Letters from a Civil War Relative #8: May 11, 1862 from Camp Cumberland

 Richard Stamper sends another message home, again on patriotic stationery. I suspect Lewis Reynolds wrote this one for him. 

 I hope this was not the family’s first notice of Edward Turner’s death.     

Camp Cumberland Knox Co Ky May the 11 1862

Dear father I seet myself once more to drop you a few lines to let you no that I am well at this time hoping when these few lines comes to hand they may find you all well.

I have nothing verry strang (strange) to rite to you at this time.

I rote you a letter about the 14 of April but I don’t know whether you got it or not.

I hant received manny letter from you sens Mr. Reynolds was rit hear and I have throat (thought) long of the of the time I throat you had forgot me but I am hope not. 

                                         Turn over

Edward P Turner died the 9 of April and I want you to come out and take his things home. The captain has put them lock up in his trunk a waiting the opportunity to send them home and I want you to bring brother John with you for his discharge has come on. It was sinned (signed) the 26 of April and not fail to deo so father. (Sic)

I would like to see you all but no I am deprived of that opportunity at this tiem but I think I will get home before long if I have good luck for luck is a fortune but a man be where he may.

So turn over and read the rest.

At this point, I have uncertainty if the next page goes with this one, but I am including it here. The message fits well enough with the previous paragraphs and I think the handwriting is similar enough as well. If it is not part of this letter, his words still give insight into the spiritual side of his life, especially in light of his brother-in-law’s death.

I do not see any other page that might end this missive, so it is another cliffhanger of sorts.

I have had many troubles and trials to encounter with sens (since) I have bin in the servis and expect to see a great many more if I live long in this troublesome world. I want to deo (do) as my rite as I can I put my trust in god for I no he is the only savior and I want all of my brothers and sisters to deo the same for I no life is uncertain and death is sure.  The(re) is several sick her(e) and one died to day. That will make a man come to his (illegible - sadness?) to see soldiers die in the servis.

Location of Knox County, Ky.

An AI generated report noted: “There is no specific historical site known as “Camp Cumberland” from the Civil War era; instead the name likely refers to Cumberland Gap , a crucial strategic pass where Union and Confederates forces fought for control, or Camp Wildcat (near London, Ky, an early Union encampment and battle site. Alternatively, it could refer to Camp Marrowbone in Cumbetland County, Kentucky, which saw usage by both Confederate  and Union troops.

I am skeptical about these  suggestions. The unit had been at Camp Wildcat previously, with letters using that name. Camp Marrowbone appears to be an 1863 site, likely not around at this time. Also, Cumbetland Gap is not in Knox County. Maybe this was a small temporary site near Barbourville, where an earlier letter had said the men were going. 

Letters from a Civil War Near Relative #7: Undated from Edward Turner

This time it is Edward Turner's turn to write and let Joel Stamper know how he is doing. It is interesting to see that Joel had been allowed (and able) to visit the unit's camp. 

Edward did mention he was fighting a “just cause.” I wish he had specified what he considered “the cause” to be. Was it keeping the nation united or did he think of other issues such as slavery?

This one is undated, but Edward died in April of 1862, so I'm guessing at where it belongs chronologically in this series. 

A few lines from Edward P. Turner to Joel Stamper and family to let you know that I am well at this time and hopes that when these few lines come to hand that they will find you all well and well doing.

I can inform you that we are at the same place now that we was when you was here. I would be glad to see you all one time more but it appears that I am deprived of the privalege at this time but hopes that the time will soon come when the Rebels will have to lay down the weapons of war and we can again be permitted to see each other and converse with one another but if I never am permitted to return I wish you to know that if I die in this cause I die in a just cause.

I want you to write to me as soon as you can and come and see us as soon as you can.

So no more at present but remain your affectionate son in law until death.

Write to me how David Sebastian and Hampton Turner and families is doing and tell them to write to me.

From Edward P. Turner to Joel Stamper and family

As mentioned in a previous entry, Hampton Turner was another of Richard’s brothers-in-law, and my 3 times great-grand uncle.  

David Sebastian was one of my 4 times great-grandfathers, yet another intersection of this story with my genealogy.  

Letters from a Civil War Relative #4: December 16, 1861, from Camp Calvert

Today’s letter is the fourth I’ve published here.I believe there will be 14 or 15 total depending on how I decide to handle a couple of undated and unsigned  pages. 

This one appears to be in Edward Turner’s handwriting. 

Camp Calvert December 16, 1861 

Dear Father mother brothers and sisters.

I again take the pleasure of writing you a few lines to let you know that I am well at present. Hoping that these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing.

I received your letter dated Dec. 13th, come to hand last night, which gave me great satisfaction to hear that you was all well. I would be glad to see you but I don’t know when I shall get to come home for a young man has a bad chance to get a furlough but I would be glad you would come and see us.

I want you to try to bring John here again the first of January for that is pay day and Colonel Garrard says he wants all of the soldiers to be here on that day.

Tell Hampton Turner and his wife and all the rest of my connection that I would be powerful glad to see them all.

So no more at present but remains yours truly.

From Richard Stamper to Joel Stamper and family

The "John" mentioned in the text is probably a cousin of Richard and a member of the same unit. He was home on sick furlough at this time. Since it reports that Colonel Theophilus Garrard wants all the soldiers there for pay day, this was probably the man to whom Richard referred. John was eventually discharged from the service on April 26, 1862, due to “feeble muscular development & health.”

Hampton Turner was probably another of Richard's brothers-in-law, having married Richard's sister Marta (Patsy) Stamper, though it is curious that Richard referred to “Hampton and his wife" instead of something like "my sister and her family." Was he just conditioned to refer to the male head of the household even when talking about his own family? “The rest of my connection” surely refers to his sister and her children, his nieces and nephews.  

Hampton Turner was also one of my 3-great grand uncles, as this project continues to tie in my soldier cousin Richard Stamper with other members of my family tree.  

I also have not found any other information on “Camp Calvert," other than it was "in the Cumberland Gap area, location undetermined,” per this list. I did find an archived New York Times article that included a report frim this camp, but it did not provide other details on the camp’s location.

An AI generated report says it was in London, Laurel County, which would be close to Wildcat Mountain.  It would make sense for it and these men to be in the same region still, but I hesitate to rely on such a source. 

Letters from a Civil War Relative #2: October 27, 1861 from Camp Wildcat

Here is part two in this series of letters from the pension file of my 5 times great-granduncle Joel Stamper, whose son Richard and son-in-law Edward Turner both sent letters that ended up in that file. Both of them also died in the war. 

This letter is the closest to a battle report or military overview as exists in these letters, though other mentions of the enemy occur later. Edward penned this one for Richard.

Camp Wild Cat October the 27^th 1861

Dear Father, I take the opportunity of writing to you to let you know that I am well at this time, hoping that these few lines will find you all injoying these same blessings.

I have something vary interesting to write to you.

I can inform you that on Monday last the 21 of October we had a battle at Camp Wild Cat and we lost 3 killed and 8 wounded and the loss of the Rebels was about 200 on upwards.

On the day before the battle 1,000 men came from Indiana and 1,000 from Ohio and on the day of the battle 1,000 more came from Ohio and brought 6 cannons and on the next day come 1000 more from Ohio and 1600 from East Tennessee. Our strength the day before the battle was about 700 of Garrard’s regiment and about 700 cavalry.

The strength of the enemy was about 7200.

We are a going to start after them on the morning.

John Stamper is gone back to Mt. Vernon but he is on the mend.

I would be glad to see you but am deprived of the privalege at this time but I intend to come home as soon as I can get a furlough.

It is not worth while for you to write to me until I send you another letter when we stop.

So no more at present but remains your affectionate son until death from Richard Stamper to Joel Stamper and family.

The American Battlefield Trust provides more information about this Union victory, and here is some archaeological information about the remains of Camp Wildcat.

Here is one soldier’s view of this contest. 

Photo from Laurel County Historical Society, stored at https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62812b2c3b43106df0e623a5/b1e5caf1-78d1-499b-a722-a4f434f677ca/1-157.jpg, 

"Garrard" referred to Kentucky politician and Colonel Theophilus T. Garrard, a future Brigadier General.

                                                           Theophilus Garrard, photo from Wikipedia

The John Stamper that Richard mentioned was likely his cousin who was in the same company. Perhaps they both had Richard Stamper Sr. as a grandfather, but I have not yet been able to confirm John's parentage, so that is uncertain. If they were cousins via Richard Sr., that of course means that John is another distant relative for me, so I will have to add him to my list if I verify that tie. John was discharged from the army in April of 1862 for being too weak physically for military duty, so his time "on the mend" apparently did not go too well.

Mt. Vernon, where John had gone, is a city in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, near Garrard County where these men had mustered in at Camp Dick Robinson and not far from Breathitt County, where Richard had been born and lived.

The next entry in this series will be a brief letter from Edward Turner to his family, written on the same day and at the same place as this one.

An Exciting New Personal Project: Letters from a Civil War Ancestor

As I continue my exploration of local Civil War soldiers and their stories, I’m adding another project, one that combines the Civil War with another interest I’ve had for quite a while - genealogy.

I have made a few posts over the years about family members in the war and even have a separate page with some of these names and information on it, but this new undertaking involves a perspective I never expected to find. 

A few months ago, I wrote about Richard Stamper, a distant relative of mine from so long ago. He was a private in company D of the 7th Kentucky Infantry and died on January 8, 1863, from wounds received at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou late in December of 1862. He was the first member of my family that I knew had served and perished in the war, so this was a sad but fascinating discovery.  

The same cousin who informed me of his story later obtained the pension records of Richard's father Joel. These records include letters home from Richard to Joel as well as a couple from Edward P. Turner, Richard's brother-in-law and a member of the same company. My guess is that the letters were in the same file since they were sent to Joel Stamper back in Owsley County in eastern Kentucky. Joel was also Edward's father-in-law, as Edward had married his daughter (Richard's sister) Delitha, aka Lida.

Location of Owsley County

Like Richard, Edward also died during the war, passing away due to typhoid fever on April 9,1862, at Cumberland Ford, Ky.

As I did not know of any ancestors who had died during the Civil War, so did I also not have any letters or other similar writings from any of my many family members of the past, Civil War veterans or not - no letter collections, diaries, or anything like that. That this one case involves both makes it a treasure of sorts, at least to me.

Some of the letters have standard dates, headings, and greetings, as well as signatures or notations from the sender. Others, however, do not, and this causes some confusion as some letters were longer than one page. I am working on these, trying to figure out which pages belong with which others, at least as accurately as I can. It seems that some pages are simply gone, not part of this file, including the one I thought may have been the most interesting. I'm still hoping to match up some of these pages to others, but that seems unlikely.  I may need to publish some pages as "unknown date and place” or “incomplete,” as it appears that much of this collection is a mishmash of pages from various letters. Oh well. This is still fascinating.

Most that have headings are from southeast Kentucky or northeast Tennessee in late 1861 through mid-1862. I believe all were from that region and time. It’s not exactly the midst of the most famous campaigns of the war, but the Union did gain some success in this area during and just after the timeframe of these letters.

These letters generally ask how family at home is doing and state how the soldiers wish to see friendly faces again. Actual military talk is uncommon, but there are a few brief discussions on such topics.

That’s kind of where I am starting on this, along with trying to read the writing and understand the wording. The authors used phonetic spelling at times, but it is not always clear what the writer meant. Sometimes, though, the meaning is perfectly clear, and I think I can hear relatives I’ve known talking with the accent some of these unique spellings represent. Much of my maternal family - both sides - come from Breathitt County and the surrounding area, such as Owsley County, where farming was the most common way to make a living, one which I believe most of my ancestors there likely held, so I suspect Richard and Edward are fair, or at least reasonable, representatives of my direct ancestors of the time in terms of how they spoke and the language they used. It may be a door into my past, the kind that does not show up on enlistment forms, census records, obituaries or any such common genealogical documents. This is different. It's special.

I must say it’s hard for me to read these “few lines” - a common phrase in these letters - without trying to vocalize them in my head, especially the word “hant.” 

I find it really cool that a couple of these letters are on patriotic letterhead. They do not change the message in the letters but certainly are a nice detail. I wonder if Richard got stationery from sutlers near camp or if he received it from home. 

One example of the stationery.

There is truly a level of personal interest in this work that goes beyond my other research and writing. I am anxious to dig more into it and to share these writings and the stories they tell. I’m undecided if I will correct the spellings or just post them as written. I think making the corrections will make them easier to understand, so I’m leaning that direction, but the authenticity of how they spelled out their thoughts is something I appreciate as well. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually, perhaps not consistently from post-to-post, or even sentence-to-sentence, so this might be a challenge. I also don’t know how soon I’ll finish it. I want to enjoy this and not rush through it. I'm not really sure how quickly or slowly this will go. 

Richard Stamper, 7th Kentucky Infantry: An Ancestor who Perished in the War

One of my interests in the war has been finding out about family members who served in the war. As this separate page shows, I have found several few relatives who served on the Union side (no Confederates have turned up in my searches yet) but until recently, I had not found any relative that had died during the war, at least until a cousin forwarded me this name.

Richard Stamper was born in about 1840 in Breathitt County, Kentucky, and enrolled in company D of the 7th Kentucky Infantry on September 3, 1861, in Booneville, Kentucky, in neighboring Owsley County. He officially mustered in on September 22 at Camp Dick Robinson.

His grandfather Richard Stamper Sr. was my 6 times great-grandfather, making this Richard Stamper my 1st cousin, 6 times removed. 

That is obviously a distant relation, but he was a relative. He was on my maternal side, part of my family that had so many members come from the hills of eastern Kentucky, especially Breathitt County. (One of these other relatives was Nimrod McIntosh, a 3-time great-grandfather of mine, who was in the same company as Richard.)

Richard was mortally wounded during the early part of the Vicksburg Campaign, falling victim at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in Mississippi in the last days of 1862, before passing away on January 8 of the new year. 

This battle was an early attempt by William Sherman to capture the Confederate stronghold on the hills along the Mississippi River. This attack failed badly and ended in Confederate victory, with the Union suffering many more casualties than the Rebels. This meant that further attempts to capture the important city would be necessary and many other men on both sides would become casualties of war in the area.

The 7th Kentucky in this battle was a part of Colonel Daniel W. Lindsey's 2nd Brigade of Brigadier General George Washington Morgan's Third Division of Sherman's 13th Corps. 

Last year, I read and enjoyed Donald Miller's fine book Vicksburg: Grant's Campaign that Broke the Confederacy, but now I want to go back and read the section about this battle again. It will have a bit more meaning to me.

About two months after this, ironically, Nimrod McIntosh fell ill at Young's Point, Louisiana, and ended up hurting his back and transferring to the Veterans Reserve Corps, so both of my ancestors in this campaign ended up being casualties, though in different ways. (Nimrod survived the war and drew a pension for his disability.)

I see no evidence (yet) that Richard and Nimrod were related, but their presence in the same company almost assuredly means they knew each other, but how closely? Were they friends or just acquaintances? Perhaps they had met before the war, too, but those are genealogy questions for another day and platform.

Thank you for your sacrifice, cousin. Rest in peace. 

William Orlando Tarvin, Co. F 53rd Kentucky Infantry

An unexpected aspect of my quest to identify as many Campbell County Civil War Soldiers and  Sailors was the discovery of more of my distant relatives who served in the war. The first one of these soldiers who I realized was related to me was William Orlando Tarvin.

Orlando, as he went by, was born on May 11, 1841 in Campbell County, probably Carthage. He was the son of Thomas Floyd and Winifred Gholson Kercheval. William’s great-grandfather was Reverend George Tarvin, my sixth-great-grandfather, making us second cousins, five times removed, a distant relationship, but still a relationship.

The 1860 census listed him as Orlando Tarvin and reported that he lived with his parents and eight siblings. He had no occupation listed at the time.

 Orlando joined company F of the 53rd Kentucky Infantry, signing up in December 1864 in Newport, along with many other Campbell County men. He joined as a private and eventually was promoted to sergeant.

 

 The 53rd Kentucky had formed late in the war and missed out on the most famous battles and campaigns but it did help guard the Kentucky Central Railroad which ran south from Covington and through Lexington. It also protected areas in Kentucky against guerilla attacks. Its most noteworthy service was as part of the Saltville Raid into southwestern Virginia in December of 1864 when it helped destroy Confederate salt  works and several of the unit's men were wounded, killed or captured. 

 

One early 1865 story in the Cincinnati Enquirer listed Orlando among a group thought to have been captured by the Confederates during that campaign, but it was a  mistaken report regarding him, though others on the list did become prisoners of war.

 

After the war ended, Orlando, who was listed as 5 feet 7 inches tall, with blue eyes, sandy hair, and a florid complexion when he enlisted, transitioned back to civilian life. In 1870 he lived with his parents and three sisters while working as a cooper. He then married Sarah Lee Nelson on November 29, 1876 in Carthage, with Reverend James Jolly officiating the ceremony.

Four years later, the 1880 census listed Orlando as a farmer living with his wife and two daughters and, according to a family history report one of his descendants assembled, became a busy citizen in Campbell County. He served multiple terms as postmaster at the Flagg Spring Post Office, from 1890 to 1895 and from January of 1900 until that office closed in 1906.

On July 19, 1897, Governor William Bradley gave Orlando another responsibility, appointing him Justice of the Peace for the Sixth Congressional District of Kentucky. 

In 1900, the census listed his name as Orlando W Tarvin, and showed that he lived with his wife, five children and his wife’s aunt, quite a large household. He was still a farmer.

On September 9, 1907, Orlando’s life came to an end. The Kentucky Post reported that Orlando, who was also a Mason, had just attended the Alexandria Fair before his wife discovered him dead in his bed that fateful morning. His funeral was “the largest ever witnessed in that section of the county” and he was buried in Grandview Cemetery in Mentor.

On of his direct descendants forwarded me some of these details and I thank her for the assistance. Before then, I knew he was on the list, but her email made me realize he was probably related to me and from that point on, I uncovered the same about his cousins - more Civil War ancestors for me!

A future post may explore the careers and lives of his brothers and their five second-cousins who served in the Civil War  

My Genealogical Connection to Dr. Samuel Mudd

The most surprising find I have (I started to say recently, but maybe I should state ever)  made in my family history research, especially as it relates to the Civil War, is a distant tie to a (rightly or wrongly) infamous person of the era, Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was convicted for helping John Wilkes Booth after the actor had assassinated President Lincoln. Mudd escaped the death penalty by one vote and some of his descendants are still fighting to clear his name today, believing he was not part of the conspiracy to kill Lincoln.  

When looking back at my family tree, I found an Eleanor Mudd, from Maryland, as one of my great-grandmothers, so I decided to explore that a bit more and found the connection to the doctor.  A relationship this distant is not easy to explain, but I've tried to list it below as straight-forward as I can. "X," of course, means "times," and some of the birth dates may be approximate as different sources show different years, especially farther back in years, decades, and centuries.

From drmudd.org

Dr. Samuel Mudd, born December 20, 1833 in Charles County, Maryland.

Henry Lowe Mudd, born in 1798, was his father. 

Alexius Mudd, born in 1765 was his grandfather.

Henry Mudd, born about 1730, was Dr. Mudd's great-grandfather.

Thomas Mudd, born about 1707 was his  2x great-grandfather

Hezekiah, "Harry" or "Henry" Mudd, born about 1681-1685 was Dr. Mudd's 3x great-grandfather.

Thomas Mudd, born about 1647 was Dr. Mudd's 4x great-grandfather.

That Thomas Mudd, whom I’ve seen called “Captain” Thomas Mudd, was our common ancestor, the source of the relationship. 

His son Thomas Mudd (I'm not sure if he as a "Junior" or a "II",) born about 1679, was my 8x great-grandfather. He was the brother of Hezekiah mentioned above.

 

Eleanor Mudd, born 1709 (I've also seen 1723), my 7x great-grandmother.

 

Eleanor married George Tarvin. Their son, also George, born about 1744, was my 6x great-grandfather

George's son, Joseph Tarvin, born about1773, was my 5x great-grandfather.

 

Joseph's daughter Rachel Tarvin, born about 1800, was my 4x great-grandmother.

 

Rachel married George Painter, and their daughter Mary Ellen Painter, born about 1832, was my 3x great-grandmother.

 

Mary Ellen married Oliver Moore and their daughter Rachel Moore, born around 1857, was my 2x great-grandmother.

 

Rachel married John Diesel and their daughter Violet Diesel, born in 1894, was my great-grandmother.

Violet married Oscar McCormick and their son Orville McCormick, born in 1912, was my grandfather.  2 generations later, I came along.

Alexander McCormick, Co. B 9th MN Infantry, my 3x great-grand-uncle

My most recent genealogical find confirmed that John Fleming McCormick of Pennsylvania was my 4th great-grandfather, the son of John McCormick who had been born in 1748 in Ireland and died in Pennsylvania in 1844. The elder John, my 5th great great-grandfather, was apparently a Revolutionary War soldier. One report I saw claimed he was an ensign in the 4th company of Pennsylvania militia, Colonel Plunkett's 3rd battalion, 1776. I am not overly familiar with the Revolutionary War military, so that will have to be part of my further research on this piece of family history.

One of John Fleming's sons was William Taylor McCormick, my 3 times great-grandfather and another was Alexander McCormick, my 3 times great-grand-uncle. I surprisingly found that Alexander was a private in company B of the 9th Minnesota Infantry in the Civil War. Finding another Civil War soldier in my family tree was a fun surprise, but in Minnesota? Wow - double shock. 

Alexander was born on November 25, 1817 in Lock Haven, Clinton County, Pennsylvania.

On November 25, 1858, he married Drucilla Perkins in St. Anthony, Minnesota. The 1860 census showed that they had two daughters, though one was thirteen years old, so perhaps he had had a previous marriage. It showed his occupation as minister.

 Alexander then enlisted in the 9th Minnesota on August 20 1862 in Minneapolis. He served a three-year term and mustered out on June 7, 1865

The 9th Minnesota was not a regiment familiar to me, so I looked it up, wondering if it had been at any famous battles - maybe I had a second family member at Gettysburg or perhaps one at Vicksburg? - but I found out that its service was not like that of the regiments other of my ancestors had joined.

In its early existence, its companies spent time at various frontier posts in conflicts against Native Americans. According to one source, Alexander's Company B participated in campaigns against the Sioux in Minnesota in August and September of 1862. 

In late 1863, the regiment began being part of the war against the Confederacy, spending time in Missouri and throughout the Western Theater of the Civil War. One article describes their service, including their combat in two battles against the men of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate victory at Brice's Crossroads and then a Union success at Tupelo. 

In December of 1864 these men fought during the Union's smashing victory at Nashville. Alexander and his comrades then aided in the capture of the city of Mobile,Alabama  in early 1865 and mustered out of the service in August of that year.

Alexander passed away on January 14, 1877 in Knob Noster, Missouri, but I have not yet found where he is buried.

Benjamin McIntosh 14th KY Cavalry

 Another Civil War ancestor recently came to my attention, this time my 3rd great-granduncle, Benjamin McIntosh, the brother of my 3rd great-grandfather Nimrod McIntosh, who served in the 7th Kentucky Infantry and the Veterans' Relief Corps. A third McIntosh brother, Richard, was injured while also serving in the same company as Benjamin. Here is a post I made about those two McIntoshes a few years ago.

Benjamin was born in the mid-to-late 1840s, as records shows his birth date anywhere from 1843 to 1847. He signed up as a Private in his unit, enlisting on December 18, 1862 in Irvine, Kentucky. 

 His service records show him present on all the available muster rolls, but he did have some of his salary deducted to pay for replacement equipment such as bridles, a halter, spurs, a cartridge box and a waist belt.

A note found in some family  papers claimed he had been with General U.S. Grant's forces at Vicksburg, but that appears to be a myth, as the 14th Kentucky remained in Eastern Kentucky while he was in the service. 

In one of those coincidences that make genealogy - and history in general - more complicated - another man with a similar name- Benjamin E. McIntosh - was in compamy H of the same 14th Kentucky Cavalry.

"My" Benjamin eventually mustered out at Camp Nelson on March 24, 1864.

He did marry and have a family. The 1870 census shows his wife as Louisa (her name is illegible on the 1880 record) and as of the 1880 census, the couple had seven children

Benjamin died on April 23, 1930 in Stanton, Powell County, Kentucky, and he was buried in Stanton Cemetery.

 Rest in peace, uncle. 

More Distant Cousins in the War

One of many twists and turns my current project - which I hope will end up with a book in a few years - has taken is the discovery of some distant ancestors who fit the criteria of Campbell Countians who served in the war. 

This came to light when a local person responded to a query I had published asking for information on such soldiers. She sent me information about William Orlando Tarvin (a separate post focusing on him is in the works, but he apparently went by "Orlando," so I will refer to him that way) and while I was reviewing it, I realized that I had some Tarvins in my family tree, so I looked him up and found out he was a second cousin, five times removed. His  great-grandfather was Reverend George Tarvin, who was also my six times great-grandfather. (I note that Reverend George's mother was Eleanor Mudd, so I suppose I now need to investigate her family to see if she was related to Dr. Samuel Mudd of Lincoln Assassination fame. My first glance shows that it is a possible, perhaps likely, connection, but I wish to investigate it more and will post it here if I confirm it.)

I had some other Tarvins on my list of Campbell County soldiers, so I started looking into them. Alonzo and Alvin Tarvin turned out to be Orlando's brothers, making their link to me blatantly obvious. Then, as I was confirming their units, I found Edward B. Tarvin, who apparently was another of these brothers, though records on him are not as clear.

I turned my attention to the other Tarvins on my list, and they all had the same relationship as Orlando and his brothers - their great-grandfather was also Reverend George Tarvin.

 Orlando served in company F of  the 53rd Kentucky while Edward was in Company C of that regiment; Alvin and Alonzo joined company I of the 23rd Kentucky.

Their cousin William Charles Tarvin also was in company I of the 23rd, as was Abijah Tarvin, but another cousin, George Washington Tarvin (brother of Abijah) joined company C of the 53rd.

Another pair of bother Tarvins, Richard Lemuel and James Donovan, served in company H of the 3rd Kentucky Cavalry.

I suppose my next step will be to investigate their records on Fold3 to see if they had any special adventures or assignments and to study their regiments more, though I already have seen the 23rd and 53rd Kentucky in my book project quite frequently as they were locally raised units. (I'm still not 100% certain if the 53rd is the 53rd Infantry, 53rd Mounted Infantry or 53rd Infantry (Mounted) or if it matters that much in the big picture.) 

As with all things genealogical, other records may show different details (birth or death dates, etc.) for some of these men, but I believe I at least have the relationships correct, though "never say never" in genealogy.

I also have learned about a new ancestor on my mother's side and will write about it soon enough.

 This ancestor chart - or many others readily available through an internet search- is helpful in figuring out relationships once you have determined the common ancestor. Charts like this have helped me a lot in my genealogy work.