After successfully solving the mysteries of my Union Army ancestor I
decided to work on my Confederate one, after all fair is fair. In my
file on Charles Porter BRANHAM I had Military Service:
Civil War-Confederate Army- Charles P. Branham;
Private Co. A &B, 4 MO Calvary also see C. P. Branham; Hunter's Regiment
MO Calvary Roll #71 Captured 24 Dec 1863 Newtonia, Newton, MO for
violating oath; Prisoner at Springfield, MO; received as prisoner at
Gratiot State Military Prison (St. Louis) 3 Feb 1864; had chronic
bronchitis 23 Mar 1864.
I believe I had received this info from Barbara Cunningham years ago,
just before I moved. So I had never followed up on it.
Today was the day. First the librarian and I verified this info first
in some Confederate Army books our local genealogy library has and then
on
ancestry.com. Yep, there he was. But where had he gone. All I had
was that he wasn't around by 1880. Playing a hunch I suggested maybe he
died in the last prison he was in. After all even today with all our
wonder drugs Bronchitis is a tough thing to kick. Sure enough.
In the Military CD from Broderbund Software in the Registry of
Confederate Soldiers, Jefferson Barracks, MO there was listed one
BRANHAM, Chas. D. in the index. Not Charles P, but D. Not to be
deterred I viewed the file. Pressing my nose nearly to the screen I
looked intently. Could it be?
What had been transcribed as a D was actually a
P with a period very close to it. A printout verified it.
BRANHAM, Chas. P. Pvt. Co B reg 4 MO date of death March 23, 1866
Number 4580 buried Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery! I definitely
will be sending for that military record tomorrow unless some of you
already have it. If so could you send me a copy?
That explains why he couldn't be found in any census records past 1860.
Hmmm, that created a couple of more problems. The birth date for my
great grandmother, Columbia Porter BRANHAM for one. The census records
I had for her previously showed she was born in July 1865 a wee bit long
for her to be Charles' daughter!
Plus where were Ellen Burnetta (FORREST) BRANHAM, Charles' widow, and
the three kidos (Mary Jane, Jefferson Davis and Columbia Porter
BRANHAM)in 1870 and 1880. Had she remarried? NO! We turned her up in
Franklin Co., AR in 1880 as Ellen Branham and glory be that census says
Columbia Porter/Porter Columbia was born in 1864 now that math works!
She was born just 4 months after her father died.
Two years later Grandma Porter Branham married her first husband (not my
ancestor) Jefferson HARRIS in Franklin Co., AR. She later married my
ancestor Chesterfield Monroe CARNEY in Crawford Co., AR and finally her
third husband George Washington ARCHER in Crawford Co., AR as well.
OK let's talk about Ellen Burnetta FORREST was that truly her name? You
see in that 1880 census her sister is living with her. One Eliza J.
Foster. Is Foster Eliza Jane's married name or could that be the maiden
name for both women? All I have in my files is ? Foster for a possible
spouse and I got this one from someone else. What if she was a
spinster. After all Foster and Forrest are not that far apart in sound.
I've still not found Ellen Buretta/Burnetta and her kids in the 1870
census records. I'm curious as to why they went to AR. I guess my next
step will be to look for Eliza J. Foster in the 1870 Census to see if
maybe Ellen and the kids are listed with her. Most likely in either AR
or MO. Unfortunately it will be a week before I can get back to the
library and do any more research on this family.
Another tidbit I turned up. In the death Index for 1860 in Newton Co.,
MO, which is where Charles Porter BRANHAM and Ellen Burnetta/Buretta
(FORREST/FOSTER) lived at the time and gave birth to their first child
Mary Jane I find a listing for a 5 day old infant born in the same month
Mary Jane was. Is it possible Mary Jane was a twin and the sibling
died? Hmmmm, interesting.
So now I'm chasing more info on this couple and their offspring. Anyone
have any ideas? Jan who is very excited about her find today in OK