Thomas Henry Cothran 1842-1907

Sorry I've waited so long to post. My Cothran/Cauthen Family is from my husband's side. My husband's grandfather was Dewitt Cauthen b. 1905 Mississippi d. 1983 Texas. He seemed to be one of about 18 children from his dad, Thomas Henry Cothran who married at least 3 women, one of which was Lillie Ida Sledge, DH's great grandmother. Thomas Henry Cothran b. 1/22/1842 in Georgia d. 11/17/1907, most likely in TX. I can find him in the 1880 census in Batrop County, TX. His tombstone has that he was a Private in the Army, and found with Company A 7 in AL, Miss, and Tenn during the Civil War. It has under that "CSA" which I'm not sure what that stands for. I have not been able to find a death certificate for him, nor do I know his parents' names either. Any help with more information would be appreciated.

Also, regarding the surname, I have seen it spelled a number of ways: Cothran, Cawthon,Cauthen, Cauthern, etc. I'm not sure why DH's grandfather settled on "Cauthen." From my MIL, he never spoke about his family. In TX, the family has lived in Walker, San Jacinto, Bastrop, and Grimes counties.

Heather