A "Difficulty" In Wilkes County

[East Tennessee Roots]

Thanks go to @lupaglupa for helping me gather info for this post over a year ago. I had completely forgotten. The mountain counties of Western NC were bitterly divided. Over a decade after the end, it was still that way! I've posted in the past on the ancestry forum about Colonel Isbell. He was a 4 x removed 2nd cousin. Thomas Charles Land, whose poem, "The Death of Laura Foster" was re-written in a shorter version and became the lyrics to "The Ballad of Tom Dooley", was a second cousin to Isbell.

From the Caldwell Messenger, Lenoir, NC. Thursday, May 2, 1876:

William W. White was born on May 1, 1847. He died on Nov.12, 1927. He is buried in the Laurel Branch Baptist Cemetery, Marshall, NC. He enlisted and mustered on 10/1/1863 at Knoxville, TN as a Private into "A" Co. NC Union 2nd Mtd Infantry. In the 1890 Veterans Census, William said he served from Sept.16, 1864, to Aug.16, 1865. I found four Union soldiers from North Carolina named William White. I settled on this one from Madison County due to the proximity to Wilkes County. If this is the William White in the article he recovered and lived to be 80.

William W. White (1847-1927) - Find a Grave...

www.findagrave.com

James Martin Isbell was born on July 3, 1827, and died on April 14, 1913, in Caldwell County, NC. He was enlisted and commissioned on 4/30/1861 as a 2nd Lieutenant into "A" Co. NC 22nd Infantry: 1st Lieut 5/1/1862, Capt (of Co.A) 5/31/1862. "Bruised by shell" 8/28/1862 Manassas, VA. He Resigned on 10/13/1862. In 1863 he was elected to the North Carolina Congress, where he first served a year as a Representative and then a year as Senator. He represented Burke, Caldwell, and McDowell counties. After the Civil War, he returned to Caldwell County, where he served as a Justice Of The Peace in the Kings Creek Community. The rest of his life he was known under his rank from the militia, and was called Colonel Isbell. Isbell along with his father-in-law, discovered the shallow grave and body of Tom Dulas' (Dooley's victim), Laura Foster.

 

[TnFed]

Glenn, it is hard to believe that even "The War Governor " could not get Ole Tom off with a West NC jury.

 

[uaskme]

Wilkes county was 90% Whig. Rejected secession initially. After Ft Sumpter overwhelmingly supported it. Coercion and thought economically they were better off aligning with the Piedmont and East. Polar opposite of East TN. Western counties then enlisted at twice the rate of the Piedmont and Eastern counties. Areas that bordered TN were sometimes different. So, when conscription happened. Western countries felt they were taken advantage of because of their prior response. Of course war weariness eroded this.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Glenn, it is hard to believe that even "The War Governor " could not get Ole Tom off with a West NC jury.

First Colonel I believe of the 26th NC. He "discharged" Malinda Blaylock upon the discovery she was a woman. Among his clients was former Confederate soldier, Tom Dula, who was accused of murdering his girlfriend Laura Foster in 1866. While he succeeded in having the trial moved from Wilkesboro to Statesville, believing Dula could not receive a fair trial in Wilkes County, Dula was nevertheless convicted and, although he was given a new trial on appeal, Dula was convicted again and hanged on May 1, 1868. To the end of his life, Vance maintained that Dula was innocent.

 

[TnFed]

Sharyn McCrumb would agree with Vance.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Polar opposite of East TN.

Several of my Confederate Knight & Land relatives settled in upper East Tennessee following the war and were able to blend in, including my great-grandfather, the oldest child of my Avatar. He was barely a teenager when his father left for the Confederate Army in Virginia in 1864. He died in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1929. Older relatives who could remember him passed on to me that he had NO USE for "Yankees, Persons of Color, and Republicans". Other than that, he was OK.

 

[limestone1863]

First Colonel I believe of the 26th NC. He "discharged" Malinda Blaylock upon the discovery she was a woman. Among his clients was former Confederate soldier, Tom Dula, who was accused of murdering his girlfriend Laura Foster in 1866. While he succeeded in having the trial moved from Wilkesboro to Statesville, believing Dula could not receive a fair trial in Wilkes County, Dula was nevertheless convicted and, although he was given a new trial on appeal, Dula was convicted again and hanged on May 1, 1868. To the end of his life, Vance maintained that Dula was innocent.

Thanks go to @lupaglupa for helping me gather info for this post over a year ago. I had completely forgotten. The mountain counties of Western NC were bitterly divided. Over a decade after the end, it was still that way! I've posted in the past on the ancestry forum about Colonel Isbell. He was a 4 x removed 2nd cousin. Thomas Charles Land, whose poem, "The Death of Laura Foster" was re-written in a shorter version and became the lyrics to "The Ballad of Tom Dooley", was a second cousin to Isbell.

From the Caldwell Messenger, Lenoir, NC. Thursday, May 2, 1876:

View attachment 515409

William W. White was born on May 1, 1847. He died on Nov.12, 1927. He is buried in the Laurel Branch Baptist Cemetery, Marshall, NC. He enlisted and mustered on 10/1/1863 at Knoxville, TN as a Private into "A" Co. NC Union 2nd Mtd Infantry. In the 1890 Veterans Census, William said he served from Sept.16, 1864, to Aug.16, 1865. I found four Union soldiers from North Carolina named William White. I settled on this one from Madison County due to the proximity to Wilkes County. If this is the William White in the article he recovered and lived to be 80.

William W. White (1847-1927) - Find a Grave...

www.findagrave.com

View attachment 515410

James Martin Isbell was born on July 3, 1827, and died on April 14, 1913, in Caldwell County, NC. He was enlisted and commissioned on 4/30/1861 as a 2nd Lieutenant into "A" Co. NC 22nd Infantry: 1st Lieut 5/1/1862, Capt (of Co.A) 5/31/1862. "Bruised by shell" 8/28/1862 Manassas, VA. He Resigned on 10/13/1862. In 1863 he was elected to the North Carolina Congress, where he first served a year as a Representative and then a year as Senator. He represented Burke, Caldwell, and McDowell counties. After the Civil War, he returned to Caldwell County, where he served as a Justice Of The Peace in the Kings Creek Community. The rest of his life he was known under his rank from the militia, and was called Colonel Isbell. Isbell along with his father-in-law, discovered the shallow grave and body of Tom Dulas' (Dooley's victim), Laura Foster.

Thanks go to @lupaglupa for helping me gather info for this post over a year ago. I had completely forgotten. The mountain counties of Western NC were bitterly divided. Over a decade after the end, it was still that way! I've posted in the past on the ancestry forum about Colonel Isbell. He was a 4 x removed 2nd cousin. Thomas Charles Land, whose poem, "The Death of Laura Foster" was re-written in a shorter version and became the lyrics to "The Ballad of Tom Dooley", was a second cousin to Isbell.

From the Caldwell Messenger, Lenoir, NC. Thursday, May 2, 1876:

View attachment 515409

William W. White was born on May 1, 1847. He died on Nov.12, 1927. He is buried in the Laurel Branch Baptist Cemetery, Marshall, NC. He enlisted and mustered on 10/1/1863 at Knoxville, TN as a Private into "A" Co. NC Union 2nd Mtd Infantry. In the 1890 Veterans Census, William said he served from Sept.16, 1864, to Aug.16, 1865. I found four Union soldiers from North Carolina named William White. I settled on this one from Madison County due to the proximity to Wilkes County. If this is the William White in the article he recovered and lived to be 80.

William W. White (1847-1927) - Find a Grave...

www.findagrave.com

View attachment 515410

James Martin Isbell was born on July 3, 1827, and died on April 14, 1913, in Caldwell County, NC. He was enlisted and commissioned on 4/30/1861 as a 2nd Lieutenant into "A" Co. NC 22nd Infantry: 1st Lieut 5/1/1862, Capt (of Co.A) 5/31/1862. "Bruised by shell" 8/28/1862 Manassas, VA. He Resigned on 10/13/1862. In 1863 he was elected to the North Carolina Congress, where he first served a year as a Representative and then a year as Senator. He represented Burke, Caldwell, and McDowell counties. After the Civil War, he returned to Caldwell County, where he served as a Justice Of The Peace in the Kings Creek Community. The rest of his life he was known under his rank from the militia, and was called Colonel Isbell. Isbell along with his father-in-law, discovered the shallow grave and body of Tom Dulas' (Dooley's victim), Laura Foster.

Thanks go to @lupaglupa for helping me gather info for this post over a year ago. I had completely forgotten. The mountain counties of Western NC were bitterly divided. Over a decade after the end, it was still that way! I've posted in the past on the ancestry forum about Colonel Isbell. He was a 4 x removed 2nd cousin. Thomas Charles Land, whose poem, "The Death of Laura Foster" was re-written in a shorter version and became the lyrics to "The Ballad of Tom Dooley", was a second cousin to Isbell.

From the Caldwell Messenger, Lenoir, NC. Thursday, May 2, 1876:

View attachment 515409

William W. White was born on May 1, 1847. He died on Nov.12, 1927. He is buried in the Laurel Branch Baptist Cemetery, Marshall, NC. He enlisted and mustered on 10/1/1863 at Knoxville, TN as a Private into "A" Co. NC Union 2nd Mtd Infantry. In the 1890 Veterans Census, William said he served from Sept.16, 1864, to Aug.16, 1865. I found four Union soldiers from North Carolina named William White. I settled on this one from Madison County due to the proximity to Wilkes County. If this is the William White in the article he recovered and lived to be 80.

William W. White (1847-1927) - Find a Grave...

www.findagrave.com

View attachment 515410

James Martin Isbell was born on July 3, 1827, and died on April 14, 1913, in Caldwell County, NC. He was enlisted and commissioned on 4/30/1861 as a 2nd Lieutenant into "A" Co. NC 22nd Infantry: 1st Lieut 5/1/1862, Capt (of Co.A) 5/31/1862. "Bruised by shell" 8/28/1862 Manassas, VA. He Resigned on 10/13/1862. In 1863 he was elected to the North Carolina Congress, where he first served a year as a Representative and then a year as Senator. He represented Burke, Caldwell, and McDowell counties. After the Civil War, he returned to Caldwell County, where he served as a Justice Of The Peace in the Kings Creek Community. The rest of his life he was known under his rank from the militia, and was called Colonel Isbell. Isbell along with his father-in-law, discovered the shallow grave and body of Tom Dulas' (Dooley's victim), Laura Foster.

Thanks go to @lupaglupa for helping me gather info for this post over a year ago. I had completely forgotten. The mountain counties of Western NC were bitterly divided. Over a decade after the end, it was still that way! I've posted in the past on the ancestry forum about Colonel Isbell. He was a 4 x removed 2nd cousin. Thomas Charles Land, whose poem, "The Death of Laura Foster" was re-written in a shorter version and became the lyrics to "The Ballad of Tom Dooley", was a second cousin to Isbell.

From the Caldwell Messenger, Lenoir, NC. Thursday, May 2, 1876:

View attachment 515409

William W. White was born on May 1, 1847. He died on Nov.12, 1927. He is buried in the Laurel Branch Baptist Cemetery, Marshall, NC. He enlisted and mustered on 10/1/1863 at Knoxville, TN as a Private into "A" Co. NC Union 2nd Mtd Infantry. In the 1890 Veterans Census, William said he served from Sept.16, 1864, to Aug.16, 1865. I found four Union soldiers from North Carolina named William White. I settled on this one from Madison County due to the proximity to Wilkes County. If this is the William White in the article he recovered and lived to be 80.

William W. White (1847-1927) - Find a Grave...

www.findagrave.com

View attachment 515410

James Martin Isbell was born on July 3, 1827, and died on April 14, 1913, in Caldwell County, NC. He was enlisted and commissioned on 4/30/1861 as a 2nd Lieutenant into "A" Co. NC 22nd Infantry: 1st Lieut 5/1/1862, Capt (of Co.A) 5/31/1862. "Bruised by shell" 8/28/1862 Manassas, VA. He Resigned on 10/13/1862. In 1863 he was elected to the North Carolina Congress, where he first served a year as a Representative and then a year as Senator. He represented Burke, Caldwell, and McDowell counties. After the Civil War, he returned to Caldwell County, where he served as a Justice Of The Peace in the Kings Creek Community. The rest of his life he was known under his rank from the militia, and was called Colonel Isbell. Isbell along with his father-in-law, discovered the shallow grave and body of Tom Dulas' (Dooley's victim), Laura Foster.

 

[uaskme]

First Colonel I believe of the 26th NC. He "discharged" Malinda Blaylock upon the discovery she was a woman. Among his clients was former Confederate soldier, Tom Dula, who was accused of murdering his girlfriend Laura Foster in 1866. While he succeeded in having the trial moved from Wilkesboro to Statesville, believing Dula could not receive a fair trial in Wilkes County, Dula was nevertheless convicted and, although he was given a new trial on appeal, Dula was convicted again and hanged on May 1, 1868. To the end of his life, Vance maintained that Dula was innocent.

Yep, and at this point I don't think anybody knows who talked or who is alive. Dula was with a couple of different women. Jealously, different families, reputations, Lot of Lore etc. Justice had a different meaning back then.

 

[uaskme]

Several of my Confederate Knight & Land relatives settled in upper East Tennessee following the war and were able to blend in, including my great-grandfather, the oldest child of my Avatar. He was barely a teenager when his father left for the Confederate Army in Virginia in 1864. He died in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1929. Older relatives who could remember him passed on to me that he had NO USE for "Yankees, Persons of Color, and Republicans". Other than that, he was OK.

All of that is a misnomer. Those who were Unionist or changed sides. Didn't make them Yankee. Don't think most Yankees liked Yankees. Anti Slavery had little to do with acceptance of Blacks. Very few became Republican, which was a anti Southern Party to begin with. Most just wanted to be left alone. Nearest RR in western NC stopped at Morganton. So the lower portion of the western section had access. East TN had a RR and population density was twice that of WNC. Most had little to no involvement with government. Got mail, had a local sheriff, maybe.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

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View attachment 515428

I had Blakely relatives in the 1st Tennessee Cavalry. William was a 45-year-old teamster and his 18-year-old son, James was reportedly the last member of the regiment wounded in the war.

 

[nc native]

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View attachment 515428

It is impressive that a man of nearly sixty enlisted and fought in the Civil War. I have three direct ancestors who served in Senior Reserve regiments but they were all under fifty when they enlisted and probably saw no combat. Your ancestor was tough as nails to survive a wound like the one he suffered at his age.

 

[TnFed]

Several of my Confederate Knight & Land relatives settled in upper East Tennessee following the war and were able to blend in, including my great-grandfather, the oldest child of my Avatar. He was barely a teenager when his father left for the Confederate Army in Virginia in 1864. He died in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1929. Older relatives who could remember him passed on to me that he had NO USE for "Yankees, Persons of Color, and Republicans". Other than that, he was OK.

Lol...they would have been able to blend in better in the Southeastern part of the State. Meigs, Monroe, Rhea, Polk and Sequatchie being together and being five of the six voting to secede. Polk County being the one county in East TN. not to raise a union unit. Of course that didn't stop partisan fighting there. I had a cousin that was Miss Polk County years ago.But I digress..
Lol

 

[limestone1863]

All of that is a misnomer. Those who were Unionist or changed sides. Didn't make them Yankee. Don't think most Yankees liked Yankees. Anti Slavery had little to do with acceptance of Blacks. Very few became Republican, which was a anti Southern Party to begin with. Most just wanted to be left alone. Nearest RR in western NC stopped at Morganton. So the lower portion of the western section had access. East TN had a RR and population density was twice that of WNC. Most had little to no involvement with government. Got mail, had a local sheriff, maybe.

I agree, there is an account of the 1st Tennessee Cavalry, US shooting at Blacks sitting on fence cheering them in Middle Tennessee. Believe some wounded or killed.

 

[limestone1863]

It is impressive that a man of nearly sixty enlisted and fought in the Civil War. I had three direct ancestors who served in Senior Reserve regiments but they were all under fifty when they enlisted and probably saw no combat. Your ancestor was tough as nails to survive a wound like the one he suffered at his age.

Thanks, that's what I thought.

 

[limestone1863]

Lol...they would have been able to blend in better in the Southeastern part of the State. Meigs, Monroe, Rhea, Polk and Sequatchie being together and being five of the six voting to secede. Polk County being the one county in East TN. not to raise a union unit. Of course that didn't stop partisan fighting there. I had a cousin that was Miss Polk County years ago.But I digress..
Lol

Did not know that about Polk Co.. Thanks for info.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Did not know that about Polk Co.. Thanks for info.

The 6th County was Sullivan.

 

[TnFed]

Did not know that about Polk Co.. Thanks for info.

There was still quite a bit of action in Polk County..For example John P
Gatewood raided there on various occasions, until his band was broken up at McLemore's Cove by the 5th and 6nd TN Mounted Infantry USA.