A Sea of Seymours
The 1963 family history of the Illinois Seymour clan by Esther Seymour Atwood contains a transcription of an article that appeared in the Jacksonville Daily Journal on July 30, 1922. The article is titled Seymour Family Held Reunion at Park: Large Company Gathered for Social Event -- Family One of the Largest and Most Influential in this Part of Illinois." (1). The reporter wrote, "It has often been said that if a man facing a Franklin audience would raise a stone and say 'Look Out, Mr. Seymour," more than half the men in the assembly would dodge." That was true then, and probably true now, not only of Franklin, but of Morgan County as well.Illinois Native - Union Patriot
There are many interesting and colorful kin of the Seymour line that I would like to write about, but the one who has been of particular interest for several years in William R. Seymour (1840-1892). Ever since I saw his fierce eyes in a portrait in the 1878 book, History of Morgan County, Illinois, Its Past and Present (Chicago: Donnelley, Loyd & Co., Publishers), I wondered who this man was in relation to me. His piercing eyes allude to something simmering below the surface, but that book only has his portrait. There is no biographical sketch.While researching my great-great-grandfather Alexander Whitlock, I had seen William Seymour's name on the rosters of the 101st Illinois Infantry Regiment. I knew that Civil War Service Records from the National Archives contained valuable information, so I requested William's record. When those copies of the archived documents arrived, I reviewed each piece of paper carefully. The one document that shocked me stated that he had been a prisoner of war! Unfortunately, the documents gave no other information. It was only when I was researching more information about the 101st Illinois Infantry Regiment that I discovered what happened to him.
Elected Regimental Officers
The 101st Illinois Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Duncan near Jacksonville, Illinois in late August 1862 and mustered into federal service on September 2, 1862. According to the military traditions of the day, officers were "elected" by the soldiers rather than appointed by a higher military authority. The election results were usually slanted toward who was most popular rather than who was most qualified. However, for these "no-nonsense" Westerners, I would like to think that ability trumped likability. Having a man in charge who could take care of matters such as getting you fed, clothed, and housed would be most important.
William would have been 22-years old when the 101st Illinois was organized. He enlisted as a private when the regiment was formed and within days he was the second lieutenant for Company G. Over almost three years of continual service, he rose in rank, ending his war service as a captain (and commander of Company H). During this time he participated in campaigns, including Vicksburg, eastern Tennessee, the Atlanta campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, and the Carolina's Campaign. As described above, it is during the final weeks of the Civil War that William had a run of bad luck during the Battle of Bentonville (North Carolina) when he and ten of his Company H soldiers were captured.
Prisoner of War
One of the fantastic primary resources available to researchers of the US Civil War is The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (1895). These are the reports of commanders from the Union and Confederate armies at all levels of commend. In this set are multiple books organized by campaign and region. There are also detailed maps from the war.
One of these reports in the volumes about the campaign in South and North Carolina was written by Lieutenant Colonel John B. Le Sage, last commander of the 101st Illinois Infantry. He describes pushing into the Carolinas following General Sherman’s “March to the Sea” and the seizure of Savannah, Georgia. On the 19th of March, after having pushed through Fayetteville and marching toward Goldsborough, the Confederate Army (led by General Joseph E. Johnston) made a stand against Sherman’s Union Army at Bentonville. The Confederate Army initially prevailed, but the Union Army pushed back and held their ground. Johnston’s army withdrew, although Johnston surrendered to Sherman about a month later.
In this battle, the 101st Illinois was part of the Union reserve and not directly engaged. However, soldiers must be fed and since Sherman’s army prided itself on “living off the land,” foraging parties were sent out to locate provisions for men and horses. One the last few paragraphs of Le Sage’s report contains this sentence:
One of these reports in the volumes about the campaign in South and North Carolina was written by Lieutenant Colonel John B. Le Sage, last commander of the 101st Illinois Infantry. He describes pushing into the Carolinas following General Sherman’s “March to the Sea” and the seizure of Savannah, Georgia. On the 19th of March, after having pushed through Fayetteville and marching toward Goldsborough, the Confederate Army (led by General Joseph E. Johnston) made a stand against Sherman’s Union Army at Bentonville. The Confederate Army initially prevailed, but the Union Army pushed back and held their ground. Johnston’s army withdrew, although Johnston surrendered to Sherman about a month later.
In this battle, the 101st Illinois was part of the Union reserve and not directly engaged. However, soldiers must be fed and since Sherman’s army prided itself on “living off the land,” foraging parties were sent out to locate provisions for men and horses. One the last few paragraphs of Le Sage’s report contains this sentence:
“During the day, however, a foraging party, consisting of Capt. William R. Seymour, of Company H, and eleven men, were captured by the rebel cavalry.” (4)
William's records indicate that he was released from captivity but no exact date is given. No names of the soldiers who accompanied Seymour are provided, and the records that I have available do not provide any additional information. The Battle of Bentonville was March 19th and General Lee surrendered at Appomattox on April 6th. However, this was only the surrender of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee fought on for two more weeks. He surrendered to General William T. Sherman at Bennett Farm near Durham, North Carolina on April 26, 1865. What all this means is that Seymour and his troops would have been prisoners of war for at least five weeks and possibly more. No doubt their experience was grueling because the Confederacy had few means of supporting their own soldiers, much less prisoners of war. Furthermore, the truth about the conditions of Union prisoners in the camp at Andersonville, Georgia had come to light during Sherman's March, which had occurred only a few months previously to the Carolinas Campaign. These soldiers of the 101st Illinois undoubtedly expected rough treatment, but I could not locate any records of where they were imprisoned. He and the men were released some time before May 15, 1865, as that is when his service record indicates that he was honorably discharged.
Genealogy of William R. Seymour
In the family history of the Seymour's and Pulliam's mentioned at the beginning of this post, a bit more information is provided about William. His father is Robert Seymour (1795-1878), born in Person County, North Carolina. Robert was the firstborn of John Granderson Seymour (an immigrant from England in 1792) and Agnes Allen Pulliam (daughter of a long-established Virginia family). Together the couple had a total of thirteen children (eight boys and five girls) (2). All were born in North Carolina and almost all of them emigrated to Illinois in 1829 to settle near Franklin in the newly-opened lands of central Illinois. (3)
Robert was married first to Judah Bull on February 8, 1817. There were five children born to the couple: John Granderson, Jr.; Martha; Jane C.; Elizabeth; and Richard (Dick). When Judah died, Robert married Martha (Patsy) Austin (about 1839). Their first child was William. Four other children were born: Francis (Frank) M.; Judah; Julia Ann; and Susan. Martha died on October 2, 1846. She was 40 years old. Robert married a third and final time to Elizabeth Edwards Row on May 13, 1857. As the genealogist say, "there was no issue."
William was born February 8, 1840 in Morgan County. His half-brothers and sisters had already left home or were teenagers when he was born. By the time he was ten years old he would have been the eldest child in the house and assumed levels of responsibility that would no doubt develop into the leadership skills he would show as a combat commander during the Civil War.
He married Melinda Grimsley (born December 10, 1844) on August 30th, 1862. Given the date of the mustering of the 101st Illinois Infantry, he must have returned to Morgan County and married during leave or furlough. I know from my own deployments with the military how heart-wrenching it is to leave a wife and family, but for these newlyweds it must have truly been a difficult time.
The couple had ten children: Addie, Neal, Martha, Fannie, Wilmeth, Anna Lee ("Pink"), Susan, Harry, Austin, and Cornelia. No doubt there are many people today who would have to dodge a rock if someone hollered "Look out, descendants of William Seymour."
William died on January 26, 1892 at the young age of 52. No doubt the stresses of the Civil War, as well as the risk of death from diseases we don't consider a threat any longer, contributed to his early demise. His wife, Melinda Grimsley, died March 30, 1917.
Ties of Kinship
I am related to William Seymour in two ways. First, he is the first cousin of my great-great-grandfather Robert Seymour. This makes him first cousin, three-times removed. He is also the second cousin of Robert's wife, Lucy Ann Seymour. Second, he is my third-great uncle because he is the (half) brother of Lucy Ann's father (my great-great-great grandfather), John Granderson Seymour, Jr. This complicated kinship with William Seymour is typical of many family relationships during the nineteenth century and before where families lived in within a specific geographical area for generations. Cousins would often marry without any of the legal restrictions or social scandal that would occur in our modern age. DNA is funny. I've been told that with my beard that I looked a lot like William. Here is a photo of me holding his photo. The beard is bit too short, but the DNA is all there in the eyes, hair, and frown.
Sources
1. Page 14."The Descendants of John Granderson and Agnes Allen (Pulliam) Seymour: Also a Short History of James Pulliam" was written by Esther Seymour Atwood and Published in 1960 by the Genealogical Records Committee, Governor Bradford Chapter, Daughters of American Revolution in Danville, Illinois. An article about John Granderson Seymour and his family was written by Genealogist, Myra N Martin and Published in the Waverly Journal, Waverly, Morgan County, Illinois, April - October, 1968, in celebration of the Illinois Sesqui. "The descendants of John Granderson Seymour constitutes one of the largest families in Morgan County."2. Ibid, page 18.
3. Ibid, 18.
4. Page 675, CHAP. LIX. Campaign of the Carolinas.
Links:
http://www.scattercreek.com/~normw/LESAGE,JOHN%20B.pdf
