—The Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch, (Fri.) Oct. 17, 1919
_____________________________________________________
(Obits supplied by C. E. Bailey)



Family links:
 Spouse:
  Martha Francis Wright Williamson (1845 - 1928)*

 Children:
  Annie L Shipp (1870 - 1936)*
  Mamie Susan Williamson Drumwright (1878 - 1951)*
  Florence V Williamson (1881 - 1971)*

*Calculated relationship
Burial:
Elmwood Cemetery
Norfolk
Norfolk City
Virginia, USA
Plot: Section ELM EXT, Block 22, Lot 1, Space 1W

Created by: C. E. Bailey
Record added: Sep 16, 2012
Find A Grave Memorial# 97226812

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Eley Bryant

The Bryants settled in Virginia in the 1600's.  Eley Bryant married Margaret Cobb whose family were also early settlers in southeastern Virginia. Bryant and Cobb are still common names in Southampton County.


Bio from Hardesty's Encyclopedia:

ELEY BRYANT—son of Jacob and Tempie (Owens) Bryant, was born in Southampton county, March 6, 1829. In this county, May 16, 1858, he married Margaret Cobb, and the birth and death record of their children is: Charlie F. born February 18, 1859; Jacob F. born Jane 8, 1860, died June 5, 1861; Mary E., born December 6, 1862; William T., March 29, 1867; Addie and Ida K.[sic], March 2, 1868; Gattie J., June 14, 1870; Maggie, born October 21, 1880, died in October, 1881. William and Evie (Wallace) Cobb are the parents of the wife of Mr. Bryant, and she was born in Southampton county. In 1861 Mr. Bryant enlisted in Company H, 41st Virginia Infantry, and he was made prisoner in 1864, and sent to Point Lookout, where he was held till after the close of the war, when he was paroled. He is engaged in farming, and his post office address is Delawares, Southampton county, Virginia.
Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia, Special Virginia Edition, Southampton County Personal Histories, 1885, from the collection of the Suffolk Public Library System, Suffolk, Va.


According to the Bryant family Bible, Eley and Margaret were married on May 19, 1858. This photo was taken before Eley died in 1895 in Princess Anne County.

The photo above from this family Bible belongs to the Weismantel family in New Jersey.

Southampton County

The Bryants were illiterate farmers, owning land on the east side of the Nottoway River, according to the 1860 U. S. Census. They had nine children, three of whom died as infants:
  • Charles F. Bryant, 1859-
  • Jacob Fenton Bryant, 1860-61
  • Mary Eliza Bryant, 1862-
  • William Thomas Bryant, 1867-1932
  • Ida Rene Bryant, 1868-1933
  • Ariadne Bryant, 1868-1948
  • Gattie Jane Bryant, 1870-
  • Margaret Bryant, 1880-81
  • Fenton Bryant, 1886-87
[Notes on Eley's children: Siblings William and Ida married half-siblings, Bonnie and George Abbott, who were from Fort Lee, NJ, where Charles worked as a piano dealer (the Abbott family built pianos - coincidence?). Eley and Margaret later moved to Princess Anne County. Their farm was near Addie and Blucher Fletchers' in the Blackwater areaWilliam and Bonnie were married in 1900 and lived in Blackwater with Margaret until 1900, then moved back to NJ. Ida's husband (?) Williams was probably from Princess Anne County. Ida and George Abbott were married and made their home in Richmond.

Civil War POW

Eley enlisted in the Confederate Army on March 15, 1862, and joined Virginia Regiment 41, Company H. He was captured on October 31, 1864 near Petersburg and imprisoned at Point Lookout, Maryland, the largest Union POW camp (now a state park). He was exchanged on March 28, 1865.

[Note: Eley's daughter "Addie" was married in 1889 to Blucher Fletcher from Camden County, NC, who had also been a Civil War POW. Addie's twin, Ida Rene, the widow of a man named Williams, married William Butler (another POW) in Princess Anne County in 1895. Both Blucher and William Butler were considerably older than Addie and Ida. Sources explain that marrying older men was common at that time due to the shortage of young men after the war.]



Point Lookout, Maryland 
www.somdhorsetrails.smadc.com

Confederate POWs at Point Lookout
www.wadehamptoncamp.org

Eley's signature on a military record

Princess Anne County

Eley was a plantation owner in Franklin until 1886.  He and Margaret then moved to "Land of Promise Plantation" in Blackwater (now part of Virginia Beach) which they purchased in 1888. There Eley grew cotton, tobacco, and peanuts. He died in 1895. Margaret is listed as a widow and "Head of Household" in the 1900 U. S. Census, Pungo District, Princess Anne County.


Three questions:
1) Where exactly is "Land of Promise Plantation?" [FOUND! present day property: southeast corner of Head of River Rd. and Blackwater Rd.]
2) Why did Eley decide to leave his farm in Franklin? [deed stolen? depleted soil? land grant?]
3) What is the identity of Ida's [3rd?] husband, last name Williams?

Eley Bryant > Ida Rene Abbott > Jacqueline Abbott Zaun > John Beverly Zaun > me.