The Swafford family was one of the most prolific ones of southeastern Tennessee, and when one is researching their family members it is often a confusing endeavor.
There were seven Swafford soldiers in Co A of the 4th TN Cav, and it's taken me quite awhile to determine the relationships between those men. I continue to refine my research - I thought that I had them all "figured out" after I looked at the 1850 censuses for Bledsoe, Bradley, and McMinn counties, but now that I've looked at some of the 1860 census, I am revising my previous findings.
| Name | Birthplace | Age @ Enlistment |
Height | Complexion | Eye Color | Hair Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron P. | Bradley Co., TN | 30 | 5'10" | Fair | Blue | Dark |
| Ezekiel | Bledsoe Co., TN | 20 | 5'9" | Dark | Blue | Dark |
| Howard | Bledsoe Co., TN | 17 | 6'2" | Fair | Blue | Light |
| John W. | Bledsoe Co., TN | 22 | 5'10" | Fair | Blue | Sandy |
| Martin | Bledsoe Co., TN | 23 | 5'3" | Fair | Blue | Light |
| Peter B. | Bledsoe Co., TN | 18 | 5'8" | Fair | Blue | Light |
| William | Bledsoe Co., TN | 15 | 5'10" | Fair | Blue | Light |
| Name | Born | Enlisted | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter B. | 1843 | Bledsoe Co. | Nov 11, 1861 | Sale Creek, TN |
| Aaron P. | 1832 | Bradley Co. | Oct 25, 1862 | Scott Co., TN |
| Ezekiel | 1842 | Bledsoe Co. | Oct 25, 1862 | Scott Co., TN |
| Howard | 1845 | Bledsoe Co. | Oct 25, 1862 | Scott Co., TN |
| John W. | 1840 | Bledsoe Co. | Oct 25, 1862 | Scott Co., TN |
| William | 1847 | Bledsoe Co. | Oct 25, 1862 | Scott Co., TN |
| Martin V. | 1839 | Bledsoe Co. | Dec 10, 1862 | Scott Co., TN |
Some of the names are easier to specifically locate than others. For instance, Peter is found in the 1850 census in Bledsoe County, living in the household of his parents Peter and Unicy. He had brothers who matched for Aaron P. and John W.. By 1860, this family had moved to Bradley Co. - Aaron was living with his wife, but Peter and John were still living with their parents.
Another name that's easy to localize is Martin, who is found in 1850 living in McMinn Co., in the household of his parents Portman and Priscilla. However, the problem now is that while this Martin has brothers named Ezekiel and Howard, there is another household which also contains an Ezekiel/Howard combination. The ages for the second household's E/H combination are closer to those of the soldiers. Therefore, I place Martin in a separate household with no soldier siblings.
The three remaining soldiers, Ezekiel, Howard, and William, are all found in the household of Alexander and Lucinda. This family was living in Bradley County in both the 1850 and 1860 censuses.
Peter W. was the son of Aaron, and the grandson of Peter James.
Portman was the son of Abraham, and the grandson of Peter James.
Alexander was the son of Alexander, and the grandson of Jacob Swafford, who was the brother of Peter James.
Summary:
If you have suggestions on how to correct this data, please e-mail me.
My Swafford data comes from the following sources:Last updated Nov. 29, 2000.