Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am taking this week to love and appreciate my family so no new posts are available. You are welcome to review old post and vote on story types in the upper right corner.

Celebrating Confederate Ancestors

Not actually sure if this is
John Hansford Callway.

Do you celebrate your ancestor who was a Confederate Soldier? This is a question I'm wrestling with. To celebrate is to take pride in them, their beliefs and their accomplishments. It is to speak openly about them with a sense of dignity and reverence. When I'm discussing my ancestors among groups of friends and strangers, a confederate veteran isn't top of my list. From a 21st century perspective, I know my ancestor's beliefs are 'wrong.' I am not proud that he owned slaves, that he fought to keep slavery, that he fought to divide the country. Yet, I respect that he fought for his beliefs. It's a contrary place to be.

My ancestor, John Hansford Callaway was proud to have served in the Confederate Army. He mustered in on May 10, 1862 in Hamburg, Arkansas becoming part of Captain Bragg's Company, Arkansas Infantry. He served until May 15, 1866. His soldier's life was recorded in muster rolls and widow's pension records providing me with an unique insight.

• May 10, 1862 - Enlisted at Hamburg Arkansas by A.J. Greenwood
• May to June 30, 1862 - Present for Roll Call: "Pay and Bounty due from enlistment."
• Sept 1862 - "On detailed service"with 1st Regiment Trans-Mississippi Infantry
• June to Oct. 31, 1862 - Absent for Roll Call: "Detailed with Sappers & Miners, July 18, 1862"

• Oct. 31, 1862 to Feby 28, 1863 - Absent for Roll Call: "Absent without leave."

•  Feb. to April 30, 1863 - Absent from Roll Call: "Absent without leave. Said to have joined Parson's Texas Calvary"

•  April 30 to Aug 31, 1863 - Absent from Roll Call: "Sick in Hospital. July 18, 1863. Bounty due. He has only received $30.00 to service enlistment."

• Dec 31, 1863 to Feb 29, 1864 - Present for Roll Call.
• Feb 12, 1865 - Prisoner of War "belonging to the Rebel Army, in custody of Provost Marshal, Memphis, Tennessee... sent from Gaine's Landing"
• Mar 9 - Released from prison by Captain Wilson

Other than him serving in the Confederate Infantry, how do I know that John Hansford was proud of his service? With the help of HeritageQuest I've been able to scour old books, on of which was History of Ashley County, Arkansas (1959). From the appendix (p. xxvi-xxvii) is the following excerpt:

"The great day of 1889 was September 26th when 3500 to 4000 attended a barbecue and "dinner-on-the-ground-celebration" in honor of the veterans of the late war. It was held across the street from the Gus Norman residence which was located on north main street in Hamburg where George Etheridge now lives, the property formerly being known as the Dr. J.W. Simpson place. Great preparations was made for the event. At a mass meeting at the courthouse the following committees were appointed to solicit funds: ... Egypt: B.A. Tubbs, J.H. Calloway and R. M. Barnett...Committee on speakers: M.L. Hawkins, J.H. Calloway, W.A. Roby and T.J. Wells. Everyone performed his duty well. On the great day everything was in proper order. The speaker's committee had selected Colonel Slemons of Monticello to make the principal address. Prior to the dinner, a parade with Col. Slemons, riding a fine bay horse and escorted by 300 veterans marched from the courthouse square to the picnic grounds preceded by a marching band. The exercises at the grounds opened by the band playing the Bonnie Blue Flag. ... The latter received uproarious applause as he spoke of his presence at the surrender and heard General Lee make his farewell address to his army. After the speaking the band played Dixie and the crowd went wild. After the barbacue the three hundred old soldiers met at the courthouse and organized Camp Jim (James) Norris, united Confederate Veterans..."

John Hansford not only served, he celebrated his service. I've decided that it's important to remember that without our ancestors, without him, I would not be here. So, Yes. I want to celebrate my ancestor, recognizing that I don't celebrate his actions. Now I'll remember and respect him, John Hansford Callaway, my great-great-great grandfather.

Tuesday Tagging - The Couple

Do you know who this might be?

P00007 - "The Couple"

Albumin Print, circa 1860 - 1890

Costume, circa ?

The man and the woman are wearing suit and dress that appear to be ill fitted and indistinguishable for a particular time period. The curtained background and the dress lead me to believe that this is a portrait studio scene. If that is the case, the clothes may have been borrowed from the studio for this picture. In which case, the clothes do not help me narrow down the time frame. 

Another interesting element to notice is their body language. They are standing close together but how would you define their relationship? Married... Engaged... Family Relations?

Tell me what you think and why.

The Oregon Trail

FYI - The Oregon State fruit is the Pear!

The historic Oregon Trail (you know, the one that the popular education game is based off of) began as a fur trappers' and traders' trail. It was only passable on foot or on horseback from 1811 to 1840 and spanned from Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon. Wagon trails soon followed until 1869 when the transcontinental railroad was completed. But that's not the Oregon trail I'm talking about. 

The Oregon trail I'm talking about is a gossamer strand of the Callaway genealogy which I discovered in the midst of spinning out the genealogy web from Arkansas. Now I've seen strands disappear in Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. But Oregon, that's a new one. 

Sometime between 1876 and 1878, Andrew Jackson Callaway, the oldest son of Martha Jane Jones and Jonathan Hosea Callaway, left Arkansas for Oregon. I know it was between 1876 and 1878 because he married S.A. Alston in Ashley Co. Arkansas(1876) and Sarah Steele in Oregon (1878). 

Now after a quick eye-popping "Yeah!", I had ask, "How did he get to Oregon and what was he doing there?" Oregon... late 1870s... what was going on? The Cattle Kingdom!

Here's what I've been able to piece together. In 1870, when Andrew was 19 years old he was living with his sister and brother-in-law, Sarah Caroline and William P. Griffin. William was an Editor and Andrew was a Farmer according to the 1870 census. Then in 1876 Andrew marries S.A. Alston who passes away shortly thereafter, possibly in childbirth. Based on historical events I speculate that perhaps in a desire for change Andrew joined a cattle drive coming up from Texas to the northwest.


He then lived in Oregon until is death on December 11, 1898. 

You'll notice on the tombstone that there's no birth date. However, it does give his age at 48 years, 9 months and 8 days. Using RootsWeb age calculator, it puts Andrew's birth day at March 3, 1850. The Callaway Family Bible puts it at March 25, 1850... that's pretty darn close. So I'm pretty confident that this is the Andrew Jackson Callaway that originally hailed from the Arkansas Callaways. 

Might make an interesting story. What do you think?

Tuesday Tagging - 2 Men in a Shop

Do you know who this might be?

P000021 - "2 Men in a Shop"

Albumin Print, circa 1860 - 1890

Costume, circa 1910s

The man on the left is wearing what looks to be a knit button-down sweater, properly called a cardigan. This costume is from the 1910s and 1920s, which places the photograph much later.

Tracing Arkansas Callaways

I've begun spinning out the genealogy web from Jonathan Hosea Callaway, my ancestor who brought my branch of the Callaways to Arkansas, and my genealogy web has grown ... a lot! To help me and you keep track of the names as I discover and write about them, I've created a second blog page called "Tracing Arkansas Callaways." Yeah, I know it doesn't sound very exciting but that's all my brain can come up with right now. 

The link is in the upper right corner and it's a work in progress, so you may want to check it every once and while.

Orphan, Widower & Vilomah

What do you call a parent who outlives a child? A similar question is brilliantly posed by Katherine Hepburn in the film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play Suddenly Last Summer. Katherine Hepburn as the pink haired Mrs. Violet Venable says, "After all, I've buried a husband and a son. I'm a widower and a . . . Funny, there's no word. Lose your parents, you're an orphan. Lose your only son and you are . . . nothing" (1959). Actually, Mrs. Venable is a vilomah and no, I didn't make that up.

"Widow" is from the Sanskrit word meaning "empty." Incidentally  "vilomah" is another Sanskrit word meaning "against a natural order." The natural order is for the parent to precede the child in death. Against the natural order if or the child to precede the parent. Thus, vilomah. 

Between the years of 1840 and 1850, Jonathan Hosea Callaway was a son, a husband, a father. He also became an orphan, a widower and a vilomah. 

• August 28, 1840 - John D. Callaway, father of Jonathan Hosea dies.
• November 29, 1840 - Jonathan's daughter, Martha "Mattie" Van, is born.
• March 16, 1842 - Jonathan's daughter, Sarah Ann Caroline, is born.
• November 28, 1844 - Jonathan's son, James Almorin, is born.
• December 3, 1846 - Jonathan's son, Hosea Lany, is born.
• December 3, 1846 - Lany, wife of Jonathan, dies.
• January 8, 1848 - Rachel Mobely, mother of Jonathan Hosea dies.
• August 30, 1848 - Jonathan Hosea married Martha Jane Jones.
• July 1849 - Martha's pregnant with Jonathan's son, Andrew Jackson.
• October 11, 1849 - Hosea Lany, son of Jonathan, dies.
• October 29, 1849 - James Almorin, son of Jonathan, dies.
• March 25, 1850 - Jonathan's son, Andrew Jackson, is born.

Even if we assume that people accepted death more readily in the mid-1800s than we do today, I find my self thinking that Jonathan Hosea must have experienced tremendous heartache by the time his son, Andrew Jackson, was born. To become a father and a widow on the same day. Then lose your mother 2 years later and become an orphan. To lose two small sons within weeks of each other and become a vilomah while your wife is 4 months pregnant. The pressure of grief is too much for me to imagine. 

There's plenty of research about antebellum mothers with regards to grief and mourning. This personal encounter with a historical person made me realize, I hadn't read anything about fathers. Surely, someone else had the same questions I did. In 1994 Sally McMillon asked a similar question which resulted in the publication of her article "Antebellum Southern Fathers and the Health Care of Children" in the Journal of Southern History. McMillon states: "Historical studies of child care usually focus on mothers and demonstrate their important and demanding role within the domestic sphere. Studies of the antebellum South have examined the domestic role of slaves as well as their mistresses; however, the participation of southern fathers in the home - the duties that they assumed and the intensity of their involvement in the care of children - has not yet received adequate attention." I agree. 

Sally McMillon reviewed many personal letters and journals of Southern fathers which reveals a "deep concern and active participation in the care of their offspring" (514). She also explores the other side of the coin, those fathers who did not want or care for their offspring.  However, much of her article focuses on the attention and duties Southern fathers had in their children's lives. Like privileged antebellum women, men were instructed on proper paternal roles of fatherhood. These caring fathers were nursemaids to their children, cajoling them to eat, concocting remedies, soothing fevers, and holding them as they passed away. They also took care of their pregnant wives, ensuring a healthy mother ensured a healthy baby. While pregnant mothers had a "natural fear of the forthcoming delivery," fathers also "fretted, agonized and prayed" (517). 

The whole of McMillon's article provides an illuminating insight to Jonathan Hosea's potential personality. It also raises more questions. Did he rejoice in the birth of his son while grieving over the death of his wife? How do you conduct an antebellum funeral and a celebration at the same time. Since his mother was widow, perhaps she came to live with him and help care for the children after his wife's death. Is that why he waited so long to remarry? He needed someone to help him with the children after his mother died? What was it like for him to care for 2 sick little boys and a young pregnant wife?

It would be interesting to do some more research and write a story about this situation. What do you think?

Tuesday Tagging - Leaning Man

Picture found in Callaway Collection of Photographs, Unidentified Male

Do you know who this might be?

P00011 - "Leaning Man"

Albumin Print, circa 1860 - 1890

Costume, circa 1890s

Costume is similar to 1890 fashion illustration, notice the jacket, shirt collar and tie.

The 1st Wife, the 2nd Wife...Arkansas Marriages

I've heard people with teeth clenching frustration bemoan tracing women in their family history and I'm right there with them when search before 1850.  After 1850, they are still gritting their teeth and I'm smirking along. The only furrowed brow I really encountered were with Jonathan Hosea Callaway's two oldest daughters, Mary Ann Rachel and Martha Van. Their birth dates were clearly recorded in the family bible but not their marriages. 

Without a record of their marriage and their husbands' last name, it becomes difficult to trace them through census records. However, an hour at the genealogy center on Ancestry.com (Library Edition) soon solved this issue. These are transcriptions, not copies of the originals (if you know anything by now is that I thrive on the originals, so I'm still working on getting those).

Transcription: Mary R. Calloway, Female, age 23, born abt 1840, residing in Ashley Co. Arkansas, marries F F Brud, Male, age 34, marriage date - 23 December 1863

I'm still a little furrowed on this one because the surname Brud is not popping up. I really need the original in case there was an error in the transcription (i.e. the name was misspelled). 

The 2nd daughter was Martha Van and apparently went by "Mattie" since her step-mother was also a Martha. I found "Mattie Van Calloway" also married in Ashley County, Arkansas on December 5, 1867 to J. H. Riggin. Still smirking I did a search on FindaGrave.com and found she died on May 7, 1880.  Again her husband is listed as Rev. J. H. Riggin. I blinked... and blinked again. Wait, is that right?!

I quickly shuffled through my files for the youngest daughter of Jonathan Hosea Callaway. Her name was Louisa "Lula" Mason and she married.... yep, there it was, "John H. Riggin." Married  September 24, 1880 - just 4 months after her sister's death. Oh, Come on! Maybe this was a cousin with the same initials? Right? Right?

I checked to see if Lula's J.H. Riggin was a minister too... yep. Then I found these photographs. The back says "Riggin & 1st Wife Callaway." The dating of the photograph puts it between 1860 and 1890, well within the time period for Mattie's marriage to J.H. Riggin. Therefore, based on the above collected evidence and until new evidence proves me wrong, this is one of the few pictures I have of Martha "Mattie" Van Callaway.

That's Arkansas marriages for you and if you think about the time period, it actually makes a lot of sense. I could go into a cultural anthropology thing, but I think I'll save that for another article.