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The Life and Times Of John Wesley McGhee, Co. A, 2nd Kentucky Infantry March 1836 - June 3, 1909 Compiled
by Howard McGhee, Snellville, Georgia, December 2000
John W. McGhee (a.k.a. Jack) had always been a mystery relative to me. He was a brother to my great grandfather Henry Newton McGhee. Very little family history was passed down to my generation in regard to him. As a teenager, I remember hearing that he had moved to Texas, where he worked in a saloon. In more recent years, as I became more interested in family history and genealogy, there was still very little more information that was available to me through my family. From my first cousins, Jim McGhee and Jo Ann McGhee, both of whom have spent many years researching our McGhee family, I became aware of a letter that he had sent in 1885 from Waco, Texas to his brother Henry Newton McGhee in Doniphan, Missouri. They also advised me that he had been in the Civil War and had been wounded. I guess I always had a sense of intrigue about Jack McGhee. It was as if he may have been considered sort of a "black sheep" of the family, having gone off to Texas to work in a saloon. So, I decided to track down what information I could about him. This document summarizes the information I have gathered about him to date. I don't consider it completed, since I intend to continue my efforts to gather more information. In addition to including facts concerning his life, gathered from a variety of records, I have attempted to also incorporate some information about the times and places in which his life experiences placed him. I have also tried to incorporate other McGhee relatives into his life and experiences, where pertinent. The information presented in this document has been obtained from a variety of sources. I do not under any pretense consider it to be presented in a scholarly or correctly documented manner. In the text, when reference to the source material seems to be appropriate, I have included a number in parenthesis (1) to refer to the source material. A list of source materials is included as attachment #1.
John Wesley McGhee John Wesley McGhee was born in March 1836 in Lawrence County, Alabama. Since he went by the name of Jack, I will refer to him as Jack throughout the remainder of this document. He was one of eight children born to Silas Macklin McGhee and Arminta Carroll. His parents were married in Blount County, Tennessee on October 19, 1824. A Genealogy of the McGhee Family (1), written in October 1901 by John Merriman McGhee, lists the names of the eight children born to Silas and Arminta. Based on my research of these eight children, I believe they were listed in the order of their birth. The names of the eight children listed in that Genealogy are listed below. I have added both the reported and estimated dates of birth for each of the children. NAME DATE OF BIRTH
John Merriman McGhee was the oldest child born to Henry Anderson McGhee, a brother of Silas Macklin McGhee. This made him a first cousin to Jack and their life experiences resulted in their close proximity to each other at different periods in their life. In apx 1834 Silas and his family moved from Tennessee to Lawrence County, Alabama. Accompanying Silas on this move were his parents, Merriman and Elizabeth. This occurred at about the same time or just following a relocation to Lawrence County from Tennessee by Silas' brother Henry Anderson McGhee. Jack's first cousin John Merriman McGhee was born in Lawrence County in April 1838 and with an age difference of two years, John and Jack came to now each other well at a very early age. The 1840 Federal Census for Lawrence County lists Silas with his wife and his first six children (*). While Silas and his family were living in Lawrence County, Jack's oldest sister Minerva was married in Lawrence County on July 28, 1842 to Joseph C. Carpenter (*). In apx 1843 Silas and his family, including both of Silas' parents relocated from Lawrence County to southwest Missouri to an area, which in 1845 became Cedar County. It is not known whether Jack's sister Minerva and her husband Joseph accompanied them. While in that section of Missouri, Silas' father Merriman died on September 19, 1845 and was buried there. Following the death of Merriman, his wife Elizabeth returned to Lawrence County, Alabama to live with her son Henry Anderson McGhee, where she died on April 1, 1860. At some point, following Merriman's death and prior to 1850, Silas and his family moved again, this time from southwest Missouri to Hickman County, Kentucky. I have not obtained any conclusive evidence up to this point, but limited documentation and contact with another McGhee researcher indicates that Jack's brother, William J., may have remained in southwest Missouri in Dade County where he settled and married Eliza Jane Carter in 1850. Further research is needed before being able to conclude with better certainty that this William J. McGhee in Dade County is in fact the son of Silas and the brother of Jack. The 1850 Federal Census for Hickman County (*) shows Silas and his wife Arminta, with sons Henry, age 17, and Jack, age 14. For some unknown reason, Jack's 2 youngest brothers Travis and Van are not listed as living in the household. However, listed in the household of a neighbor and friend John Berry are a T.H. McGhee, age 10 and a V. H. McGhee, age 3. Also listed on this census are Jack's sister Minerva Carpenter and her husband Joseph. By 1860 Jack and his brother Henry had left home. Henry had married and was still living in Hickman County. The 1860 Federal census for Hickman County (*) shows Jack employed as a laborer and living in the household of T.J. Owen, age 52 and J.R. Owen, age 20. This census also shows Silas and his wife with children Travis, age 20 and Van, age 12 now living at home with their parents. In July 1861 Jack left home to take up arms in support of the Confederate cause. He was one of the first to enlist in the First Kentucky Brigade, which later became well known as the "Orphan" Brigade. The Orphan Brigade served all across the South and participated in most of the major battles of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, earning a reputation for steadiness in battle and unequaled prowess in drill. There is no certain origin for why this brigade came to be known as the Orphan Brigade. One possible source for the name was the general situation faced by the Kentucky Confederates. When they left the state in February 1862, they were never able to return to Kentucky as a unit during the war. Cut off from supplies, recruits, and even mail from their homes behind enemy lines, the Kentuckians began to see themselves as "orphans" whose only home was the Confederate Army. This brigade was made up of several regiments, one of which was the 2nd Kentucky Infantry Regiment. The following details regarding Jack's experiences during the war are based largely on the entries in the original Company Muster Rolls, containing his name (*). On July 5, 1861, at Camp Boone, TN, Jack was enrolled in Company A of the 2nd Kentucky Infantry Regiment. Camp Boone was located near Clarksville, just across the state line from Hickman County, KY. Based on the muster rolls, it appears that his brother Travis enrolled in the same Company on July 16, 1861. Also in August 1861 Jack's cousin John Merriman McGhee entered Confederate service by joining the 16th Alabama Infantry Regiment in Lawrence County Alabama. The first known armed conflict in which Jack participated was the defense of Fort Donelson, located in Stewart County, TN. This conflict occurred February 11-16, 1862 and was a total victory for the Union forces, commanded by General Ulysses Grant. The Confederate forces yielded to an unconditional surrender and 12,000 soldiers were taken as prisoners, Jack being one of them. A copy of the official report of Colonel Roger Hanson, who was the Commander of the 2nd KY Infantry Regiment, is included (*). All of the Confederate prisoners from the surrender of Fort Donelson were sent to northern prisons. Jack and the rest of his regiment were among 8,000 prisoners that were sent to Camp Douglas, in Chicago, IL. Camp Douglas had originally been constructed as a Union Army training post. During the years of 1862 - 1865 it served as a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp. During this period of time the camp housed approximately 26,000 prisoners in temporary, wooden barracks. As a result of harsh conditions, some 4,000 men died at the camp and were buried in unmarked paupers' graves in Chicago's City Cemetery. Portions of a letter written by one of these prisoners, in which he describes his prison experiences, is included (*). Jack was a prisoner at Camp Douglas until September 1862. At that point, he was among a large group of prisoners who were released and sent to Vicksburg, MS for exchange of Union prisoners. For the period of August 1 through October 31, 1862 he was listed on the Company Muster Roll as absent, having been left sick in the hospital at Montgomery, AL. He was listed as "present" on the Company Muster Roll for the period of November and December 1862. On December 7th his regiment was involved in a battle at Hartsville, TN., in which 1,400 Kentucky Confederate troops attacked a Union post. After a 2 hour battle, the garrison was surrendered to the Confederates. The casualties of the 2nd KY Infantry in this battle were 8 killed and 54 wounded. A copy of the official report of Major James Hewitt, who was the Commander of Jack's regiment, is included (*). Jack was listed on the Company Muster Roll as present for the period of January and February 1863. For the period of March and April 1863 he was listed as absent, having been sent on detached service at McMinnville, TN. He was one of 115 men of the 2nd KY and 41st AL Infantry Regiments who had been sent to McMinnville to provide provost guard duty. On April 21st the Confederate forces at McMinnville were attacked by Federal forces. Jack was one of 180 Confederates captured during this confrontation. His name appears on a list of prisoners of war at a military prison in Louisville, having entered the prison on May 2, 1863. From there he was sent to Baltimore, MD on May 7th and on May 10, 1863 he was paroled at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. By whatever circumstances, Jack was listed next on his Company Muster Roll for the period of July 1 through October 31, 1863 as absent, having been detailed to nurse the wounded in a confederate hospital at Marietta, GA. For the period of November and December 1863 he was listed on the Company Muster Roll as present. On November 26th his regiment participated in a battle at Missionary Ridge, Tennessee. The official service records do not indicate whether Jack was involved in this action. He was also listed as present on the muster rolls covering January, February, and April 1864. On May 9th and May 14th, 1864 Jack's regiment was involved in battles at Mill Creek Gap and Resaca, Georgia. Jack apparently fought in one, or both, of these battles. His name appears on a list of casualties as having been slightly wounded. The next, and last, Company Muster Roll on which Jack's name appears is for the period of May to August 31, 1864. He is listed on it as absent and sick in the hospital. During the autumn of 1864 the 2nd Kentucky Infantry served as mounted infantry and took part in the defense of Savannah and the campaign of the Carolinas. There is nothing in the official records to indicate where Jack was when the Confederate forces surrendered. Some 30 years later, in Jack's Confederate Pension Application, his cousin John Merriman McGhee, who also served throughout the war, would state that "he was with us at surrender." Somehow, in spite of serving throughout the entire war, having been captured and imprisoned twice, wounded at least once, and hospitalized numerous times with various sicknesses, Jack managed to survive this terrible war. The Orphan Brigade, including many members of Jack's regiment, the 2nd Kentucky Infantry, officially surrendered themselves in Washington, Georgia on May 22, 1865. It is not known where Jack headed at the conclusion of the War, but my assumption is that he headed back home to Hickman County, Kentucky. His mother died in Kentucky in 1865. At some point, Jack's father Silas Macklin McGhee moved from Hickman County back to Lawrence County, Alabama and married Nancy Jane Bettis in 1869. To this marriage were born 2 children: Silas Jackson McGhee Born November 16, 1869 in Jonesborough, AL; Died March 26, 1930 in Waco, TX. Laura Olivia McGhee Born About 1871 in Jonesborough, AL; Died 1899 in McLennan County, TX. By that time, Jack also had relocated to Lawrence County. He is listed on the 1870 Federal Census for Lawrence County as residing in the household of his cousin John Merriman McGhee. On the census record, John's occupation is listed as "Grocer Retail" and Jack's is listed as "Clerk in Grocery". It may well be that Jack was working for John in a grocery store. In about 1871, either all at the same time or within a short span of time, most of these related McGhee's left Lawrence County and relocated to Texas. The first may have been Henry Anderson McGhee, who was the father of John Merriman McGhee and brother of Silas Macklin McGhee. He initially moved to Falls County and within 2 years settled in the Waco area of McLennan County. Following to that same area at either the same time or shortly thereafter was John Merriman McGhee and family, Silas Macklin McGhee and his new family and also Jack. Jack apparently was in Texas by 1874. His father Silas died on January 21, 1876 and was buried in the Graham Cemetery in Coryell County, which is adjacent to McLennan County. The earliest documented evidence I have of Jack in Texas is from 1874. Much of the following information is taken from the City Directories of Waco for the years of 1878 through 1892. He continued to live in Waco for the remainder of his life. During the years of 1878 - 1879 Jack worked as a clerk at J.W. Rugby - Groceries & Provisions, which was located at 90 Austin Avenue. He also lived at those same premises during that period of time. He is listed on the 1880 Federal Census for the City of Waco (*). It lists his occupation as bartender. Also listed in the household are a widow women as a boarder, Jack's stepmother Nancy J., his stepbrother Silas J., age 10, and his stepsister Laura, age 7. During the years of 1880 - 1881 Jack worked as a bartender at the Imperial Saloon, which was located on Washington Avenue. I was unable to find any city directories for the period of 1882 - 1885 and was therefore unable to determine any specifics of Jack's employment or residence for that period of time. In a letter (*) dated October 16, 1885 sent by Jack from Waco to his brother Henry Newton McGhee in Doniphan, Missouri, Jack stated that he was doing a very good business in the saloon. He also stated that his sister Minerva had been sick, but was improving. Evidently Minerva had moved to Waco at some point following the death of her husband Joseph Carpenter in Kentucky. Minerva may have been living with Jack at the time this letter was written. Jack also mentioned to Henry in the letter that their step mother Nancy J. was living in Ross, Texas at that point. During the period of 1886 - 1887 Jack was the proprietor of his own saloon. It was named the Gilt Edge Saloon and was located at 633 Austin Avenue. He had an employee named W.P. Green who worked for him at the saloon. During this period of time he and his sister Minerva were residing at 654 Washington Avenue. It appears that at some point Jack may have either lost or sold his saloon. During the period of 1888 - 1889 he worked as a bartender at a saloon located at 631 Austin Avenue, which was owned by Michael Shields. This saloon was named the Avenue Saloon and was located at basically the same location as the Gilt Edge Saloon, which had been owned by Jack. Jack and his boss Michael Shields were both boarding at a Wortham's Hotel during this time. It appears that Minerva may have left Waco by that point and had probably relocated to Missouri. On October 30, 1889 Jack married a widow named Mary Jane Tankersley. They were married in Waco by a Justice of the Peace named Frederick M. Makeig. She was the widow of Elijah Tankersley, with whom she had a son named Frank Tankersley, born in January 1880. Prior to her marriage to Jack, Mary Jane had been either working at or simply boarding at a boarding house in Waco owned by Mrs. Julia Knight. During the period of 1890 - 1891 Jack worked as a bartender at an unknown location and he and his family resided at 111 Archer St. in East Waco. On July 14, 1891 a child was born to Jack and his wife Mary. She was named Mary Arminta McGhee. To my knowledge, she was the only child born to Jack and Mary. It is apparent to me that she was given her middle name in memory of Jack's mother Arminta. Throughout her life, Jack's daughter apparently was known by the name "Minta". During the period of 1891 - 1892 Jack continued to be employed as a bartender. During this period he and his family were residing at 623 Tyler St. in East Waco. On February 19, 1895 his half brother Silas Jackson McGhee was married to Florence Nightengale Johnston in Jack and Mary's home. It appears that, by 1899 Jack was both physically and financially in a rather poor condition. In 1899 Jack applied for and received from the State of Texas a Confederate Pension (*). This pension law was passed in 1899. Texas confined these relief payments to confederate veterans or their widows who were resident in Texas since 1880 and were disabled or indigent. On his application, Jack stated that he had resided in Waco for the past 25 years, which meant that he had moved to Texas as early as 1874. By this time Jack was in a poor state of health. In the Application for Pension, his cousin John Merriman McGhee stated that Jack had been unable to work for years and also was blind. On the same application, an examining physician stated that "Age, the loss of one eye total and the other very imperfect, and a heart trouble that of itself would make any hard labor very hazardous and also frequent attacks of bronchitis". On the application, Jack also stated that his total real and personal property amounted to "household furniture worth about $50.00". The annual amounts of the pension were very small and increased by a small amount each year. For fiscal year 1899-1900 the annual amount was $61.00. Jack and his family appear on the 1900 Federal Census for McLennan County (*). Listed in the household are: J.W. McGhee, age 64, born March 1836 in AL, no occupation On June 3, 1909, at the age of 73, Jack passed away in Waco, Texas. At the time of his death he was residing at 1037 Pecan St. in East Waco. He was buried the next day at the First Street Cemetery in Waco. In the Fall & Puckett Funeral Home records, the cause of his death was listed as "chronic gastric catarrh", which apparently was a type of stomach inflammation. Those records also indicate that his funeral arrangements were made by his half brother, Silas Jackson McGhee, on behalf of jack's wife Mary. A short obituary article in the June 4th edition of the Waco Times Herald (*) read as follows: _____________________________________________________________ "With Rev. S. C. Littlepage officiating. the remains of the late J. W. McGhee were interred at First Street cemetery this morning. Many members of Pat Cleburne camp attended the obsequies, the name of Mr. McGhee having been on the roster of that organization for years." _______________________________________________________________
Descendants of John Wesley McGhee Following Jack's death, his widow Mary applied for a widow's pension from the state of Texas on January 7, 1915(*). The application was approved, with pension benefits commencing on March 1, 1915. At this point she was living at 701 North 9th Street in Waco. At some point (date unknown), Jack and Mary's daughter Mary Arminta (Minta) was married to Randolph B. Suttle of Waco, Texas. On September 19, 1926 a son named James Frances Suttle was born to Minta and Randolph in Hidalgo County, Texas. To my knowledge, James was the only child born to Minta and Randolph. In 1932 Jack's widow Mary was living with her daughter Minta and son-in-law Randolph in Rio Grande City, Texas (*). By 1947 Minta and Randolph were living in the city of McAllen in Hidalgo County, Texas. On January 26, 1947, at the age of 96, Jack's widow Mary Jane McGhee passed away(*), (*). At the time, she was still living with her daughter and son-in-law and was still receiving her widow's pension. At some point (date unknown), Jack's grandson James Frances Suttle married Mary Dale Sampson. To this marriage was born a daughter Jamie Frances Suttle on April 26, 1954 in Cameron County, Texas. Four years later on July 15, 1959 James Frances Suttle (Jack's grandson and Jamie's father) passed away. On June 28, 1968 Randolph B. Suttle (Minta's husband and Jamie's grandfather) passed away in McAllen, Texas at the age of 77. On May 22, 1976, Jack's great-granddaughter Jamie Frances Suttle was married to James S. Huggins in Dallas County, Texas. On October 27, 1977 Jack's daughter Mary "Minta" Suttle passed away in McAllen, Texas at the age of 86. Her obituary in the local paper, The Moniter, read as follows: ____________________________________________________________ Mrs. Mary Minta Suttle, 86, died unexpectedly Thursday at her residence. She had lived in McAllen for 51 years and was a charter member of Calvary Baptist Church. She also was a member of the McAllen chapter of Does. Survivors include a grandaughter, Mrs Jamie Huggins, of Irving, Tex., and a cousin, Rosemary Nelms of Waco. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church, with Dr. George Slayton, the pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Roselawn Cemetery under direction of Virgil Wilson Mortuary. ______________________________________________________________
To my knowledge, the only direct descendents of Jack McGhee were: 1. His daughter Mary "Minta" McGhee July 14, 1891 - October 27, 1977. 2. His grandson James Frances Suttle September 19, 1926 - July 15, 1959. 3. His g-granddaughter Jamie Frances Suttle April 26, 1954 - ?? My efforts locate Jamie Frances Suttle have not been successful up to this point.
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