Barrycdog
Major
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2013
- Location
- Buford, Georgia
This is to site the questions asked of the Civil War Veterans and below is a transcribed sample. of Lee T. Billingsley. The sad thing is that these books are not available on line.
CIVIL WAR QUESTIONNAIRES
(Form Number 1)
The chief purpose of the following questions is to bring out facts that will be of service in writing a true history of the Old South. Such a history has not yet been written. By answering these questions you will make a valuable contribution to the history of your State.
In case the space following any question is not sufficient for your answer, you may write your answer on a separate piece of paper. But when this is done, be sure to put the number of the question on the paper on which the answer is written, and the number of pages of the paper on which your write your answer.
Read all the question before you answer any of them. After answering the questions her given, if you desire to make additional statements, I would be glad for you to add just as much as you desire.
1. State your full name and present Post Office address ________________________________
2. State your age now ________________________________
3. In what State and county were you born? ________________________________
4. In what State and county were you living when you enlisted in the service of the Confederacy, or of the Federal Government? ________________________________
5. What was your occupation before the war? ________________________________
6. What was the occupation of your father? ________________________________
7. If you owned land or other property at the opening of the war, state what kind of property you owned, and state the value of your property as near as you can ________________________________
8. Did you or your parents own slaves? If so, how many? ________________________________
9. If your parents owned land, state about how many acres ________________________________
10. State as near as you can the value of all the property owned by your parents, including land, when the war opened ________________________________
11. What kind of house did your parents occupy? State whether it was a log house or frame house or built of other materials, and state the number of rooms it had ________________________________
12. As a boy and young man, state what kind of work you did. If you worked on a farm, state to what extent you plowed, worked with a hoe, and did other kinds of similar work (Certain hisorians claim that white men wouldn't do work of this sort before the war.)
13. State clearly what kind of work you father did, and what the duties of your mother were. State all the kinds of work done in the house as well as you can remember -- that is, cooking, spinning, weaving, etc. ________________________________
14. Did your parents keep any servants? If so, how many? ________________________________
15. How was honest toil -- as plowing, hauling and other sorts of honest work of this class -- regarded in your community? Was such work considered respectable and honorable? ________________________________
16. Did the white men in your community generally engage in such work? ________________________________
17. To what extent were there white man in your community leading lives of idleness and having other do their work for them? ________________________________
18. Did the men who owned slaves mingle freely with those who did not own slaves, or did slaveholders in any way show by their actions that they felt themselves better than respectable, honorable men who did not own slaves? ________________________________
19. At the churches, at the schools, at public gatherings in general, did slaveholders and non-slaveholders mingle on a footing of equality?:
20. Was there a friendly feeling between slaveholders and non-slaveholders in your community, or were they antagonistic to each other? ________________________________
21. In a political contest in which one candidate owned slaves and the other did not, did the fact that one candidate owned slaves help him in winning the contest?:
22. Were the oppotunities good in your community for a poor young man -- honest and industrious -- to save up enough to buy a small farm or go in business for himself? ________________________________
23. Were poor, honest, industrious young men, who were ambitious to make something of themselves, encouraged or discouraged by slaveholders? ________________________________
24. What kind of school or schools did you attend? ________________________________
25. About how long did you go to school altogether? ________________________________
26. How far was it to the nearest school? ________________________________
27. What school or schools were in operation in your neighborhood? ________________________________
28. Was the school in you community private or public? ________________________________
29. About how many months in the year did it run? ________________________________
30. Did the boys and girls in your community attend school pretty regularly? ________________________________
31. Was the teacher of the school you attended a man or a woman? ________________________________
32. In what year and month and at what place did you enlist the Confederate or of the Federal Government? ________________________________
33. State the name of your regiment, and state the names of as many members of your company as you remember ________________________________
34. After enlistment, where was your company sent first? ________________________________
35. How long after your enlistment before your company engaged in battle? ________________________________
36. What was the first battle you engaged in? ________________________________
37. State in you own way your experience in the war from this time on until the close. State where you went after the first battle -- what you did, what other battles you engaged in, how long they lasted, what the results were; state how you lived in camp, how you were clothed, how you slept, what you had to eat, how you exposed to cold, hunger and disease. If you were in the hospital or in prison, state you experience here ________________________________
38. When and where were you discharged? ________________________________
39. Tell something of your trip home:
40. What kind of work did you take up when you came back home? ________________________________
41. Give a sketch of your life since the close of the Civil War, stating what kind of business you have engaged in, where you have lived, your church relations, etc. If you have held an office or offices state what it was. You may state here any other facts connected with your life and experience which has not been brought out the the questions ________________________________
42. Give the full name of your father: ______________ born _____________ at ______________ in the county of ___________ state of _____________. He lived at _______________.
Give also any particulars concerning him, as official position, war services, etc.; books written by, etc.
43. Maiden name in full of your mother: _____________; She was the daughter of ________ (full name) __________ and his wife ___________ (full name) ____________; who lived at ________________.
44. Remarks on ancestry. Give here any and all facts possible in reference to your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., no included in the foregoing, as where they lived, office held, Revolutionary or other war services; what country the family came from to America; where first settled, county and state; always giving full names (if possible) and neverreferring to an ancestor simply as such without giving the name. It is desirable to include every fact possible and to that end the full and exact record from old Bibles should be appended on separate sheets of this size, thus preserving the facts from loss
45. Give the name of all the members of your Company you can remember: (If you know where the Roster is to be had, please make special note of this.)
46. Give here the NAME and POST OFFICE ADDRESS of living Veterans of the Civil War, whether members of your company or not.
Civil War Questionaire of Lee T. Billingsley
including the roster of Company F - Second Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, Confederate
Also known as the Tuloss Rangers
View L.T. Billingsley's Biography
BILLINGSLEY, LEE T.
FORM NO. 2
1. State your full name and present post office address:
Lee T. Billingsley, Pikeville, Tenn. R. #1
2. State your age now:
78 yrs. Oct. 1921
3. In what State and county were you born?
Bledsoe County, Tenn.
4. Were you a Confederate or Federal soldier?
Confederate
5. Name of your company?
Co. F-Second Tenn. Voluntary Cavalry. I have the blade I received
when I enlisted.
6. What was the occupation of your father?
Farmer
7. Give full name of your father:
John Billingsley; born In the County of _________State Of
North Carolina. He lived at______ Give also any particulars
concerning him, as official position, war services, etc; books
written by him, etc:
He came to Bledsoe county with his bride in 1806 and lived here the rest of
his life. He was a member of the legislature for several years and Justice of
Peace 24 years.
8. Maiden name in full of your mother:
Jane Hoodenpile; she was the daughter of: Philip Hoodenpile and his
wife: Jane Hoodenpile; who lived at: near Pikeville. She was my
father's second wife.
9. Remarks on ancestry. Give here any and all facts possible in
reference to your parents, grandparents, great0grandparents, etc., not
included in the he forgoing as where they lived, offices held,
Revolutionary or other war service; what country they cam from to
America; first settled - county and State; always giving full names (if
possible), and never referring to an ancestor simply as such without
giving the name. It is desirable to include every fact possible, and
to that end the full and exact record from old Bibles should be
appended on separate sheets of this size, thus preserving the facts from
loss.
My Grandfather Samuel Billingsley came from England to North Carolina when he
was a small boy – he was a captain in the Revolutionary war. My grandmother,
Mary Billingsley, came from Ireland to N.C. when she was about 15 years old.
My grandparents were married and reared their family in N.C. but came to
Bledsoe county in 1809 to be with my father.
10. If you owned land or other property at the opening of the war, state
what kind of property you owned, and state the value of your property
as near as you can:
I was a boy when the war began and only owned a little personal property
11. Did you or your parents own slaves? If so, how many?
My parents owned 40 slaves, 23 males and 17 females. I owned a negro
boy who was my personal slave.
12. If your parents owned land, state about how many acres:
15OO acres in valley, 7000 acres on mountain
13. State as near as you can the value of all the property owned by your
parents, including land, when the war opened:
My father died in 1856, the property was undivided when the war began and
managed by my mother, It was valued at $85,000.
14. What kind of house did your parents occupy? State whether it was a
log house of frame house or built of other material, and state the
number of rooms it had:
In 1830 my father finished and moved into a 12 room brick house
15. As a boy and young man, state what kind of work you did. If you
worked on a farm, state to what extent you plowed, worked with a hoe
and did other kinds of similar work. (Certain historians claim that
white men would not do work of this sort before the war.)
I did some farm work but not much
16. State clearly what kind of work your father did, and what the duties
of your mother were. State all the kinds of work done in the house as
well as you can remember -- that is, cooking, spinning weaving, etc.:
My father looked after the negros and farm work. He did very little if
any manual work. Mother saw that each negro woman did her part of the work
and did it right. Almost all the cloth used was made at home. Father raised
cotton and owned about 400 sheep. Shoes for the negros were made at home.
17. Did your parents keep any servants? If so, how many?
Father kept a manager or an "overseer" too (two?) of the other servants were
kept
18. How was honest toil -- as plowing, hauling and other sorts of honest
work of this class - regarded in your community? Was such work
considered respectable and honorable?
For ten or fifteen years just before the war the larger land and slave-owners
did not regard manual labor as respectable for a gentleman altho the laborer
was not expected to live in idleness.
19. Did the white men in your community generally engage in such work?
Most of them worked for there were only a few men who owned sufficient
property to live without working.
20. To what extent were there white men in your community leading lives of idleness and
having others do their work for them?
There were very few men who were idle all the time. Men who did not have
to work on the farm usually were employed in public service.
21. Did the men who owned slaves mingle freely with those who did not own
slaves, or did slave holders in any way show by their actions that they
felt themselves better than respectable, honorable men who did not own
slaves?
I do not remember whether just not owning slaves caused a man to be treated as an
inferior, but I do remember hearing some families referred to
as "poor white trash"
22. At the churches, at the schools, at public gatherings in general, did slave holders
and non-slave holders mingle on a footing of equality?
The more prominent men whether slave holder or not attempted to interest
the poor people in school and church
23. Was there a friendly feeling between slave holders and non-slave holders in your
community, or were they antagonistic to each other?
With few exceptions I think they were all friendly most of the lead-ing
men were interest in church work.
24. In a political contest, in which one candidate owned slaves and the other did not,
did the fact that one candidate owned slaves help him in winning the
contest?
I do not think owning slaves would have been a help or a hindrance
in this county. Very poor men seldom entered a political contest.
25. Were the opportunities good in your community for a poor young man, honest and
industrious, to save up enough to buy a small farm or go in business
for himself?
The poor young men who really tried was helped and encouraged in every way. I recall
several who came to this county with almost nothing
and in ten years owned considerable property.
26. Were poor, honest, industrious young men, who were ambitious to make something of
themselves, encouraged or discouraged by slave holders?
I think slave holders encouraged ambitious young men this was and is yet a farming
and stock raising community, so about the only way a young man could get along
was to rent a farm till he could buy land of his own, or be a stock dealer.
27. what kind of school or schools did you attend?
Both public and private. The schools here before the war were only run
2 or 3 months each year by the county.
28. About how long did you go to school altogether?
About 4 years before the war and 2 years after the war closed at
Sequatchie College.
29. How far was it to the nearest school?
2 1/4 miles
30. What school or schools were in operation in your neighborhood?
The public school and 2 or 3 months subscription or pay school
31. Was the school in your community private or public?
Both
32. About how many months in the year did it run?
In all about five or six months
33. Did the boys and girls in your community attend school pretty regularly?
Some did. Some did not.
34. Was the teacher of the school you attended a man or woman?
I had both men and women as teachers
35. In what year and month and at what place did you enlist in the service of the
Confederacy or of the Federal Government?
On June 16, 1861 I was mustered into service in the Confederate Army at
Knoxville, Tenn.
36. After enlistment, where was you Company sent first?
To Cumberland Gap, Tenn.
37. How long after enlistment before your Company engaged in battle?
I do not remember exactly but it was several months before we fought any
38. What was the first battle you engaged in?
The first regular battle was at Mill Springs, we were in several
small battles or skirmishes before the battle of Mill Springs
39. State in your own way your experience in the War from this time on to its
close. State where you went after the first battle -- what you did,
and what other battles you engaged in, how long they lasted, what the
results were;; state how you lived in camp, how you were clothed, how
you slept, what you had to eat, how you were exposed to cold, hunger
and disease. If you were in the hospital or prison, state your
experience there:
I was in battles at Fishing Creek, Stubensville, Ky., Murfreesboro, Chickamauga and
several other places. Our command was in Kentucky to relieve Morgan and we rode
eleven days and nights not stopping longer than two hours at one time. I have
eaten raw corn - green pumpkins and most anything else on these raids.
40. When and where were you discharged?
At Morgantown, North Carolina, May 1865. We were under Gen. Joe Wheeler.
I am sending you his farewell address.
41. Tell something of your trip home:
I came home horseback down through: the mountain of N.C. I did not come
straight home at once. Was several months making the trip.
42. Give a sketch of your life since the close of the Civil War, stating what kind of
business you have engaged in, where you have lived, your church
relations, etc. If you have held any office or offices, state what it
was. You may state here any other facts connected with your life and
experience which has not been brought out by the questions:
Farming. When I reached home the fences had all been burned, the negros
all gone except two. The only stock mother had left was a steer.
43. What kind of work did you take up when you came back home?
I have been a farmer and stock raiser all my life and have lived in Bledsoe county
Most of the time was spent on the farm I returned to from the war. Twelve years
ago I moved to my present home about four miles from that farm. I have been a
member of the Church of Christ for 45 years. I was Justice of the Peace 12 years
and coroner 8 years and now am a Notary Public. I have been married twice. My
last wife is still living. I have eleven children.
44. On a separate sheet, give the names of some of the great men you have known or met
in your time, and tell some of the circumstances of the meeting or
incidents in their lives. Also add any further personal
reminiscences. (Use all the space your want.)
_______
45. Give the names of all the members of your Company you can remember. (If you know
where the Roster is to be had, please make a special note of this.)
Tullos Rangers, known as Company F 2nd Tenn. Cal.:
John M . Bridgeman, Capt., James W. Walker, 1st Lt.,
A.R. Couk (Cook?), 2n. Lt., James W. Fraley, 3rd Lt.,
Non-Commissioned officers:
William Smith, 1st Orderly Serg., W.W. Henson, 2nd O.S.,
L.T. Billingsley, 3rd O.S., John R. Robertson, 4th O.S.,
James Dyer, 5th O.S., Maj. P. Swafford, 1st Corp'1.,
James Abbet, 2nd Cpl., R.W. Brown, 3rd Cpl.,
J.W. Cunningham - Wagon Master, Anthoney Griffith, bugler,;
Private soldiers:
James Abbet, James Acuff, J.S. Acuff,
Frank Burger, John Austin, Reuben Brown,
D.S. Brown, V.A. Beanerett, J.A. Card,
Andy Card, G.N. Campbell, James Cain,
G.W. Cain, John Carrick, Tim Daviss,
Will Douglas, O.P. Durham, H.C. Deatherage,
Gav.(?) Eppison, G.W. Ellete, George Frazier,
John Frazier, G.A. Findly, C.A. Ford,
James Freeman, J.M. Greer, Richard Guess,
John Gollihor, A H. Gollihor, T.H. Hinch,
S.P. Henderson, Thomas Hawkins, John Hawkins,
W.F. Hutcheson, Wm. Hatfield, Goins Hatfield,
R.H. Hatfield, W.H. Hatfield, John Hodgkiss,
James Hearn, Wm. Highenbottom, Aaron Hughes,
Sam Hughes, Dr. J.A. Hacker, John Jones,
Josh Jentry, John Knight, C.L. Leiws,
Thomas Laster, Houston Lamb, A.J. Larrimore,
Thomas Loyd, W.H. McCulley, J.C. McDowell,
James McCunah, G.W. McDonald, John Mitts,
James Nale, P.J. Norwood, T.?(R.)H. Napp,
S.B. Panter, Leander Pope, L.L. Pope,
John Pollard, Adam Roberson, Isaac Roberson,
G.W. Rogers, Alvin Reid, Sam Robertson,
James Rankin, Reuben Rankin, W.A. Smith,
Alfred Swafford, Thomas Swafford, S.C. Stone,
Thaddous Simms, J.R. Smith, James Smith,
Dr. R.A. Stone, W.F. Simmons, W.L. Standifer,
L.L. Standifer, James Scott, Andrew Sherill,
Thomas Sherill, John Sherill, Sam Sherill,
I.N. Thomas, G.W. Taylor, Henry Tollett,
James A. Walker, G.W. Walker, A.J Walker,
I.E. Walker, Clay Wimberly, J.C. Worthington,
James Worthington, W, Worthington, S.P. Worthington,
W.F. Worthington, Houston Wheeler, A.D. Williams,
James White.
Colored or negro servants for the Company:
George Tulloss, James A. Birch, James Ned,
James Taylor, Bird Terry, George Close,
Samuel Gallimore.
This list of the Company was printed in a Knoxville paper soon
after the close of the civil war.
46. Give the NAME and POST OFFICE ADDRESS of any living Veterans of the Civil War,
whether members of your Company or not; whether Tennesseans or from
other States:
A.K. Swafford Pikeville, R. 1, Tenn.
W.R. Pope Pikeville, Tenn.
Bud Wheeler Pikeville, Tenn.
L.L. Standifer Mt. Airy, Tenn.
Captain W.M. Allen Dayton, Tenn.
Frank Knight Pikeville, Tenn.
Newspaper clipping: WHEELERS FAREWELL ADDRESS TO CAVALRY - Original Copy is Treasured
Possession of the Family of Lee Billingsley -Yellowed with age, worn in two or more parts
through constant handling, one of the proud and treasured possessions of this family of
Lee Billingsley, a gallant soldier of Forest's cavalry, is the farewell address of
General Joe wheeler to his comrades, issued on April 29, 1865, It was dated at
"Headquarters Cavalry Corps" and addressed to "Gallant
Comrades". It follows:
"You have fought your fight.
Your task is done. During a fours years struggle you have exhibited courage,
fortitude and devotion. You are the sole victors of more than two hundred
stubbornly contested fights you have participated in more than a thousand
conflicts of arms; You are heroes. You have done all that human exertions could
accomplish. I desire to express my gratitude for the kind feelings you have seen
fit to extend toward myself and to invoke upon you the blessings of our Heavenly
Father, to whom we must all look in the hour of distress. Brethren in the cause of
freedom, comrades in arms, I bid you farewell.
Joe Wheeler
Major General
39.
This is a copy of Gen. Joe Wheelers address. If I have not made all the questions clear
or if there should be any other information I could give you please let me do so.
I would like to see a good history of The Old South and I want to see your book when
published.
Yours truly, L.T. Billingsley
(N.B.: BILLINGSLEY, LEE T., Pension No. 10718)
http://www.tngenweb.org/bledsoe/bdocs.htm#QUESTIONAIRE
http://www.tngenweb.org/civilwar/quest/
CIVIL WAR QUESTIONNAIRES
(Form Number 1)
The chief purpose of the following questions is to bring out facts that will be of service in writing a true history of the Old South. Such a history has not yet been written. By answering these questions you will make a valuable contribution to the history of your State.
In case the space following any question is not sufficient for your answer, you may write your answer on a separate piece of paper. But when this is done, be sure to put the number of the question on the paper on which the answer is written, and the number of pages of the paper on which your write your answer.
Read all the question before you answer any of them. After answering the questions her given, if you desire to make additional statements, I would be glad for you to add just as much as you desire.
1. State your full name and present Post Office address ________________________________
2. State your age now ________________________________
3. In what State and county were you born? ________________________________
4. In what State and county were you living when you enlisted in the service of the Confederacy, or of the Federal Government? ________________________________
5. What was your occupation before the war? ________________________________
6. What was the occupation of your father? ________________________________
7. If you owned land or other property at the opening of the war, state what kind of property you owned, and state the value of your property as near as you can ________________________________
8. Did you or your parents own slaves? If so, how many? ________________________________
9. If your parents owned land, state about how many acres ________________________________
10. State as near as you can the value of all the property owned by your parents, including land, when the war opened ________________________________
11. What kind of house did your parents occupy? State whether it was a log house or frame house or built of other materials, and state the number of rooms it had ________________________________
12. As a boy and young man, state what kind of work you did. If you worked on a farm, state to what extent you plowed, worked with a hoe, and did other kinds of similar work (Certain hisorians claim that white men wouldn't do work of this sort before the war.)
13. State clearly what kind of work you father did, and what the duties of your mother were. State all the kinds of work done in the house as well as you can remember -- that is, cooking, spinning, weaving, etc. ________________________________
14. Did your parents keep any servants? If so, how many? ________________________________
15. How was honest toil -- as plowing, hauling and other sorts of honest work of this class -- regarded in your community? Was such work considered respectable and honorable? ________________________________
16. Did the white men in your community generally engage in such work? ________________________________
17. To what extent were there white man in your community leading lives of idleness and having other do their work for them? ________________________________
18. Did the men who owned slaves mingle freely with those who did not own slaves, or did slaveholders in any way show by their actions that they felt themselves better than respectable, honorable men who did not own slaves? ________________________________
19. At the churches, at the schools, at public gatherings in general, did slaveholders and non-slaveholders mingle on a footing of equality?:
20. Was there a friendly feeling between slaveholders and non-slaveholders in your community, or were they antagonistic to each other? ________________________________
21. In a political contest in which one candidate owned slaves and the other did not, did the fact that one candidate owned slaves help him in winning the contest?:
22. Were the oppotunities good in your community for a poor young man -- honest and industrious -- to save up enough to buy a small farm or go in business for himself? ________________________________
23. Were poor, honest, industrious young men, who were ambitious to make something of themselves, encouraged or discouraged by slaveholders? ________________________________
24. What kind of school or schools did you attend? ________________________________
25. About how long did you go to school altogether? ________________________________
26. How far was it to the nearest school? ________________________________
27. What school or schools were in operation in your neighborhood? ________________________________
28. Was the school in you community private or public? ________________________________
29. About how many months in the year did it run? ________________________________
30. Did the boys and girls in your community attend school pretty regularly? ________________________________
31. Was the teacher of the school you attended a man or a woman? ________________________________
32. In what year and month and at what place did you enlist the Confederate or of the Federal Government? ________________________________
33. State the name of your regiment, and state the names of as many members of your company as you remember ________________________________
34. After enlistment, where was your company sent first? ________________________________
35. How long after your enlistment before your company engaged in battle? ________________________________
36. What was the first battle you engaged in? ________________________________
37. State in you own way your experience in the war from this time on until the close. State where you went after the first battle -- what you did, what other battles you engaged in, how long they lasted, what the results were; state how you lived in camp, how you were clothed, how you slept, what you had to eat, how you exposed to cold, hunger and disease. If you were in the hospital or in prison, state you experience here ________________________________
38. When and where were you discharged? ________________________________
39. Tell something of your trip home:
40. What kind of work did you take up when you came back home? ________________________________
41. Give a sketch of your life since the close of the Civil War, stating what kind of business you have engaged in, where you have lived, your church relations, etc. If you have held an office or offices state what it was. You may state here any other facts connected with your life and experience which has not been brought out the the questions ________________________________
42. Give the full name of your father: ______________ born _____________ at ______________ in the county of ___________ state of _____________. He lived at _______________.
Give also any particulars concerning him, as official position, war services, etc.; books written by, etc.
43. Maiden name in full of your mother: _____________; She was the daughter of ________ (full name) __________ and his wife ___________ (full name) ____________; who lived at ________________.
44. Remarks on ancestry. Give here any and all facts possible in reference to your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., no included in the foregoing, as where they lived, office held, Revolutionary or other war services; what country the family came from to America; where first settled, county and state; always giving full names (if possible) and neverreferring to an ancestor simply as such without giving the name. It is desirable to include every fact possible and to that end the full and exact record from old Bibles should be appended on separate sheets of this size, thus preserving the facts from loss
45. Give the name of all the members of your Company you can remember: (If you know where the Roster is to be had, please make special note of this.)
46. Give here the NAME and POST OFFICE ADDRESS of living Veterans of the Civil War, whether members of your company or not.
Civil War Questionaire of Lee T. Billingsley
including the roster of Company F - Second Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, Confederate
Also known as the Tuloss Rangers
View L.T. Billingsley's Biography
BILLINGSLEY, LEE T.
FORM NO. 2
1. State your full name and present post office address:
Lee T. Billingsley, Pikeville, Tenn. R. #1
2. State your age now:
78 yrs. Oct. 1921
3. In what State and county were you born?
Bledsoe County, Tenn.
4. Were you a Confederate or Federal soldier?
Confederate
5. Name of your company?
Co. F-Second Tenn. Voluntary Cavalry. I have the blade I received
when I enlisted.
6. What was the occupation of your father?
Farmer
7. Give full name of your father:
John Billingsley; born In the County of _________State Of
North Carolina. He lived at______ Give also any particulars
concerning him, as official position, war services, etc; books
written by him, etc:
He came to Bledsoe county with his bride in 1806 and lived here the rest of
his life. He was a member of the legislature for several years and Justice of
Peace 24 years.
8. Maiden name in full of your mother:
Jane Hoodenpile; she was the daughter of: Philip Hoodenpile and his
wife: Jane Hoodenpile; who lived at: near Pikeville. She was my
father's second wife.
9. Remarks on ancestry. Give here any and all facts possible in
reference to your parents, grandparents, great0grandparents, etc., not
included in the he forgoing as where they lived, offices held,
Revolutionary or other war service; what country they cam from to
America; first settled - county and State; always giving full names (if
possible), and never referring to an ancestor simply as such without
giving the name. It is desirable to include every fact possible, and
to that end the full and exact record from old Bibles should be
appended on separate sheets of this size, thus preserving the facts from
loss.
My Grandfather Samuel Billingsley came from England to North Carolina when he
was a small boy – he was a captain in the Revolutionary war. My grandmother,
Mary Billingsley, came from Ireland to N.C. when she was about 15 years old.
My grandparents were married and reared their family in N.C. but came to
Bledsoe county in 1809 to be with my father.
10. If you owned land or other property at the opening of the war, state
what kind of property you owned, and state the value of your property
as near as you can:
I was a boy when the war began and only owned a little personal property
11. Did you or your parents own slaves? If so, how many?
My parents owned 40 slaves, 23 males and 17 females. I owned a negro
boy who was my personal slave.
12. If your parents owned land, state about how many acres:
15OO acres in valley, 7000 acres on mountain
13. State as near as you can the value of all the property owned by your
parents, including land, when the war opened:
My father died in 1856, the property was undivided when the war began and
managed by my mother, It was valued at $85,000.
14. What kind of house did your parents occupy? State whether it was a
log house of frame house or built of other material, and state the
number of rooms it had:
In 1830 my father finished and moved into a 12 room brick house
15. As a boy and young man, state what kind of work you did. If you
worked on a farm, state to what extent you plowed, worked with a hoe
and did other kinds of similar work. (Certain historians claim that
white men would not do work of this sort before the war.)
I did some farm work but not much
16. State clearly what kind of work your father did, and what the duties
of your mother were. State all the kinds of work done in the house as
well as you can remember -- that is, cooking, spinning weaving, etc.:
My father looked after the negros and farm work. He did very little if
any manual work. Mother saw that each negro woman did her part of the work
and did it right. Almost all the cloth used was made at home. Father raised
cotton and owned about 400 sheep. Shoes for the negros were made at home.
17. Did your parents keep any servants? If so, how many?
Father kept a manager or an "overseer" too (two?) of the other servants were
kept
18. How was honest toil -- as plowing, hauling and other sorts of honest
work of this class - regarded in your community? Was such work
considered respectable and honorable?
For ten or fifteen years just before the war the larger land and slave-owners
did not regard manual labor as respectable for a gentleman altho the laborer
was not expected to live in idleness.
19. Did the white men in your community generally engage in such work?
Most of them worked for there were only a few men who owned sufficient
property to live without working.
20. To what extent were there white men in your community leading lives of idleness and
having others do their work for them?
There were very few men who were idle all the time. Men who did not have
to work on the farm usually were employed in public service.
21. Did the men who owned slaves mingle freely with those who did not own
slaves, or did slave holders in any way show by their actions that they
felt themselves better than respectable, honorable men who did not own
slaves?
I do not remember whether just not owning slaves caused a man to be treated as an
inferior, but I do remember hearing some families referred to
as "poor white trash"
22. At the churches, at the schools, at public gatherings in general, did slave holders
and non-slave holders mingle on a footing of equality?
The more prominent men whether slave holder or not attempted to interest
the poor people in school and church
23. Was there a friendly feeling between slave holders and non-slave holders in your
community, or were they antagonistic to each other?
With few exceptions I think they were all friendly most of the lead-ing
men were interest in church work.
24. In a political contest, in which one candidate owned slaves and the other did not,
did the fact that one candidate owned slaves help him in winning the
contest?
I do not think owning slaves would have been a help or a hindrance
in this county. Very poor men seldom entered a political contest.
25. Were the opportunities good in your community for a poor young man, honest and
industrious, to save up enough to buy a small farm or go in business
for himself?
The poor young men who really tried was helped and encouraged in every way. I recall
several who came to this county with almost nothing
and in ten years owned considerable property.
26. Were poor, honest, industrious young men, who were ambitious to make something of
themselves, encouraged or discouraged by slave holders?
I think slave holders encouraged ambitious young men this was and is yet a farming
and stock raising community, so about the only way a young man could get along
was to rent a farm till he could buy land of his own, or be a stock dealer.
27. what kind of school or schools did you attend?
Both public and private. The schools here before the war were only run
2 or 3 months each year by the county.
28. About how long did you go to school altogether?
About 4 years before the war and 2 years after the war closed at
Sequatchie College.
29. How far was it to the nearest school?
2 1/4 miles
30. What school or schools were in operation in your neighborhood?
The public school and 2 or 3 months subscription or pay school
31. Was the school in your community private or public?
Both
32. About how many months in the year did it run?
In all about five or six months
33. Did the boys and girls in your community attend school pretty regularly?
Some did. Some did not.
34. Was the teacher of the school you attended a man or woman?
I had both men and women as teachers
35. In what year and month and at what place did you enlist in the service of the
Confederacy or of the Federal Government?
On June 16, 1861 I was mustered into service in the Confederate Army at
Knoxville, Tenn.
36. After enlistment, where was you Company sent first?
To Cumberland Gap, Tenn.
37. How long after enlistment before your Company engaged in battle?
I do not remember exactly but it was several months before we fought any
38. What was the first battle you engaged in?
The first regular battle was at Mill Springs, we were in several
small battles or skirmishes before the battle of Mill Springs
39. State in your own way your experience in the War from this time on to its
close. State where you went after the first battle -- what you did,
and what other battles you engaged in, how long they lasted, what the
results were;; state how you lived in camp, how you were clothed, how
you slept, what you had to eat, how you were exposed to cold, hunger
and disease. If you were in the hospital or prison, state your
experience there:
I was in battles at Fishing Creek, Stubensville, Ky., Murfreesboro, Chickamauga and
several other places. Our command was in Kentucky to relieve Morgan and we rode
eleven days and nights not stopping longer than two hours at one time. I have
eaten raw corn - green pumpkins and most anything else on these raids.
40. When and where were you discharged?
At Morgantown, North Carolina, May 1865. We were under Gen. Joe Wheeler.
I am sending you his farewell address.
41. Tell something of your trip home:
I came home horseback down through: the mountain of N.C. I did not come
straight home at once. Was several months making the trip.
42. Give a sketch of your life since the close of the Civil War, stating what kind of
business you have engaged in, where you have lived, your church
relations, etc. If you have held any office or offices, state what it
was. You may state here any other facts connected with your life and
experience which has not been brought out by the questions:
Farming. When I reached home the fences had all been burned, the negros
all gone except two. The only stock mother had left was a steer.
43. What kind of work did you take up when you came back home?
I have been a farmer and stock raiser all my life and have lived in Bledsoe county
Most of the time was spent on the farm I returned to from the war. Twelve years
ago I moved to my present home about four miles from that farm. I have been a
member of the Church of Christ for 45 years. I was Justice of the Peace 12 years
and coroner 8 years and now am a Notary Public. I have been married twice. My
last wife is still living. I have eleven children.
44. On a separate sheet, give the names of some of the great men you have known or met
in your time, and tell some of the circumstances of the meeting or
incidents in their lives. Also add any further personal
reminiscences. (Use all the space your want.)
_______
45. Give the names of all the members of your Company you can remember. (If you know
where the Roster is to be had, please make a special note of this.)
Tullos Rangers, known as Company F 2nd Tenn. Cal.:
John M . Bridgeman, Capt., James W. Walker, 1st Lt.,
A.R. Couk (Cook?), 2n. Lt., James W. Fraley, 3rd Lt.,
Non-Commissioned officers:
William Smith, 1st Orderly Serg., W.W. Henson, 2nd O.S.,
L.T. Billingsley, 3rd O.S., John R. Robertson, 4th O.S.,
James Dyer, 5th O.S., Maj. P. Swafford, 1st Corp'1.,
James Abbet, 2nd Cpl., R.W. Brown, 3rd Cpl.,
J.W. Cunningham - Wagon Master, Anthoney Griffith, bugler,;
Private soldiers:
James Abbet, James Acuff, J.S. Acuff,
Frank Burger, John Austin, Reuben Brown,
D.S. Brown, V.A. Beanerett, J.A. Card,
Andy Card, G.N. Campbell, James Cain,
G.W. Cain, John Carrick, Tim Daviss,
Will Douglas, O.P. Durham, H.C. Deatherage,
Gav.(?) Eppison, G.W. Ellete, George Frazier,
John Frazier, G.A. Findly, C.A. Ford,
James Freeman, J.M. Greer, Richard Guess,
John Gollihor, A H. Gollihor, T.H. Hinch,
S.P. Henderson, Thomas Hawkins, John Hawkins,
W.F. Hutcheson, Wm. Hatfield, Goins Hatfield,
R.H. Hatfield, W.H. Hatfield, John Hodgkiss,
James Hearn, Wm. Highenbottom, Aaron Hughes,
Sam Hughes, Dr. J.A. Hacker, John Jones,
Josh Jentry, John Knight, C.L. Leiws,
Thomas Laster, Houston Lamb, A.J. Larrimore,
Thomas Loyd, W.H. McCulley, J.C. McDowell,
James McCunah, G.W. McDonald, John Mitts,
James Nale, P.J. Norwood, T.?(R.)H. Napp,
S.B. Panter, Leander Pope, L.L. Pope,
John Pollard, Adam Roberson, Isaac Roberson,
G.W. Rogers, Alvin Reid, Sam Robertson,
James Rankin, Reuben Rankin, W.A. Smith,
Alfred Swafford, Thomas Swafford, S.C. Stone,
Thaddous Simms, J.R. Smith, James Smith,
Dr. R.A. Stone, W.F. Simmons, W.L. Standifer,
L.L. Standifer, James Scott, Andrew Sherill,
Thomas Sherill, John Sherill, Sam Sherill,
I.N. Thomas, G.W. Taylor, Henry Tollett,
James A. Walker, G.W. Walker, A.J Walker,
I.E. Walker, Clay Wimberly, J.C. Worthington,
James Worthington, W, Worthington, S.P. Worthington,
W.F. Worthington, Houston Wheeler, A.D. Williams,
James White.
Colored or negro servants for the Company:
George Tulloss, James A. Birch, James Ned,
James Taylor, Bird Terry, George Close,
Samuel Gallimore.
This list of the Company was printed in a Knoxville paper soon
after the close of the civil war.
46. Give the NAME and POST OFFICE ADDRESS of any living Veterans of the Civil War,
whether members of your Company or not; whether Tennesseans or from
other States:
A.K. Swafford Pikeville, R. 1, Tenn.
W.R. Pope Pikeville, Tenn.
Bud Wheeler Pikeville, Tenn.
L.L. Standifer Mt. Airy, Tenn.
Captain W.M. Allen Dayton, Tenn.
Frank Knight Pikeville, Tenn.
Newspaper clipping: WHEELERS FAREWELL ADDRESS TO CAVALRY - Original Copy is Treasured
Possession of the Family of Lee Billingsley -Yellowed with age, worn in two or more parts
through constant handling, one of the proud and treasured possessions of this family of
Lee Billingsley, a gallant soldier of Forest's cavalry, is the farewell address of
General Joe wheeler to his comrades, issued on April 29, 1865, It was dated at
"Headquarters Cavalry Corps" and addressed to "Gallant
Comrades". It follows:
"You have fought your fight.
Your task is done. During a fours years struggle you have exhibited courage,
fortitude and devotion. You are the sole victors of more than two hundred
stubbornly contested fights you have participated in more than a thousand
conflicts of arms; You are heroes. You have done all that human exertions could
accomplish. I desire to express my gratitude for the kind feelings you have seen
fit to extend toward myself and to invoke upon you the blessings of our Heavenly
Father, to whom we must all look in the hour of distress. Brethren in the cause of
freedom, comrades in arms, I bid you farewell.
Joe Wheeler
Major General
39.
This is a copy of Gen. Joe Wheelers address. If I have not made all the questions clear
or if there should be any other information I could give you please let me do so.
I would like to see a good history of The Old South and I want to see your book when
published.
Yours truly, L.T. Billingsley
(N.B.: BILLINGSLEY, LEE T., Pension No. 10718)
http://www.tngenweb.org/bledsoe/bdocs.htm#QUESTIONAIRE
http://www.tngenweb.org/civilwar/quest/