John Whitlock 1844-1922

John W. Whitlock was the third son of Johnson and Rebecca Whitlock. According to his obituary he was born on July, 4, 1844 in Fall Branch, Tenn.; however, his headstone states he was born in 1843. The family moved to Morgan County, Ill. in 1850 and settled west of Waverly. In 1862 he joined the 13th Illinois Cavalry with his brother, Amasa (aka Macey). Both he and Macey were mustered in at Camp Douglas, Ill. in Chicago. Although John initially was sick, he recovered and went on to serve the full three years of his enlistment. Here is a photo of John presumably taken around the time of his service, as well as image from his official records that contains his description.

During his term of service the 13th Ill. Cavalry saw extensive service in Missouri and Arkansas. There were three major engagements the regiment was involved in--Prairie D'Ane, Bayou Fourche, and Jenkins' Mill (click on the link to go to the National Park Service website for the battle summary). During this time John served as a cook, either for a company or the regiment. One interesting incident listed on his records is that in early 1864 he was charged $2.35 for lost "Ordnance and Ordnance Stores." Presumably he lost something list a pistol and ammunition. In January 1865 he was discharged upon completion of his three years of service. He presumably was paid the $100 bounty he was promised at that time.

After the war he returned to Morgan County and farmed. On January 9, 1868 he married Martha G. Wood in Sangamon County (according to the Illinois State Marriage Database). Martha died in 1914 and John died in 1922. They are buried together in Franklin, Ill. cemetery. Here is a photo of their headstone.

Apparently John and Martha had no children, or at least none survived them. None are listed on John's obituary and there are no other family records that state they had children.

According to John's obituary which was printed in the Feb. 16, 1922 Franklin Times he had moved to Franklin in 1895 and had been in poor health for the last nine years of his life. The obituary incorrectly lists his service with the 101st Ill. Infantry. This is probably attributable to the fact there was a John Whitlock who served in that regiment (John's brother and my great-great-grandfather Alexander served in that regiment).

The history of the 13th Ill. Cavalry is recounted here in the Illinois Adjutant General's Report. If anyone is interested you can download a free history of all the Illinois military units that served in the Civil War. Click here to download this pdf.

The Thirteenth Cavalry was organized at Camp Douglas, Illinois, in December 1861, by Colonel J.W. Bell.

Moved to Benton Barracks, Missouri, where the Regiment was armed and equipped. Moved for the field, in February 1862. Was on duty in southeast Missouri until June 1, 1862, when it joined General Curtis' army, at Jacksonport, Ark. Moved, with General Curtis through Arkansas, taking part in the skirmishes of the campaign, to Helena, Ark. Returned, with General Curtis, to Missouri, in the fall of 1862, and was engaged with General Davidson in the campaign of southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, driving Marmaduke and his command from the State.

In July 1863, the Regiment moved, with General Davidson's Cavalry Division, into Arkansas, taking part in the battles of Brownsville, August 24 and 25; Bayou Metre, 27th and 28th; Austin, August 31; and again at Bayou Metre, September 4. The Thirteenth was the first Regiment to enter Little Rock, on its capture, September 10, 1863, and was engaged in the pursuit of Price, to Red River.

In the spring of 1864, the Regiment accompanied General Steele in the expedition to Camden, taking prominent parts in the actions at Arkadelphia, Okolona, Little Missouri River, Prairie du Anne, Camden and Jenken's Ferry, during the month of April. After returning to Little Rock, the Regiment was engaged in many raids and scouts, and in skirmishing with the forces of Shelby and Marmaduke, defeating them at Clarendon and Pine Bluff. In the summer of 1864, the Regiment was stationed at Pine Bluff, in Colonel Clayton's Brigade, and engaged in scouting and picketing.

On January 25, 1865, the Cavalry Division having been discontinued, the Regiment was assigned to duty at the post of Pine Bluff. In April, detachments of the Regiment were sent to take possession of Monticello, Camden and Washington, leaving Headquarters at Pine Bluff. Mustered out August 31, 1865, and received final pay and discharge at Springfield, Ill., Sept. 13, 1865.

List of battles and skirmishes in which the Thirteenth Cavalry was engaged:

Pitman's Ferry, Ark., July 20, 1862; Cotton Plant, Ark., July 25, 1862; Union City, Mo., August 22, 1862; Camp Pillow, Mo., August 29, 1862; Bloomfield, Mo., September 13, 1862; Van Buren, Mo., December 21, 1862; Allen, Mo., January 17, 1863; Eleven Point River, Mo., March 26, 1863; Jackson, Mo., April 22, 1863; White River, Mo., April 23, 1863; Bloomfield (2d), Mo., April 24, 1863; Union City and Chalk Bluff, Mo., April 25, 1863; Bushy Creek, Mo., May 31, 1863; near Helena, Ark., August 8, 1863; Grand Prairie and White River, Ark., August 16, 1863; Deadman's Lake, Ark., August 17, 1863; Brownsville, Ark., August 24 and 25, 1863; Bayou Metre, Ark., August 27 and 28, 1863; Austin, Ark., August 31, 1863; Bayou Metre (second), Ark., September 4, 1863; Little Rock, Ark., September 10, 1863; Benton, Ark., September 11, 1863; Batesville, Ark., October 22, 1863; Pine Bluff, Ark., November 28, 1863; Arkadelphia, Ark., April 2, 1864; Okolona, Ark., April 3, 1864; Little Missouri River, Ark., April 4, 1864' Prairie de Anne, Ark., April 10, 11 and 12, 1864; Camden, Ark., April 15, 1864; Jenken's Ferry, Ark., April 30, 1864; Cross Roads, Ark., September 11, 1864; Mount Elba, Ark., October 18, 1864; Douglas Landing, Ark., February 22, 1865; Monticello, Ark., March 28, 1865.

Amasa "Macey" Whitlock

The next few posts will be about the two brothers of Alexander Whitlock – Amasa and John. Both men served in the 13th Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War.

Amasa (Macy) Whitlock – born in Washington County, Tenn (probably Fall Branch), in 1841. His name comes from the Old Testament stories of David and his son Absalom (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amasa). The name apparently means “burden” in Hebrew and apparently was in use during the 19th century. He went by the nickname “Macy” as is shown by his official war records and his gravestone. Here is a photo of him, probably taken around the time he decided to enlist.


His age is listed as 21 years when he joined the 13th Illinois Cavalry on January 10, 1862 in Waverly, Ill. He joined at the same time with his younger brother, John. Both signed up for a three year enlistment. The unit was mustered into Federal service on Feb. 20, 1862 at Camp Douglas, Chicago. Camp Douglas was the site of the mustering in of many soldiers; later the camp became an infamous federal prisoner-of-war camp where thousands of Confederate soldiers died. Directly below is an image of part of his Civil War records that includes his description.

The 13th Illinois Cavalry deployed to southeast Missouri where the troops protected federal interests in this highly volatile border state. This area was important because of the presence of a railroad and an iron mine, resources that were crucial to the Union war effort. Thus the area was guarded by Union forces to keep the resources from Confederate troops. This town is near Pilot Knob, a geographical feature that was the site of a key battle in 1864. Here is a photo I took of the site in 2005. The marker is located on the grounds of a very nice state park; the tree covered hill in the background is Pilot Knob and the building is the visitor center. I will do a separate blog post about the battle and this area.


Macy became ill within a few weeks of arrival in Ironton, Missouri. In most wars the majority of deaths are due to disease, not weapons, and Macy became one of the countless casualties of microscopic bacteria. He apparently contracted typhoid fever, a disease caused the bacteria Salmonella typhi. Infection is usually brought about by poor sanitation. In modern America this disease is not a threat due to antibiotics and sanitation, but there are many areas of the world where typhoid fever is a major threat. As recently as 2004 in the Republic of the Congo an outbreak caused over 42,000 cases and 214 deaths (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_fever). Here is an image of the "Casualty Report" from Macey's records.


He died on April 30, 1862 at the post hospital in Ironton, Mo. His official records say his body was transported home to Waverly, Ill. by friends, where he was buried in Roger’s Cemetery. I cannot even imagine the sorrow that pervaded the Whitlock home in Waverly when the news was heard. Macy’s brother Alexander had been severely ill during his initial enlistment before being medically discharged, so to have a member of the family die so soon after joining the Union Army had to be a bitter experience.




Here are a couple of photos of Roger’s Cemetery outside of Waverly, Ill. where Macey, his parents, and many kinfolk are buried. The photo on the right is of my cousin Jay Toler pointing to the headstone of Rebecca (Wheeler) Whitlock, mother of Macey and wife of Johnson J. Whitlock (Macey’s father). The graves are thick with peonies that are no doubt beautiful when in bloom. Macey’s grave is on the left, Rebecca’s in the middle, and Johnson’s is on the right. The other photo is a close-up of Macey’s grave. Please note that the unit is listed as 13th ILL INF (for “Infantry”). It should read ILL CAV (for “Cavalry”).



































I would like to acknowledge the work and patriotism of Waverly resident and distant cousin, Shirely Aleguas, in obtaining Macey's veteran headstone and GAR marker. Shirley is an extraordinary genealogist, and she is responsible for obtaining many of the Civil War veteran headstones in Morgan County, Ill.

The next post will be about John Whitlock and his service. I will also post separate blogs of the history of the 13^th Illinois Cavalry and the Battle of Pilot Knob.

James Smith Born 1838 in North Carolina

I haven't posted here for a week, but will try to do better to share family history with my readers. Today's blog is about James Smith. He is a great-great grandfather on my mother's side. He served in the Union Army with Company A, 150th Indiana Infantry. He joined in February 1865, just a couple of months before the Civil War ended a Appomattox, Virg. This seems an odd time to be enlisting, but apparently there was a bounty (a bonus) available. He enlisted for a period of one year, but the unit was mustered out of federal service in August, 1865. Below is a snapshot of a page of his enlistment records I obtained from the National Archives.



The official history of the regiment reads:

150th Regiment Infantry

Organized at Indianapolis, Ind., and mustered in March 9, 1865. Left State for Harper's Ferry, W. Va., March 13. Duty at Charleston, Winchester, Stevenson's Station and Jordan's Springs, Va., until August. Mustered out August 5, 1865.

Lost during service 35 by disease.

According to other family history records his full name was James William Smith. He married Lucinda Cramer some time before his enlistment and they were apparently living in Lafayette, Ind. where he was a farmer. They eventually moved to Illinois and Missouri. His exact date of death is unknown, but he is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Hannibal, Missouri. This is a fairly old but scenic cemetery in Hannibal, overlooking the Mississippi River. As you can see from the photo below his headstone is partially buried and fairly weathered. Someday I would like to go back there and get his grave fixed. A veteran does not deserve this kind of legacy.



I really wish I knew more about the man, and that's the unfortunate thing about becoming interested in your family history when you are middle-aged. All the people who could tell you about an ancestor are deceased. So for you readers, ask about your family history when there are still people around who know something.

John Thompson James 1844 - 1913

John Thompson James is my great-grandfather on my mother’s side. He is the father of Orville and Paul, whom I wrote about in the previous post. John was a Civil War veteran. He served in the 134^th Illinois Infantry Regiment. This was a group of 100-day volunteers that was raised in Chicago in 1864. The excerpt below is from the Illinois Adjutant General's Report of Regimental and Unit Histories (Containing Reports for the Years 1861– 1866)

134th Illinois Infantry

The ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH INFANTRY ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS was organized at Camp Fry, Chicago, Ill., by Colonel Waters W. McChesney, and was mustered in May 31st, 1864, for one hundred days.

Left camp June 3d, for Columbus, Ky., where it was assigned to garrison duty.

Mustered out of service October 25th,

Below is a snapshot of one page of John’s official records from his service in the Civil War. Many men decided in 1864 to volunteer for a 100 day period of service because they were concerned that a draft would be held that would make the men serve the duration of the war. This may have been John’s motivation, or perhaps he had other reasons.

After the war he lived in Hannibal, Missouri and the surrounding areas. He married Evaline Scott in 1879. He is listed in the 1890 Census of Veterans as residing in Ralls Co., Missouri, and in the Sometime in the late 1900s he and family moved to Savanna, Illinois. He apparently worked for the railroad, as did many men at that time. The family moved back to Hannibal at some point as they are listed as living on Willow Street in Mason Township. John died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his body was transported to Savanna for burial.

The photo below is of John with his wife Evaline. The two other women are not identified on the photo but are probably their daughters Emma and Uva. According to family tradition the photo is thought to have been taken in Savanna, but it is possible it was taken in Hannibal.

In May of 2006 my mother (Shirley James Whitlock), her sister (Carolyn James Epperson), and I made a sidetrip to Savanna, Illinois to find the grave of John. Aunt Carolyn had determined that he was buried in the cemetery in Savanna, but she did not remember anyone from the family visiting John’s grave since he died in 1913. That made this kind of a special pilgrimage to honor our ancestor.

We found the grave with the help of the sexton of the cemetery and took a few moments to take the photos posted below. It was wonderful to discover so much about the life of a grandparent that lived in exciting times. He grew up when traveling by horseback was the norm and lived to see the advent of the automobile.

Alexander Whitlock

My great-great-grandfather Alexander Whitlock was born in 1840 in Fall Branch, Tenn. In 1850 he and his family traveled by covered wagon to Morgan County, Ill. His father, Johnson J. Whitlock, bought a small farm near the town of Waverly where the family tilled the soil. In 1861 Alexander enlisted in the 14th Illinois Infantry (Volunteer). Unfortunately he became ill and was medically discharged some months later. It should be noted that many of the enlistees of both sides of the Civil War became sick after joining--the isolated life they lived on farms did not allow any sort of exposure to common illness, so these young men basically did not have a strong immune system with which to ward off sickness.

When Alexander regained his health he reenlisted in the Union Army, this time with the 101st Illinois Infantry (Volunteer). He served until spring 1863, participating in the campaign to capture Vicksburg, Miss. Alexander again became ill and was medically discharged a second and final time. He returned home to Waverly and married the girl next door--a 14-year old by the name of Mary Catherine Bowyer.

Mary's father, James E. Bowyer, served in the same company in the 101st as Alexander did. Both apparently served on the ram, Lafayette. James was killed at the Battle of Dallas, Georgia (also called New Hope Church) on May 25, 1864. This battle was part of the offensive to sieze Atlanta and the South. James was buried on site. Interestingly, his company commander, William Seymour, was my great-great grandfather Robert Seymour's brother. I know this because in James' official war record it shows Seymour's signature on the death certificate.

More on Alexander later.