Re: Old stories!! Who is going to know them in the future!

Posted by JerryS on February 12, 2012 at 22:27:52 from (98.80.111.80):

In Reply to: Old stories!! Who is going to know them in the future! posted by JDseller on February 12, 2012 at 17:49:00:

I very much agree that everyone should start writing family information down, beginning now. I started writing things down about 15 years ago, but by then my mother was the only old-timer left. I did tape record several conversations with her.

I have very little information about my dad’s family. For one thing, my grandfather was an only child, and was just a baby when his father died (more about that in a moment.) My grandmother was an orphan raised by relatives. It appears that both of Dad’s parents were illiterate (my grandmother signed legal documents with an “X”), so any history we have is oral.

I began wanting to learn more about my great-grandfather a number of years ago when an old family “treasure” was passed along to my custody and care. It was the shirt my GGF was wearing the day he was shot dead in the street of his (and my) hometown. The oral history said that GGF had gone into town on some errand when he got into a run-in with a belligerent drunk inside or outside a saloon. GGF was trying to quietly ride out of town when the drunk came out of the saloon and shot him in the back with a load of buck. This happened sometime in the late 1870s because my grandfather, who was only a toddler at the time, was born in 1876. The shirt, which I still have, clearly shows a tight pattern in the center of the back, and the bloodstains which would not rinse out. GGF was buried in the little cemetery back of the town, and when the Sabine River flooded in later years it reportedly washed his grave away.

I didn’t even know his name until I found him in the official Confederate enlistment records. He joined the 19th Louisiana Infantry Regiment in December, 1862 and was paroled out in May, 1865. During that time he and his regiment were at Shiloh (the Hornet’s Nest); Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta (and several battles on the way to Atlanta), Franklin and Nashville. He was wounded (slightly, apparently) the second day at Chickamauga. He spent the last few months of the war as a POW. I know all this by researching his records and his regiment’s records.

I consider it very ironic that he went through all that with little damage, only to return and be shot at home. I still don’t know who shot him, or what became of that guy .

Replies:

Add a Reply Name: E-Mail: Subject: Comments: Optional Link URL: Link Title: Optional Image URL: Optional Video Title: Optional Video URL: Advanced Posting Options Email Notification: If you check this box, email will be sent to you whenever someone replies to this message. Your email address must be entered above to receive notification. This notification will be cancelled automatically after 2 weeks.   Advanced Posting Tools   Upload Photo  Select Gallery Photo  Attach Serial # List  Return to Post

TRACTOR PARTS	TRACTOR MANUALS

We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]