May | 2021 | Posting Family Roots

Memorial Day- a day to honor those who have fallen in battle. We also place flags on the graves of veterans. Four years ago, I reported on Herman E. Maurer, cousin on mom’s side, who died in World War II. Last year, I posted about William Posten, killed during the Revolutionary War and who might be related to my dad’s family. This year, I turn to my husband’s family and tell you about Lewis Garrett Holcomb who died during the Civil War.

In 1861, Lewis enlisted in the Army of the Confederacy and served in Company I, 10th Texas Cavalry Regiment. Five of his brothers–George Creager Holcomb (my husband’s ancestor), John Wesley Holcom, Henderson H Holcomb, Thomas Harrison Holcomb and Joel M. Holcomb–also fought in the Confederate Army.

For more information about the 10^th Texas Cavalry and the battles in which they engaged: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/tenth-texas-cavalry

Lewis died of “phlg [phlegmonous] erysipelas”, a skin infection with abscesses, in Lee Hospital, Lauderdale County, Mississippi, on 28 May 1864. [5] He had been in the hospital since March 1864. Did he have an infected battle wound or was the infection caused by something else? He is listed on Find A Grave as being buried in the Lauderdale Springs CSA Cemetery, near Meridian, Mississippi.[6] However, he may or may not be buried there. According to William Burdette, Jr., who lives about five miles from the cemetery:

(https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49814868/l-garrett-holcomb : accessed 24 May 2021).

Lewis died fighting for a cause that he and his family believed in. Some may say that Confederate soldiers are not worthy of being honored for their sacrifice. I disagree. My sons carry the blood of both Union and Confederate soldiers in their veins. I tell them repeatedly to be proud of all their ancestors.

REFLECTION:

Memorial Day is a good time to reflect on the many lives sacrificed for our country. Many have persons in their family tree who died while serving in the military. We need to remember these whether they died during a time of war or during a time of peace. As I look deeper into my family trees, I plan to identify those who died while serving in the military for future posts.

Am I glorifying the Confederacy? My answer to that charge is “No.” I am reporting on individuals and families in our (my husband’s and mine) collective family tree. These persons are also members in the family trees of others alive today. Many Americans have ancestors who fought for the British during the American Revolution. Does that make the current generation any less American? No. Should they still embrace those ancestors? Yes. Without direct line ancestors, my sons would not exist. Remember, too, families often divide in their loyalties. Even today, families face political, religious and/or ideological differences.

With every post, I do more digital file clean-up. I review paper and digital files, adding information to fill gaps. My Genealogy Do-over doesn’t seem as tedious when I do it this way.

What I learned: Lauderdale Springs CSA Cemetery in Lauderdale county, Mississippi. More pictures of the cemetery can be found on Find A Grave website (https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/60360/lauderdale-springs-csa-cemetery )

What helped: extensive family trees with many records already found. Online resources.

What didn’t help: incomplete citations. Not having anyone particular in mind when I considered a topic for this post.

To do: make a list of those who died while serving in the military. Choose one to honor on Memorial Day next year.

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots blog, 2021.

SOURCES:

[1] 1840 U.S. Census, Mountain, Washington, Arkansas, population schedule, Mountain, p. 261, line 27, Joseph Hanleen; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 25 May 2021); citing Washington, D.C.: National Archives & Records Administration, microfilm publication M704, roll 20.

[2] 1850 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, , p. 882, dwelling 527, family 527, J Holcomb 49; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 25 May 2021); citing Washington, D.C.: National Archives & Records Administration, Microfilm Publication M432, roll 909. Son, Harman Henderson, born 1843 in Texas; older children born in Arkansas.

[3] “Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Index, 1837-1965,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 24 May 2021); citing Texas State Library and Archives Commission and various county clerk offices, Texas.

[4] 1860 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Beat 7, dwelling 1094, family 1094, LG Holcombe; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 25 May 2021); citing Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Administration, microfilm publication M653. Lewis reported his birthplace as Illinois; possible that family lived in Illinois for a short time.

[5] “Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers who Served in Organizations from the State of Texas,” digital images, Fold 3 (http://www.fold3.com : viewed 25 May 2021), Holcomb, L.G. (18 pages); citing Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 109, roll 0063; Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , compiled 1903 – 1927, documenting the period 1861 – 1865.

[6] “Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers who Served in Organizations from the State of Texas,” digital images, Fold 3, Holcomb, L.G. (18 pages); page 12 of 18.

Off on a different kind of search today. It started with a new (to us) piece of furniture, an antique display cabinet bought at an estate sale. This glass enclosed cabinet replaces another wood cabinet. When we cleaned out the wood cabinet, we found a pile of old stock certificates purchased at an auction years ago. Our original plan was to decoupage the certificates on old pieces of furniture. We looked through the certificates and made some interesting finds. One of those finds is an original issued patent, complete with the red seal from the US Patent Office. This post tells about my first foray into forensic genealogy with the goal of returning this heirloom to a rightful owner.

The patent is for Rotary valve engines issued to Chester E. Sherman of Kansas City, Missouri in 1918. There are also 4 stock certificates in the Rotary Valve Manufacturing Company issued to L. A. Sherman in November 1914.

Who was Chester E. Sherman? I entered his basic information on Ancestry. First item uncovered was a 1920 census record for Chester E. Sherman in Kansas City , Missouri.[1] Following the information from that record, I found Chester’s death certificate. [2] He was born in Kansas in 1874 to Louie A Sherman and Alta Page. Chester died in Dallas, Texas in 1961. He married Izetta Peppard in 1916. [3] Izetta died in 1987, presumably also in Dallas.[4]

Chester and Izetta had two daughters. Edith Pauline, born 21 December 1923 in Missouri, died 5 March 2002 in Dallas, Texas. [5] Edith’s name is on same mausoleum slab as her mother’s. Edith possibly never married.

Eleanor Lucille Sherman was born 16 April 1915 in Kansas City. She married C.W. Morris on 5 March 1933 in Dallas, Texas. [6] Eleanor died in September 1996.[7] C.W. and Eleanor had at least one daughter, Bobette Eleanor, born 23 March 1937 in Dallas. [8] Bobette married possibly two times – 1^st to Max Alford and 2^nd to Everett W. Campbell. Bobette may still be alive and could be Chester’s only direct descendant. Other relatives of Chester may also be interested in having this piece of their family’s history.

Three ancestry trees included Chester. I sent a message to the owner of one of those trees and wait for a response. If I don’t get a response, I will message the owners of the other two trees. Posting the information on my blog is another way of trying to contact a member of Chester’s family. I will hold on to this document for several months then seek an appropriate repository.

This line of inquiry is called forensic genealogy. Recently, there have been several TV shows about this type of search using DNA matches. All of us probably use similar methods to find cousins or other relatives. I admit that I am not as proficient in this as others. I do not expect any financial renumeration for returning this very important document to the family. I hope that someone someday will do a similar favor for me.

Reflection

This was an interesting journey. I used many skills learned through my Genealogy Do- Over to access information and evaluate the data. I amazed myself that I was able to find relevant information within a few hours. My reward will be the return of this document to a family member.

I needed a break from the intense work I’ve been doing on an article about my mom’s family. I only need to track down a few more sources. I wasn’t sure what to write about this week. A topic always seems to surface!

What I learned: more about forensic genealogy and different ways in which it can be used.

What helped: genealogy do over skills. Online database with search feature.

What didn’t help: having only a name and residence in 1918 for Chester E. Sherman.

To do: wait for someone to claim the documents.

SOURCES:

[1] 1920 U.S. Census, Jackson Co., Missouri, population schedule, Kansas City, enumeration district (ED) 117, p. 5A(ink pen), dwelling 80, family 113, Chester E Sherman, head, age 24; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 8 May 2021); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication T625_927.

[2]“ Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982,” database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 8 May 2021), entry for Chester Elisha Sherman; citing Texas Department of State Health Services. Austin, Texas.

[3] “Missouri, U.S., Jackson County Marriage Records, 1840-1985,” database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 8 May 2021), entry for Chester E. Sherman and Izetta Peppard, certificate no. 1913K0058670; citing Marriage Records, Jackson County clerk, Kansas City, Missouri.

[4] Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com : viewed 8 May 2021 ), memorial page for Izetta P Sherman, Find A Grave Memorial no. 107692206 , citing Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park (Dallas, Dallas Co., Texas), memorial created by T, photograph by T.

[5] Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 , database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 May 2021); entry for Edith Sherman, SS no. 449-24-6962.

[6] “Texas, U.S. Select County Marriage Records, 1837-1965,” database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 8 May 2021), entry for Ms Eleanor Sherman and C.W.Morris, certificate no. 16229; citing Dallas County Clerk’s Office, Dallas, Texas.

[7] Social Security Administration, “U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, “ database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 May 2021); entry for Eleanor Lucille Morris [Eleanor Lucille Sherman], SS no. 449-68-6967..

[8] “Texas, U.S. Birth Index, 1903-1997,” database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 10 May 2021), entry for Bobette Eleanor Morris, roll no. 1937_006; citing Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas; father: Charles William Morris, mother: Eleanor Lucille Sherman.