Since I love history and genealogy, I decided to try to find out how many of my eight great-great-grandfathers actually fought in the Civil War. I knew already that two of them had been soldiers because I had already written about them. During my research for this project, I found four more. Of the eight, one was too old and another one too young. My main sources were the North Carolina Troops books and two other locally written books, a roster of Davie County troops and also one for Davidson County troops.
First was my Grandfather Smith’s grandfather, William Harden Smith, who was born in 1836 in the Farmington area of Davie County. He married Phebe James in 1856, and they had six children, including my grandfather’s mother, Rachel. William enlisted in the Confederate Army when he was 27 years old and was a private in Company F, 42nd regiment of North Carolina troops. Pension records indicate that he was wounded in his right hand in 1865, shortly before he was paroled. He lived until 1919 and is buried in the Bethlehem United Methodist Church Cemetery, where his tombstone lists his service.
Another family member, James Ledbetter Bowles, whose name is incorrectly listed in the NC Troops book as James L. Bolds, was my great-great-grandfather who married Jerusha Jacobs in 1850. They were the parents of my great-grandmother, Lovie Belle Bowles Dwiggins. James enlisted in Davie County on March 18, 1862, when he was 28 years old as a private in Company F, 42nd Regiment, North Carolina troops. There is no record of any particular war events involving him, and he was paroled at Greensboro, NC on May 1, 1865, and came home to farm in the Mocksville district as he had done before the war. He died in 1909 and is buried at Center United Methodist Church Cemetery, where many of my family rest.
Newberry Potts was my Grandmother Hartley’s grandfather. Born in 1843 to William and Sarah Potts, he was also a private in Company E of the 42nd regiment of NC troops. Before the war, he worked for his father, who was a cooper, in the Fulton district of Davie County. Newberry enlisted at age 18 in 1862, was paroled at Salisbury on June 5, 1865, and took the Oath of Allegiance there as well. He married Edie Ann Carter in 1868, and they had four children, one of whom was James Potts, my great-grandfather. Newberry died in 1920 and is buried at Fork Baptist Church. His brother, Hiram, also served in the army and returned home safely.
The last one here is John Henry “Bud” Young, born in 1830 in Davidson County, NC. He married Eliza Brooks in 1850 and had seven children, one of whom was my great-grandmother, Eliza Young Hartley. John was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 66th Regiment of the North Carolina Militia. However, he apparently left the militia and served in the Home Guard. A March 1864 letter about him from Lt. Colonel Jesse Hargrave reads: “Tell Mr. J. H. Young he is not exempt and must report for service in your Home Guard.” I did not find him listed in the North Carolina Troops book, but I found him in a book by Joshua Howard called Forgotten Heroes: Davidson County, North Carolina and the War Between the States. What Howard did was to locate where Civil War soldiers were buried in his county. Not surprisingly, John Henry Young is buried in the Sandy Creek Lutheran Cemetery in Tyro, North Carolina, where many of my other family members are interred. He died in 1908, and his service in the Confederate Army is listed on his tombstone. It reads as follows: “CSA Veteran Second Lieutenant, Reeds District 66th Regiment NC Militia and in Lt Colonel Hargrave’s Home Guard” as well as listing his name as 2 LT John Henry “Bud” Young, Jr.
Although none of these men were killed or severely wounded, I can only imagine the disruptions in their lives by being taken away from their families and their homes for several years. None of these people were wealthy or owned slaves, yet they obviously felt the call of duty to their country. All wars require great sacrifice.