Help with distant cousin

[scooter748driver]

It was kindly brought to my attention by another member of the forum that my paternal gg grandfather (John Henry Stapleton of Scott County, VA who served with the 22nd Virginia Cavalry) may have been first cousin of Logan H. N. Sayler who began the War as captain of Co. H, 50th Virginia Infantry and after some promotions obtained the rank of Lt Colonel.

As a side note - My gg granduncle, Anderson Stapleton, was a private in Company H of the 50th who was wounded at Chancellorsville (I believe) and died of his wounds later in 1863.

My direct paternal ancestors married several Saylers. My gg grandfather John Henry married Margaret Elizabeth Sayler (1830-1895) and my ggg grandfather was married to an Elizabeth Sayler (1810-1892). My gg grandfather's father-in-law was William Salyer (1788-1878)

I've tried to find the connection to Logan H. N. Sayler but haven't been able to do so yet, so turning to the experts here for a shove in the right direction (but don't be afraid to just spell it all out for me if you'd like lol!). Assuming we're related, would that make me the 5th cousin of Logan??

Thank you in advance for any help and providing clues (or more) for me!

 

[lupaglupa]

Proving a connection is going to require building a family tree that goes above the familial link and then going down both branches. If you don't want to do the work and are wiling to rely on other's peoples research (I know @Fairfield is shaking her head right now at that), you can use existing trees on Ancestry. Of course, to be truly certain you need to duplicate the research you see.

I can't look for you without getting more information on the two men you seek to link.

 

[scooter748driver]

I've built (through my own knowledge as much as possible but using info found on other "trees" in some cases) a family tree. Not sure what information you would need but happy to provide here or in a message.

 

[lupaglupa]

I would at least need birth and death dates for both men. Any location information for those dates and other places they might have lived would help. The names of spouses, children etc. The more information you have the more certain you are it is the right person.

 

[scooter748driver]

Heres what I have right now but not sure if it helps much

John Henry Stapleton
BIRTH 1829 • Scott Co, VA
DEATH 3 JAN 1885 • Magoffin, Kentucky,

Marriage 22 Jan 1851 Scott, Virginia

Margaret Elizabeth Salyer
BIRTH 1830 • Scott, Virginia, United States
DEATH 1895 • Carter, Kentucky, United States

Name	Logan Henry Neil "L H N" Salyer
Birth	1834 or 1835 Scott or Wise County Virginia
Death	May 3 1916

Spouse	Alerinda J Godsey
Mother	Lydia
Father	Samuel Salyer
Marriage	10 Aug 1854 Scott, Virginia

 

[ErnieMac]

From what I can find Margaret Salyer Stapleton and Logan H. N. Salyer had a common ancestor in their grandfather Zachariah Benjamin Salyer, Jr., making them first cousins once removed. The line is pretty well traced via Find A Grave.

Margaret's Line:
Zachariah, Jr. (1765 - 1845) > William M. (1788 - 1878) > Margaret (1830 - 1895).

Logan's Line:
Zachariah, Jr. (1765 - 1845) > Samuel, Sr. (1787 - 1876) > Samuel, Jr. (1813 - 1910) > Logan (1835 - 1916).

 

[Dave D]

It was kindly brought to my attention by another member of the forum that my paternal gg grandfather (John Henry Stapleton of Scott County, VA who served with the 22nd Virginia Cavalry) may have been first cousin of Logan H. N. Sayler who began the War as captain of Co. H, 50th Virginia Infantry and after some promotions obtained the rank of Lt Colonel.

As a side note - My gg granduncle, Anderson Stapleton, was a private in Company H of the 50th who was wounded at Chancellorsville (I believe) and died of his wounds later in 1863.

My direct paternal ancestors married several Saylers. My gg grandfather John Henry married Margaret Elizabeth Sayler (1830-1895) and my ggg grandfather was married to an Elizabeth Sayler (1810-1892). My gg grandfather's father-in-law was William Salyer (1788-1878)

I've tried to find the connection to Logan H. N. Sayler but haven't been able to do so yet, so turning to the experts here for a shove in the right direction (but don't be afraid to just spell it all out for me if you'd like lol!). Assuming we're related, would that make me the 5th cousin of Logan??

Thank you in advance for any help and providing clues (or more) for me!

According to LDS Family Search genealogy data for the Salyer family, your gr gr grandfather's mother was Elizabeth Salyer Stapleton (1810-1892); she was the sister of Samuel Salyer, Jr. (1813-1910). Samuel Salyer, Jr. was the father of Logan H.N. Salyer.

If the LDS data is correct then, your gr gr grandfather & Logan H.N. Salyer were first cousins.

 

[ErnieMac]

As a side note - My gg granduncle, Anderson Stapleton, was a private in Company H of the 50th who was wounded at Chancellorsville (I believe) and died of his wounds later in 1863.

Fold3 has a good bit information about Anderson Stapleton. He was received at Howard's Grove Hospital on May 10, 1863, with a gunshot wound of the left shoulder. On July 7 he was transferred to a General Hospital in Liberty VA (now Bedford I think). Anderson died on August 16 of typhoid. I found one source in Ancestry that indicated he was wounded on May 2, 1863 at Chancellorsville.

 

[Bob Velke]

If the LDS data is correct then, your gr gr grandfather & Logan H.N. Salyer were first cousins.

If that's the case, @scooter748driver, then you and Logan would be 1C4R (1st Cousins 4 Times Removed).

 

[Dave D]

Logan H. N. Salyer started the War as captain of Co. H, 50th Va infantry and after some promotions, obtained the rank of Lt Colonel.

At Gettysburg Salyer took command of the regiment when Col. Alexander Vandeventer became ill; and wrote the official report of the 50th Va's actions: see O.R., vol 27, part II, report #503, pages 538-539 [ https://archive.org/details/warofrebellion272unit/page/538/mode/1up ].

In 1912 he made a speech at the first meeting of the Salyer-Lee Chapter of the UDC, describing his record of service. Within the speech he tells a remarkable story of how he was wounded at Chancellorsville by a saber strike to the head and left for dead upon the field but was found to be breathing. The Federals carried him to Union Gen. Joe Hooker's headquarters at the Chancellorsville mansion and laid him on top of a piano where he stayed throughout the battle. It's a great story : https://sites.rootsweb.com/~vaslcudc/LoganSalyer.html

Salyer resigned from the regiment in August, 1864 when he was elected clerk of the Circuit Court of Wise County, Va. and was excused from further military service by a request by the Governor of Virginia to the Confederate Secretary of War.

It appears that Salyer was still active with the 50th Virginia (or its remnants) after the battles of the Wilderness & Spotsylvania - I can not find any record of him being captured or paroled. Most of the officers of the 50th Va had been killed or captured at those battles, I wonder if he left any memoirs or history that describes the actions of the regiment during those battles; I have not found any.

 

[scooter748driver]

From looking at Family Search it appears that we are distant cousins (1st cousin four times removed as was mentioned above) assuming this information is correct.