Introduction
David Gurganious was born in New Hanover County in 1835 to Swinson and Henrietta Malpass Gurganious. Swinson died in 1849, leaving his widow to raise five children: David, Ella Jane (b. 1836), Thankful (b. 1839), Robert (b. 1841), and James Warren (b. 1846). Henrietta remarried, to J. P. Malpass, a year after Swinson died and had four more children over the next eight years.
In 1852, Ella Jane married Thomas Oliver Rooks. The couple lived on Rooks’ farm and had three children over the following seven years. Ella’s three younger siblings moved in with her.
David married Mary Elizabeth Boswell in the late 1850’s. The newlyweds lived on the 720-acre family farm with David’s mother, step-father, and the four step-sisters. The couple had one child, David L. Gurganious, in 1861.
On February 8, 1862, David Gurganious enlisted in Captain George Walker’s company (later assigned as Company A, 51st North Carolina) as a sergeant. He served with the company for two years, until he became ill in Charleston. Gurganious died of pneumonia in a Charleston hospital on May 1, 1863.
Several of David Gurganious’ letters mention a dispute between him and Ella Jane. Ella’s husband, Thomas Oliver Rooks, died intestate in February 1863. J. F. Simpson was appointed administrator of Rooks’ estate. Simpson was unclear about the ownership of Washington, a slave that David had inherited from his father. The outcome of the dispute is unknown.
The Gurganious documents are contained in the John Henry Murphy Papers #3400-z, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill. Images and transcripts by Kirk Ward.
14 Nov. 1862 (Kinston): Gurganious to wife
Camp Allen Nov 14th 1862
Dear Wife
I will inform you
that I am well at this time, only
I am sore We have been on a long
march We went down in five miles
of Newbern and drove in the yankees
We killed One but some say we killed
two, but I do not know. I never saw
them at all. I will tell you all
about it when I see you. We are
ordered to Wilmington we will
start in the morning, I reccon
and then you can come to see me
You need not come until I write
again as you have not come yet
you hold own awhile. I want to
see you but It will be uncertain
about your seeing me for we have
Just got back now and we are
ordered to Wilmington. I hope this
letter will find you and bud [son David L.]
well
[page 2]
You may be sure that I want to
see you and bud and I hope we will
see each other before long. Oh my Dear
Wife If you only knew how bad I
wanted to see you, You would not
rest day nor night. We lost three
men in our rout One got killed
by the yankees and the and one
shot his hand off and the other
was takened a prisioner I reccon
we never have seen him since. You
tell Robert to let you read his letter
when you see him. You do the
the best you can. I want you to
keep the Right that Henry Moore
has got for my mare be sure to let
no person have it burn it if they
try to take it, for he had a note
of mine of fifty dollars besides what
he I owed me him I will try to come
home and see about it if I can
he was to give me both the notes before
[page 3]
he tuck the mare I will close
for I cant write now for thinking
of other things So you may look
for a long letter from me next
time
Your husband
David Gurganious
19 Mar 1863 (Charleston): Gurganious to step-father
James Island South Carolina March 19th 1863
Dear Father
I once more seat myself down
to write you a few lines to inform you that
I am well at this time hoping these few lines
will find you and all the family enjoying
good health I have nothing very interesting to write
you at this time. I have just got a letter from
Mollie [wife Mary] I would be very glad to be at home now
to attend to my business but it is so that I have to
stay here if I was to loose all I had in this world
her letter was written the 5th day of March. I have
wrote her five letters and received one. There is a
talk that there will be a fight here but I do
not beleive there will be any here although
there may be but of there is one it will supprise
me I hope we will be ordered back to North
Carolina for I want to get where I can get som-
thing to eat for all we get is poor beef and bread
the beef is so poor that it will stick to wood
if you were to throw it again it. I think
we have eat some that come out of the mire
I have not seen 500 lbs of bacon since I came here
it is beef all the time and that the poorest you
ever saw man eat Oh, you do not know how we
fair Oh, poor beef sees sights now I have just
eat some it had not a bit of fat on it if it
did I did not see it Oh, how I want some bacon
I did get one slice of bacon this morning
for the first in ten days. I want you to go
over and see Mary Eliza and advise her how
to do. I want her to hold the Rights and let
no person see them nor have them
[page 2]
that I give Oliver Rooks You tell her for my
sake to never give them up She wrote that they
wanted them and I know by the way she wrote
that they were trying to scare her out of them
do go and see her and take the Rights in
your hands I will spend all the rest I have
got before they shall have him I want to see
you all Give my love to all the Children and
tell them I want to see them all. Give my
love to all inquiring friends Oh, how
I want this War to stop I want this War
to stop so bad that I cannot rest. We drill
all the time but we mist drilling to day
Write as soon as you get this and fail not
I have been right sick since I have been out
here but I have got well I can eat all
they give me to eat. I will have to close
for this time So Good by
Yours Until death
David Gurganious
P. S. Direct your letter after this form
Sergt D. Gurganious
Co A 51st Regt N. C. T.
Charleston
South Carolina
Clingman’s Brigade
Gurganious to wife (Charleston) [partial letter, last page only; based on the content of this letter, it was probably written on March 19, 1863]
I want you to write as soon as you get this
and fail not, give me the dates of all the
letters you got from this maks Seven I have
wrote to you since I left Wilmington Oh
my Dear how I long for this War to close
I want to see you and bud so bad I do
not know what to do. I dremp of being with
you and bud last night Oh, how pleased
I was I wish I was with you to day how
happy I would be. Tell mother I am well. Tell
her to not be uneasy about that right for it is
all right. I want you to make all you can this
year to eat for it will not be to be bought an
other year plant all the Potatoes you can
and corn. Be sure to direct your letter after
this form
Sergt David Gurganious
Co A 51 Regt N. C. Troops
Charleston
S. C
Clingman’s Brigade
P. S. Write soon Dearest and fail not
for I want to hear from you. I will close
for this time
I Am ever yours
David Gurganious
22 Mar. 1863 (Charleston): Gurganious to wife
No1 James Island South Carolina March 22nd 1863
My Dear Mollie
I seat myself this evening to
answer your kind letter which came to hand
the 19th Inst Oh, you do not know how glad I
was to receive it. The letter that I got was written
the 2nd 4th and 5th Inst It found me well and
am still enjoying good health I hope this letter
will find you and My Dear Baby well I was
very sorry to read that he was sick. I am proud
to say that my health is better than it ever has
been. The letter I got was mailed the 6th of March
one day after it was written. Hearafter I want
you to number your letters and then I will know
when I get all you write. The next one you write
put it No1 and the Next No2 and so on and I
will number mine do yours like mine and I will
always know when I get them all. You wrote in
your letter for me to come home but My Dear
they want let none of us off. You wrote that they
were going to sell Wash if they do sell him
while I am away from home It will be the
dearest sell they ever met with for I have got
a holt on them and I will use it. You let no
person see nor have those Rights do now as I
tell you. You say nothing nor tell nothing about
them give the Rights to your Father until I
come home. Elly Jane will try to do all she
can against us I know her I am like you say
I do not care if I never see her again so I and
her does well and keep living and seeing. They
will tell you five hundred lies about what
they are going to do you need not pay attention
to all they say Warren had better be at work he
would make more by it I think. Lest Turn over
[page 2]
They tell you a lie when they say you have
to show the right they will tell you any thing
to get you sceared so they can get them but
you show them to no person I am the One
for them to come to and you tell them so
you did not make the Bargain and you
have no right to let any person have or
see them you do not have to show the rights
but they will tell you so to get them as
I am gone. I hope they will get dodged I
hope you will do as you wrote you would do
I say let no person see nor have them. Tell
Wash to keep close. It is a posative lie about
its costing 50 dollas to search the records
you can tell them so for It would not
cost 1 dollar. Let them crack their whip I
hope I will be home some day and I will
see them out if I live you tell them so
E. J do not know that I will collect 1200
dollars out of the Estate besides paying of the
securiety debts which Olive stud with me
if they sell Wash which will make about
1600 dollars for Wash. Oliver give me his note
for 1250 dollars if Wash had to be sold. If they
will give you that note let them have the
right and pay my debts, that is if they
will pay my debts and let you have my
notes but they must pay the debts and give
you the notes first before you let them have
them. Hold on to the right until I come home
you do that it will be the best. I wrote
you a letter the very day I got your letter
but mine was gone before I got yours No1
[remainder of letter is missing]
5 Apr. 1863 (Charleston): Gurganious to wife [This letter has a large hole in the lower portion of the sheet]
James Island S. C. April 5th 1863 Sunday
Dear Mollie
With much pleasure I seat myself down
this sunday morning to write a few lines to
inform you that I received your kind letter yesterday
and was glad to hear from you and to hear you
and bud were well. Oh, how happy I am when I
receive a letter from you I wrote you a letter this
week I reccon you got it a Friday. I will inform
that I am well at present hoping these few
lines will find you and bud well. You asked
me how long I thought the war would last My
Dear I am unable to tell you, but there is a
Fortune teller in Charleston that has told some of
Our boys that the war will end and be peace in
the last of June. I have never had her to tell mine
yet but I am going to for I beleive she can tell
for I know she has told some things that is so
She told Judson Croom [1st Sgt., Co. A, 51st Regt.] that our Company
had been in one fight and never would be in
annother nor the Regiment would never be in
engagement again so if you can beleive what
she tells, you may look for me home in the Sum
mer if I live and I hope I will for I want to
see my Dear Mollie and baby so bad I do not
know what to do. She also tells them that we
will move in a short time and will go an
east course from here I [?] it is to N. Carolina
I am going to have [?] tell mine if
she tells mine I will [?} all down to you
I will go in a few [?] charges one
dollar to tell. I want to get her to tell me
about my Business at home and the War
[page 2]
Some thinks there will be a fight here but I do
not. You hold on to Wash and keep him at work
for I will assure you that I will never give
him up Fred Simpson need not come on that
business for he will go back as he come for
I shall give him no satisfaction you may
rest easy about that. I want nothing to do
with him nor I do not want him to bother
me now if he does he might get hurt. did
they come to my house after the right
or not let me know in your next letter
Robert may have Wash for what I told him
And I will warnt and defend him tell Robert
to write to me and fail not. Tell bud I am
well and wants to see him tell him to be a
good boy I will come home to see him some
time if I live tell him to send me word how
he is tell him I want to see him very bad
I will send you two Envelopes in this or
more if I can get them in the Envelope they
are some of my own make. Give my love
to Mother and family. I will close by saying
pray for me and that in earnest. I would write
more but I want to send you those Envelopes
I have to do all my writting on my knee and
set right flat down. Her is one kiss for you
and bud May God bless you is my prayer for
you. Oh My Dear Mollie how I long to be with
you and may [?] time soon come when we
will meet to [?] more. I try to do the
best I can and [?] continue to do so and
you must do the same
I am your Friend until death
Good bye Dear Mollie David
[Note written on plain brown paper, perhaps an envelope; no date]
Oh, Mollie send me one dollar
If you have it that is all I want
Yours &c
D Gurganious
29 Apr. 1863: Letter from attorney J. F. Simpson to David Gurganious; Gurganious died before receiving the letter
Moores Creek April 29 – 63
Mr David Gurganious – Dr Sir
Having administered on the estate of
the late Thos. O. Rooks, I regret to find
on Record a Bone fide Right to a boy the
name of Washington whom I find in
possession of your lady. Of course you
must be aware that, it becomes my duty
to take possession of him, & deal with him
as Rook’s property, at the same time I
am fully impressed that the sale was not
real, and from the evidence that I can
gather, I am fully satisfied of the fact, but
as an administrator I must act according
to law. As soon as you Return, all that
I will ask is a propper voucher that will
indemnify me from the heirs of Rooks,
in getting which I will give you all
the assistance in my power
Respectfully
J. F. Simpson
Probate Account
Copyright © 2021 – 2025 by Kirk Ward. All rights reserved.