Pike-Covington County AlArchives Obituaries.....Stephens, Joseph H. Rev. September 1, 1909
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Steve Reynolds steve@reynoldsroost.com September 11, 2008, 9:11 am

Unknown
Another Old Confederate Soldier Dead

Rev. Joseph H. Stephens was born in Pike County, Alabama August 7th 1839 and 
resided here until about three years ago when he moved to Covington County, 
Alabama where he died September 1st 1909.
He was married to Miss Katie Youngblood, daughter of the late David Youngblood 
of this county, July 5th 1864. Ten children were born to them. The mother and 
two of them preceded him to the grave. The other eight, with his many friends 
are left to mourn his loss. He was Masonically buried by the Orion lodge at the 
Chapel Hill Baptist Church in this county by the side of his good wife and the 
two children.
He was baptized in the year 1858 by the Rev. William Pritchett, who was at that 
time Missionary and Colporter for the Salem Baptist Association. Was converted 
at the “brush arbor meeting” conducted by the Rev. Wm. Pritchett. This meeting 
was widely known in these days as the “Famous Brush Arbor Meeting” because of 
the great ingathering of souls. It was near where Goodhope Baptist Church now 
stands. He was one of the charter members in its constitution, March 30, 1859, 
and was its first clerk. Later on he was ordained as a Deacon, which place he 
filled until 1876 when he was ordained to the work of the Gospel Ministry. God 
blessed his labors preaching his everlasting gospel, giving many souls for his 
hire. He was a faithful servant and soldier of the cross of Christ, hence he 
could say with Paul “I have fought the good fight – I have finished my course – 
I have kept the faith – henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of 
righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge shall give me in that day.”
He enlisted in Company H- 18th Alabama regiment in July 1861, served as 
sergeant about two years when he was elected Second Lieutenant which he held 
until close of the war, with honor to himself and the company. He was legal and 
brave, true to his friends, his country and his God. He was an honest man. The 
writer of this sketch was with him in many a hard fought battle and on many 
long and tiresome marches in trying days which tested men’s souls. Hence we 
know him and his memory will ever be cherished by the remaining little squad of 
his old company. Our hearts are sad to give him up but he has gone home to 
answer the last roll-call  and we have assurance that the day he left us was 
the beginning of that Bright and Eternal Day in Heaven where there is no more 
death, nor no more wars and where all God’s children, the rich and the poor and 
those who wore the gray will meet and rejoice around the great white throne of 
God, to meet you again.
T.J. Youngblood


J.H. Stephens
Joseph H. Stephens, a sergeant of Company H, 18th Regiment Alabama Infantry, 
enlisted July 29th 1861 at Troy, Alabama. The company muster roll for November 
and December 1862, last on file, show him present.
He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant of the Company, and his appears on an 
inspection report dated September 10th 1864, which shows him absent since May 
25th 1864 on surgeon’s certificate. Union Prisoner of War records show that he 
was captured December 17th 1864 near Franklin, Tennessee and imprisoned at a 
military (prison) at Louisville, Kentucky and Johnson’s Island, Ohio, where he 
was released June 17th 1865 upon taking the oath of allegiance to the United 
States.




Additional Comments:
All I know about Joseph H. Stephens's obit is that in was mailed in to the 
Alabama Department of Archives and history in 1955 and attached to his CSA 
records file card. His granddaughter, Eunice Stephens sent it in as a "copy" 
of the original. Since TJ Youngblood, who lived in Troy, wrote the piece, my 
guess is it was in a Pike County newspaper.


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