Elliott County’s Union Civil War Veterans in 1890 By John A. Stegall < johnstegall@hotmail.com One installment in a series of articles Mr. John A. Stegall prepares and publishes in The Elliott County News, this article being a continuation from Jan 24, 1997. Transcribed with permission from the author by Samone Ratcliff. on Dec 3, 1999. John M. Jones: Pvt., Co, B. 5th Ky. Inf., CSA. This veteran said he entered the Confederate Army in Jan 1862 and served a total of 8 months; however, he stated that he was a “Prisoner of Camp Chase 19 months”. No war related injuries or current illnesses were mentioned; neither did he specify which post office he received his mail through. Other veterans who were listed near his name would seem to indicate that he was living in the Moccasin Precinct in 1890. I have not been able to definitely identify John M. Jones’ parents; however, he was married in Morgan Co and when one of his children was born, he indicated that he was born in Morgan Co. Based on this, I find a John Jones, age 9, and the son of James Jones, Sr. in the 1850 Morgan Co, KY census. John M. Jones is not named in the 1860 Morgan Co census, but marriage records for that county show that John M. Jones and Margaret Banner were married there on Feb 19, 1899. I am unable to locate John M. Jones in the 1870 or 1880 Elliott Co census reports. A birth record in the Elliott co Birth Records, 1874-1878, shows that a son, James R, was born to John M. and Margaret E. Banner on Apr 18, 1884 but it indicates that the birth actually occurred in Rowan Co. According to this record, John was born in Carter Co; Margaret was born in Scott Co, VA. On Dec 22, 1876 another son, John M., was born to John M. Jones and Margaret E. Banner (Jones). This record states that the father was born in Morgan Co. Elliott Co tax records reveal that John M. Jones lived in the Moccasin Precinct in 1890, and that he owned 60 acres of land. He named James Goodman as his nearest neighbor. John M. Jones is not named in the 1900 or 1910 Elliott Co census reports. Obviously, he was a resident of Elliott Co for many years, but I cannot explain why he is not named in any of the census records for that county. William Jones: Pvt. Co., C. 14th Ky Inf., USA, Aug 22, 1862 to Sept 16, 1863 (1 yr., 24 da.). “Ruptured”. Pvt., Co., A, 54th Ky Inf., Sept 12, 1864 to Apr 9, 1865 (7 mos., 27 da.). Some extracted copies of the military records indicate that there were 2 veterans named William Jones; however, I am inclined to believe there was only one. If my inclination is true, William Jones was apparently discharged after about one year in the military, then re-enlisted for another seven months. Jones gave very little information to the census-taker in 1890, stating only that he was ruptured. He gave no address, but records indicate that most of the Jones lived in the Moccasin Precinct, or in that general area. I do not find a William Jones in my records until the 1880 Elliott Co census. That particular William Jones stated that he was 52 years of age and was born in VA. His wife, Mary, was 45, and , likewise, born in VA. James, age 14, and born in KY, was the only child at home with them in 1880. As revealed by the military census, William Jones was a resident of Elliott Co in 1890. He is not named in the Elliott Co Tax Assessments for that year, and from that we may conclude that he owned no land in Elliott Co. He may have been a renter. I find no further mention of William Jones in my records. Samuel B. Kegley: Pvt., Co., B, 5th Ky Inf., CSA. 1862 to 1863 (1 year, 2 months) In 1890, Samuel told the census-taker that he was “Shot through the left breast, captured and Parolled”. His post office was Leadingham. Samuel Kegley was the son of John Henry and Ann Moyers Kegley, ans was born in Wythe Co, VA, Aug 15, 1841. Henry, as he was usually called, was, in turn, a son of Martin Kegley and Mary Magdalene Meyers Kegley, ans was born in 1807 in Wythe Co, VA. He resettled in what is now Elliott Co in 1859, where he died in 1898. Martin Kegley was a son of George Kegley, Sr., who lived first in Annville, Pennsylvania. We know that George’s wife was names Catherine, but her maiden name is unknown to us today. George Kegley is considered to have been the progenitor of the Wythe Co, VA Kegleys, and, for that matter, the Kegleys of Eastern Kentucky. The first record I can find for Samuel Kegley is contained in the 1850 Wythe Co, VA census. At that time, he was 10 years of age and living in the home of his parents, Henry and Ann Kegley. Since the Kegleys moved to the present day Elliott Co in 1859, it may be correctly assumed that Samuel would be found in the 1860 Carter Co census. This is further supported by the fact that Samuel and Elizabeth Catron were married in Carter Co on May 17, 1863. Witnesses to the marriage were John Kegley and Mary Elliott with C.W. Carter named as the presiding minister. VA records indicate that the Kegleys and Catrons had close ties to that state, and it may be that both families came into the Carter (Elliott) Co area about the same time. We know that they all settled in the same general area of northern Elliott Co. Relatives tell the story that Elizabeth Catron and Samuel Kegley were both present at a “working” somewhere in the Mauk Ridge area, and, upon seeing Samuel, Elizabeth commented, “That man will be my husband someday”. Elizabeth’s descendants also tell us that when she was a mere girl, barely a teenager, her brother’s family was preparing to move from Wythe Co to our Elliott Co. When the wagon was loaded and ready to begin moving, Elizabeth climbed on and made the long journey across the mountains to eastern KY. Although she lived to be very old, she was never back in VA and never saw her parents again. In 1870, when the first census of Elliott Co was taken, Samuel Kegley was found living in the Moccasin Precinct. He was 30 years of age, Elizabeth was 25. Three children were named in this census: William, age 6; Jackson, 3; and Sarah, 10 months. The 1880 Elliott Co census reveals that Samuel Kegley was still a resident of the Moccasin Precinct. He stated that he was 33 years of age, which seems to be incorrect; Elizabeth was 35. Their children listed in the 1880 report were: William, 15; Jackson, 12; Sarah, 9; Virginia Carolina, 7; Margaret A., 4; and James A., 1. The 1890 Elliott Co Tax Assessments show Samuel Kegley the owner of 28 acres of land in the Moccasin Precinct. He indicated that his nearest neighbor was James White. When the 1900 Elliott Co census was taken, Samuel Kegley was a resident of the Cracker’s Neck Precinct. At that time he said he was 59 years of age, having been born in Jan 1841, which differs from the month of Aug indicated on his grave marker. Elizabeth was 56, stating that she was born Sept 1843. Their children living at home with them were: Marget E., 24, born in May 1876; James A., 21, Apr 1879; Julia A., 18, July 1882; and George, 7, May 1893. The oldest son, William F., called Frank by the family, had married Tinie Conn. They established their home in Greenup Co, where Frank died on Dec 28, 1928. The next oldest son, Jackson, had also married and established a home in the Moccasin Precinct. Sarah E., was the daughter called Ellen. She married Sam Conn, a son of Freeling and Angeline Shelton Conn. Sam and Elizabeth Kegley’s daughter called Virginia C., in the earlier census reports, was Caroline, who married John Shelton. They established their home in an area between Concord, on Brown Ridge and Caney Creek. They have many descendants in this area today, mainly through Charlie and Johnnie Shelton and Lizzie Shelton Dehart. Samuel Kegley died Feb 17, 1910, therefore, he is not named in the 1910 Elliott co census. His widow, Elizabeth, still survived, and made her home with her children until her death. Most of her later years were spent with her widowed daughter, Caroline Shelton. Samuel and Elizabeth Catron Kegley are buried in the tick Ridge Cemetery a short distance out of Olive Hill. The United States became involved in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Descendants of Samuel Kegley say he went Immediately and attempted to volunteer for service. Of course, being somewhat advanced in years, he was not accepted for military service. Finished USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons. 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