I include this as a Sepia Saturday post, though it doesn't have a thing to do with the theme of snow. Sorry about that, maybe I can get on theme again soon. But if that's of interest to you, please go to this link, then go to the bottom of the page and see what all those other people have posted. It's really interesting!
He had been born Jan 28, 1827, in Vienna, Dorchester County, Maryland. In the Census of 1850 he lived with 2 other young men also by the name of Webb, in Baltimore in a home of a married barber with 5 children, named Phelan. Samuel was 21, and his probable brothers were James, 22, and Edward, 17. Their occupations were listed as Machinists. They all were born in Maryland.
| DeWitt County, Texas |
In 1856 he married Ellen Ann Delemater, also from Maryland, but by then they lived in DeWitt County, Texas. He was 29 and she was 14. They raised their family there. My grandfather's father was their eldest son, Leroy Francis Webb, born 11 months after their marriage.
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| Flag of Wauls Legion |
Samuel Webb fought for the Confederacy in Company B, as a private, in Waul's Texas Legion.. (see Thomas Waul)
...in the spring of 1862 (Thomas Waul) recruited Waul's Legion, for which he was commissioned colonel on May 17. He and his command were captured at the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, but he was soon exchanged. Waul was promoted to brigadier general on September 18, 1863, and given command of the first brigade, formerly that of Brig. Gen. James M. Hawes, of Maj. Gen. John G. Walker's Texas Division, which he led during the Red River campaign of 1864. After the battles of Mansfield (April 8, 1864) and Pleasant Hill (April 9, 1864), Waul and his brigade were transferred to Arkansas, where, at the battle of Jenkins' Ferry on April 30, 1864, they helped to repulse federal major general Frederick Steele's attempted invasion of Texas and where Waul was wounded in action
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| Waul's Texas Legion Monument, Vicksburg National Military Park |
I don't know how much Samuel James Webb was involved in these battles. For a man from Maryland to fight in the Confederacy it seems he must have really believed in some of the values of the south where he had made his home.
Of their 8 children, the three born in 1859, 1864, and 1866 all died between 1865 and 1866.
Samuel died August 15, 1877 and is buried with his wife and at least one daughter in the Old Clinton Cemetery, DeWitt County, Texas. His wife Ellen Ann was only 34 when she died in 1876. Her youngest son, Samuel Jr. was born in 1876, but I don't know the month. He lived to be 16.
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| Old Clinton Cemetery, SJW Cemetery according to a relative who took the picture |
A fine Texan by nature too, I just know it. A lovely post, and as far as snow, I'm in Minnesota and frankly I've been seeing far too much. I really enjoyed that green grass!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any snow to speak up, at least no accumulation yet this year. So I kind of miss it, though I say that very very quietly!
ReplyDeleteMANY years ago I was shocked to hear that my great-great grandfather had married a girl only 13. Once I started doing genealogy, I quickly realized that was common.
ReplyDeleteIt seems Samuel saw a lot of important battles during the war. It's a miracle he lived through all that.
No snow is OK with me, I've learned a bit more about the Civil War from this, I only studied the War of Independence in history at school.
ReplyDeleteI kept waiting for the snow in Texas, right now a friend near Houston tells me they are having dreadful icy rain, prefer good old snow anytime to that. Interesting history on this post today.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, Bob, what state history did you learn about? I learned MO, somehow the schools were required to teach state history still, so I'm having to learn a lot about Texas now. Patricia, I agree about the snow...and hate freezing rain too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.
Being on theme isn't important - being interesting is. You may not have been on theme, but it was a most interesting post, thanks.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting life journey. I like the photos you've used to illustrate it. What a lot of death he saw in his lifetime, both family and in war.
ReplyDeleteI have not been to Texas for many years. I guess I was in Houston for visits with a sick wife. I really enjoyed seeing the photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat strikes me is how short a life they had, by today's standards, of course.
ReplyDeleteAlso, wife at 14?!?
Such were the times,
I guess...
Such a young wife. So many lost children.
ReplyDelete