Levi Gist (abt. 1821 - 1864)

Born about 1821 in Wayland Springs, Lawrence, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Son of Joseph Gist and Sinia (Hollis) Gist

Husband of Sarah (Heffington) Gist — married 4 Jul 1839 in Lawrence, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 14 Jan 1864 at about age 43 in Florence, Lauderdale, Alabama, United States

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Biography

Levi was born in 1821. He is the son of Joseph Gist and Sinia Hollis.

Levi married Sarah (Sally) Heffinton on 02 Jul 1839 in Lawrence, Tennessee. ^[1]

Levi and his brother James C. Gist served together in the Union Army during the Civil War, in Company A, 2nd Tennessee Mounted Infantry, a unit that rode to battle on horseback but then fought on foot like infantry. Levi and James were killed in action near Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, on 14 January 1864.

Here is the story of their death as represented from local historians: "As the story goes, Joseph Gist received a land grant along Shoal Creek for his service in the War of 1812. The land has remained in the Gist family ever since.

The area, however, became known for the “Hog Killing” murders of the Gist brothers, who were home from the Civil War. The brothers, Levi and James, were Joseph Gist’s sons.

According to Smith and federal archives he has researched, the Gist brothers were union sympathizers. During the winter of 1864, they were home on leave from the Civil War to butcher hogs and cut firewood for their family. Several local men found out they were home.

Smith said the two men were butchering hogs at the home of Levi Gist when guerrilla forces rode up on horseback and shot them at point blank range. Both Levi and James were left for dead in the yard in front of the women and children."^[2]

Notes

1. Children: 9 known children
2. Marriages: 1

Burial: unmarked grave, Gist Cemetery, Green Hill, Lauderdale County, Alabama296,297 Cause of Death: Six gunshot wounds. Medical Information: Age 44 (?) at enlistment, fair complexion, dark hair and gray eyes. Military service: CW - USA, Co. A, 2d TN Mounted Infantry

Sources

1. ↑ "Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK41-33KV : 10 March 2021), Levi Gist and Sally Heffington, 02 Jul 1839; citing Lawrence, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. , Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 976,304.
2. ↑ https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/6/teacher-keeps-history-of-civil-war-killings-alive/

• Dorsey, Jean Muir and Maxwell J. Christopher Gist of Maryland and Some of His Descendants, 1679-1957. Sacramento, California: Spillman Printing, 1969. Pages 75, 76.

• Oral Tradition from Richard Milton Stevens II: When I was a little boy, my maternal grandmother Lela Ollie (Morris) Gist told me the story of the deaths of Levi Gist and his brother James C. Gist in the Civil War as passed on to her. She said they were ambushed by guerrillas and were not attacked by Confederate regulars.

• Paternal and maternal relationships are confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between Richard Milton Stevens II and his fourth cousin, L.G. Their most-recent common ancestors are their third-great grandparents, Joseph Gist and Sinia Hollis. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 4th - 6th Cousins, based on sharing 25 cM across 5 segments.

• Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002; Name: Levi Gist; Gender: Male; Marriage Date: 4 Jul 1839; Marriage Place: Lawrence, Tennessee, USA; Spouse: Sally Heffington. Ancestry Record.

• U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934; Soldier: Gist, Levi; Widow: Gist, Sarah; Date: 05 Oct 1869; Application Number: 180306; Certification Number: 197300; Company A, 2nd Tennessee Mounted Infantry.

• U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865; Name: Levi Gist; Age: 44; Birth Date: abt 1819; Enlistment Date: 2 Oct 1863; Enlistment Place: Nashville, Tennessee; Rank: Private; Military Unit: Second Mounted Infantry. Ancestry Record.

• U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles; Name: Levi Gist; Rank at enlistment: Private; State Served: Tennessee; Service Record: Enlisted in Company A, Tennessee 2nd Mounted Inf Regiment. Sources: Index to Compiled Military Service Records. Ancestry Record.

• U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865; Name: Levi Gist; Side: Union; Regiment State/Origin: Tennessee; Regiment: 2nd Regiment, Tennessee Mounted Infantry; Company: A; Rank In: Private; Rank Out: Private; Film Number: M392 roll 6. Ancestry Record.

• Alabama, Register of Officers, 1820-1863; Name: Levi Gist; Gender: Male; Rank: Captain; Commission Date: 20 Mar 1849; Commission Place: Lauderdale, Alabama, USA; Division: 1st; Brigade: 2nd; Regiment: 11th. Ancestry Record.

• 1840 U.S. Census, Lauderdale, Alabama, USA; "L Gist".

• 1850 U.S. Census, District 1, Lauderdale, Alabama, USA.

• 1860 U.S. Census, District 1, Lauderdale, Alabama, USA.

• Report of the Adjutant General of the state of Tennessee : of the military forces of the state, from 1861 to 1866; Second Regiment, Mounted Infantry; Company A; page 206; Name: Levi Gist; Age: 44; Rank: Private; Remarks: Killed in action near Florence, Ala., Jan 14 64 [1864]. Ancestry Record.