This bit of Sunday morning research is for my friend and neighbor, John.
Here is your ancestor with his parents in the 1860 Federal Census. But first, please click ONCE anywhere on an image to enlarge it. And to return to this page, CLICK ONCE INSIDE AN IMAGE TO RETURN. Only once, mind you. (If you mistakenly hit your back button you will be sent to who knows where)
This shows proof of Buck's capture at Peach Tree Creek. The first of three pages shows the WHOLE page. The second is cropped to easily read the title/headings for each column. The third shows an enlarged snip from LINE 9--where Lt. Foster's info begins. Reminder, click once inside an image to enlarge it. CLICK AGAIN to return to this page:
SOURCE: Selected Records of the War Department Relating to Confederate Prisoners of War, 1861-1865, via Ancestry
A letter written--but never sent. Possibly written in 1862? On April 21st. Did Lt. Foster send other letters that were saved by your family? I hope so.
No image here, but I found this record showing he also served with a Tennessee unit:
Name: Thomas Theodore Foster
Birth Date: 27 Aug 1840
Birth Place: USA, Alabama, (Stevenson) Jackson County
Enlistment Date: Oct 1861
Enlistment Age: 21
Military Branch: Infantry
Regiment or Unit: 42nd Tennessee Regiment
Company Unit: H
Enlistment Info: Camp Cheatum, 3rd Lieutenant
Remarks: Served until captured at Ft Donaldson 1862/02. Exchanged in 1862/09. Reenlisted 1st Lieut in 55th Al Inf Co H in 1862/09 at Vicksburg Miss. and served until captured at Peachtree Creek 1864/07/20 remained in prison until 1865/04.; Address 1907 Stevenson, Alabama
Author: Census Tax Assessor Jackson Co 1907 and 08
Source: Alabama, Civil War Soldiers, 1860-1865 via Ancestry
This record has Lt. Foster "killed." The extract reads:
| Name | T T Foster |
|---|---|
| Military Unit | 55th Alabama Infantry Regiment |
| Military Unit - Company | H |
| Muster Roll Date | 1864 - 08 Aug |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Place of Enlistment - State | Alabama |
| Roll # | 556 |
| Archive Collection # | SG025062-1 |
Source: Alabama Civil War Muster Rolls, 1861-1865
This is another terrific document. So grateful to archivists who preserve these records! First, the whole page. Then, a cropped image on Lt. Foster. This is a database of a 1907 census taken in Alabama of living Confederate veterans:
SOURCE: Alabama Department of Archives & History; Montgomery, Alabama; Alabama Census of Confederate Soldiers, 1907 and 1921; Roll: Multiple Regiments (Jackson County #36); Roll Number: 200
Awesome photo of Lt. Foster's dad, Thomas Boyd Foster. Findagrave tells me he was born July 20, 1810 in Wythe County, Virginia. Died February 9, 1895 in Stevenson, Alabama. Quite the Southern gentleman. I wonder which of his hundreds of descendants now has his Bible?
My, oh my, Alabama is sharing Last Wills & Testaments on Ancestry. I hope you can read the small print from 2xGrandfather Thomas Boyd Foster's probate file:
Source: Alabama, Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999, Will Records, Vol 1, 1892-1895 for Jackson County
A generous researcher on Ancestry shared a photo of "Uncle Buck Foster's Home" and indicated it was "Between Edgefield and Stevenson, AL." As his or her source, she writes: "From the family photo collection with Dianne Wimberley Lee." Great photo! I'm sure you've seen it before. Can you identify the people in it?
I believe we only spoke of military records, but I'm smitten with this 19th century family and can't stop. I'm sure you have seen this before from January 8, 1879. By the way, is it Wimberley or Wimberly? I see it spelled both ways.
Source: Ancestry.com. Alabama, County Marriages, 1805-1967
How fortunate your family took and KEPT photos! The description near this image below reads:
"Back row (L to R): Hugh Caperton Foster, Sallie Munford Mason, Margaret Tennessee Wallace (wife of R. A. Foster).
Front row (L to R): Nancy Brewer Foster, A. B. Foster (b. 1843), Thomas Boyd Foster, and Mary Katherine F. Wimberley Photo courtesy of Ron and Diane Lee. Woman listed as Sallie Mason is likely Louisa Josephine Jones Foster (wife of Hugh C. Foster)"
You've seen these, I know. But your ancestors' final resting place appears to be in a beautiful setting. Is it on private property? In a rural area or near a town? I hope it is well preserved. First, Lt. Foster's mother, Eleanor Susan Cowan Foster:
12:31 p.m. NOTE: I know of more records I can get on Fold3. But that will be for another time. Please check back. BTW, comments can be shared below. Email addresses are kept private, but used just to insure no bot is trying to infiltrate my wee blog. There is this dang captcha thingamajig that might be difficult to read. Don't you just loathe captchas! I most certainly do. But comments left below can be seen by others and corrections to my blog post can be helpful if read by other descendants. This has been fun!