John McElreath Jr (1835 - 1915)

Born 16 Sep 1835 in South Carolina

Husband of Margaret A Hart — married 22 Sep 1866 in Cherokee, Georgia, United States

Husband of Mary Melissa Ball — married 13 Mar 1884 in Fulton, Georgia, United States

Died 24 Mar 1915 at age 79 in Georgia, United States

Biography

John, son of John Thomas McElreath (1797-1894) and Elizabeth Williams (1803-1894), was born in South Carolina in 1836. In 1862, he enlisted as a private in Georgia's 4th Brigade, a unit formed from light infantry and cavalry battalions, known as Phillip's Legion, led by Gen. William Phillips. They joined the Army of the Kanawha in western Virginia, where Gen. Phillips contracted typhoid. They then dispatched to Coosawatchie, South Carolina, eventually heading north to join the Army of Northern Virginia as part of Cobb's Brigade. The Legion fought in the Battle of Fredericksburg and in the Gettysburgh Campaign. The infantry joined McLaws' Division for the rest of the war.^[1][2]

He married Margaret A. Hart (1845-1883) on his return from the war. They married in Cherokee County, Georgia in 1865, and had quickly had five children:

John Thomas III (1867-1912)

William Robert (1869-1949)

Charles A (1872-1945)

Lula Jane (1874-1961)

Columbus (b. 1879)

Margaret died in 1883, and he married Mary Melissa Ball in 1875. Their daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born in 1885, and their son, James Willie, was born in 1885. John was ten years older than his wife; he was 45 and she was 35 when their first child was born. They had four children:

William D (b. 1881)

Elizabeth "Lizzie) (1885-1951)

James M (1887-1974)

Willie (b. 1889)

They farmed in the Cross Keys district of DeKalb County in Georgia.^[3][4] John died at the age of 78 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery in Dunwoody, Georgia.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ "Georgia Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFCQ-FH8 : 24 December 2014), John T Mcelreath, 1862; from "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Georgia," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing military unit Phillip's Legion, publication number M266 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 597.
2. ↑ "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FS7T-WMX : 4 December 2014), John T. McElreath, Private, Company BH, Phillips' Legion, Georgia, Confederate; citing NARA microfilm publication M226 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 40; FHL microfilm 821,739.
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Year: 1900; Census Place: Cross Keys, De Kalb, Georgia; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0012: Militia district 524 Shallow Ford and 686 Cross Keys; dwelling & family no. 130; FHL microfilm: 1240192. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.[1]
4. ↑ Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Year: 1910; Census Place: Shallowford, Dekalb, Georgia; Roll: T624_184; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0018; dwelling & family no. 33; FHL microfilm: 1374197. Original data: Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. [2]
5. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111359932/john-thomas-mcelreath : accessed 22 February 2022), memorial page for John Thomas McElreath (16 Sep 1836–24 Mar 1915), Find A Grave: Memorial #111359932, citing New Hope Cemetery, Dunwoody, DeKalb County, Georgia, USA ; Maintained by Kris (contributor 47513750) .