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The Thomas H. Hobbs Journal
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Captain Thomas H. Hobbs Camp No. 768
P.O. Box 662
Athens, Alabama 35612-0662
www.scv768.org
October 2014
Volume 16, Number 10
Camp Events
Commander’s Corner
Oct 16
Camp Meeting, 6:00 pm, Athens, AL
It depends upon who you ask as to how much of a success
the Athens City Cemetery Historical Stoll was for 2014. In spite of
several of our previous “actors” not being available this year we still
had more characters portrayed than one could get around to in the
three hour afternoon. The attendance was down from the first year,
but the weather is our reason/excuse. It was hot and humid and
most of our troopers were VERY uncomfortable under their wool uniforms, frock coats, or layers of petticoats, etc. It made me appreciate the Blue Union uniform/costume that Harold McKee had rented
to portray his g-g-grandfather (no - my keyboard did not stutter),
William Daugherty, compared to the thick “gene cloth” Confederate
uniform that Dr. David Griggs was wearing to portray Thomas Turrentine. These were the only two complaints we had. We are looking into moving the date into October next year. If you have an
opinion or a suggestion, we would like to hear it. Also, we need a
volunteer to video the characters doing their presentations for posterity as well as the curiosity of the other portrayers. I always enjoy
getting to see and know these characters that helped to form Athens
into the wonderful town we now know it to be. Each year someone
brings a new character to us that I didn’t know about. The first year
I had a phone call from Beth Ham asking if she may portray her g-ggrandmother, Margaret Beckham Nixon. I listened to her presentation of the confrontation between Margaret and the Union
“Bummers” who wanted to take ALL of their meat from the smoke
house and leave her and her children with none for the winter. It
was better than anything you would find of TV and it was TRUE. At
one point, Mrs. Nixon was so exasperated and mad she could not
control herself and called them the worst name she could think of –
YANKEES! It was during one of our Cemetery Crew monthly work
sessions when we met Kimberly Loggins who later that year portrayed her g-g-grandmother, Molly Wilson Todd, and told the fascinating story of her family during and after the war. This year I
asked author, and my friend, Peggy Allen Towns, to portray Patti
Malone who was a famous black singer. Peggy had found a black
lady while doing her research for her book “Duty
Driven” and wanted to portray her instead. I am Continued, on page 2
Oct 18
(TENTATIVE)
Cemetery work day, 9:00 am
Location TBA
Inside this issue:
Commander’s Corner
1
Muscle Shoals relic show
3
Flag of the Month
4
September meeting review
4
Tennessee Valley CWRT
5
SCV Heritage Rally
6
Freemon cemetery dedication
7
Various news/info articles
8-11
Events Calendar, S.D
Lee’s Charge & Salute to
the Confederate flag
12
Continued from page 1 so glad that she did because I probably would have never “met” and gotten to know Emily Frazier. I heard many good comments about Peggy’s performance. I did not refer to
Peggy as Mrs. Towns because we had another addition to our cast and list of Characters that was named
Towns. I have wanted to find a love story of a Union officer who came down here, met an example of
Southern Womanhood, fell in love with her, wooed and married her. Thanks to Frank Westmoreland’s book,
“Tales over Coffee” I found them. A couple of friends from the Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table,
Carol Codori (President of the TVCWRT) and Kent Wright (Program Chairman), filled the roles of Col. Robert
Towns and Kathy Lane Towns very well - Extremely well considering how little time they had to prepare.
From all reports everyone – actors and audience – had a great time in spite of the heat. I hope I did not
offend by omission any of our many hard workers that help put this all together and make it run so smoothly. The ladies of the OCR deserve a special thinks for keeping everyone hydrated. I think that mean plenty
of cold water. We could not have stayed out there without y’all. We have always asked each portrayer to
give us a copy of their script in case they are not available the next year. Karen Middleton did much more
than that. Since she was out of town this year, she gave us a copy of the loose-leaf binder she had assembled for the “Sloss” family. It is VERY impressive, complete with photographs of the family from a couple of
generations ago. Anyone who is familiar with Karen’s writing knows how thorough she always is with her
research. We did not get as many donations as we hoped, but we will proceed with plan to buy 13 gravestones for Confederate graves that we did not know about when we finished the project in 2006 thinking we
had a gravestone for every Confederate veteran buried in Limestone County. The records were not 100 complete or correct. The families have let us know of our errors of omission. We are trying to correct that now.
Whereas the earlier stones were provided by the V.A. gratis (free of charge) the regulations are being more
tightly monitored and enforced and these stones must be purchased. We have had one family offer to pay
for their ancestor’s stone. They are grateful if we will have a dedication ceremony for it. Furnishing a dedication ceremony is part of the fulfillment of S.D. Lee’s charge to the SCV and we are honored to do so. It is
even better if it is during cool weather.
Our next camp project is to prepare a float and be in the Athens Veteran’s Parade. I did not call it
the Veteran’s DAY Parade because it will be Saturday 08 November, not the traditional veterans day. Last
year Chuck Kilpatrick make us a faux ‘Gravestone” that looked great and we had several people in period
dress or uniforms riding the float portraying the mourners for the soldier. This year we plan to replace the
gravestone with the coffin we used for the Cemetery Stroll,
probably covered with a CBF (Confederate Battle Flag). Last
Capt. Thomas H. Hobbs Camp #768
year was the first year for us to have a float instead of marchSons of Confederate Veterans
ing and we made a mistake in NOT inviting the ladies of the
Officers
OCR in riding the float. They had usually marched with us,
often carrying one end of the banner, but we got so wrapped
Name
Phone #
up in getting the float planned and put together that we overlooked them. For that I sincerely apologize and hope that
Commander
they can forgive us and some of them ride on the float this
Richard
“Buzz”
Estes
256-434-0441
year. The date to assemble the float is Tuesday 04 November, 2014. The location will be at 104 W. Green St. (the old
1st Lt. Commander
W. E. Estes & Son, Inc. shop building). We usually start about
Vacant
TBD
6:00 Pm and can use all the help we can get. We have several banners, flags, and other additions to put on the float. Last
2nd Lt. Commander
year we got an award for our float. I hope we can do the
David Griggs
256-497-7736
same again this year. NOTE: the meeting notice: There is
Adjutant
not a speaker for this program but we ask that camp members
Charles R. Christensen
256-732-2266
come prepared to share the stories of their ancestors. Please
come prepared to give about a 10 minute short story about
Chaplain
your ancestor. If it is fascinating, no one will cut you off at 10
Dwight Banta
256-233-3848
minutes. I will not be there. I will be gone to Dallas to a
combined daughter & grand-daughter birthday party. That
Past Commander
also means that I will not be telling you about my Confederate
Tom V. Strain
256-729-8501
ancestor-again.
Several of our camp members have asked about getting another batch of Hobbs
Camp shirts. If you are interested, please contact Compatriot Hattabaugh. Standard
shirts will be red, and the same prices, but we can get other colours and materials
with applicable changes in cost. There may also be the possibility of having the
Camp logo embroidered on other items (hats, other items of clothing, &c). If this is
something in which you also may be interested, please let me know.
Scan these with your cell phone’s QR code reader for access to
our Camp website (on the left) and a map to our meeting location
at the Alabama Veteran’s Museum and Archives (at right) .
Flag of the Month
5th Alabama Battalion
Co. B, Calhoun Sharpshooters
Flag: 5th Alabama Battalion
(Co. B, Calhoun Sharpshooters)
Catalogue No. 86.2679.1
(PN10156, PN10162)
This flag was made by the ladies of Jacksonville, Alabama and presented to Captain Thomas Bush by Miss
Clementine Snow. Captain Bush had been sent home
from Virginia to organize the new company. The flag
was presented as the company departed, just prior to
the second Battle of Manassas. Bush was wounded on
August 30, 1862 and died on September 5, 1862. The
flag and his sword were brought home to his mother,
Mrs. Harriet Bush, by Charles, his servant boy. The
flag later passed into the hands of Bush's nephew. It
was donated to the Alabama Department of Archives
and History on April 16, 1941 by Tom B. Jenkins and
his sister, Hallie B. Jenkins of Jacksonville.
Sources:
Curator's Object Files, Civil War Flags, Alabama Department of Archives and History.
Tancig, W. J. Confederate Military Land Units, 1861-1865. New York, Thomas Yoseloff, 1967.
http://www.archives.state.al.us/referenc/flags/022.html
September Camp meeting review
Camp member, and Division 1st Lt. Commander,
Jimmy Hill provided
about 20 members and
guests of the Hobbs
Camp with a wonderful
history of Private Edward
Smith’s service with
Company B, 54th Alabama Infantry, known as
“The Confederate
Bricks”. Private Smith is
Jimmy’s ancestor and is
buried at Mount Pleasant
Cemetery in Limestone
County.
The Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table (www.tvcwrt.org) has another
stellar lineup of programs scheduled for 2014. Meetings are held at 6:30 on
the second Thursday every month, except December, at the Elks Lodge at
725 Franklin Street in Huntsville, Alabama (exceptions made for special
events). Here is the schedule for the rest of 2014:
November 15th: Craig Symonds, Professor Emeritus and Chairman of the
History Department at the United States Naval Academy and distinguished
historian of the American Civil War. Topic: (from his book of same title)
“Lincoln and His Admirals”. Details of reception and book signing pending.
This will be another special event at the Cooper House in Huntsville, taking
the place of the regular 2nd Thursday meeting at the Elks Lodge.
The TVCWRT does not have a regular meeting in December. The Little Round Table, however, will meet December 11th because their usual day falls on Thanksgiving Day. You must be an RT member to attend the
LRT. Be sure to join the TVCWRT in January as they begin another great year of remembering the Sesquicentennial of the War.
SPECIAL NOTE: An expedition to visit and study the Mobile area battles is a go! If you are interested, please immediately contact Programs Director Kent Wright at kdwrt@netzero.com. The trip
will be 24-26 October 2014.
Cemetery Work—October 2014
We will discuss this at the Camp meeting. Be sure to be there.
If you cannot attend,
Contact Compatriot Donnie Stanford at 256-497-6452 for more information.
Battle Scarred: The 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Franklin
The 1,600 square foot gallery of the Fleming Center at Carnton Plantation will be entirely transformed and
open to the public for eight months. The display will feature never before exhibited objects, many of which
have not been together for 150 years. Incorporating artifacts, graphic elements, light and sound, the exhibit
will be the first of its kind in Franklin. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12. Admission does
not include a house tour.
http://www.battleoffranklintrust.org/battlescarred.htm
The Thomas H. Hobbs Journal is the official newsletter of the Captain Thomas H. Hobbs Camp
#768, Sons of Confederate Veterans.
It is available online at www.scv768.org or by e-mail. If you would like to have the Journal sent
to you please e-mail the editor at: camp768.news@yahoo.com and your name will be added to the
list. If you have photos, news, articles or events for the Journal then e-mail them to the same
address and we will try to publish your submission. All submissions become the property of the
Thomas H. Hobbs Journal.
SCV Heritage Rally
Franklin, TN
13 Sep 2014
The Alabama Division, and the Hobbs Camp, especially, was well-represented at this year’s Heritage Rally held on the Eastern Flank Battlefield, adjacent to Carnton Plantation, in Franklin, TN.
Over twenty Compatriots and family members traveled the distance to join other Sons, Daughters
and Friends in remembering and honoring our Confederate Heritage. The weather was cool and
overcast, but overall it was a wonderful day. Compatriots from all over the Confederation were
there, even a small contingent of folks from Oklahoma!
Representatives of the Oklahoma Division
Representatives of the Florida Division. The young
lady, Jessica Sizemore, is President-General of the
Children of the Confederacy.
Freemon Cemetery grave dedication
Leoma, TN
14 Sep 2014
Several members of the Hobbs Camp attended and supported a grave marker dedication on September 14th. Jointly
hosted by the newly re-chartered Colonel George H Nixon Camp 214 in Lawrenceburg, TN, and the Giles County 257,
United Daughters of the Confederacy, a new VA-style marker was dedicated at the grave of Pvt Alfred Samuel Freemon. Private Freemon served with Company G (Nixon’s) 48th Tennessee Infantry.
Clockwise from above: Several members of the new Nixon
Camp were sworn in following the dedication; Wm Pepper
played the drum for the color guard; Chuck Kilpatrick carried a
rifle with the color guardand provided a gun salute; descendants of Private Freemon pause for a family photo at the grave
site.
Editor note: I know many of us are (amateur?) genealogists (you probably wouldn’t be in the SCV if
you aren’t), but have you ever wondered why some of your fellow Camp members work in the
cemeteries and research the people and families buried there when we’re not (necessarily) related
to them? Read this article I found last month. I have edited it for length, so if you want to read the
whole story, check out the link at the end.
Mystery Solved – Thanks to Local Scout’s Eagle Project
September 10, 2014 by Anne Billings
“You never know how little actions you do may affect someone else,” said Joshua
McNaugton, a South Dakota man who grew up knowing next to nothing about his
father, except that his father had been murdered, according to McNaughton’s
mom. But he didn’t know whether to believe it or not. McNaughton’s mother and
other family members were extremely reluctant to share information about his
father, and McNaughton always longed to find out more. “I always had this feeling
that he was around, but he wasn’t around,” said McNaughton. As he got older,
McNaughton began searching the Internet for information on his dad. What he
had to go on: his dad’s name, Brett Alan VanDreumel, and the fact that he may
have lived for a time in Oklahoma, Texas, or other nearby states. McNaughton
found nothing. “It was almost as if he didn’t exist,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Spring, Texas, LDS boy scout Connor Murphy, then age 14, was
looking for an Eagle Scout project. Connor had always had a passion for history, said his mom, so when his
bishop told him about a project called Billion Graves, it seemed a natural fit. Billion Graves is a company that
preserves information from headstones so people now and in the future can access it, said Lisa Moncur, a
writer and blogger for Billion Graves. How it works: People anywhere in the world can photograph headstones in a cemetery, then (using a free Billion Graves app) can GPS-locate and upload those images to a
website, where the information from the graves is cataloged and can be easily searched by users of the site.
Murphy spent many hours organizing a day with a local cemetery, recruiting volunteers, and training them in
how to take and upload photos for Billion Graves. Finally, one hot Saturday in August of 2012, Murphy and
about 30 volunteers worked for several hours photographing the headstones in the Calvary Hills cemetery in
Spring, Texas and sending the images to Billion Graves. The day went well, and Murphy’s project was over,
but its effects were not.
Nearly a year later, back in South Dakota, McNaughton, about to become a first-time dad himself, decided to
look for his own dad one more time. This time, he found something: an image of a gravestone. The name,
dates, and location all fit. “I was so happy,” said McNaughton. “I told my wife,’ I think I’m gonna cry, I
found my dad.’” McNaughton emailed the Billion Graves staff to thank them for their part in helping him find
his dad at last. He also said he was hoping to locate some of his dad’s living relatives with the new information from the headstone. Moncur received Josh’s email in June of 2013 and was captivated by his story.
She interviewed him as well as Murphy, posting the story on the Billion Graves blog an effort to inspire others in their work with Billion Graves. With McNaughton’s permission, she also invited readers who might
have access to relevant information to help Josh find his family. In less than a week, a blog reader had
reached out to McNaughton. Using Ancestry.com and Facebook, she was able to help Josh locate a living
uncle, his dad’s brother. Now, several months later, Josh has now been able to find nearly all the living relatives on his dad’s side, including an uncle and cousins he talks to regularly. He is making plans to visit Texas
and meet them in person. He finally knows the truth about his father. “It’s like a weight has been lifted,”
said McNaughton. Sadly, he learned that his dad was, in fact, murdered at the age of 24, when McNaughton was still very young. Although the story of his father’s life has a tragic ending, McNaughton is pleased
with the happy ending of his own search for the living relatives he never knew. “They also had been thinking
of me and wondered what happened to me. Since my mom had changed my last
Continued, on page 9
name, they hadn’t been able to find me. Now they know I’m Brett’s son. He was
their brother and he died, and I’m this guy they don’t know much about, but
they really want to meet me.”
McNaugton says having these new-found family members be a part of his life is “great. I do have my other
family, but knowing these people is something I’ve never had before. They’ve been there for me and given
me advice and such. It means a lot.”
Continued, from page 8
“Sometimes you do something and you think it’s not going to do much, but in the long run it may do something that helps someone,” said McNaughton. “Something as little as just taking a picture and sending it in
to Billion Graves took years off my search of looking for my dad.”
Murphy thinks perhaps it was all meant to be: he had originally planned to photograph another cemetery
closer to his home, but was unable to make contact with anyone there to set up his project. Instead he
chose Calvary Hills, which contained the headstone that could solve the mystery that had plagued McNaughton all his life. Murphy said, “It was mind-blowing how I could actually do something like that, and unite a
family that was so far away.”
Connor’s mom, Stephanie Murphy, said she also never expected this outcome from his project. “I was surprised it saw such immediate results. You think of that benefitting someone involved in family history, not
someone searching for living family members. It gave me a new perspective on the importance of this whole
project.” She said the experience has changed her son’s perspective. “I think seeing how something that
just started out as an interest to him had such a wide reach to influence people he didn’t know has opened
his eyes to see that the good things we do CAN make a big impact, even though we aren’t aware at the
time.”
Since the Billion Graves project, Muphy has earned his Eagle Scout award and also continued his positive
influence on others through family history work. A few months after his project, he was asked to speak at a
regional family history conference where he shared information about Billion Graves and how others can become involved. He has been indexing for the LDS Church family history project since the age of 12 and is
now an indexing arbitrator (helping make decisions about ambiguous or disputed records). He is serving as
a family history consultant in his ward. He has helped the Scouts in his ward earn the Genealogy merit
badge. “Connor also wears his t-shirt from the family history conference to school sometimes,” said his
mom. “His friends ask him, ‘What is genealogy, what’s family history?’ It is a way for him to talk about it and
share the gospel.”
But Murphy’s example has had perhaps the greatest influence with his younger brothers. “Gavin [14] will
come home from school, do his homework, then spend some time on indexing,” said his mom. “William [11]
also helps with indexing. They see that as a good way to spend their time, and it’s sparked more conversations in our home about family history. They want to know the stories.”
Connor’s mom emphasized that he did not expect or seek any recognition from his project. “Connor loved
the project because he’s always loved history, it’s something he’s passionate about. It translated naturally to
family history. He did it not for any kind of recognition, but because it was meaningful to him—anything else
that came was a bonus.”
For the full story, go to:
http://www.mormonobserver.com/2014/09/10/mystery-solved-thanks-to-local-scouts-eagle-project/
Known: 350 Confederate soldier names discovered by local historian
by Hilary Butschek
The names of 350 Confederate soldiers buried as “Unknowns” in the Confederate Cemetery here
will now be forever emblazoned on memorial walls facing their graves as a result of the work of a
local historian. A bronze statue of a Confederate soldier will be erected there soon as well. Brown
Park now has four granite walls commemorating 1,150 Confederate soldiers buried in the adjacent
Marietta Confederate Cemetery after two new memorial walls were installed Monday. The new
walls were needed when a local historian, Brad Quinlin, and Betty Hunter, president of the Marietta
Confederate Cemetery Foundation, worked together to discover the names of 350 soldiers known
to be buried in the cemetery. Those 350 were then added to the 800 names already displayed on
the two granite walls that have been in the park since August 2013. Four walls face the cemetery
estimated to hold 3,000 Confederate soldiers, but Hunter said she is proud to have identified more
than one-third of those “buried heroes” now. The search for the names of soldiers who died and
were buried in Marietta lasted two years, Hunter said. Quinlin said he found the names of some of
the buried soldiers after he compiled hospital records spread out across five universities around the
country, including the University of Texas in Austin, Emory University, Duke University, the University of Tennessee and the University of North Carolina. Quinlin said he looked through 45,000 pages of hospital records kept by Samuel Hollingsworth Stout, the general surgeon in charge of all
Confederate hospitals in Georgia from 1863-64. Quinlin looked through the documents searching
for soldiers who were wounded and sent to Marietta hospitals during the Civil War. “We checked
and double checked these names for burial records and this is how we got the complete list that we
have now (of soldiers buried in the Confederate Cemetery),” Quinlin said. Out of the 405 names
Quinlin found by looking through the hospital records, Hunter said she chose 350 who she could
confirm were buried in the Marietta Confederate Cemetery based on the cemetery’s burial records.
“When (Quinlin) got the names for the hospital records, he allowed us to look at them, and we
pulled out the ones that had died in Marietta and did a background search to find out if they had
been buried somewhere else,” Hunter said. Some of the Confederate soldiers Quinlin found were
buried in Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Hunter said. The 800 names displayed on the two walls that
have been at the park for a year were verified through records the Kennesaw Chapter of the United
Daughters of Confederacy kept of burials, Hunter said. The Confederate Cemetery’s new monument is a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier that will sit on a granite pedestal. The Marietta
Confederate Cemetery Foundation and the Georgia chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans
split the cost on the statue, which totaled $55,000, said Tim Pilgrim, Georgia division adjutant of
the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Pilgrim said similar statues of Confederate soldiers have already
been erected in Paulding County outside the government building and in Jackson County on the
Jefferson Square. “Every time we erect a monument, we change the head to make it unique to that
particular area,” Pilgrim said. Marietta’s statue was sculpted by locals Dawn and Tina Haugen, who
own a sculpture studio in Marietta. Quinlin said he could identify more of the 3,000 Confederate
soldiers buried in the cemetery in the future because he hasn’t made it through all 45,000 pages of
hospital records yet. “We still have research to do,” Quinlin said. The results of the research so far
— the two new memorial walls — as well as the statue will be unveiled to the public at a ceremony
Oct. 19 at 1 p.m.
Excerpted from a story published in The Marietta Daily Journal, 16 Sep 2014. For the full story, see
http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/25784211/article-KNOWN--350-Confederate-soldier-namesdiscovered-by-local-historian
If you happen to find yourself in Middle Tennessee with some time to use, here is a driving tour
map of the Franklin area that I picked up at the SCV Heritage Rally last month.
Hobbs Camp #768 Meeting Schedule
Date
Scheduled Speaker
Topic
16 Oct 14
Camp Member Discussion
Our Confederate Ancestors
20 Nov 14
Debbie Watts
Bettie Baugh Ryman
13 Dec 14
TBA
Hobbs Camp Christmas Party
Events Calendar
16 Oct 2014—Hobbs Camp meeting, 6p, Athens, AL
18 Oct 2014—Cemetery work day
4 Nov 2014—Veteran’s day float preparation, Buzz’s old shop, 6p, Athens, AL
7-8 Nov 2014—Battles for the Armory (reenactment), Tallassee, AL
8 Nov 2014—Athens Veteran’s Day Parade, Athens, AL
15-16 Nov 2014– 150th anniversary, Battle of Franklin, Franklin, TN—see www.visitwilliamson.com/sesquicentennial/
20 Nov 2014—Hobbs Camp meeting, 6p, Athens, AL
2 Dec 2014—Christmas float preparation, Buzz’s old shop, 6p, Athens, AL
4 Dec 2014—Athens Christmas parade
6 Dec 2014—Elkmont Christmas parade
6-7 Dec 2014—Middle Tennessee Civil War Show & Sale, Franklin, TN—$8 admission fee
13 Dec 2014—Hobbs Camp Christmas Party, 6p, Athens, AL
24 Jan 2015—Robert E Lee Day celebration, (An Alabama Division event), 10a, Montgomery, AL
6-7 Feb 2015—S.D. Lee Institute, Dallas, TX
2 Aug 2014 - April 2015 – Special Exhibition – Battle Scarred: The 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Franklin, Carnton
Plantation, Franklin, TN
Salute to the Confederate Flag
I Salute the Confederate Flag with
affection, reverence, and undying devotion to the Cause for which it
stands.
General Stephen D. Lee’s
Charge to the
Sons of Confederate Veterans
25 Apr 1906
“To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we will
commit the vindication of the Cause for which
we fought. To your strength will be given the
defense of the Confederate Soldier’s good name,
the guardianship of his history, the emulation of
his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles
which he loved and which you love also, and
those ideals which made him glorious and which
you also cherish. Remember, it is your duty to
see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations.”