Three Brothers in the Civil War

Both Willis ARTHUR (1791-1856) and Emily “Millie” Jane FREEMEN (1796-1880) were born in Bedford County, Virginia and are my paternal 4^th great-grandparents. Willis’ father, John ARTHUR, Sr. (abt. 1858-1850) was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and lived and died on his beloved land in Goose Creek, Bedford County, Virginia. Like his father before him, Willis followed his father’s example of patriotism and became a veteran of the War of 1812, having served in the 4^th Regiment of the Virginia Militia.

Willis and Millie had seven children. There were four boys, James P., Caleb, Meredith and William, and three girls, Mary Ellen, Sarah Jane and Emily. Willis and Millie had moved around quite a bit early on living in Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois at various times during their marriage. But by 1850, the family was all living back in Lawrence County, Ohio. Sometime after 1850 and before 1856, Willis and Millie moved to Clark County, Illinois where Willis passed away in 1856. After Willis died, Millie once again returned to Lawrence County where she resided with her youngest son, William.

Events Leading to the Civil War

In the first half of the 19^th Century, there was a lot of discord among the States. Prior to the Civil War, the country was becoming increasingly divided between the north and the south. There had been talk for years by the southern states of cessation from the Union. Willis had been greatly influenced by his father, his grandfather and his grand-uncle Barnabus ARTHUR.

Barnabus ARTHUR (1735-1815), was living in Goose Creek, Bedford County, Virginia, and had granted freedom to his slaves in his Will upon his death in 1815.

An excerpt to his Will reads:

* *  *

Item: In consequence of long and faithful service of my negro man George and my negro Betty, it is my desire that they be emancipated, whenever the laws of this state will allow it and they have the tract of land I purchased of Benjamin Williamson for and during the term of their natural lives; to live upon and maintain their idiot daughter Amy and until they can be so emancipated it is my will that they shall live upon said land and maintain their said daughter and have all the profits of their labor, under the direction of my son Lewis and moreover that they be furnished with one year provision out of my estate whenever they leave it in consequence of this article and the said negroes are not to be considered or appraised as part of my estate.

Item: The residue of my estate both real and personal, after executing the above bequests together with the part left my wife, after her decease and that left to  my negroes George and Betty, after their decease, I give and bequeath in equal shares to my children . . . .

So, according to his Will, Barnabus made sure that certain of his faithful slaves were to be provided land and sustenance for the remainder of their lives. Barnabus’ then controversial actions drew both anger and affirmations among his neighbors. Willis would have been witness to this and would have shared these ideals with his own children. Eventually they could not escape involvement of the national debate over State’s rights and slavery.

Lincoln’s First Inauguration

One of the primary reasons the southern states were considering cessation was over the issue of slavery. Slavery was prominent in the south but was becoming increasingly banned by the northern states. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860, he had run his campaign on a message of anti-slavery. After his election, the South felt it was just a matter of time before slavery was completely outlawed which led to cessation. Click here for some further discussion of events leading up to the Civil War.

In 1859 the abolitionist, John Brown, unsuccessfully attacked the Federal Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, where he was captured. Brown’s trial ended with a conviction and a sentence of hanging for treason. Historians agree that the Harpers Ferry raid in 1859 escalated tensions that, a year later, led to secession and the American Civil War.

President Lincoln Issues a Call to Arms

It couldn’t have been easy for Millie to send three of her four boys to serve for the Union in the Civil War. Their oldest son, James P. ARTHUR (1823-1897), was pushing 40 years and already had five children and another one on the way. There is some evidence that James served as a Pastor of the Solida Creek Missionary Baptist Church but confirmation of this is now impossible as all of the records of the church were destroyed in a fire in 1972. But the timing and location indicate it as a strong possibility. That may be another reason why he chose to stay home.

His three younger brothers heeded the call and left families and loved ones behind to fight for the cause.

CALEB ARTHUR

Caleb ARTHUR (1829-1903). At the time of the 1860 Census, Caleb was married to Sarah HICKS (1830-1875) and they were living in Lawrence County, Ohio with their three young children, Willis, Joseph and Urania. A fourth child, Lynn, would be born in 1861, the same year Caleb was mustered into service 8 November1861). Caleb served in the Civil War with Company G, 2nd West Virginia Calvary. His rank in was Corporal and rank out was Quartermaster Sgt. (29 November 1864).

To All Whom It May Concern:

Know Ye that Caleb Arthur a Quartermaster Sergeant of Captain Joseph Ankrom’s Company G, 2nd Regiment of WV Calvary Volunteers who was enrolled on the twenty-eighth day of August, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty One, to serve three years or during the war, is hereby discharged from the service of the United States, this twenty-ninth day of November 1864 at Wheeling, WV by reason of expiration of term of service. (No objection to his being re-enlisted is known to exist.)

Said Caleb Arthur was born in Wayne County in the State of Tennessee, is 31 years of age, 5 feet 11 1/2″ high.  Rudd Complexion, Blue Eyes, dark hair and by occupation when enrolled, a laborer.

By the 1870 Census, Caleb and Sarah were living in Fayette, Lawrence County, Ohio with their now five children, Willis, Joseph, Lynn, Urania and Jesse. Caleb is now a lawyer and has also been serving as a Justice of the Peace.

MEREDITH “MED” ARTHUR

Meredith “Med” ARTHUR (abt 1835-1900) was married to Roxey BALLARD (1841-1926) and they were living in Fayette, Lawrence County, Ohio on the 1860 Census. At that time they had one son, William H. Arthur. He was a farmer by trade.

Meredith served in the Civil War with Company A, 188th Ohio Voluntary Infantry. He was 32 when he joined on Feb. 15, 1865 to serve 1 year. He was promoted from 1^st Sgt.  to 2^nd Lieutenant on July 10, 1865.  He mustered out with Company A at Nashville, Tennessee on September 21, 1865.

By the 1870 Census, Meredith and Roxey were living in Lemoine, McDonough, Illinois with their son William, now age 11. Meredith is back to farming with the help of his son.

WILLIAM HARVEY ARTHUR

William Harvey ARTHUR (1838-1895). William was still single when he decided to join the Union soldiers. He enlisted in November 1861 in the Ohio 6^th Cavalry and served through Gettysburg in July 1863. In December of 1863 he was discharged at Warrenton, Virginia. He then enlisted as a volunteer in the 14^th KY Infantry. He served until January 1865. The 14^th KY Infantry saw service from 1862 through Sherman’s March to the Sea and garrison duty recalled home by the Kentucky Governor. It was mustered out January 31, 1865.

There were several times during his service that he was absent from duty due to illness. Twice he was hospitalized and once recuperated at home. The same year he returned from the

Meredith Arthur/Roxey Ballard Marriage Record

War, he married Margaret Elizabeth Hanna FULLERTON on September 3, 1865 in Lawrence County, Ohio. The wedding took place in her parents’ home and was officiated by William’s older brother, Caleb, a Justice of the Peace. William was listed as a laborer on the 1870 Census of Lawrence County, Ohio.

The photograph below is from the Reunion of the 14^th and 22^nd Kentucky Regiments held September 23 and 24, 1884 in Ashland, Kentucky. For whatever reason, William is not listed as one of the attendees.

14th KY Infantry Reunion-Ashland, KY

Conclusion

This family was so lucky. All of Millie’s sons returned home safely from War. Although I don’t have copies of their records, I have not found any reports of injuries other than William’s recorded sickness and hospitalizations. They were all able to come home and resume their lives.

I know there are other men from my different family lines who also served in the Civil War. As I progress with my research, I hope to determine that they were all fighting on the same side and not family against family as in many instances.

The Civil War remains the deadliest war in American history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 750,000 soldiers and an undetermined number of civilian casualties. Historians estimate the death toll at ten percent of all Northern males 20–45 years old, and 30 percent of all Southern white males aged 18–40.

The Jeremiah Burns and Elizabeth Rowland Family

Burness Tombstone in Glenbervie

Jeremiah Burns is of Scottish origin. His grandfather, Patrick Burns (son of John Burness), migrated from Scotland and settled in Maryland. His father, James Patrick Burns, later migrated to Virginia and settled in that part of Luenberg County (formed from Brunswick in 1746), which became Bedford County in 1753. The name and family history of Burness are found on old tombstones in the churchyard of Glenbervie, Scotland.  It is noted by “several historians” that Jeremiah was of the same line of descent as the illustrious poet, Robert Burns.

Jeremiah was born October 26, 1752 in Bedford County, Virginia. He received his education in Bedford County and at an early age studied for the Methodist ministry. He married his first wife in Virginia by whom he had two sons (names are still unknown at this time), but it is said that when they were grown they went to the southwest and became noted people.

Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth

In June 1776 Jeremiah enlisted in the Virginia line of the American Revolution at Bedford County, Virginia for a period of three years as a private in Captain George Lambert’s Company commanded by Colonel George Matthews under Major General Nathanael Greene, it being the 14th Virginia Regiment, afterwards consolidated into the 7th; he continued to serve in said Corps, or in the service of the United States, against the common enemy until the expiration of his enlistment, during which time he served in the battle of Germantown, Pennsylvania, October 5, 1777; and  the battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, June 28, 1778, where Washington harassed the British at Monmouth Courthouse. Without taking a discharge or bounty land he enlisted for another three years and continued with the army under Major General Greene. In 1781 he was marched to Yorktown, Virginia and served in the Seige of Yorktown which began October 6, 1781, which battle was the turning point in the war when British General Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781 to Washington. In August 1782, after serving six years, he was honorably discharged at Williamsburg, Virginia by Colonel Ross.

Jeremiah was a farmer and a noted Methodist preacher of his day. It is unknown just when his first wife died, but while preaching at a Methodist Church in Franklin County (created from Bedford and Henry in 1785), he spied in his congregation Elizabeth Rowland, born Franklin County, Virginia, June 11, 1770, who was a beautiful girl and a devout worshipper as well as being gifted with a melodious voice. An historian stated of her that in song she was wonderfully gifted; a brunette of the most perfect type; hair as black as a raven, heavy eyebrows, a curved lip, and a faultless figure. The preacher fell in love with her. She accepted his hand and heart and they became one flesh. After a short courtship he and Elizabeth were married on March 20, 1794 in Franklin County, Virginia by John Watt, a Methodist Minister. Jeremiah and Elizabeth were the founders of the Burns House in the Big Sandy Valley (Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky).

Jeremiah and Elizabeth had nine children, who honored their parents by rising to distinction in law, theology, and official stations. They are: Roland Tiernan Burns, Jeremiah Burns, Jr., Nancy Reed Burns, Jane H. Burns, Amanda Burns (my direct), John Lewis Burns, Charles C. Burns, James P. Burns and Julia Anne Burns. I have additional information for anyone interested.

The Huguenot Cross

Elizabeth was descended from a family made famous in French Huguenot history. Until Jeremiah’s alliance with Elizabeth, a French beauty of the perfect brunette caste, were all blondes, but the blood of the Huguenots has changed the type of the family to a full brunette. (From the book, The Big Sandy Valley by William Ely.) As a side note, here’s a little history of the Huguenots. The Huguenots (click here for additional information) were French Protestants, most of whom eventually came to follow the teachings of John Calvin, and who, due to religious persecution, were forced to flee France to other countries in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.  Some remained, practicing their Faith in secret. . . . 

Since the Huguenots of France were in large part artisans, craftsmen, and professional people, they were usually well-received in the countries to which they fled for refuge when religious discrimination or overt persecution caused them to leave France. Most of them went initially to Germany, the Netherlands, and England, although some found their way eventually to places as remote as South Africa.

 Considerable numbers of Huguenots migrated to British North America, especially to the Carolinas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Their character and talents in the arts, sciences, and industry were such that they are generally felt to have been a substantial loss to the French society from which they had been forced to withdraw, and a corresponding gain to the communities and nations into which they settled. 

Jeremiah died October 13, 1824, age 72 years, and was buried on East Fork, Lawrence County, Kentucky. His Will dated May 11, 1824, was the second Will recorded in Lawrence County, Kentucky. It reads as follows:

In the name of God, Amen. I, Jeremiah Burns, of Lawrence County and State of Kentucky, being of sound mind and judgment, but knowing that it is appointed for all men to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following. I recommend my soul to Almighty God, the dispenser of all things, and my body to be buried in a decent and Christian manner at the discretion of my surviving friends hereafter mentioned. And as to my worldly goods that it has pleased Almighty God to Bless me with, after my funeral expenses are paid, I dispose of in the following manner, to wit: I give and bequeath to my wife Elizabeth Burns the place that I now live on for which I hold a title bond on David L. Ward for one hundred acres of land, being part of William Grayson’s 70,000 acre survey. Also two horse beasts, one mare named Canary and one two year old filly named Phoenix, also the cow beasts, which consist of three cows, a three year old steer, a three year old bull, and a two year old heifer; also two young calves, and ten head of sheep. Also fifteen head of hogs and twelve geese, and poultry of every description. The household furniture consisting of three beds with their covering, cooking utensils, with the table and furniture, the loom with its tackle, one shovel plough and one set of drawing gears, two axes, three hoes, with all the farming utensils. The Bible hymn book, the letter writer and Scot’s lessons, also two spinning wheels, one little wheel and one big wheel, and two large sugar kettles, two augers and drawing knife, and if there should be any part of my pension that should be in arrear that is to be for her use. And the balance of my books I give and bequeath to my son Rowland Burns which consists of the first Vol. of Blair’s sermons, the fourth Vol. Wesley’s sermons, Milton’s works, Paradise Lost. I also give and bequeath to my son John L. Burns one horse beast called Nudly, and a rifle gun, but he is not at liberty to dispose of them until he comes of age. And the within named property granted to my wife Elizabeth Burns, is to be hers her lifetime to dispose of as she thinks best if she remains a widow. But if she should marry she is only to have her third and balance of the estate is to be equally divided amongst my children, to wit: Rowland Burns, Jeremiah Burns, Nancy Githens, late Nancy Burns, Jane Rice, late Jane Burns, Amanda Burns, John L. Burns, Charles C. Burns, James P. Burns and Juliann Burns; and if she remains a widow at her decease whatever remains of the estate to be equally divided among the above named Rowland Burns, Jeremiah Burns, Nancy Githens, late Nancy Burns, Jane Rice, late Jane Burns, Amanda Burns, John L. Burns, Charles C. Burns, James P. Burns and Juliann Burns.

Lastly I constitute my son Rowland Burns and son-in-law John Githens executor of this my last will and testament, ratifying it to be such.

In witness whereof I have set my hand and seal, this 11th day of Mat. (sic) 1824. Signed, sealed and acknowledged in presence of:

Jeremiah Burns, Sen.  :seal:

Samuel White
Elijah Rice Jun.

Elizabeth died at Louisa, Lawrence County, Kentucky, on April 27, 1859, age 89, and was buried in Widow’s Graveyard.