SILVER THREADS

 

Written and Published Online by Rex Redmon, Greenville, SC.

w/contributing articles by cousin John Silver

 

 

Hello Everyone,

 

Greetings from Greenville, South Carolina. I do hope every Silver cousin is happy and healthy as we approach the end of a very hard winter. This winter has been especially hard for those of you who live in the northern hemisphere of the United States. Coping with the ice and snow has not been an easy task for you this year I’m sure. Yet, speaking of the weather, it is 64 degrees outside right now on the nineteenth day of February. The sun is brightly shining and it warms the soul immensely. What is the old saying, If March blows in like a lion it will blow out like a lamb and vice versa? Also do you remember the old spring spells when we would have nice days followed by— not so nice days— when cold weather would hit us again? I can remember my Granny Redmon, whom I lived next door to in the mountains of Western North Carolina as I was growing up, talking about inclimate weather during the spring time. Lets see if I can remember all of the spring weather spells in proper order.

 

The end of winter and the true beginning of spring was marked by the appearance of the first catbird. Not mockingbirds now mind you, but catbirds. Mockingbirds live in South Carolina the year round. So the first cold spell in the spring was the Catbird Spell. Next was probably the Dogwood Spell when dogwood trees bloomed. I also remember her saying there was a Blackberry Spell, so that spell must have occurred when blackberry bushes bloomed. Hmmm…I’m afraid I cannot remember any more spells. Perhaps you, my readers, will enlighten me about some more of the ill weather spells of Spring. Send me an e-mail at Redhrex13@aol.com, telling me about the spells in your area and I will print them in the April edition of Silver Threads. Even if you only remember one spell, send it to me.

 

Too, I would love to write an article in April about folk medicinal remedies. If your mother, grandmother or great aunts and uncles kept or used medicinal remedies that qualified as a folk remedy, send it to me and I will include it in the April issue along with your name. For instance, last Saturday, Margaret and I bought some “yellow root” at a local flea market. The elderly woman who sold the yellow root to us said it cures upset stomachs if we made a tea of it. Or, we could chew on the root and it would have the same effect. Also, maybe I can include in the article something about wild editable foods that might be colloquial in your area. In the mountains of Western North Carolina we used to eat wild persimmons and fox grapes — Hmmm, Granny Redmon made the best persimmon pudding and wonderful fox grape jelly. How about a mess of good creasy greens taken from the corn fields after the crop was harvested? They were very tasty cooked with a little bacon grease or mixed with a salad.

 

Looks like we die-hard Carolina Panther Fans will do just that. Die hard! Our team fought hard to win! We cheered hard for them to win! Yet they lost the Super Bowl. Nevertheless, they did make it to the Super Bowl didn’t they? We had our moment of victory seeing our team play for all the marbles.

 

I received a first time letter this month from cousin Josephine Sanders Sparks, a retired schoolteacher in Macon, Georgia wrote to tell me about a book she is writing about her Silver ancestors for the benefit of her children and grandchildren. Jo descends from George Silver Jr. and Nancy Ann Griffith through their son John who migrated over to Northern Georgia in the early nineteenth century and as well, through John and Mary‘s son, Greenberry Silver, a very familiar family name to many of us. Greenberry begat Levi and Levi is Jo’s great grandfather. Levi had a beautiful daughter, Victoria Silver who was Jo’s grandmother.

 

Longevity does run in our Silver Family and Jo attests to that fact. Her great, great, Aunt, Sarah Jane Silver lived to be 110 years old. Sarah Jane was married to her own first cousin, Silas Silver, and Jo remembers visiting with Sarah Jane many times. Actually Jo tells me Sarah Jane was Silas’ second wife. He first married Elizabeth Silver, Sarah Jane’s sister. Between the two women, Silas had a schoolhouse full of children. (Yep, sounds like a typical Silver man. A good procreator and populator of the earth.) Silas was the son of John Silver Jr., Greenberry’s older brother.

 

Jo also tells me all the family is buried at Ball Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Picken’s County, Georgia. Jo and her daughter took a cemetery adventure this past November visiting many of the family cemeteries in Georgia and including driving to KONA in Mitchell County, North Carolina where George Silver Jr. and Nancy Ann Griffith, the progenitors of our Silver family in the south are buried. She said they enjoyed the leaves in the mountains around KONA but hated Highway 80. Don’t we all Jo! She tells us she loves the Silver Threads newsletter that she copies and places in a binder for safekeeping and also for posterity. She is Looking forward to attending the Silver Family reunion in Georgia this year and will be in touch with cousin Carolyn Sutton Silver to learn more about that event.

 

Cousins, speaking of Reunions! It is time to post your Silver Family or related family reunions on the website for this year. All you have to do is contact cousin Barney at his e-mail address that appears at the end of this newsletter and tell him when your particular family reunion is going to be held and he will post it on the Silver Family Website. Right Barney? [yup!] Also, if I do not have another event scheduled, I will do my dead level best to attend your reunion if you are in reasonable driving distance to Greenville, South Carolina. I can feature an article about your event in Silver Threads. I know there are Silver Family reunions in Georgia; Old Fort, Mars Hill, Asheville and Franklin, North Carolina, plus our big family reunion In KONA the fourth Saturday in July. In addition I know there are Robinson/Robertson and McMahan Family reunions in Yancey County every year as well. So folks, please give us the dates of your family events so we can advertise for you and, also so I can put it on my calendar. I want to meet as many of my extended Silver cousins as I can.

 

Cousin Jennifer Sparks of Northeastern Oklahoma has written to me again confirming a tentative arrival date in KONA of her touring party of about thirty people. Jennifer tells me the coach carrying the tour members will arrive in Asheville, North Carolina, probably on the eve of the 15^th of October and asks if I can meet the party there to escort them on to KONA where they will tour the family museum, the grounds of the old Silver homestead, the Silver Family Cemetery and the site of Frankie and Charlie’s cabin where again, the chilling story of the tragedy will be retold by yours truly. Departing KONA after lunch we will sojourn to Morganton, North Carolina, and visit Frankie Stewart-Silver’s grave as well as the hanging site of the unfortunate Frankie. We, at this time cousin Laura Cooper and myself, want to provide lunch for the folks on the tour and we can use suggestions and volunteer help for those of you who are interested in meeting long lost cousins from Oklahoma.

 

The latest wedding plans for myself are … March 20^th! Margaret and I plan to wed at her house at 2:00 in the afternoon. We are planning a small private ceremony with only immediate family in attendance — Plus one bagpipe player of which she is unaware. Our honeymoon plans include a trip to Disney World in Florida. After our mutual houses sell, we hope to start building a new house here in Greenville, the Good Lord willing. We also look forward to officially retiring at the end of this year.

 

Are you related to a famous ancestor? For instance, I have distant cousins, Elvis Presley, former president Jimmy Carter, who is also Elvis’ cousin, the late and former presidents Harry Truman and Zackary Taylor. How about you, to whom are you related? I would like for you to write and tell me about your famous cousins or ancestor. (Redhrex13@aol.com) Who knows what kind of a can of worms we can open! Also, maybe it could lead to some sharing of good genealogy information.

 

The Civil War in Eastern Tennessee was no different there than it was in other states of the country during the early 1860s. Camp ridden diseases, for which there were no inoculations, such as the measles, influenza, typhoid fever, chronic dysentery, just to name a select few, plagued the military camps there as well. This month’s Civil War letters from members of our extended Silver family attests to the fact the camp ridden diseases showed no favors to those they attacked. I personally have two great, great grandfathers who died from camp ridden disease they contracted while serving the Confederacy during the Civil War. One died in a Confederate hospital in Ringgold, Georgia and the other ancestor died three months before the end of the war in January of 1865 as a prisoner of War in Camp Douglas, Chicago, Illinois.

 

This month’s two Civil War Letters from confederate soldiers serving with the Confederate Army in East Tennessee were written in August and September of 1862, one full year before the fall of Knoxville to Union forces in August of 1863. William Gouge, writing to his father, mother and brother in letter #620824, describes the rigorous stress of daily drills and of the hardships from standing guard duty every other night. He is stationed near Johnson City, Tennessee, in a military camp known as Camp Zolicoffer, where too he describes the sickness that besieges the military camps. His letter follows…

 

August 24, 1862

State Of Tennessee

Camp Zolicoffer

Dear Father, Mother and Sister:

I seat myself to let you know that I am well and hope this may find you all enjoying the same blessing of God.

I should like to see you all very well and I hope we all have the luck to get back home to our wives and children. You don’t know how bad I want to be at home to help take care of my little children and enjoy their delightful presence.

I haven’t any war news at this time. The times are very still. I am very well satisfied here, more so that I expected to be when I left home. We have to drill seven hours a day and stand guard duty every other night. We fare very well if we did not have to stand guard so much.

I have been well and hearty ever since I left home. But there are great many sick here. The cases of sickness are mostly measles. I expect I shall have them myself for there is no chance to keep from them in camps.

You must write to me and give me all the news. Marthey, you can have some lady to write for you and Mother and Father. I want to hear how you are getting along and whether you are all well or not. I know if you all could write, I would get letters from you.

Do the best you can and don’t study too much about me that is gone. We will do the best we can and you must do the same.

Let Garrett D. Gouge and Rosanah see this letter. Tell them they must write to me and give all the news. Garrett, you must come to see me. We are fifteen miles from Johnson, (City), right on the railroad at the edge of a village. It is a very pretty place here. It would be a very good ride from Johnson’s here. Come over and stay a week with us and we will walk the union bridge and get peaches to eat.

So I must close for this time, Yours Truly

William Gouge to William Gouge and Mother Martha and G.D. Gouge.

Wrote by Levi Silver

 

(Editor’s note: This is William “Little Billy” Gouge writing to his father, mother and brother. Little Billy died in the Army probably in the spring of 1863.)

 

Johnson City, Tennessee, is just across the mountain and almost a day’s ride by horseback from Mitchell County, North Carolina, home of William Gouge. So a visit from home by family members was not a thing out of the question in that part of the world. However, the Eastern Tennessee valley was of strategic military significance to the Confederate Army because of the abundance of copper mines in the valley, plus salt was readily available in the valley as well. Knoxville was also a major railroad junction separating Union forces in the north from Confederate forces in the south, so the confederate Army had forces bivouacked up and down the valley.

 

There is a page two to Little Billy Gouge’s letter and it is from Levi D. Silver, who actually wrote the letter for Little Billy. Many letters from Civil War Soldiers to their relatives back home may seem very impersonal and the reason is because generally someone else wrote the letters for them as they could not read and write themselves. Levi Silver writes…

 

You must write to me some when you write to Uncle William and give me the news.

Garrett, you must write all the funny scraps you know and you also must speak a good word to the girls for me. Tell them I am coming back some day.

Tell Miss Henson I am coming over some Saturday night after the war ends and joke with her if I get well of the measles.

You must excuse my bad letter for I am not well. I have the measles and I am in the hospital at this time. I hope I will not be in here long. I am not very bad. Tell Grandmother Silver’s folks the news. Tell them I am not very bad. I just got in the hospital yesterday.

So no more

Levi D. Silver

 

Levi D. Silver is Levi Dewise Silver, born 1835, who was the son of Alfred Silver and Elizabeth Gouge. His Grandma Silver is Nancy Reed-Silver, wife of Rev. Jacob Silver. William Sr. and Martha were his grandparents on the Gouge side of the family. He is buried in the family cemetery in KONA with a rock headstone for a marker that does not show any dates.

 

The second letter (Levi’s letter was an attachment to Little Billy’s letter) this month is another letter from Bartley Wilson and is also addressed to Martha Gouge and family.

 

If you remember from last month’s Silver Threads newsletter, Bartlett is Rosanah Wilson-Gouge’s brother and he was married to Susannah Gouge. Bartlett is also suffering from the ills of living in the out-of-doors and describes as much in letter #620903. He too comments on the condition of Levi Dewise Silver even though approximately two weeks have passed and their location has changed since Levi wrote his letter. Levi has moved about as well. Bartlett is now located at the Cumberland Gap a very strategic military pass through the mountains separating Tennessee from Kentucky. When he wrote his previous letter on August the 2, he was somewhere in Washington County, Tennessee.

 

September the 3, 1862

Headquarters, Cumberland Gap

Dear Miss:

It is with great pleasure I seat myself to drop you a few lines.

I will inform you that I have not been well for several days. But, thank the Lord, that I got some better. I have the headache and toothache and the worst cold that I have ever had in my life.

I hope these few lines will come safe to your hand and find you and your father and mother well.

I will say to you that I wrote one letter to you but have never received nary one from one of you.

I have no war news to write more than you have heard— only (that) the Yankees are leaving Canetuck (Kentucky) as fast as they can. We heard that our men have taken the capital of Canetuck without firing of any gun and took five hundred prisoners.

I will say to you that Levi (Levi Dewise Silver) is tolerably well. He has been very bad off since he came to us. He is getting better. I saw Levi since we came to the Gap. He has been sick and left when his regiment went off. He came and stayed with us one or two days and then went on to his regiment.

I will say to you there is nearly half our regiment that is not able for duty. There are no men here in the gap but our regiment. I would like to see Wm.__________ for I think I would hear from Miche (Mitchell County).

Give your father and mother my best respects. Tell them I would like to see them two sweet children and stay all night with them.

I will close my letter by requesting you all write to me and fail not. Farewell till I hear from you.

Bartley Wilson to Martha Gouge and family.

 

Cousins, that wraps things up for me this month. Continue reading Silver Threads for Cousin John’s History Corner however. Remember to contact me at Redhrex13@aol.com for comments, responses and family stories worthy of print. Be good to yourselves and be your own best friend. Until you get your own life in order you are of no value to family, friends or society at large. Until next month…

 

Peace………Rex Redmon

 

PS. Each month I get many E-mails kicked back when I try to mass mail the notice the newsletter is online. If you know someone who has changed their e-mail address recently please notify them to send me a change of address if they wish to continue receiving the newsletter. The following e-mail addresses were returned to me this month and I will delete them from my mailing list:

 

vafryar@directus.net,   philip@wnclink.com,      djmem60@hci.net,         vickhens@gte.net, 19284@msn.com,             ks4ng@arrl.npt,            mrsanders@charter.net.

 

 

 

John’s History Corner

 

 

In the continuing story of George Silver Jr. and Nancy Griffith Silver’s children, I would like to thank Ms. Norma Westall for all the hours spent researching Rachel and Edward.

 

Rachel Silver m. Edward “Big Ned” Wilson

 

Rachel Silver was born in Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland, about 1796. She was about 10 years old when the family arrived at Kona in Burke County (now Mitchell County), North Carolina. She was to marry, at about age 17, Edward “Big Ned” Wilson. Edward was born in South Carolina about 1789 to Governor (given name) Blount Wilson. There is no information on Edward’s mother. Governor Wilson and his parents had emigrated from Ireland when he was a small boy.

 

Rachel and Edward settled in Buncombe County in what is now Yancey County, North Carolina. They would be the parents ten children.

 

(1)    Nancy Wilson b. 6 May, 1812 m. George “Flint George” Wilson.

 

(2) Annie Wilson b. abt. 1815, m. William R. Harris.

 

(3) William Moore “Billy” Wilson b. abt 1818, m. Naomi Young

 

(4) Elizabeth Sarah Wilson b. abt 1821, m. B. Robertson and Pleasant Blankenship.

 

(5) Rachel Mary “Polly” Wilson b. abt. 1823 m. John Gouge.

 

(6) George Silver “Big George” Wilson b. abt 1825, m. Nancy N. Silver.

 

(7) Thomas David “Big Tom” Wilson b. 1 December, 1825 m. Mary Niagra Ray.

 

(8) Edward E. “Ned” Wilson b. 1 August, 1827 m. Nancy M. Silver* and Martha Joshua “Mattie” Chapman.

 

(9) Lucinda “Lucy” Wilson b. 30 November, 1835 m. William Berry Biggs.

 

(10) Cecilia Wilson b. abt 1838 m. George Robinson.

 

Not much is known of Rachel and her husband Edward during their married life. They probably farmed six days a week and went to Church on Sunday (if one was available). Many of the frontier families celebrated the Lord’s Day by reading the bible and saying their prayers in their homes. Circuit riding preachers, called “sky pilots” would occasionally visit the homes and hold prayer meetings and baptize the newborns. They were good Christians, no doubt. For entertainment they probably attended “hoe downs” and box suppers, quilting parties for the ladies and corn shucking contests for the men. There were weddings, cabin raisings and an old standby, coon hunting. The men probably fished and hunted regularly for game to supplement the food produced by their farms.

 

Of Rachel and Edward’s children we know somewhat more.

 

Nancy, the oldest daughter, was said to be an excellent mid-wife. She was known as “Big Nance.” She had six children of her own and still managed to travel to the homes where the expectant mothers needed her help. These homes were not close by any means.

 

(*) Nancy Silver, the first wife of Edward “Ned” Wilson Jr., was the daughter of William Griffith Silver and Mary Myra Ferguson Silver. William Griffith Silver and Rachel Silver Wilson were brother and sister.

 

As one reads about the Wilson and the Silver families, there seems to be one thing that stands out and catches the imagination. Nicknames such as “Big George,” “Big Tom” and “Big Nance” must certainly apply to their stature or height.

 

No one could forget the family stand out, Thomas David “Big Tom” Wilson. Big Tom was the well-known bear hunter. He was reported to have slain 113 of the critters. And, he was well known almost nation wide for the part he played in finding Professor Elisha Mitchell when he had become lost on the mountain now named for him. After two days of searching, Big Tom found the Professor’s body in a large pool of water at the bottom of a waterfall. Professor Mitchell had fallen approximately 40 feet to his death after becoming lost on Mount Mitchell at night. Big Tom served in the Confederate Army as a musician. It was said that he had no master with the flute.

 

Big Tom was said to have several half-brothers and half-sisters. O.W. Wilson of Burnsville said that these included Howell Briggs and Nelson Wilson. He stated that Big Ned had fathered Howell Briggs by Delotha “Dolly” Briggs. Dolly also had four daughters who were said to have been fathered by Big Ned.

 

Due to her massive research, Norma proves to be a relative from two sides of the family. Here goes:

 

(George Silver Sr. > George Silver Jr. > Rev. Jacob Silver > Rev. Edmund Drury Silver > Nancy “Nanney” Taylor Silver m. John L. Hall > Shelby Gilroy Hall > Norma Ellis Hall m. Philip Westall.)

 

(George Silver Sr. > George Silver Jr. > Rachel Silver m. Edward “Big Ned” Wilson > Rachel Mary Wilson m. Rev. John Gouge > Rachel Louisa Gouge m.  Marcus Hall > John L. Hall > Shelby Gilroy Hall > Norma Ellis Hall m. Philip Westall.)

 

In closing, I would like to comment on Perry Deane Young’s new book, “Our Young Family.” I was fortunate enough to get a signed copy from the author. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the best genealogy book that I have encountered. It is 607 pages that will hold your undivided attention. Perry Deane and Archer Blevins of “Overmountain Press” have blended a fantastic amount of facts with interesting letters, pictures and legal documents into a tome that will keep you reading for hours. Those who are Young descendants or extended family, this book is a “must have.” For those interested in western North Carolina genealogy, this book is a “should have.”

 

 

OBITUARIES:

 

JOYCE gibbs silver
ASHeville, buncombe County, NC

 

Joyce Gibbs Silver, 76, of Arden, NC, died Wednesday, February 4, 2004 at her home.

 

A native of Yancey County, she was a daughter of the late Hal and Zillah Silver Gibbs, and wife of Roy Silver who died in 1978. She was also preceded in death by a brother, Phillip Gibbs.

 

She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Silver Morse of Fletcher; son, John Silver of Marlboro, New York; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

 

The funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Chapel of Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home in Burnsville, NC. The Reverend Arnie Carriher will officiate. Burial will be in the Holcombe Cemetery.

 

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the services.

 

(George Silver Sr. > George Silver Jr. > Rev. Thomas Silver > Jacob William Silver > Leander Silver > Zillah Silver m. Hal Gibbs > Joyce Gibbs m. Roy Silver.)