OK, a few of my thoughts. Accuracy is most important in unit research. The unit we are searching was the 6th Georgia Cavalry Regiment CSA; there was also a 6th Georgia Cavalry Battalion state unit, there was no 6th Georgia Cavalry US.
I looked in the NPS archives at the roster and found only two OWNBY, James N. and William. However, there are also nine OWNBEY. I have seen this so often in records, the company clerk had limited education, or spelled phonetically. My bet is the 11 are all OWNBY, possibly relatives from different parts of the state. Most closely related individuals served in the same company. James N. and William OWNBY served Co.F, as did George W. and Porter A. OWNBEY. The other OWNBEY that served Company B were Jeptha, J.M., H.P., Thomas, and W.J. The ones in Company I; J.B. and Arthur. So, are Jeptha, J.M. and/or J.B. one and the same? Are William and W.J. one and the same?
To confound the puzzle a bit more, I looked at the soldiers of Smith's Legion, Georgia in my copy of Sifakis' "Compendium of the Confederate Armies; South Carolina and Georgia". The legion was formed in 1862, and was comprized of 6 companies of cavalry, two of infantry. There are three OWNBEY listed in Company D; John, Russel and William. Back to the 6th, is John either J.B. or J.M.? is William the same William, or W.J.? What happened to Russel?
Your input as to relationships between this group of rowdies might help to sort the tangle!
Thank you for responding to my query. Yes, the 6th Georgia Cavalry Regiment CSA. Ownby is spelled different ways (Ownbey, Ownby, Owenby) but all the Ownby's listed above were cousins from Union County, Georgia. They shared a common ancestor who immigrated from England to Virginia around 1700.
The William noted in the Smith Legion was my husband's 3X great grandfather based on the records with the National Park Service. He was William Powell Owenby/Ownby. I thought researching my husband's family would be easy but around the time of the Civil War, it has become a challenge. William P. Ownby's daughter is my husband's 2x great grandmother. Who she was married to when she had her two son's - I am still exploring. The thought is she married one of her distant cousins. After the 1860 census, she disappears until the 1900 where she was living with one of her son's and her last name was Ballew.
William Powell disappears from the records in 1863. I found where is wife remarried in 1865. On Wiki-tree, it is reported that he "went home and died in March of 1864" according to what a family member was told. In the National Archives, I found a document that says he deserted September 11, 1863. I assumed he was ill and chose to leave since he was about 2 hour from home. It is weird - he isn't my family but I feel bad that he is labeled a "deserter" when he died at age 32 serving or after serving in the Civil War.
There is a family member named Humphrey Posey Ownbey. He had two sons who died serving in Civil War. Russell died while serving in Smith's legion December 1862. He died of an infection, probably meningitis. There is a "tear jerker" story that Humphrey drove his wagon two days to where Russell was buried to bring him home. He is buried at a church in Union County, Ga.
WJ is William J. Ownbey, another son of Humphrey Posey. He died September 19, 1863 during the battle of Chichamauga. "On 8 May 1862, at the age of 21, he enlisted as a private in Company D, Smith's Legion, 1st Georgia Regiment Volunteer Calvary, CSA, along with his brother, Russell, and several of his cousins. After serving for just over a year, he was shot from his horse by a sniper. William Ledford of Union County, Georgia, buried him the next morning behind a garden. His remains were later removed to the Confederate Cemetery in Marietta."
I have a copy of John C. Rigdon's book about the 6th cavalry regiment. He has William P. Owenby in company F, D. WJ Ownbey in company I, B. It appears the men moved around within the regiment.
So back to the information I discovered. According to the newspaper, Wm. Overly Co. B died on September 12, 1863. There was an fight at Leet's Tanyard. The records say 50 confederate soldiers were killed. General John Pegram didn't report until September 24th. The fact that William Powell is reported as deserted on September 11 makes me think he was killed and with the delay in reporting plus we know what happened between the 12th and 24th, information reported was not 100% accurate. According to Rigdon's book, there was no Overly in the regiment. I found one William Overly during this time - he was in his 50's and lived in Virginia.
I realize I may never know if this is William Powell. It just seems so coincidental that it is documented he deserted the day before a man named Wm. Overly was killed.
On a side note - my husband's 2x great grandmother was a widow when she reappears in records and as mentioned her last name was "Ballew." She was an enigma to me for quite a while. I found her death certificate where it is noted William Powell is her father. Her two son's have the last name Ownby. So still trying to figure out who their father was. There was an older man from Union Co. named John C Ballew. He was married and was the school teacher in the county. After looking at the census records dozens of times, it struck me Mary Ann Ballew had her own income. My thought was at that time in history, it had to be a pension and where would she get a pension - a spouse who served in a war. So going back to John C Ballew - he served in the 52nd infantry regiment Georgia CSA. He was captured either in Atlanta or Vicksburg. Records are not clear. After the war when released, he joined the Union army and worked in Illinois as a clerk - why I mentioned he was a school teacher. After a few years, he returned to Union County. His wife died and he married Mary Ann Ownby. They were married around 7 years.
Thank you for allowing me to share. I love genealogy. I think all families can find their ancestors lived interesting lives. I have learned about my own family and their service in the Union Army. In fact, my 2X great grandfather fought in the battle of Chickamauga. Strange to think he was near my husband's great grandfather 170 years earlier.
K. Ownby
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