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DR. WATSON MEREDITH GENTRY
Dr. Gentry was born in Williamson County, Tennessee in 1831. He enlisted in the Confederate States Army
on June 14, 1861, being appointed a surgeon by Govenor Harris of Tenneessee. He was a surgeon with the 17th Tennessee
Cavalry and was given the rank of Major. His first military surgery was performed at Rock Castle where fourteen men
died and numerous others were injured.
Dr. Gentry was paroled on June 21, 1865.
Submitted by Frances Plunkett Harvey, Great niece.
CORPORAL WILLIAM THOMAS GRAY
William Thomas Gray was born on the Fourth of July, 1826 in Caroline County, Virginia. His parents were Thomas Gray
and America Grafton. William was the first born of eleven children. He and his brother, George W. Gray were in
the Civil War together. Not much is known of his childhood, but on April 14, 1851 he married Maria Ellen Beazley, daughter
of Oswald Beazley and Alphia Foster. William Thomas and Maria Ellen Gray had nine children, the first of which was born
in Caroline County, Virginia on August 2, 1853 and all the rest were born in Richmond, Virginia.
William and Maria moved to Richmond in 1854, where they remained the rest of their lives. They owned a home at 520 Randolph
Street, which was located about 3 blocks from where they both remain at rest at Riverview Cemetery.
William Thomas Gray enlisted as a private in the American Civil War on May 13, 1861. He enlisted in the 15th
Infantry Regiment, although the Regiment didnt formally organize until May 17, 1861. The regiment was accepted into
the services of the Confederate States on July 1, 1861. Company D from Henrico County, Virginia rendezvoused at the
old fairgrounds, just west of the city limits, where VCU Campus and Monroe Park are today.
On June 10, 1861 Company D was in their first infantry battle of the Civil War which occurred at Big Bethel, Virginia.
Big Bethel was a quite country church on the Virginia Peninsula surrounded by early American History near Hampton. The
Union held Fort Monroe, located at the southeastern tip of the Peninsula, and was a cause of concern for the Confederate strategists.
On June 6th General Magruder ordered the men from North Carolina forward to occupy Big Bethel. The battle
of Big Bethel was on June 10, 1861. Colonel D. H. Hill ordered his regiment to start work on building breastworks, to
strengthen a piece of ground that was already well suited for defense. During the battle the Union lost 22 men and the
Confederates lost 11 men.
This was the only battle William Thomas Gray was engaged in. He was in and out of the Baptist, Methodist, and Episcopal
Church and Seminary Hospital from January 7, 1862 until February 28, 1862. On April 28, 1862 he was detailed to Richmond
to work on gunboats at the CS Navy yard until his capture on April 3, 1865, when he was taken as a Prisoner of War at Exeter
Mills, Virginia. After being captured, he arrived at City Point, Virginia (now Hopewell, Virginia) on April 13, 1865
and was then transported to Point Lookout, Maryland, where he stayed until taking the Oath of Allegiance on June 12, 1865.
At the time of his release he was listed as being a resident of Richmond, Virginia with dark complexion, brown hair, blue
eyes and being 6 feet 1-7/8 inches tall. The National Archives records state he was a Corporal when discharged but doesnt
indicate the date he received this rank.
During the war William fathered a daughter in 1863. Being detailed to Richmond to work on the gunboats allowed him to
visit with his wife, who was living in Richmond.
On November 14, 1902, William Thomas Gray applied for a Disability Pension of which he was awarded $30.00 a month. He
continued to receive his pension until his death on October 3, 1909 at the age of 83. His wife, Maria received his pension
until her death on December 28, 1916. William Thomas Gray was buried at Riverview Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia on October
5, 1909, without a headstone. In February 2004, a Confederate head stone was placed on his grave by his great grandson,
John Alexander Gray, Jr. and other descendants.
By:
Jacqueline Dunkley Gray
United
Daughters of the Confederacy
(Great-granddaughter-in-law)
Richard Beverly Jamison
Richard Beverly Jamison, was known as Beverly. He was born around 1836
to Daniel and Matilda Jimerson. He was a farmer. He was born in and lived in Buckingham, Virginia with his wife Virginia-Jennie.
On February 9, 1862 he enlisted with the
Confederate States of America. He served in Company K, 2nd Virginia Artillery. He was in that unit until March
of 1862 as they disbanded that unit. On March 10, 1862 he reenlisted and became a member of Company A, 22 Battalion Infantry.
The 2nd Regiment Virginia Artillery
was organized into service during February 1862. Ten companies from counties near Richmond composed the regiment. Its official
mission when organized was the local defense of the City of Richmond. The regiment was broke up about May 23, 1862. Six companies
were organized as the 2nd, or 22nd , Battalion Virginia Infantry. The transfer of members of the original
artillery, companies, I and k, disbanded during the organization. Detached from the 2nd Regiment Virginia Heavy
Artillery, as independent artillery, were as follows: Company C, The Southside Artillery and Company F, The Lunenburg Rebel
Artillery.
Beverly served in the battles of Cedar Mountain,
Groveton, Second Bull Run, Harpers Ferry, Antietam, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station and Mine
Run.
It was while he was at Mine Run that on
November 27, 1863, he was captured. He was sent to Old Capital Prison in Washington, D.C. in December 1863. On February 3,
1864 he was transferred to Point Lookout Prison in Maryland. He remained a Prisoner of War until February 24, 1865 and was
then transferred to Aikens Landing, Virginia for prisoner exchange. He was not exchanged or paroled until after the surrender
of Appomattox, Virginia. U.S. records show he was paroled in Farmville, Virginia by Lt. Colonel Barker of the 36th
Mass. Volunteers between April 11th and 21st of 1865.
Beverly and Jennie had eight children: William
D. Jamerson, John Dibble Jamerson, Henry Lee Jamerson, Josiah Thomas Jamerson, Mary V. Jamerson, Emma Jamerson, Pocahontas
Jamerson and Alice Jamerson.
Submitted by Deborah Jamerson Pemberton.
Edward Hudson Jeffress
Edward Hudson
Jeffress was born to Elizabeth Wilson and Luther Creath Jeffress on July 19,
1840. The 1860 Census stated that he was
a farmer. He also served in the Confederate Army; he enlisted June 24, 1861 as
a Private at Prince Edward Courthouse. He served in Company K., 3rd
Virginia Calvary, Wickham’s Brigade, and Jeb Stuart’s Division. Some of the
battles that this unit was engaged in were Chancellorsville, Brandy Station,
Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Cold Harbor. Also, the 3rd went on
to participate in Jubal Early’ s
operations in the Shenandoah Valley and the Appomattox Campaign. It was during
the Valley Campaign that he was
wounded with Stonewall Jackson.
Submitted by: Carol Williams, great great niece
William Horace Jeffress
William Horace
Jeffress was the 3rd
child born to Elizabeth Hudson Wilson and Luther Creath Jeffress on December 1,
1841, at Woodlawn, the family home in Prince Edward County. Before Horace
enlisted in the army, he had been a merchant. Horace enlisted into the army on
April 22, 1861 in Nottoway County, Virginia in Company G and then later in
Company K., 18th Virginia Infantry.
Private Jeffress’s unit fought at First Manassas, Williamsburg, Drury’s
Bluff, Cold Harbor, Gettysburg, Petersburg, Saylor’s Creek and finally at
Appomattox. During the Williamsburg Campaign, Private Jeffress was wounded. He
never recovered from his wound, always walking with a limp. He married his
cousin Victoria Hudson Jeffress, but they had no children. He lived 13 years
longer than his wife dying
November 15, 1913, in Jacksonville, Florida at Desoto Sanitarium. His body was
then returned to Charlotte County, Virginia for burial at Ash Camp Baptist.
Submitted by: Carol
Williams, great great niece
HENRY THOMAS KIRKLAND
Henry Thomas Kirkland was born in Brunswick
County, Virginia in 1817.
Henry married Mrs. Jane C. Waugh Russell
in Selma Alabama on March 20, 1841. Henry and Jane were the parents of 8 children: Jane
C., Kenneth Rufus, Amanda (Emma), William Thomas (Tom), Henrietter (Etter), Elizabeth (Lizzie), Mary and Sarah. Henry was
a member of the Cahaba Rifles Home Guard/Militia. The Militia roll dated 3-6-1862, Orrville, Dallas County, Alabama showed
him as a member of the 41st Regiment, 7th Brigade, 6th Divison, Alabama Militia, Cahaba Beat. On March 10, 1862 Henry enlisted in the 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry,
Co. F. Later in the year he was admitted to a Virginia hospital with no record of illness or injury and returned to his Regiment
in October 1862. He was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital #4, Richmond, Virginia on 12-15-1862 and did not return to his regiment
until 4-23-1863 as a Provost Guard. On March 31, 1863 he was detached, by the Secretary of War, for government work in Selma, Alabama. He was helping to build
a secret submarine. In October 1864 the shipyard was moved to Mobile Alabama, where it is believed Henry was at the end of
the war. Henry died of cancer, but the date is unknown.
Information courtesy of Claude L. Kirkland
and his book “KIRKLANDS’.
Henry Thomas Kirkland was the Great, Great Grandfather of Betty George Franklin.
WILLIAM THOMAS KIRKLAND
Tom was the forth child of Henry Thomas
Kirkland and Jane Waugh Russell Kirkland and was born in 1846 in Dallas County, Alabama. Tom was 15 years old when he joined
the Confederate States Army in Company A 22nd (5th) Regiment
of the Alabama Infantry. Tom married Sarah (Sallie) Rowland in Meridian, Mississippi on May 17, 1874. Their children were
Robert, Albert, Ida, Ella Charley, Willie and Andy. Tom liked to tell his grandchildren the story of how his hand was injured
during the war. Tom was holding the end of the barrel in his right hand and the
butt of the gun in his left hand while beating the Yankees in the head with the stock when the gun went off and shot him through
the palm of his right hand. He was never able to completely close his hand. He learned to write and build houses using his
left hand. Tom died between 1926 and 1929 and is buried in Henson Cemetery in Kemper County, Mississippi.
Information Courtesy of Claude L. Kirkland
from his book named “KIRKLANDS”.
William Thomas Kirkland was the Great Grandfather
of Mrs. Betty George Franklin.
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