The previous post contains a short biography of Captain David W. Ketchum, Assistant Commissary of the 51st North Carolina. The unexplained gap in his service record between 1863 and the end of the war became a problem for his widow 25 years after his death. This is the story of Sarah Ketchum’s three-year wait to… Continue reading Sarah Ketchum’s Pension Woes
Category: 51st North Carolina
Sorting out the Facts for Captain David Ketchum
Conflicting Sources I recently discovered two Find-A-Grave memorials for David W. Ketchum. The memorials contain conflicting information. Memorial #16296735 lists his date of birth as October 13, 1838, and date of death as April 19, 1893. The memorial has a photo of Ketchum’s tombstone with the birth and death dates inscribed on it. The other… Continue reading Sorting out the Facts for Captain David Ketchum
Company I Casualties from May to September 1864
On May 1, 1864, Company I, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops, moved from Petersburg to Ivor Station to join the rest of Clingman’s brigade on an expedition to Suffolk. The company had 129 men on its rolls. Six of the men were absent. Over the previous two years, the company had lost only two men… Continue reading Company I Casualties from May to September 1864
William R. Best Letters to “Cousin”
Note: this is the last of the letters I downloaded from the Private Voices website. William Reddin Best was born and raised in Duplin County. On April 16, 1861, at age 19, he enlisted as a private in 1st Company C, 36th Regiment North Carolina Troops. He served in the company for a year before… Continue reading William R. Best Letters to “Cousin”
William H. Strickland Letter to Family
Following is a heavily edited transcript of a letter Private William H. Strickland wrote to his “aunts and uncle” in September 1864, while he was home on furlough. This letter is part of the Sally G. Quinn Papers viewable on the Private Voices website (https://altchive.org/node/281). The original transcript is also available on 51stnct.com HERE. Magnolia… Continue reading William H. Strickland Letter to Family
Pvt. Jeremiah Strickland Letter to His Sister-in-Law
Jeremiah Strickland enlisted as a private in Company B, 51st North Carolina, on 29 May 1862. He was a 43-year-old farmer, living in Duplin County at the time of his enlistment. Strickland served with the company throughout the war, although he was hospitalized at least three times for illness. His son, William H., enlisted in… Continue reading Pvt. Jeremiah Strickland Letter to His Sister-in-Law
Ichabod Quinn Letters: A Summary
Background Private Ichabod Quinn, a 37-year-old farmer from Duplin County, enlisted in Company C, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops on March 6, 1862. Eight of his personal letters are contained in the Sally G. Quinn Collection at Duke University. The full transcripts are posted on the Private Voices website at https://altchive.org/node/281. I have also uploaded… Continue reading Ichabod Quinn Letters: A Summary
“It is so bad that it will almost skin the top of your head” Willis Holland to His Sister, Mary
The letter below is part of the Sally G. Quinn collection of transcripts on the Private Voices website (https://altchive.org/node/281). The transcript has been heavily edited to improve readability. The original transcript can be viewed HERE. Willis J. Holland (b. 1818) was a yeoman farmer in Duplin County. He wrote the following letter to his sister,… Continue reading “It is so bad that it will almost skin the top of your head” Willis Holland to His Sister, Mary
Samuel Guy to Governor Vance: “I warnt fit for service nor never would be again”
The following transcript is an edited version of a transcript posted on the Private Voices website. I corrected spelling, grammar and format to improve readability. The original transcript is available HERE. BACKGROUND: Samuel James Guy was one of six brothers who served in Company I, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops. He enlisted in Cumberland County… Continue reading Samuel Guy to Governor Vance: “I warnt fit for service nor never would be again”
A Visit to Somerset Place
A few weeks ago, I visited Somerset Place State Historic Site in Creswell. It was one of North Carolina’s largest antebellum plantations, comprising over 100,000 acres of mostly swamp land. The main house and several other structures are original buildings (renovated, of course). In addition, there are several reconstructed buildings in the slave area of… Continue reading A Visit to Somerset Place