John Lindsey, who's your daddy?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 3:01pm

Hi Gene,

Yes, I have checked this database, under various spellings, with no luck.
I have also had officials searchthe records at Elmwood Cemetery and the National Cemetery in Memphis, as many Union soldiers were buried there, but to no avail.

As the family was basically destitute, my best guess is that he was buried in a grave without benefit of marker.

A witness to his death only said he "was buried at the cemetery at Memphis"...but that, of course, could be anywhere!

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 4:19pm

Hi Gene,

Margaret seems to be confused as to whether he died in 1869 or 1870...but two witnesses list the date of death as January 10th, 1869. John was buried the following day. John was sent to a hospital in memphis during his war service (the record doesn't sat why) and while there he contracted smallpox. He spent quite a bit of time "sick at hospital" after that, and according to one fellow soldier, returned to service heavily pock marked.

His widow states John was never really able to perform physical labor after the war, and says he eventually died from the lingering effects of the disease.

I have checked pauper burials at Elmwood, but didnt find a match.

I have tried to find records of John's hospital stay, as well, but as so many facilities were at Mepmphis during the War, it's tricky!

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 3:07pm

Thanks, Gene!

I do have birth and death dates for Henderson, but have not pulled the probate...good call!

I do know for a fact he had a son named John...it's just proving he was MY John that's tricky!

My evidence is this:

-Same DNA family group (I had my grandfather tested)
-My John lists his birthplace as Lauderdale County, AL. Henderson was living in Colbert County at the time...these two counties are adjacent; in fact, I believe part of Lauderdale eventually became Colbert County (or vice versa).

I haven't been able to piece the proof together...but haven't found anything that would disprove my theory, either!

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 6:18pm

Hello, again, Gene!

Every reference in Margaret's pension file (I believe there are four) mentions Memphis itself...there is a passing reference to a hospital, which also suggests a large town. This information comes from witness statements, which of course were made at least ten years after John's death. I do not have any primary source documents.

Margaret returned to her family after John's death (a fellow veteran put her and her children...including a six week old baby...on a boat) and can be found living with them in the 1870 Census, in Hardin County, TN. They were still living there in 1880...Margaret migrated to Texas sometime after that year, and I lose track of her parents. Their names were Charles and Margaret Ingram. Charles was born ca 1800, in Virginia or South Carolina.

I have checked Memphis and Hardin County newspaper accounts...at least, the best that I can online, over the phone or via kindly research volunteers. I have two children under five...my "research vacation" will have to wait awhile! Anyway, I have turned up no obituaries.

I had not thought to check Colbert County, where Henderson lived...excellent idea! As John was poor, and he did not live in Memphis, his death most likely would not have been published.

I will keep thinking of any info I left out, and look into Colbert County newspaper archives.

Your advice is wonderful...PLEASE let me know if you have any more thoughts.

Best,

Jenn

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 6:37pm

Forgot to add Henderson's info:

Birth: 20 Sep 1806 - North Carolina, USA
Death: 20 Aug 1890 - Colbert, Alabama, USA
Parents: Robert Lindsey, Mary Thamir Morris
Spouse: Martha Patsy Hammonds

*this info comes from other researchers, but I believe it to be reliable...

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on September 26, 2009 at 5:21pm

Hi Gene!

John Lindsey contracted smallpox during his Civil War service. Apaprently, after the war, he was never really able to work again due to the lingering effects.

His widow and other witnesses say that he became ill at Memphis en route to Texas with several other families. He died there from complications of smapllpox...apparently "lung problems".

He was sent to "the hospital at Memphis" several times during the War. From what I have researched, it seems many Union soldiers were sent to Overton Hospital (a former hotel) but have no way of verifying this.

I also don't know if John was in the hospital when he died, a hotel, or other residence.

I have been unsuccessful in finding any kind of database with hospital records from that place/era.

Thanks for your continued assistance!

jennifer

PS

Should I start this new thread with the information I have on John Lindsey's surviving children? Just want to be clear before I post! :)

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 3:14pm

Yes, I have the pension file, as well as John's service record. The pension file was much more helpful! This is how I discovered John's place and date of death.

Sadly, it also shows that their marriage certificate was destroyed during the War, and that Margaret lost all other personal papers when she moved West after 1880.

The once Census where I find my John Lindsey (that I am certain is him) is 1860, and it shows him farming on rented land. From the pension file, I was able to determine from whom he rented this land; it seems he never owned any of his own, which makes it even trickier to find him!

I have read the file, over and over, searching for clues...I'm stumped!!!

Thanks for all your ideas, Gene...keep them coming, please! :)

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 4:04pm

Forgot to add, Gene, that Henderson Lindsey had three brothers, and two of them had sons who also served in the same regiment as my John Lindsey. Just another piece of anecdotal evidence!

Thanks,

Jenn

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on October 28, 2009 at 11:25am

Hi, Gene...sorry for my extended absence, just now getting back to my research. I will post a seperate thread on John Lindsey's children, but here is the information you requested re: witness statements. (Most documents spell his name "Lindza", but I substitued the correct spelling.)

---W.M. Dawson, neighbor to John Lindsey in Hardin Co, TN until 1869, when they "started West". Dawson writes:

"Lindsey's health got very bad so we stopped over at Memphis, TN and there Lindsey died on Dec 10, 1869. Shortly afterwards I assisted Margaret Lindsey on the boat she started to her relatives which lived in Alabama."

---J.W. Dawson, neighbor to John in Hardin Co, also making voyage West. He writes:

"We all attended his burial om the 11th day of Dec 1869. Lindsey died on the 10th of December. The reason I state that he died on the 10th and we attended his burial on the 11th, our sister Fannie Dawson was buried on the 11th of Dec 1869, she was buried the day that Lindsey was buried, our family record shows Dec 11, 1869."

--Y.A. Yarbrough (most likely related to JT Yarbrough, John's son-in-law). He is quoted here:

"...says he witnessed the death of the said John Lindsey and that he died the 10th day of January, 1869 [all other records show december] in the city of Memphis Tn and witnessed the burial of the body of the said John Lindsey in the cemetery at Memphis."

--R. B. Ingram, wife Margaret's brother, gave this statement:

"...that he knows he died at Memphis TN of varioloid (sic) contracted while he was in the US military service. His death occurred the latter part of the year 1869. The symptoms were similar to those of small pox, though not as many pits or sores as if were small pox. I was not present when he died but saw him during his illness and know it to be thecause of his death."

---His widow, Margaret, gave the following statement:

"My husband John Lindsey died sometime in December of 1869 with varioloid which he contracted in the service and settled in his lungs and finally killed him. The service of the physicians and the exact date of death and the age of complaintant cannot be given due to poor memory...he was never able to perform physical labor to any extent from the date of his discharge until the date of his death."


One other possible clue: John Lindsey was living on land adjacent to Josiah Leeth (Leath) in Hardin Co, TN, prior to his service in the War.

Whew! Hopefully you can help make sense of all this.

Thanks!

Jenn

Permalink Reply by Jai Gabi on June 3, 2011 at 2:53pm

Hi Jennifer,

I'm pretty sure I'm related to your Lindseys.  My great grandfather was Fountain Monroe Lindsey, b. 1893, Garvin Co., OK.  His father was Elija Millard Lindsey, b.1857 Montevallo, Shelby Co., Alabama.     I see this post was made 2009, but

 I would be happy to give you the information I have if you're still looking for info. 

 

Jai 

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 8, 2011 at 1:04pm

Hi Jai...would love to see what you have! My Lindseys traveled around OK quite a bit...we could quite possibly share ancestors!

 

Thanks,

 

Jennifer

 

jennleighlind@aim.com