Col. J. S. Piper, 1862

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

In 1862, the wife of Col. J. S. Piper of the Confederate army was arrested in Washington DC and held by the Provost Marshall. The newspapers misreported his name as Col. T. S. Piper, which made her arrest a challenge to find in period newspapers. Plus, the newspapers of 1863 misreported this event as having happened in 1861. 

 

A similar newspaper article published in The New York Herald added the tidbit that "at the time of her arrest several letters from her husband were seized." Based on the events of 1863, this leaves no doubt that the woman arrested was Elizabeth Piper, wife of Col. J. S. Piper. This also confirms that he was with the Confederate army.

It would be interesting to know why Elizabeth Piper had fallen under enough suspicion to arrest her. By August 1862, women were no longer regarded by the military as harmless innocents. Rose O'Neal Greenhow, who operated a spy network of supposedly 48 women in Washington DC, had been released from the Old Capitol prison and sent beyond the Confederate line a couple of months earlier in May 1862. Women in her network had been attending teas and dinners throughout Washington DC, listening carefully, and sending the information they gleaned south to the Confederate army. Elizabeth Piper was certainly in a position to be one of those participants. However, information about the specific women in Greenhow's network is elusive.

To date, I have not found the Provost Marshall's records regarding Elizabeth Piper's arrest - specifically the documents that were generated in 1862. I also don't know how long she was held or the conditions of her release although she was allowed to remain in Washington DC and not sent beyond the Confederate line. 

The Washington DC City Directory of 1862 shows the Pipers still in residence at 506 E south. James S. Piper's 14 or 15-year-old son William Piper is listed as the resident. Note that James S. Piper's brother Dr. John R. Piper was living at 373 D north.

Capt James S. Piper, 1846

Capt James S. Piper, 1847 - 1848

Capt James S. Piper, 1850 - 1855

Col James S. Piper, 1856

Lt. Col James S. Piper, 1858

James S. Piper, 1859 - 1860

Col. James S. Piper, 1861

Col. James S. Piper, 1861

        ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

The American Civil War began on 12 April 1861 when the Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.

Col. James S. Piper was in Alabama at the time.

When Maryland Governor Hicks answered Lincoln's call for troops, Marylanders in Alabama were aghast. Among them was Col. James S. Piper. Again, he was talking to newspapermen, and he expressed the desire to join the Confederate army. The question of whether he joined the army would play an important role two years later. 

This particular newspaper clipping makes an important connection in the chain of evidence that links the events of Capt. James S. Piper's life. It clearly, references James S. Piper as being both the Captain of Company B in the Mexican War and the Colonel who served under General Walker in Nicaragua. Additionally, it identifies him as a Confederate sympathizer willing to serve in the military. In 1861, James S. Piper would have been 43 years old. While not a young man, he was not too old to serve.

Within two days, Col. James S. Piper was back in Baltimore, Maryland, where he promptly spoke to yet another newspaperman.

 

The affray referred to is now known as the Baltimore Riot of 1861. It is also referred to as the Pratt Street Riots or the Pratt Street Massacre. In 1861, Baltimore was largely a city of southern sympathizers. On Friday, 19 April 1861, a riot broke out when members of the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania state militias, who had been called up for service, were en route to Washington DC. Their route took them through Baltimore, where they were attacked by Confederate sympathizers. A riot ensued that resulted in the first deaths of Union volunteers in the Civil War. 

Why Col. James S. Piper traveled to Baltimore instead of Washington DC is yet another question. There is reason to believe that his wife and son were still residence at 506 E south in Washington DC. Of course, at this time, Col. James S. Piper's sisters were probably still living in Baltimore, so he may have wanted to see them. Alternately, he may have preferred a city with southern sympathies as his destination.

Capt James S. Piper, 1846

Capt James S. Piper, 1847 - 1848

Capt James S. Piper, 1850 - 1855

Col James S. Piper, 1856

Lt. Col James S. Piper, 1858

James S. Piper, 1859 - 1860

James S. Piper, 1859 - 1860

       ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

James S. Piper returned to Washington, DC after his time in Nicaragua. If he completed a secret mission after his time there, I don't know what that entailed.

In 1859, James returned to his work as a contractor and advertised for men to work as pavers as well as for men to haul stone and gravel. He appears to have also been hiring the horses and carts needed to haul. 

The 1860 Washington DC City Directory places the residence of Jame Piper, the bricklayer, at 506 E South. 

The quest for the exact location of 506 E south will have to wait for another post, but this Civil War era map shows its proximity to the Capital building and to the Navy Yard. There were two E streets in Washington DC. One E street was located north of the Capital building, and the other E street was located south of the Capital building. This was also true of other lettered streets.

Civil War era map of Washington DC

The 1860 census gives us a snapshot of James S. Piper's household on 1 June 1860:

This census tells us that in 1860 James S. Piper, the contractor, was 42 years old and was born in Maryland. He owned no real estate and had $200 in personal property. His wife Elizabeth was 34 years old and was also born in Maryland. James S. Piper's son William H. Piper was 12 years old and was born in DC. William H. Piper had attended school within the last year.

To date, I have not determined what Elizabeth's maiden name was. I have determined that she was probably James S. Piper's second wife. His first wife was Mary O'Hara, who he married on 2 August 1841 in Baltimore, Maryland:

In 1845, their young son Henry Clay Piper died.

It should be noted that Henry Clay was a Whig who ran for president in 1844, the year of little Henry Clay Piper's birth. Henry Clay lost to James K. Polk. Ironically, Clay became a strong critic of the Mexican War. 

Another son, Horatio N Piper (aka Horace) was living in his grandfather Philip Piper's household in 1850. Horace was 8 years old and was born in Maryland. In 1870, Horatio N. Piper was boarding with L M Busey in Baltimore and working as a bookkeeper. In 1880, he was still living in Baltimore but with his wife Cora and two of his elderly Piper aunts: Lizzie and Mary. He was still working as a bookkeeper. 

Horatio N Piper married Cora E. Fletch in Boston, Massachusetts on 25 July 1873. His marriage record states that he was the son of James S. and Mary Piper. Cora was the daughter of Gilman S. and Sarah Fletch. 

James S. Piper and Mary O'Hara had at least two children:

1. Horatio N. Piper, born 1842 in Maryland

2. Henry Clay Piper, born 1844 in Maryland

At this point, it is impossible to know if William H. Piper, born in 1848, was the son of Mary O'Hara or Elizabeth. It is also impossible to know if there were additional children. 

On 15 June 1849, the Daily National Intelligencer included Mrs. Elizabeth Piper in their list of letters at the post office. At this point, it is impossible to know if this same Elizabeth married James S. Piper.

Locating James S. Piper on the 1850 census would clarify some of these questions. 

Capt James S. Piper, 1846

Capt James S. Piper, 1847 - 1848

Capt James S. Piper, 1850 - 1855

Col James S. Piper, 1856

Lt. Col James S. Piper, 1858

John Byrum, Bastardy Bond

      ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

In a previous post, I explored the bastardy bond imposed on John Byrum's mother-in-law, Tabitha Barnes in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, in 1836. John Byrum and Treacy Barnes had been married for about four years when that action was taken.

However, it turns out that John Byrum was no saint. In 1832, he was taken to court in a bastardy bond case:

John Byrum appeared on 26 February 1833, where he was ordered to pay Betsey Webb $15 for her lying in expenses and $10 a year for the next six years. In 1833, $15 was equal to about $564 in 2025, and $10 was equal to about $375. 

Treacy Barnes and John Byrum had been married for a little over a year. It's impossible to say exactly when Betsey Webb's child was born since no age is provided. At this point, I have not been able to pinpoint the name or gender of that child.

There was more than one Elizabeth Webb in Edgecombe County at this time; however, a strong candidate is Elizabeth Webb, the widow of Willie Webb.

On 23 February 1835, Elizabeth Webb was in court to secure her bond as guardian to her children: Wealthy, Delphi, Reddick, and Eli Webb. James Barnes Jr. and John Byrum were her securities. Elizabeth Webb's child with John Byrum is not named in the bond because that child was not an heir of Willie Webb's. 

Tabitha Barnes, Mother of Treacy

      ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

My husband's ancestor, Ralph Henderson Byrum, was the son of John Byrum and Lucretia or Treacy Barnes, who were living in Madison County, Tennessee by 1850. With them was an older woman named Tabitha Barnes, who was assumed to be Treacy's mother. Not much was ever found about Treacy even though researchers knew that the Byrums had come from Edgecombe County, North Carolina, since John Byrum and Treacy Barnes married in Edgecombe County, North Carolina on 17 January 1832. Enter the full-text search on Family Search to change all that.

On the 1850 census, John Byrum was 40 and born in North Carolina, and wife Treacy was 35 and born in North Carolina. Their children were eight children Justice - 18, born NC; Henry - 16,  born NC; Rhea - 14, born NC; Rufus - 11, born NC; Micajah - 9, born TN; Winneford - 7, born TN; John R. T. - 3, born TN; William F - 0, born, TN. In addition, there was Tabitha Barns - 58, born NC; and Amanda Barns - 14, born NC. 

The census reveals that the Byrums moved from North Carolina to Tennessee sometime between 1839 and 1841. That's a narrow window. Tabitha Barns is old enough to be Treacy's mother. Amanda Barns is old enough to be either Tabitha's daughter or granddaughter. Tabitha's husband has been a mystery. Additionally, a firm connection between Tabitha and Treacy has not been established.

Less than an hour with the full-text search answered most of these questions. 

This account record from Edgecombe County neatly ties together John Byrum, Treacy, and Tabitha Barnes:

Teresa Barnes, now Teresa Byrum, orphan of Jesse Barnes dec's, with Tabitha Barnes as her guardian. John Byrum signed this document, which was recorded in February 1832 - just a month after the marriage of Treacy and John. 

Earlier records in Edgecombe County reveal that Tabitha was the relict of Jesse Barnes. Her share of his estate was one-third and Teresa's was two-thirds. Those documents also reveal that he died in January of 1817. My takeaway is that he probably did not have any other children since no one else seemed to be entitled to a share of his estate.

On 23 August 1839, Tabitha Barnes, John Byrum, and Tracy Byrum joined together to sell the land that Tabitha and Tracy had inherited from Jesse Barnes. This would have been around the time that they were all preparing to move to Tennessee. My conclusion is that Tracy Byrum was the daughter of Jesse and Tabitha Barnes.

So who was Amanda Barnes? That's where it gets really interesting. Amanda Barnes is clearly not the daughter of Jesse Barnes. Jesse died in 1817 while Amanda was born in 1836. There is no indication that Tabitha remarried to another Barnes. Amanda cannot be the daughter of Tracy (Barnes) Byrum since she was born four years after Tracy and John Byrum married - that would make her a Byrum not a Barnes.

The full-text search cleared up this matter, too. In 1836, Tabitha Barnes was named in a bastardy bond action in the Edgecombe County Court Minutes:

Transcript: Ordered that George W. Luster pay until Court Fifteen Dollars & Ten Dollars annually for the next succeeding six years commencing from this Term for support of a Bastard Child begotten on the Body of Tabitha Barnes. 

This record corresponds to the birth date of Amanda Barnes - about 1836. At that time, Tabitha Barnes would have been about 44 years old - not too old to have another child.

There were a surprisingly large number of illegitimate children born in early Edgecombe County.  I am not sure that bearing an illegitimate resulted in a large amount of social stigma. There were several cases of young couples suing the father of the wife's illegitimate child for support - a child that she was either pregnant with or had born before or after her marriage to another man. Obviously, having an illegitimate child did not make a woman an undesirable marriage partner. 

At this time, I am still searching for Tabitha Barne's parents. There is a surprisingly large number of Tabithas living in early Edgecombe County, so I can't narrow much down that way. 

Tracy (Barnes) Byrum's formal name Lucretia might help me find a connection. There were several Jesse Barnes in Edgecombe County, and I don't have them sorted out yet. 

Hello, 2025

      ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

Happy New Year! 

I did a lot of research last year, but only managed thirteen blog posts. Five of those posts were about James S. Piper. I still need to finish that series of posts. I've brought him to the brink of the Civil War when his story really starts to heat up, so I need to get back to that project. 

There were 63,414 page views this year, bringing the total to 268,456. However, there were a lot of bots trolling the internet last year, so that number is probably not reflective of human readers.

The three most popular posts were as follows:

1. The Dendys and the Fatal Accident. This post explores the idea that my great-great-grandparents were in a horrific accident that killed one of their daughters. Because she was born and died between census years, her name is unknown. I believe this is the event that prompted the Dendys move from Wood County, Texas to Bowie County, Texas.

2. Capt. James S. Piper, 1846. This is the first post in the James S. Piper series. Yes, I'm feeling guilty for not getting all of the posts in the series written and posted. 

3. John Deloss Brown, Candidate for Sheriff. Through newspaper articles, I have been able to flesh out many of the details of John D. Brown's life.

While popular, these are not the posts that represented breakthroughs in my research. Those posts are as follows:

1. Solomon Nevill Sr's Last Years. My research turned up information that proved Solomon Nevill Sr. had a wife after Barbara Walton and that a divorce occurred between Solomon and Barbara. Solomon spent his last years with his second wife and then with his son E.W. Nevill. He died in Gibson County, Tennessee, not Montgomery County, Tennessee. There were a lot of surprises and family drama in this information.

2. Lodowick and Nathaniel Thompson - Greenville Co., Virginia. This post is a bit skimpy, but it links Lodowick Thompson to another adult Thompson, who may be a family member. 

3. Spencer P. Lewis, son of John and Susan Lewis. I don't get a lot of credit for this "discovery." I was able to confirm my hunch that Spencer P. Lewis of Anderson County, Texas was the son of John D. Lewis. Another researcher's contributions to Family Search provided proof of Spencer's birthdate, birthplace, and parentage. This is a key piece of information in the quest to identify John D. Lewis's own origins and information about his wife or wives. 

Spencer P. Lewis, son of John and Susan Lewis

      ©  Kathy Duncan, 2024

Preface: If you are researching John D. Lewis of Jackson County, Alabama and McNairy County, Tennessee, read this post through to the end. It contains references to the best documentation that we have so far as to who the mother of John D. Lewis's elder children was. 

My quest to identify and group together all of the children of John Lewis has many goals: to establish all of the locations where John Lewis lived and thereby to "discover" additional records, to uncover the mother(s) of his children, and to identify his own parents. It's been a long journey, and it's not over yet.

John D. Lewis's son Spencer P. Lewis has provided more obstacles than you would think a person with such a distinct name might produce. More than one Spencer P. Lewis can be located in the records. The problem has been establishing whether it's the same Spencer P. Lewis or multiple Spencer P. Lewises. To sort them out, I have been looking for any documented connections to other Lewis family members. I have ruled out the Lewis man who married Martha McWhorter in Knox County, Kentucky in 1811. He turned out to be Stephen Lewis and not Spencer Polk Lewis. 

Spencer P. Lewis is named in his father John Lewis's will dated 14 January 1840 and originally filed in McNairy County, Tennessee. Additional copies were filed in various courthouses. The copy in Tishomingo County, Mississippi survives. In 1844, Joel D. Lewis filed a request in Tishomingo County, Mississippi to sell land owned by John D. Lewis's estate. The heirs are named, with the notation that Spencer "D." Lewis was in Arkansas. The question is whether Spencer was actually in Arkansas or did Joel have good reason to believe that's where he was?

In sifting through what appears to be multiple Spencer P. Lewises, I finally narrowed my focus to Spencer P. Lewis of Anderson County, Texas. According to the 1870 census, he was born c. 1813 in Tennessee. That places him in the right timeframe to be John D. Lewis's son and in a state where John D. Lewis is believed to have lived prior to his residence in Alabama. 

Spencer P. Lewis of Anderson County, Texas married Malissa Jane Watkins, widow of James E. Watkins in Anderson County, Texas on 2 June 1861. Malissa Jane Osborne married James E. Watkins in Coosa County, Alabama on 10 February 1850.  Her parentage is unknown. James E. Watkins was the son of Jonathan Watkins and Agnes Daniel. The children of James E. and Malissa J. (Osborne) Watkins were Anges Watkins, Fatly Watkins, Georgie H. Watkins, and James K. Polk Watkins. 

Spencer P. and Malissa (Osborne) Lewis had three children: Emma Susan Lewis, John Breckenridge Lewis, and Forest Lewis. They can be found together on the 1870 Anderson County, Texas census. Spencer P. Lewis appeared on the Anderson County tax rolls from 1862 through 1870. He was also on the 1871 voter roll for Anderson County. Then he disappeared from Anderson County. Malissa Lewis was still in Anderson County on the 1880 census, where she was listed as a widow.

No will or probate references for Spencer P. Lewis appear in Anderson County between 1871 and 1880. However, there is a probate record for Spencer P. Lewis in Collin County, Texas, dated 1874. This Spencer P. Lewis had very little property: a horse, a saddle, a rifle, a six-shooter, and a knife make up the bulk of his possessions. However, he died indebted to several individuals in the community - his landlord, the doctor, and the coffin maker, among others. Significantly missing from this probate is any reference to Malissa and her Lewis children. Does this indicate that there is no connection? I don't think so. An 1887 land deed from Emma (Lewis) Costlow to her mother Malissa J. Lewis stated that the land was part of the estate of James E. Watkins that had been conveyed by his administrator to Spencer P. Lewis and from Spencer P. Lewis to Emma Lewis. I believe that any property of significance that Spencer had was disposed of before his death although it is a mystery why it was conveyed to Emma instead of to one of her older half-siblings who would have been children of James E. Watkins'. My suspicion is that Spencer P. Lewis and wife Malissa had separated before his death - whether it was mutual or whether he abandoned her is unknown. 

There is one significant reference to a family member in Spencer's probate packet - a sister living in Hunt County, Texas. 

 

The estate administrator B.S. King charged the estate $5 for spending "1 1/2 days going to Hunt County & Back for decs'd Sister at his request."  That sister would have been Jane (Lewis) Wardlow who was the only Lewis sister still living and who was also living in Hunt County, Texas at the time of Spencer P. Lewis's death in 1874. 

On Family Search, an additional wife has been attached to Spencer P. Lewis. She was Nancy Hickman, the widow of William Hickman. Her maiden name was Loftin. Spencer P. Lewis and Nancy Hickman married in Montgomery County, Alabama on 14 January 1837. It is plausible that Spencer P. Lewis, son of John D. Lewis had at least one other marriage before he married Malissa J. (Osborne) Watkins in Texas. 

In 1838, Spencer P. Lewis sold land in Coosa County, Alabama, and his wife Nancy Lewis signed a release of her dower rights. They were still living in Coosa County on the 1840 census. By the early 1840s, Spencer P. Lewis was administrating William Hickman's estate from Montgomery County, Alabama. On 23 June 1846, the Orphans Court of Montgomery County, Alabama replaced Spencer P. Lewis as administrator because he was no longer in the jurisdiction of the court. They probably moved to McNairy County, Tennessee, where they were residing when they sold land in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, on 1 September 1846. The Tishomingo County property needs to be researched, but it is more than likely property that had been owned by his father John D. Lewis, who died in McNairy County, Tennessee in 1842. His estate was sold there at an auction that seems to have occurred over a two-day period. It may be that Spencer P. Lewis purchased the land at that sale, or he may have received it previously as a deed of gift. This deed record indicates that at this time Spencer P. Lewis of McNairy County, Tennessee, had a wife named Nancy. My conclusion is that the Spencer P. Lewis who married Nancy (Loftin) Hickman is also John D. Lewis's son and that he had at least two wives. 

Spencer P. Lewis and Nancy Loftin had three children: Henry Carmen Lewis, Anna E. Lewis, and Florence Lincoln Lewis.

Spencer and Nancy seem to have divorced, or perhaps he abandoned her. She was still alive and living with her daughter Florence Lincoln (Lewis) Stiefer in Smith County, Texas in 1860. Generally speaking, divorce records are difficult to locate. They were filed in the area where the divorcing spouse lived. If that divorce originated in McNairy County, Tennessee, which sustained a heavy loss of records, it may not be possible to find it. There may, however, be a newspaper notice somewhere. 

Finally, a Bible record for Spencer P. Lewis has been attached to him on Family Search through the generosity of researcher Nancy Kampe. You will find this image in the "memories" for Spencer P. Lewis. The Bible belonged to Spencer and Nancy (Loftin) Lewis's daughter Florence Lincoln (Lewis) Stiefer. All of the entries are in the handwriting of the same person, who I think was Florence, so the older entries were made well after the fact and should be regarded as secondary, but that does not negate their importance. The first entry on  the page is for Spencer P. Lewis: "Spencer P. Lewis son of John & Susan Lewis born in Lincoln Co. Tenn Jany 1st 1813." Be still my heart - that's a wealth of information. This is the only documentation that indicates John Lewis had a wife named Susan that I have seen. It places them in Lincoln Co., Tennessee by 1813. This, of course, does not establish that Susan was a Daniel or that she was the mother of all the elder Lewis children. It also does not establish that Spencer's middle name was Polk. 

Then there are entries for the children of Spencer and Nancy: Henry Carmon Lewis son of S.P. and Nancy Lewi born in Weteumpee Ala May13th 1838. Then the births of Anna E. Lewis and Florence Lincoln Lewis are listed. There is not a separate entry that provides more information about wife Nancy. There are two more births of importance: Emma Lewis daughter of J. Lewis born 8 Aug 1863 and John Lewis son of Spencer and J. Lewis born 17 July 1869. These are references to the children that John Lewis had with Malissa Jane Osborne, which means that Florence was aware of her father's subsequent marriage to Malissa and the family that he had with her. There is also the possibility that she was acquainted with her younger half-siblings. 

And what of the idea that Spencer P. Lewis was living in Arkansas in 1844? Did Spencer have any connection to Arkansas at all? Possibly. In 1850, Spencer P. Lewis was granted bounty land in Crittenden County, Arkansas for services rendered during the Florida War. He was a corporal in Captain Campbell's First Regiment of Alabama Volunteers. On 10 May 1836, the Mobile Daily Commercial Register and Patriot printed a list of the killed and wounded among the Alabama Volunteers. S.P. Lewis of Capt Campbell's Company was "badly wounded" at the Battle of Clonoto Lassa [published in the Alabama Genealogical Quarterly, Spring-Summer 1981]. In 1852, Spencer P. Lewis of Memphis, Tennessee sold his bounty land in Arkansas. It is unknown if he ever lived in Crittenden County although his two brothers, Wiley and Daniel A. Lewis did. 

If you are not using Family Search because anyone can add to the shared family tree, you are missing out on a wealth of information.