Randolph County AlArchives Biographies.....Kirby, James 1835 - 1924
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
John Simmons http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00030.html#0007486 June 17, 2018, 6:05 pm

Source: Personal research of author
Author: John Simmons

James Ransom Kirby was born in Georgia in 1835 or 1836.

 A tribute to him written in 1924 and published in the Randolph Leader 
indicates  his birth in Gwinnett County, Georgia in 1835. His Confederate 
Pension application indicates that he was born in Troup County, Georgia. 
James Ransom's  parents were Robert Kirby and Hannah Williams. His family 
moved to Troup County, Georgia and are found on the 1850 Census there. War 
came to the south in April of 1861. James was married to Martha Elizabeth 
Gilham in Troup County, Georgia in May of that same year. He then moved with 
Martha to Randolph County, Alabama soon after.

 James Ransom enlisted in 1862 and served about 3 months with an infantry 
company under Cpt McGuire. He was then exempted form service and detailed to 
make shoes for Confederate soldiers. He was afterward assigned to work in 
the Confederate government powder works and worked there in 1864 and 1865 
until the war ended. Ransom also according to his pension application was in 
Capt. Higginbotthams'  Home Guard in Talladega from Oct 1863 until the end 
of the war. 

 After the war ended Ransom and Martha continued their lives in Randolph 
County. They were living in Roanoke in 1880 and were still living there in 
1900. Ransom  applied for a pension as a Confederate veteran in 1909. There 
was confusion about his service which he listed only as Home Guard. 
Application was made in 1915 and a witness came forward to attest that 
Ransom worked in the Confederate Government powder works in 1864 and 1865. 
James Ransom was awarded a pension 4th class.  James Ransom died in 1924 and 
his wife Martha died in 1928. Ransom or "Uncle Ranse" as he was known and 
his wife Martha Elizabeth had 12 children. 


Additional Comments:
Many members of the Kirby family lived in Randolph County. 

Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/randolph/photos/bios/kirby1108gbs.jpg

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/randolph/bios/kirby1108gbs.txt

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