“A coal miner’s daughter”, is what my Grandma Edna Jagger Muffley called herself. Her father, James Jagger-pictured-(b. 1843, Southowram), indeed worked in the mines in West Yorkshire, and County Durham, in England, and then later in Illinois. Early in life both of his parents died (which found him then in an orphanage), his first wife died in Illinois, and he had a life of hard physical labor. However, his second marriage (to my great-grandmother Frances Weidenhamer) was reportedly happy, and they raised a large fine-looking family of good people. I feel particularly close to this branch of my ancestry, not only because of my early experiences with them, but also due to such a large legacy left to me in photos and history. In addition to this wealth of information, I have visited ancestral locations in West Yorkshire, Illinois, and elsewhere. Hardyman cousins (James Jagger’s mother was Mary Hardyman) have welcomed into their English homes my wife Kathryn and myself. This blog is a summary of highlights of this interesting ancestry.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
INTRODUCTION
“A coal miner’s daughter”, is what my Grandma Edna Jagger Muffley called herself. Her father, James Jagger-pictured-(b. 1843, Southowram), indeed worked in the mines in West Yorkshire, and County Durham, in England, and then later in Illinois. Early in life both of his parents died (which found him then in an orphanage), his first wife died in Illinois, and he had a life of hard physical labor. However, his second marriage (to my great-grandmother Frances Weidenhamer) was reportedly happy, and they raised a large fine-looking family of good people. I feel particularly close to this branch of my ancestry, not only because of my early experiences with them, but also due to such a large legacy left to me in photos and history. In addition to this wealth of information, I have visited ancestral locations in West Yorkshire, Illinois, and elsewhere. Hardyman cousins (James Jagger’s mother was Mary Hardyman) have welcomed into their English homes my wife Kathryn and myself. This blog is a summary of highlights of this interesting ancestry.
WEST YORKSHIRE
James Jagger’s ancestry includes the surnames Hardyman, Wade, Kenion, Rhodes, and Wilkinson. His maternal great-grandfather John Hardyman was a soldier at the time of his March 15, 1769, marriage to Betty Kenion (b. 1753; Betty was the daughter of Thomas and Martha Rhodes Kenion). This marriage was only a few years following the world conflict called the Seven Years War (termed French and Indian War in America). Much later, Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington) was associated with West Yorkshire troops. There is a Wellington Chapel with a fine rood screen inside St. John’s Parish Church in Halifax. Several persons of my ancestry were associated with this Church of England parish church, and also with the nearby Square Independent Chapel (visited by John Wesley at a time when my Wilkinson ancestors were members).
John and Betty Kenion Hardyman had a son, William Hardyman Sr. (b. Sept. 15, 1773, Halifax). William was a cloth dresser. He married Susannah Wade (m. June 30, 1794), and later they lived at Gardeners Square in Hipperholme (just northeast of Halifax). Gardeners Square was a place of particular importance to my family, as we shall shortly see. I wrote an article, “Hipperholme Sweet Home” for The Scrivener, a publication of the Calderdale Family History Society.
William and Susannah Wade Hardyman had three children: (1) Elizabeth “Betty” Hardyman; (2) Mary Hardyman; & (3) William Hardyman Jr. Elizabeth (b. July 21, 1799) married Benjamin Aaron, who inherited his father’s shoe shop. The Aaron shoe shop has been in operated by that family continuously since 1810. Philip and Val Aaron escorted Kathryn and me around the Halifax area, fed and entertained us. Their home has many interesting prints of old Halifax. Another Aaron-Hardyman cousin, Elizabeth Paczek, has also received us warmly into her home. I have photos of Benjamin and Elizabeth Hardyman Aaron, which are particularly valued because I have no other photos of kin of that generation.
William Hardyman Jr. (b. Nov. 3, 1805) married Anne Rowbottom. William was a cooper. They had several children, including Hannah Hardyman (b. Sept. 1847). Hannah, a lifelong residence of Halifax, corresponded with her cousin James Jagger in Illinois. I have some of that correspondence, her will, census data, and have seen one of her Halifax residences.
On December 25, 1827, Mary Hardyman (b. April 3, 1803) married John Jagger (b. 1807-1808), and these were the parents of our James Jagger.
John and Betty Kenion Hardyman had a son, William Hardyman Sr. (b. Sept. 15, 1773, Halifax). William was a cloth dresser. He married Susannah Wade (m. June 30, 1794), and later they lived at Gardeners Square in Hipperholme (just northeast of Halifax). Gardeners Square was a place of particular importance to my family, as we shall shortly see. I wrote an article, “Hipperholme Sweet Home” for The Scrivener, a publication of the Calderdale Family History Society.
William and Susannah Wade Hardyman had three children: (1) Elizabeth “Betty” Hardyman; (2) Mary Hardyman; & (3) William Hardyman Jr. Elizabeth (b. July 21, 1799) married Benjamin Aaron, who inherited his father’s shoe shop. The Aaron shoe shop has been in operated by that family continuously since 1810. Philip and Val Aaron escorted Kathryn and me around the Halifax area, fed and entertained us. Their home has many interesting prints of old Halifax. Another Aaron-Hardyman cousin, Elizabeth Paczek, has also received us warmly into her home. I have photos of Benjamin and Elizabeth Hardyman Aaron, which are particularly valued because I have no other photos of kin of that generation.
William Hardyman Jr. (b. Nov. 3, 1805) married Anne Rowbottom. William was a cooper. They had several children, including Hannah Hardyman (b. Sept. 1847). Hannah, a lifelong residence of Halifax, corresponded with her cousin James Jagger in Illinois. I have some of that correspondence, her will, census data, and have seen one of her Halifax residences.
On December 25, 1827, Mary Hardyman (b. April 3, 1803) married John Jagger (b. 1807-1808), and these were the parents of our James Jagger.
JAGGER HISTORY
There is a 1306 Derbyshire record of some Thomas le Jager, but generally the surname is associated with West Yorkshire. A “jag” is a pack, in West Yorkshire dialect, and a jagger was a peddler. It has been said that English Jaggers descend from families in Stainland, West Yorkshire. A Yorkshire poll tax of 1379 reportedly showed only a single Jagger family, located in Stainland (west of Jagger Green). Over time descendants spread, particularly to the east. In West Yorkshire there are: Jagger Green, Jagger Green Hall, Jagger Bridge, Jagger Dam, and Jagger Park Wood.
About 1420, Shibden Hall (a Jagger later married into a family associated with Shibden) was built to the east of Halifax. Philip and Van Aaron kindly gave us a tour of Shibden Hall, which many of my kinfolk must have seen. The present Halifax Parish Church, associated with my ancestry, was begun in 1438, on the site of a Norman church.
About 1758-1759, Mary Jagger (great-grandmother of our James Jagger) was born; her parents are not known. An e-mail cousin has reported that Mary Jagger was not married at the time of birth of her son William Jagger (b. 1781-1782, Southowram). William was baptized at St. John the Baptist, parish church of the Church of England, on February 3, 1782. He was a laborer. William Jagger married Martha Wilkinson on December 26, 1804. Martha had been baptized on November 24, 1874, at the Square Independent Chapel. Their children were baptized at Square Chapel, so do not appear in Church of England records. One of those kids was our John Jagger (b. 1807-1808), who was christened on June 12, 1808, at Square Chapel; the parents were recorded as William and Martha Jagger of Southowram. John’s brother Joseph was to become a significant figure in the life of our James Jagger.
John Jagger was a weaver of Southowram at the time of his December 25, 1827, marriage to Mary Hardyman. He was also listed as a weaver of Southowram at the time of births of their kids Susannah (christened Jan. 25, 1829), William (chr. May 1, 1831), and John Jr. (chr. Nov. 6, 1836). Their daughter Martha Ann was christened on Oct. 30, 1839. As a weaver, John Jagger surely would have frequented the Piece Hall (opened in 1779) in Halifax. Small makers of cloth sold their products to wholesalers at Piece Hall.
About 1420, Shibden Hall (a Jagger later married into a family associated with Shibden) was built to the east of Halifax. Philip and Van Aaron kindly gave us a tour of Shibden Hall, which many of my kinfolk must have seen. The present Halifax Parish Church, associated with my ancestry, was begun in 1438, on the site of a Norman church.
About 1758-1759, Mary Jagger (great-grandmother of our James Jagger) was born; her parents are not known. An e-mail cousin has reported that Mary Jagger was not married at the time of birth of her son William Jagger (b. 1781-1782, Southowram). William was baptized at St. John the Baptist, parish church of the Church of England, on February 3, 1782. He was a laborer. William Jagger married Martha Wilkinson on December 26, 1804. Martha had been baptized on November 24, 1874, at the Square Independent Chapel. Their children were baptized at Square Chapel, so do not appear in Church of England records. One of those kids was our John Jagger (b. 1807-1808), who was christened on June 12, 1808, at Square Chapel; the parents were recorded as William and Martha Jagger of Southowram. John’s brother Joseph was to become a significant figure in the life of our James Jagger.
John Jagger was a weaver of Southowram at the time of his December 25, 1827, marriage to Mary Hardyman. He was also listed as a weaver of Southowram at the time of births of their kids Susannah (christened Jan. 25, 1829), William (chr. May 1, 1831), and John Jr. (chr. Nov. 6, 1836). Their daughter Martha Ann was christened on Oct. 30, 1839. As a weaver, John Jagger surely would have frequented the Piece Hall (opened in 1779) in Halifax. Small makers of cloth sold their products to wholesalers at Piece Hall.
JAGGER HISTORY 1841-1867
The 1841 census finds this John and Mary Jagger family in Gardeners Square, Hipperholme, neighbors of some Moses and Hannah Aaron. John Jagger was then a carter. The children then were Susannah, William, John Jr., and Martha Ann. Not yet born were my ancestor James Jagger (b. 1843, Southowram), nor a brother Thomas. Thomas has not been positively identified in records, but was reported in family history as a brother “lost at sea”. There may also have been a brother Joseph, who died young. The Hare and Hounds Pub is just across the street from Gardeners Square. Go to www.old-maps.co.uk and search for “Hipperholme”. This pub can be seen on an 1854 map; Gardeners Square is just to the left. Go to www.multimap.com and search for “Hipperholme”. Zoom in, and go a bit north up the A644. Center on Gardeners Square, and click “Aerial”. The aerial photograph shows the pub. Some of my kin who lived across the road surely utilized that pub.
There are unsolved mysteries about what eventually became of the siblings of our James Jagger. Apparently Susannah died fairly young, John Jr. was said to have managed a hotel in Blackpool, and Martha Ann reportedly married. James’ brother Will Jagger became a mechanic, and moved to Delaware and Pennsylvania; some is known about his life and descendants.
Also in the 1841 census, we see that John Jagger’s brother Joseph was living in Southowram with their parents William and Martha Wilkinson Jagger. William and Joseph were both wool combers. Nearby lived William’s and Martha’s son Robert and his wife Sarah Robertshaw Jagger. Joseph must have married Mary shortly after 1841.
Some time after the 1841 census, our John and Mary Jagger family may have moved from Gardeners Square to Southowram; his parents may have died about then. Emily Brontë had taught briefly in Southowram in 1837, and later incorporated feuds she had observed into her novel “Wuthering Heights”. Our James Jagger was born at Southowram on April 9, 1843. Also born that year in Southowram was James’ cousin Amelia Jagger, daughter of Joseph Jagger. This cousin Amelia Jagger Hallas years later turned up in Galesburg, Illinois, home then of our James Jagger.
According to family history, some time after James’ 1843 birth his mother died. His father remarried, but then died. The step-mother re-married, and sent the Jagger kids away. James and Martha Ann reportedly went to an orphanage. I haven’t been able to find specifics about the deaths and remarriages in records. It is unknown if the deaths relate at all to a typhus epidemic in 1843-1844 in parts of West Yorkshire.
In the 1851 census, we find our James Jagger, age 8, in the Halifax Union Workhouse. His brother Will, mechanic, appears to be living with some people, possibly with 2 Jagger aunts, at Bank Bottom, near the railway station. James’ brother John Jr. appears to be living at 16 Gardeners Square; he was age 14, and a collier. Cousin Hannah Hardyman was with her parents at 1 Gardeners Square. The whereabouts then of other Jagger sibs is unclear.
James Jagger was 10 in 1853, so old enough for the coal mines legally, which fits with family history. That year the Crimean War began. James’ brother Will may have migrated to Delaware about this time, and in 1855 Will married Elizabeth (Hurst?) in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. One of Will’s sons was named Squire Jagger; it is interesting that Will’s Aunt Hannah Jagger married John Squires.
By the 1861 census, our James Jagger was living at 11 Whitelea Road in Batley (a location of significance for the Jaggers for decades to come) with his Uncle Joseph and Aunt Mary Jagger. Coal mining was the employment of James, Uncle Joseph, and Cousin George. Cousins Amelia (later the wife of Jessie Hallas) and Ann worked in a factory. Other kin are to be found in that census, but James’ sibs remain elusive, except for brother Will, who had been in America for some time; the U.S. Civil War started in 1861.
Some time after 1861, James Jagger moved north to County Durham and began coal mine work there. Perhaps his brother John moved to Blackpool about then, as that city was developing as a holiday destination. No record has been found to back up the family story of John working there as a hotel manager, but Hannah Hardyman made reference in a 1920 letter to some people (known to Hannah & James) in Blackpool. By the way, Sir Mick Jagger, of West Yorkshire ancestry, reportedly had a grandfather David Jagger who died in the Blackpool area.
On October 9, 1867, James Jagger, resident at Sunnybrow coal village, married Jane Emmerson Liddell in Auckland, County Durham. James migrated to Adams County, Illinois, in 1869 (according to a later census), ahead of his wife (according to family history). He may have been associated with a coalmining Ellis family who had migrated from England to Illinois.
There are unsolved mysteries about what eventually became of the siblings of our James Jagger. Apparently Susannah died fairly young, John Jr. was said to have managed a hotel in Blackpool, and Martha Ann reportedly married. James’ brother Will Jagger became a mechanic, and moved to Delaware and Pennsylvania; some is known about his life and descendants.
Also in the 1841 census, we see that John Jagger’s brother Joseph was living in Southowram with their parents William and Martha Wilkinson Jagger. William and Joseph were both wool combers. Nearby lived William’s and Martha’s son Robert and his wife Sarah Robertshaw Jagger. Joseph must have married Mary shortly after 1841.
Some time after the 1841 census, our John and Mary Jagger family may have moved from Gardeners Square to Southowram; his parents may have died about then. Emily Brontë had taught briefly in Southowram in 1837, and later incorporated feuds she had observed into her novel “Wuthering Heights”. Our James Jagger was born at Southowram on April 9, 1843. Also born that year in Southowram was James’ cousin Amelia Jagger, daughter of Joseph Jagger. This cousin Amelia Jagger Hallas years later turned up in Galesburg, Illinois, home then of our James Jagger.
According to family history, some time after James’ 1843 birth his mother died. His father remarried, but then died. The step-mother re-married, and sent the Jagger kids away. James and Martha Ann reportedly went to an orphanage. I haven’t been able to find specifics about the deaths and remarriages in records. It is unknown if the deaths relate at all to a typhus epidemic in 1843-1844 in parts of West Yorkshire.
In the 1851 census, we find our James Jagger, age 8, in the Halifax Union Workhouse. His brother Will, mechanic, appears to be living with some people, possibly with 2 Jagger aunts, at Bank Bottom, near the railway station. James’ brother John Jr. appears to be living at 16 Gardeners Square; he was age 14, and a collier. Cousin Hannah Hardyman was with her parents at 1 Gardeners Square. The whereabouts then of other Jagger sibs is unclear.
James Jagger was 10 in 1853, so old enough for the coal mines legally, which fits with family history. That year the Crimean War began. James’ brother Will may have migrated to Delaware about this time, and in 1855 Will married Elizabeth (Hurst?) in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. One of Will’s sons was named Squire Jagger; it is interesting that Will’s Aunt Hannah Jagger married John Squires.
By the 1861 census, our James Jagger was living at 11 Whitelea Road in Batley (a location of significance for the Jaggers for decades to come) with his Uncle Joseph and Aunt Mary Jagger. Coal mining was the employment of James, Uncle Joseph, and Cousin George. Cousins Amelia (later the wife of Jessie Hallas) and Ann worked in a factory. Other kin are to be found in that census, but James’ sibs remain elusive, except for brother Will, who had been in America for some time; the U.S. Civil War started in 1861.
Some time after 1861, James Jagger moved north to County Durham and began coal mine work there. Perhaps his brother John moved to Blackpool about then, as that city was developing as a holiday destination. No record has been found to back up the family story of John working there as a hotel manager, but Hannah Hardyman made reference in a 1920 letter to some people (known to Hannah & James) in Blackpool. By the way, Sir Mick Jagger, of West Yorkshire ancestry, reportedly had a grandfather David Jagger who died in the Blackpool area.
On October 9, 1867, James Jagger, resident at Sunnybrow coal village, married Jane Emmerson Liddell in Auckland, County Durham. James migrated to Adams County, Illinois, in 1869 (according to a later census), ahead of his wife (according to family history). He may have been associated with a coalmining Ellis family who had migrated from England to Illinois.
ADAMS COUNTY, ILLINOIS
James Jagger (pictured here with his family from left rear: Edna, Lily, Will, Jess, Ruth, Rose, May, Mattie, front row - Lee, Bessie, James, Frances, Harry, Allie.) settled in the north of Adams County, near the coal mine of John Jacob Weidenhamer III. Soon afterwards, his wife Jane migrated from England to join him. Jane died in childbirth (d. Oct. 28, 1870), and the baby girl died shortly afterwards. They were buried at the Mt. Horeb Cemetery, 5 miles east of the town of Golden. James Jagger roomed with coal mine owner (and farmer and businessman) John Jacob Weidenhamer III (of Baden, Germany ancestry) and his wife Elizabeth Glenn Weidenhamer (her ancestry includes Glenn of Northern Ireland, Tucker of early Jamestown, Cherokee, and Choctaw). On December 25, 1870, our James Jagger married their daughter Frances Fredericka Weidenhamer. The first of their 13 kids was born in 1871, and 12 survived to adulthood (pictured above). Soon after the marriage, James and Frances were baptized into the United Brethren Church. They lived, while in Adams County, in Fowler, Camp Point (e.g. 1880 census), and Golden. He came home from work black from coal. At some point his hand was injured, and it appears from old photos that the index finger of his left hand was partly gone. James was in good health, liked long walks, and played the accordion.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOHN CHANCY WEIDENHAM(M)ER
The largest land battle ever fought in North Carolina began on March 19, 1865. At Bentonville, Confederate forces under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston tried to stop the northward advance of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, who sought eventually to join forces with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia. Confederate troops were in place across the Goldsboro Road the morning of March 19, blocking the Union Left Wing under Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum. The fighting was heavy, and United States forces had some setbacks.
Late afternoon on March 20, Private John Chancy Weidenhamer (eldest brother of my great-grandmother Frances Weidenhamer Jagger) arrived at the Bentonville battlefield to reinforce the Union troops. J.C. Weidenhamer had some help: Sherman’s Right Wing (Army of The Tennessee), under the command of Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard.
Private Weidenhamer had joined the army at age 16, threatening to run away if permission was not given. He sought to take the place of his father John Jacob Weidenhamer III, who was too ill to serve when drafted after his first discharge. J.C. had turned 16 on Aug. 2, 1864, and he was mustered in as a substitute on October 14, 1864. From November 15, the 12th Illinois Infantry was part of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to The Sea (Savannah Campaign), with a goal of speeding the end of war. Following the Savannah Campaign, Sherman began the Carolinas Campaign, leading to the Battle of Bentonville.
When Howard’s Right Wing joined comrades at Bentonville on March 20, 1865, his troops extended Slocum’s right flank. There was heavy skirmishing on March 21. The
12th Illinois Regiment was commanded by Lt. Col. Henry Van Stellar. The 12th was part of Col. Robert N. Adams’ 2nd Brigade of Maj. Gen John M. Corse’s 4th Division of Maj. Gen. John A. Logan’s XV Corps. This corps was under Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard’s Right Wing (Army of The Tennessee) of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s army. Over the course of the battle, the 12th Illinois Infantry Regiment advanced north behind their skirmishers parallel to, & left of, the Bentonville Road (Route 1197). They apparently held at the south rim of a now-wooded swampy ravine at Sam Howell Branch, opposite the Confederates. John Chancy Weidenhamer was reportedly never wounded, but his regiment lost 260 during the entire war. Union forces (but not the 12th) used a local home, Harper House (still standing), as a field hospital. The night of March 21 the armies were drenched by rain. The Confederates withdrew during the night, having learned that more Unions troops, under Maj. Gen. John Schofield, had reached Goldsboro, a supply depot and rail junction.
After Bentonville, the 12th Illinois occupied Goldsboro (March 24), & then Raleigh (Apr. 14). Union troops were in Raleigh when Sherman’s escort rode out to meet Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston to negotiate the Confederate surrender. Sherman felt that he understood Lincoln’s intention to not be overly punitive to the South in the terms of surrender. The morning that Sherman was to first meet with Johnston, Sherman swore the telegraph guy to secrecy about the newly decoded telegram. The mounted escorts of Sherman & Johnston met along the road between Raleigh & Hillsboro, near Durham Station. Johnston said that he had just passed a farm where perhaps they could hold their meeting. The Bennett family (who had lost several men to the war) agreed to loan them their residential cabin while the family stayed in the kitchen cabin. Sherman showed Johnston the telegram: Lincoln had been assassinated. Sherman and Johnston met further times, after consultations with superiors. The surrender was signed on April 26, 1865, at Bennett Place.
Johnston defied Jefferson Davis, who wanted to fight on indefinitely. Sherman defied those in D.C. who wanted to be more punitive to the South. They did a good thing in ending the killing & establishing fair terms. www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennett_Place
Lee had already surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, & Johnston’s largest surrender of Confederate troops ended the war. Sherman and Johnston also became friends. Johnston attended Sherman’s funeral in later years, stood bareheaded in the rain, caught a cold & later pneumonia, which killed him.
After the Bennett Place April 26 surrender, John Chancy Weidenhamer’s unit went on to Richmond & Washington D.C., where the 12th was in the Grand Review parade of May 24, 1865. Later, the regiment went to Louisville, and were finally discharged on July 18, 1865, at Camp Butler, Illinois.
See the regimental history at www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/regiments.cfm Also, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman's_March_to_the_Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolinas_Campaign
John Chancy Weidenhamer had been born on a farm in Adams County, Illinois. He did farm work, and also had hauled coal. There were several coal mines nearby. Following the December 26, 1867, marriage of Amanda Jane Griffiths (reportedly kin to Davy Crockett) and John Chancy Weidenhamer, he worked the farm awhile. J.C.’s future brother-in-law James Jagger (my great-grandfather) came from England in 1869 to mine coal in Adams County.
John Chancy Weidenhamer was listed as a farmer in the 1870 census of adjacent Schuyler County, but two of their children were buried on the Adams County side of the line, at Mt. Horeb Church. The same cemetery holds the graves of James Jagger’s first wife Jane Emmerson Liddell Jagger and their infant daughter. On December 25, 1870, James Jagger married Frances Frederika Weidenhamer, sister of John Chancy Weidenhamer.
In 1877, John Chancy Weidenhamer moved his family to Galesburg, Illinois, to work for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad. He began the family railroading involvement, which eventually included large numbers of kin. He began as a brakeman (e.g. 1880 census of Galesburg), and became a conductor. At some point he was dragged by a waycar, and this may have contributed to his rheumatism. He died at age 54, in 1902. J.C. and Amanda were reportedly happy, and were very loving and kind parents.
JOHN CHANCY WEIDENHAM(M)ER
The largest land battle ever fought in North Carolina began on March 19, 1865. At Bentonville, Confederate forces under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston tried to stop the northward advance of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, who sought eventually to join forces with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia. Confederate troops were in place across the Goldsboro Road the morning of March 19, blocking the Union Left Wing under Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum. The fighting was heavy, and United States forces had some setbacks.
Late afternoon on March 20, Private John Chancy Weidenhamer (eldest brother of my great-grandmother Frances Weidenhamer Jagger) arrived at the Bentonville battlefield to reinforce the Union troops. J.C. Weidenhamer had some help: Sherman’s Right Wing (Army of The Tennessee), under the command of Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard.
Private Weidenhamer had joined the army at age 16, threatening to run away if permission was not given. He sought to take the place of his father John Jacob Weidenhamer III, who was too ill to serve when drafted after his first discharge. J.C. had turned 16 on Aug. 2, 1864, and he was mustered in as a substitute on October 14, 1864. From November 15, the 12th Illinois Infantry was part of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to The Sea (Savannah Campaign), with a goal of speeding the end of war. Following the Savannah Campaign, Sherman began the Carolinas Campaign, leading to the Battle of Bentonville.
When Howard’s Right Wing joined comrades at Bentonville on March 20, 1865, his troops extended Slocum’s right flank. There was heavy skirmishing on March 21. The
12th Illinois Regiment was commanded by Lt. Col. Henry Van Stellar. The 12th was part of Col. Robert N. Adams’ 2nd Brigade of Maj. Gen John M. Corse’s 4th Division of Maj. Gen. John A. Logan’s XV Corps. This corps was under Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard’s Right Wing (Army of The Tennessee) of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s army. Over the course of the battle, the 12th Illinois Infantry Regiment advanced north behind their skirmishers parallel to, & left of, the Bentonville Road (Route 1197). They apparently held at the south rim of a now-wooded swampy ravine at Sam Howell Branch, opposite the Confederates. John Chancy Weidenhamer was reportedly never wounded, but his regiment lost 260 during the entire war. Union forces (but not the 12th) used a local home, Harper House (still standing), as a field hospital. The night of March 21 the armies were drenched by rain. The Confederates withdrew during the night, having learned that more Unions troops, under Maj. Gen. John Schofield, had reached Goldsboro, a supply depot and rail junction.
After Bentonville, the 12th Illinois occupied Goldsboro (March 24), & then Raleigh (Apr. 14). Union troops were in Raleigh when Sherman’s escort rode out to meet Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston to negotiate the Confederate surrender. Sherman felt that he understood Lincoln’s intention to not be overly punitive to the South in the terms of surrender. The morning that Sherman was to first meet with Johnston, Sherman swore the telegraph guy to secrecy about the newly decoded telegram. The mounted escorts of Sherman & Johnston met along the road between Raleigh & Hillsboro, near Durham Station. Johnston said that he had just passed a farm where perhaps they could hold their meeting. The Bennett family (who had lost several men to the war) agreed to loan them their residential cabin while the family stayed in the kitchen cabin. Sherman showed Johnston the telegram: Lincoln had been assassinated. Sherman and Johnston met further times, after consultations with superiors. The surrender was signed on April 26, 1865, at Bennett Place.
Johnston defied Jefferson Davis, who wanted to fight on indefinitely. Sherman defied those in D.C. who wanted to be more punitive to the South. They did a good thing in ending the killing & establishing fair terms. www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennett_Place
Lee had already surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, & Johnston’s largest surrender of Confederate troops ended the war. Sherman and Johnston also became friends. Johnston attended Sherman’s funeral in later years, stood bareheaded in the rain, caught a cold & later pneumonia, which killed him.
After the Bennett Place April 26 surrender, John Chancy Weidenhamer’s unit went on to Richmond & Washington D.C., where the 12th was in the Grand Review parade of May 24, 1865. Later, the regiment went to Louisville, and were finally discharged on July 18, 1865, at Camp Butler, Illinois.
See the regimental history at www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/regiments.cfm Also, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman's_March_to_the_Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolinas_Campaign
John Chancy Weidenhamer had been born on a farm in Adams County, Illinois. He did farm work, and also had hauled coal. There were several coal mines nearby. Following the December 26, 1867, marriage of Amanda Jane Griffiths (reportedly kin to Davy Crockett) and John Chancy Weidenhamer, he worked the farm awhile. J.C.’s future brother-in-law James Jagger (my great-grandfather) came from England in 1869 to mine coal in Adams County.
John Chancy Weidenhamer was listed as a farmer in the 1870 census of adjacent Schuyler County, but two of their children were buried on the Adams County side of the line, at Mt. Horeb Church. The same cemetery holds the graves of James Jagger’s first wife Jane Emmerson Liddell Jagger and their infant daughter. On December 25, 1870, James Jagger married Frances Frederika Weidenhamer, sister of John Chancy Weidenhamer.
In 1877, John Chancy Weidenhamer moved his family to Galesburg, Illinois, to work for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad. He began the family railroading involvement, which eventually included large numbers of kin. He began as a brakeman (e.g. 1880 census of Galesburg), and became a conductor. At some point he was dragged by a waycar, and this may have contributed to his rheumatism. He died at age 54, in 1902. J.C. and Amanda were reportedly happy, and were very loving and kind parents.
GALESBURG, KNOX COUNTY, ILLINOIS, AND BEYOND
Frances Weidenhamer Jagger’s brother John Chancey Weidenhamer (Civil War veteran of Sherman’s March to the Sea) moved from Adams County to Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois to work for the Burlington railroad, thus starting a huge railroading involvement of these families. Soon other brothers did the same, and the whole Weidenhamer clan made the move. James and Frances Weidenhamer Jagger relocated to Galesburg in 1885, where later that year they moved into a house built for them by Frances’ father. They lived the rest of their lives there. James Jagger worked as a laborer for the railroad. James and Frances and 2 kids were photographed in Galesburg about 1886 (?), and this photo of “an unknown family” was held by an e-mail correspondent, a descendant of John Chancy Weidenhamer.
My grandmother Edna Una Jagger (pictured) was born in Galesburg on March 1, 1887. In 1888, Jessie and Amelia Jagger Hallas moved from Batley, West Yorkshire, to live in Galesburg. Amelia was James Jagger’s first cousin. In 1888-1890, a registered voter in Chicago was Squire Jagger, born in Delaware; this was almost certainly the son of Will Jagger (brother of our James Jagger). Squire Jagger has not been located in any subsequent document.
By then there was quite a spread in ages of the James & Frances Jagger kids. Edna’s sister Mary Alice “May” Jagger married in 1890 Silas William McCreary, so that May married into a generation older than the other kids. Silas McCreary was a brother of Emma Jane McCreary, wife of Joseph Pierce Muffley. It was Joe’s and Emma’s son Albert Muffley who eventually married Edna Jagger. Confused? Silas and May were called Cuz-Unc and Cuz-Aunt.
The lives of Albert and Edna Muffley (pictured on the left) will be discussed in the Muffley Blog. Edna’s siblings and cousins were numerous, and they had a club “Ums-O-Wees”. Albert had a tee shirt labeled, “Ums-O-Wees Motorcycle Club”.
In 1891, Edna Jagger’s sister Martha Elizabeth “Mattie” Jagger sailed to England and stayed with kin for a year. Then she sailed back from Liverpool to New York, arriving on May 21, 1892. She also visited kin in Pennsylvania: James Jagger’s brother Will had lost a wife, remarried, and had kids by both wives. Will’s daughter Lizzie Jagger Snyder and family moved to Joliet Illinois, where they lived awhile, from about 1902. When they came from Pennsylvania, they were met at Union Station in Chicago by Edna’s sisters Allie and Bess. Later, Bess visited the Pennsylvania Jaggers. Charles & Lizzie Jagger Snyder have descendants currently living in New York State.
There is a story which Edna Jagger Muffley told to her grand-daughter Karren Muffley Cassavant. "Gramma Edna's Grandfather [John Jacob Weidenhamer III]...had a team of big horses named Nip and Dexter. Dexter was the larger of the two and very powerful. One day he was down town [probably Galesburg] and one of the trolleys had derailed. There were men there with teams of horses trying to get it righted but with no avail. Her grandfather said that if he were a betting man he would wager that Dexter could pull it on by himself. They jumped on that and sure enough Dexter did pull it back into place by himself. Then grandfather said he would take payment on what his horse had done, not winnings in a wager. Oh, and another thing about this team of horses. Dexter had a very bad disposition and kicked one of Gramma's brothers (in the head I think). At any rate there was blood everywhere. Grandfather went in to 'break the news gently' to Gramma's mother [Frances Weidenhamer Jagger] but he forgot to change his bloody clothes first and scared her badly. I don't think this story involved a real a tragedy of any kind. I wish I could remember which brother was kicked."
In 1898, the American battleship Maine was sunk at Cuba, triggering the Spanish-American War. In Galesburg, newspaper boy Lee Jagger (brother of Edna) spread the news. My grandfather Albert Lindstrom was a soldier in that war, but that is another story. My great-grandfather Joe Muffley (future father-in-law of Edna Jagger Muffley) tried to enlist, but was not considered stout enough. He was, however, stout enough to live to be over 100.
Meanwhile, back in West Yorkshire in the 1901 census, a number of Hardyman kin can be found. James Jagger’s first cousin Hannah Hardyman was then living at 5-7 Manor Drive in Halifax, as head of a household of relatives. I have photographed this place. Sometime in the early 1900s, the Aaron family opened a second shop: A1 Cash Boot Store, in Woolmarkets, Halifax. I have a photo of a print from Woolmarkets.
Edna Jagger and Albert Muffley eloped in 1906 (see Muffley Blog). Edna left from Galesburg, and Albert from Quincy. They married in Monmouth. A newspaper covering the story phoned the Jagger household for the story. That phone call was the first that Edna’s parents knew of the event.
Edna’s brother Lee Forrest Jagger had begun railroad work in Galesburg with various station duties. In July, 1907, Lee moved to McCook, Nebraska. His cousin Jesse Roy Weidenhamer of McCook helped Lee secure a job as brakeman for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. In 1913, Lee Jagger of McCook married Edna Sabin Glaze. Years later, Conductor Lee Jagger helped a nephew secure a brakeman job in McCook: Robert Pierce Muffley (my father - pictured here lower right when he was a brakeman for the Beverly Local).
My grandmother Edna Una Jagger (pictured) was born in Galesburg on March 1, 1887. In 1888, Jessie and Amelia Jagger Hallas moved from Batley, West Yorkshire, to live in Galesburg. Amelia was James Jagger’s first cousin. In 1888-1890, a registered voter in Chicago was Squire Jagger, born in Delaware; this was almost certainly the son of Will Jagger (brother of our James Jagger). Squire Jagger has not been located in any subsequent document.By then there was quite a spread in ages of the James & Frances Jagger kids. Edna’s sister Mary Alice “May” Jagger married in 1890 Silas William McCreary, so that May married into a generation older than the other kids. Silas McCreary was a brother of Emma Jane McCreary, wife of Joseph Pierce Muffley. It was Joe’s and Emma’s son Albert Muffley who eventually married Edna Jagger. Confused? Silas and May were called Cuz-Unc and Cuz-Aunt.
The lives of Albert and Edna Muffley (pictured on the left) will be discussed in the Muffley Blog. Edna’s siblings and cousins were numerous, and they had a club “Ums-O-Wees”. Albert had a tee shirt labeled, “Ums-O-Wees Motorcycle Club”.In 1891, Edna Jagger’s sister Martha Elizabeth “Mattie” Jagger sailed to England and stayed with kin for a year. Then she sailed back from Liverpool to New York, arriving on May 21, 1892. She also visited kin in Pennsylvania: James Jagger’s brother Will had lost a wife, remarried, and had kids by both wives. Will’s daughter Lizzie Jagger Snyder and family moved to Joliet Illinois, where they lived awhile, from about 1902. When they came from Pennsylvania, they were met at Union Station in Chicago by Edna’s sisters Allie and Bess. Later, Bess visited the Pennsylvania Jaggers. Charles & Lizzie Jagger Snyder have descendants currently living in New York State.
There is a story which Edna Jagger Muffley told to her grand-daughter Karren Muffley Cassavant. "Gramma Edna's Grandfather [John Jacob Weidenhamer III]...had a team of big horses named Nip and Dexter. Dexter was the larger of the two and very powerful. One day he was down town [probably Galesburg] and one of the trolleys had derailed. There were men there with teams of horses trying to get it righted but with no avail. Her grandfather said that if he were a betting man he would wager that Dexter could pull it on by himself. They jumped on that and sure enough Dexter did pull it back into place by himself. Then grandfather said he would take payment on what his horse had done, not winnings in a wager. Oh, and another thing about this team of horses. Dexter had a very bad disposition and kicked one of Gramma's brothers (in the head I think). At any rate there was blood everywhere. Grandfather went in to 'break the news gently' to Gramma's mother [Frances Weidenhamer Jagger] but he forgot to change his bloody clothes first and scared her badly. I don't think this story involved a real a tragedy of any kind. I wish I could remember which brother was kicked."
In 1898, the American battleship Maine was sunk at Cuba, triggering the Spanish-American War. In Galesburg, newspaper boy Lee Jagger (brother of Edna) spread the news. My grandfather Albert Lindstrom was a soldier in that war, but that is another story. My great-grandfather Joe Muffley (future father-in-law of Edna Jagger Muffley) tried to enlist, but was not considered stout enough. He was, however, stout enough to live to be over 100.
Meanwhile, back in West Yorkshire in the 1901 census, a number of Hardyman kin can be found. James Jagger’s first cousin Hannah Hardyman was then living at 5-7 Manor Drive in Halifax, as head of a household of relatives. I have photographed this place. Sometime in the early 1900s, the Aaron family opened a second shop: A1 Cash Boot Store, in Woolmarkets, Halifax. I have a photo of a print from Woolmarkets.
Edna Jagger and Albert Muffley eloped in 1906 (see Muffley Blog). Edna left from Galesburg, and Albert from Quincy. They married in Monmouth. A newspaper covering the story phoned the Jagger household for the story. That phone call was the first that Edna’s parents knew of the event.
Edna’s brother Lee Forrest Jagger had begun railroad work in Galesburg with various station duties. In July, 1907, Lee moved to McCook, Nebraska. His cousin Jesse Roy Weidenhamer of McCook helped Lee secure a job as brakeman for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. In 1913, Lee Jagger of McCook married Edna Sabin Glaze. Years later, Conductor Lee Jagger helped a nephew secure a brakeman job in McCook: Robert Pierce Muffley (my father - pictured here lower right when he was a brakeman for the Beverly Local).
In 1914, Britain declared war against Germany. Halifax sent portions of The Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment. Recall the Duke of Wellington Chapel in St. John’s Parish Church, Halifax. Some time during the war, James Jagger visited relatives and friends in England. He must have visited his cousin Hannah Hardyman in Halifax, and the Smith family at 11 Whitelea Rd. in Batley (James’ home in 1861). It is not known if his siblings John Jagger Jr. and Martha Ann Jagger were alive then. James Jagger’s grandson Arthur Stanley “Dick” McCreary was drafted on June 5, 1917. The Knox County Honor Roll listed Dick’s mother May Jagger McCreary as a Red Cross worker. Dick’s father Silas McCreary was in the book for a job in advertising.
The war ended in 1918. That year there was a large Weidenhamer reunion in Galesburg. Refer to the group photo at my Picasa album “Jagger-Weidenhamer Ancestry”. Each person is numbered, starting at the left in the closest row. Persons of particular interest: # 1 = James Jagger (my great-grandfather); #2 = Albert Muffley (my grandfather); #5 = Roy Weidenhamer (helped Lee Jagger get the railroad job in McCook); #7 = Robert Muffley (my father); #13 = Louise Muffley (sister of Robert Muffley); #23 = May Jagger McCreary (wife of Silas McCreary); #34 = Frances Weidenhamer Jagger (my great-grandmother); #44 = Silas McCreary (brother of Emma Jane McCreary & brother-in-law of Edna Jagger Muffley, who was the daughter-in-law of Emma); #48 = Edna Jagger Muffley (my grandmother); # 55 = Edna Glaze Jagger (wife of Lee Jagger); #66 = Allie Jagger Schneider (Edna’s sister who recorded family history; I recall Allie); & # 69 = Lee Jagger (my great-uncle, whom I recall). My grandmother wrote, “Some of the children not in picture were down by the lake or using the swing”. That probably included my Uncle Ken Muffley.
A couple of Hannah Hardyman’s letters of 1920 to James Jagger survive. She told of deaths in the family, leaving her the last alive of 12 siblings. Hannah had been on holiday to Blackpool and refers to people there; it is not known if these people might be related to John Jagger Jr., reported in family history as a manager of a Blackpool hotel. Hannah said, “…with care I might live to be very old like Grandfather Hardyman. I never knew him…” I have a copy of Hannah’s will. She died in 1938 at the age of 91, outliving James Jagger, who died in 1930 at age 87. Frances Weidenhamer Jagger also died in 1938.
Allie Jagger Schneider in 1970 compiled a list of all Jagger-Weidenhamer-Muffley-etc. kin known to be working for the railroad. Shortly before his death in 1975, Lee Jagger wrote to a Burlington Northern publication about a tally of Weidenhamer-Jagger-and more kin railroading years. Named persons times years worked per person. This list was updated in Sept. 1976, after my father’s retirement: 1612 years was the total at that point.
This link galesburgrailroadmuseum covers the work of the brakeman and conductor. My father, Robert Pierce Muffley, started as a brakeman and retired as a conductor. I fondly recall his descriptions of his work, and have been in his waycars (cabooses).
The Muffley Blog will carry further the story of descendants of my grandmother Edna Jagger Muffley. She lived to be over 100 years of age, and died in 1987. Thus, she got to know her great-grandchildren Lara and Kirk Muffley (my daughter and son). Her letters to them continued her practice of relating tidbits of family history. When she visited us one time, Lara and Kirk were dressed as Indians and tied her up to a chair. My first wife Anne (deceased in 2002) was horrified, but Grandma Muffley said to let them be. Grandma was easy-going, kindly, and had a good sense of humor.
Dr. Gary Muffley
The war ended in 1918. That year there was a large Weidenhamer reunion in Galesburg. Refer to the group photo at my Picasa album “Jagger-Weidenhamer Ancestry”. Each person is numbered, starting at the left in the closest row. Persons of particular interest: # 1 = James Jagger (my great-grandfather); #2 = Albert Muffley (my grandfather); #5 = Roy Weidenhamer (helped Lee Jagger get the railroad job in McCook); #7 = Robert Muffley (my father); #13 = Louise Muffley (sister of Robert Muffley); #23 = May Jagger McCreary (wife of Silas McCreary); #34 = Frances Weidenhamer Jagger (my great-grandmother); #44 = Silas McCreary (brother of Emma Jane McCreary & brother-in-law of Edna Jagger Muffley, who was the daughter-in-law of Emma); #48 = Edna Jagger Muffley (my grandmother); # 55 = Edna Glaze Jagger (wife of Lee Jagger); #66 = Allie Jagger Schneider (Edna’s sister who recorded family history; I recall Allie); & # 69 = Lee Jagger (my great-uncle, whom I recall). My grandmother wrote, “Some of the children not in picture were down by the lake or using the swing”. That probably included my Uncle Ken Muffley.
A couple of Hannah Hardyman’s letters of 1920 to James Jagger survive. She told of deaths in the family, leaving her the last alive of 12 siblings. Hannah had been on holiday to Blackpool and refers to people there; it is not known if these people might be related to John Jagger Jr., reported in family history as a manager of a Blackpool hotel. Hannah said, “…with care I might live to be very old like Grandfather Hardyman. I never knew him…” I have a copy of Hannah’s will. She died in 1938 at the age of 91, outliving James Jagger, who died in 1930 at age 87. Frances Weidenhamer Jagger also died in 1938.
Allie Jagger Schneider in 1970 compiled a list of all Jagger-Weidenhamer-Muffley-etc. kin known to be working for the railroad. Shortly before his death in 1975, Lee Jagger wrote to a Burlington Northern publication about a tally of Weidenhamer-Jagger-and more kin railroading years. Named persons times years worked per person. This list was updated in Sept. 1976, after my father’s retirement: 1612 years was the total at that point.
This link galesburgrailroadmuseum covers the work of the brakeman and conductor. My father, Robert Pierce Muffley, started as a brakeman and retired as a conductor. I fondly recall his descriptions of his work, and have been in his waycars (cabooses).
The Muffley Blog will carry further the story of descendants of my grandmother Edna Jagger Muffley. She lived to be over 100 years of age, and died in 1987. Thus, she got to know her great-grandchildren Lara and Kirk Muffley (my daughter and son). Her letters to them continued her practice of relating tidbits of family history. When she visited us one time, Lara and Kirk were dressed as Indians and tied her up to a chair. My first wife Anne (deceased in 2002) was horrified, but Grandma Muffley said to let them be. Grandma was easy-going, kindly, and had a good sense of humor.
Dr. Gary Muffley
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