Civil War Genealogy

Spotswood Addison Thomas

My Great-great-great Grandfather

Spotswood's daughter, Martha Thomas Morris (My Grandpa Summer's Grandmother who raised him). Martha is my Great-great Grandmother.

My Grandpa, Gordon Summers, me and my cousin Leisa.

Me combing Grandpa's hair. Martha and her sister, Henrietta. They were about five years apart in age.

Grandpa Summers mother, Stella, who died when he was two years old.

Martha's brother, William D. Thomas, who immigrated to Canada. Martha's obituary states he lived in Cornor Creek, Alberta. I cannot find a Cornor Creek in Alberta, however I suspect it was around Edmonton.

The above picture of Spotswood Thomas hung in my Grandma & Grandpa Summer's back bedroom until they died. When I was little, there was a featherbed in the back bedroom and when you're 6 or so, there is nothing more comfortable than a bed made of feathers. I have a very vivid memory of sleeping in that bed with my cousin Leisa, pictured above. Leisa is around two years older than me. Kid years are not the same as grown-up years. Grown-up years are made up of 365 days. Kid years are more along the line of "dog years". Each year gives the possessor about seven years seniority. Who can argue with someone who is essentially fourteen years older than you? Who would doubt their wisdom?

Leisa told me that Spotwood's eyes followed us where ever we went in the room. Amazingly, once she told me this, I could actually feel those eyes following me, even when hiding under a heavy quilt. If you look at the picture closely you can actually see Spotswood squinting to get a better look. I so believed Leisa I could not stand to ever go in the back bedroom alone for many, many years. There was a backdoor in this bedroom which led outside to the smokehouse. (I think this room actually used to be the kitchen before the house was remodeled). Whenever I went outside by way of this door, I would run through the room as fast as I could without looking at the picture. In fact, I can't remember ever sleeping in that room again until after I was married and even then I was a little nervous.

So because of Leisa, I have long had a fascination with Spotwood, or should I say Spotswood Thomas? I knew he was my Grandpa's Great-grandpa, that he served in the Union Army and that he had a funny name. My Grandpa's mother died when he was two years old and he was raised by his Grandmother, Martha Thomas Morris. Grandpa said his Grandmother Morris was very fond of her father and that was why she had the large picture made. It appears to be a painting made from a photograph.

Here are some other things I have discovered about Spotswood. I tend to think his name was "Spotswood" not "Spotwood". According to the National Park Service Civil War website where you can look up the names of soldiers and sailors, he enlisted as "Spotswood Addison Thomas". Spotswood was born in 1825, somewhere in Virginia. During this time period it was very common to give a first son the same name as the father, the second son the name of an uncle (usually the father's older brother) and to give the son the mother or grandmother's maiden name. If more than two sons were born, more maiden names were used usually in a direct line. After they ran out of maiden names, the family usually gave the son the name of a famous person. (For example, in our family Grandpa Summers Grandpa's name was "Andrew Jackson Summers" and he was the twelfth of thirteen children. Andrew Jackson named his third son (Earl Summers brother) Thomas Jefferson Summers). This was a very common and a very "southern" practice.

I theorize that Spotswood was likely his mother's or grandmother's maiden name. It is also likely "Addison" was a maiden name as well. In other words, Addison may have been his mother's maiden name and Spotswood may have been his grandmother's maiden name, or vice versa. I have no concrete proof of this as one more has been able to uncover the name of either Spotswood mother or father.

Alexander Spotswood was lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1710-1722. He was descended from the King of Scotsland. Spotsylvania county, Virginia is named after him. Was our "Spotswood" related to Governor Spotswood? Our Spotswood was born in Virginia in 1825. Was his mother perhaps proud of her heritage and wanted to make sure the name continued in the family? Or was Spotswood one of many sons and so they named him after someone famous? As of now, there is no evidence either way. I do think it is credible the name should probably be spelled with an "s" because of the Virginia place of birth.

If I could prove I was descended from Alexander Spotswood I believe I would be entitled to be camed "Dame".

Civil War Service

Spotswood joined the 23rd Missouri voluntary Infantry as a "Sergeant" on December 22, 1862. At some point he must have been promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and then to 1st Lieutenant. Spotswood was a 1st Lieutenant at the time he resigned on July 30, 1863.

During the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederate forces had several large armies which were fighting over a large region, or in different "theatres". On the Union side, each army was named after a river and on the Confederate side, each army was named after a state. The 23rd Missouri Voluntary Infantry was in the 6th Division. A Division is composed of 2-4 brigades and each brigade is composed of 10 companies of 100 men each. At times a company might be divided into two platoons of 50 men each. Each company was assigned a letter of A-K (To avoid confusion, J was omitted due to it's similarity to the letter I when written).

The connection between the Rice's and Spotswood

Spotswood (and two other of my relatives on my dad's side, Frances Marion Rice and William P. Rice) were also in company "E". Frances Marion "Frank" Rice was my Great-great-great Grandpa also. He married Sarah "Sally" Ann Plymell. Her parents were John "Jack" Plymell and Jane Waples. It is believed Jane Waples was a full blooded Indian. I once theorized she was a Delaware Indian as there were many Delaware Indians in Missouri at that time. I have since been told she died and was buried in Oklahoma which makes me wonder if she was Chickasaw or some other Oklahoma tribe. Regardless, she apparently lived and passed as a white woman. It is likely she was at least part Indian and that the family covered over the fact due to the stigma at that time.

John "Jack" Plymall's parents were Anthony Plimell (spelling changed over the years) and Sally Salmon. Anthony and Sally Plimell had at least six children. Francis Marion Rice married their daughter, Sally Ann. Meredith Morris married their daughter, Mahala Plymall. Anthony & Sally Plimell were both my Grandpa Rice's Great-great-great Grandparents and my Grandpa Summer's Great-great-grandparents. I believe this would make Grandpa Summers and Grandpa Rice third cousins, once removed and my parents fourth cousins, once removed. (In genealogy "third" or "fourth" as referenced above, refer to the number of generations between your common ancestor. Once removed, means they are one generation apart--Dad's Great-great-great-great grandparents and Mom's great-great-great grandparents).

Does this explain why I am a little off? Actually, no. Non-related people have a 2-3% chance of having a child with a birth defect. First cousins who marry (think of all that Royalty in Europe!) have a 4-6% chance of having a baby with a birth defect, about the same as any woman over 40. Obviously, chances of birth defect decrease with each generation. And fascinatingly, no two people anywhere in the world are any more than 50th cousins, no matter either person's race or location.

Frank Rice was born June 15, 1841. He married Sarah Sally Plymall on January 22, 1865. Frank was probably around 20 years of age when he joined the army and unmarried. He did not marry and have children until after his return. His brother, William P. Rice, Jr. was born September 12, 1830 and married Charity England on September 10, 1848, when he was just 18 and she was just 19. They had six children. When William left for the war he would have been around 31 and his oldest child, Frances Marion, was about 12 years old. Frank, William P. and Spotswood all served together in the Missouri 23rd Volunteer Infantry.

Back to the Civil War

Each company was composed of a Captain, a 1st lieutenant, a 2nd lieutenant, 1st sergeant, 4 other sergeants, 8 corporals, 2 musicians, 1 wagoner and 64-80 privates. Upon joining, Spotswood was a sergeant. Since this was a "volunteer" army, these lower positions were elected so we can assume that Spotswood was well liked and respected by his neighbors and fellow soldiers. Most of company "E" was probably from Harrison and Davies counties. By the time Spotswood resigned on July 30, 1863, he had received two promotions, to 2nd lieutenant, then to 1st lieutenant. At his resignation, he would have been second in command of his company of 100 men.

Each company had a flag (some of which are on display at the Missouri Capital). VOLUNTEER ARMY would have been prominently displayed since it was considered a symbol of pride that they were not conscripted. If you joined the army of either side your chances of surviving were 1 in 4.

The 23rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry probably started as a "home guard". In the1850's up to the time of the civil war, Missouri was a hotbed of quasi military action between the "Jayhawkers" who were supposedly anti-slavery and the "Bushwackers" who were supposedly "pro-slavery". Each side used the slavery issue as an excuse to rob, murder, rape and burn the countryside. For example, between Nov. 1855-Dec. 1856 over 200 people died in the Missouri-Kansas border dispute. It is likely the 23rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry was first formed to protect the Davies and Harrison county men's farms and families from roving bands of semi-thieves and criminals.

Spotswood's family

Spotswood was born in 1825 and joined the army in 1862, so he would have been around 37 years old when he joined. Spotswood married Elizabeth Ann Conwell on June 13, 1846, in Platte County, Missouri. Elizabeth was born in 1831 in Kentucky. Elizabeth's mother's name was Mahala Sterling. Elizabeth was six years younger than Spotswood. They had at least 7 children:

Leander b. ? (immigrated to Canada)

Mahala b. 1855

Martha b. 1857

Sarah b. 1860

Henrietta b. Sept. 1, 1862 d. Feb. 18, 1938 (Aunt Rhett)

David Sherman b. 1865

William D. b. ? (immigrated to Canada)

When Spotswood left for the war, his wife was 31 years old and had at least 5 children. Henrietta was born Sept. 1, 1862, and Spotswood joined December 22, 1862, when she was less than 4 months old.

I was told by Jim Thomas ( a descendant of David Sherman Thomas), that Leander was the oldest son. I am taking his word for it, I have found no "Leander" in any records. If the date of marriage is correct, June 13, 1846, then Elizabeth was just 15 years old when she married and Spotswood was 21. The first recorded birth is Mahala in 1855, after almost 9 years of marriage. If Leander was a child of Spotswood and Elizabeth, when was he born and were there other children between the two siblings? It appears Mahala was probably named after her mother's mother. We know Martha and Henrietta were close all their lives. Grandma and Grandpa spent a lot of time with both of them. But what happened to Mahala and Sarah? In Martha's obituary, it only mentions Henrietta and W.D. as being alive at the time of Martha's death. When did the other siblings die? Jim Thomas told me Bill and Leander were Indian agents in Oklahoma before deciding to go to Canada. Jim says Bill came home in 1936 and helped Grandpa Summers put in his crops.

Battle of Shiloh

The 23rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry became part of 6th Division of the Union Army of the Tennessee commanded by Ulysses S. Grant. Under Grant, the 6th Division was commanded by Benjamin Prentiss. The regimental commander was Jacob Tindall. Three Union armies, the Army of the Tennessee, the Army of the Mississippi and the Army of the Ohio all came together to fight the Battle of Shiloh on April 5-6, 1862. As a lieutenant, Spotswood would have a line officer in command of at least half the men. The 23rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry were part of the "hornets nest" and those not killed were taken prisoner. Family history states Frank Rice was taken as a POW at Shiloh. William P. Rice, Jr. dies May 23, 1862 in Macoupin County, Illinois of typhoid fever. Typhoid fever is caused by the consumption of food and water contaminated by salmonella. His young wife and children apparently never saw their father again. Was William at Shiloh and died a month and a half later in Illionis of disease. Why was he even in Illinois? If we got his war records some of these questions could probably be answered.

Frank returned to Missouri to marry and have children. If he was a POW where was he taken? Most prisoners taken at Shiloh were taken to Ogelthorpe, Georgia where they were eventually exchanged. Civil War POW camps were notorious for lack of food and sanitation. I do know he was not at Andersonville, I have checked those records. It would be interesting to get his war records but I have not done so yet.

What about Spotswood? Obviously, he survived and returned to his family his Missouri. After having married in Platte county, Missouri, the family moved around quite a bit. They moved to Davies county, Missouri, and later to Colorado and Oklahoma and Southern Missouri. Spotswood died in 1897 and is buried in Southern Missouri, near Ava.

For more info, visit:

http://www.civilwaralbum.com/shiloh/tour2.htm

Please forward any information on Spotswood, Frank or William P. Rice you may have to me. If you believe any of the above information to be incorrect, please notify me.