Daniel Absolum Troutman (1835 - 1918)

Born 20 Jul 1835 in Iredell, North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Husband of America Ann (Pratt) Troutman — married 3 Feb 1869 in Chatham Hill, Smyth, Virginia, United States

Descendants

Died 21 Mar 1918 at age 82 in Rich Valley, Smyth, Virginia, United States

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Biography

Daniel Absolum Troutman was born 20 July 1835 in Iredell Co, NC, the seventh child of eleven known to have been born to Henry and Elizabeth (Leonard) Troutman. In 1850 at age 15, Daniel lived on a farm with his parents, three brothers and two sisters in Iredell Co. And in 1860 at age 28, he was still living at home with his parents, three brothers and one sister, farming with his dad.

On 1 Mar 1862, Daniel and his brother Adam Carmi Troutman enlisted with the 48th NC Regiment, Co C. In August, their brother John Burette Troutman joined them. Their regiment was involved in several battles, and on 17 Sep 1862 Daniel was wounded at Sharpsburg/Antietam. He was in a hospital in Richmond until November. In August 1864, the 48th NC was involved in a Battle at Reams Station, and John B Troutman was killed on 28 August. He left a wife and two sons back home in NC.

At Petersburg, VA, the 48th NC was involved in the siege, and on 1 Oct 1864, Daniel was captured. He was imprisoned at Point Lookout until 14 May 1865 when he took the oath of allegiance and was released. Daniel's brother Adam was captured on 2 Apr 1865 and imprisoned at Hart's Island, NY. He was released after he signed an oath of allegiance on 19 June 1865.

Back home in North Carolina, the Troutman family adjusted to the after affects of the war. Probably about 1868, Daniel drove a herd of horses from Iredell County, North Carolina, to sell in Virginia. That was a long way over difficult terrain. By this time, Daniel was 33 years old and had been through three years of the horrors Civil War battlefields, not to mention a Yankee prison, so maybe he was good for any difficult circumstances.

In Smyth County, Virginia, he met and married America Ann Pratt, the 23-year-old daughter of Nicholas and Sarah (Thomas) Pratt, long time residents of the valley. Daniel and America were married at Chatham Hill, Virginia, on 3 February 1869.

After they married, Daniel took America by horse and buggy to North Carolina. However, she was unhappy there, so they went back to Rich Valley, Virginia, where they made their home and Daniel farmed the rest of their lives. Their first child, a daughter named Laura Estelle, was born in 3 February 1870. Less than two years later, a little boy, John William "Bud", was born on 23 December 1871. The third child was another boy, Clifton P., born 22 June 1874. Child number four was a girl named Sarah Bessie J., born 10 January 1877, then Mary Ellen 12 November 1878.

The next year, tragedy struck twice. Clifton and Mary Ellen fell ill and died of dysentery, Mary Ellen on 15 September 1879 and Clifton on 28 September. The following spring, Bessie fell ill died on 6 April 1880. (Note that dates on the tombstone of these children, as seen on Find A Grave, vary from courthouse and other official records. Their brother James Henry placed the tombstone many years after their deaths.)

The 1880 census taken that summer lists D. A. (age 41), America A. (age33), Stella (age 10), and John W. (age 7). Daniel’s occupation was “Tenant,” which probably means tenant farmer.

Five more children were born to Daniel and America Troutman: James Henry on 14 July 1880; Daniel Clark on 27 Sep 1882; Daisy Virginia on 22 Jan 1885; Walter Clinton "Clint" on 16 Dec 1887; and Lee Roy on 8 Jul 1891.

(more to come)

Daniel Troutman and Religion

Daniel A. Troutman was raised in the Lutheran Church in North Carolina, but things changed when he married America Pratt. America’s family belonged to the Rich Valley Presbyterian Church, founded in 1856. But for a time Daniel and America lived on Long Hollow Road where several of their children were born and where they attended the nearby Riverside Methodist Church. That changed when America was deeded property on Walker Mountain and the family moved there. The nearest church was Rich Valley Presbyterian on the Valley Road. Daniel’s obituary names two preachers that presided at his service, one Presbyterian and one Methodist. Daniel and America and many of their family members are buried in the Rich Valley Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

© 2014, Z. T. Noble

Sources

• Smyth County, Virginia, Register of Marriages, Book 1: 30, D. A. Troutman and America A. Pratt, 3 Feb. 1869.
• 1850 U. S. census, Iredell Co, NC, p 111 dwelling 1591, family 1602, Henry Troutman; Ancestry; NARA Roll: M432_633.
• 1860 U. S. census, Miranda P.O., Iredell Co, NC, p 139, Henry Troutman; Ancestry; Roll: M653_902.
• U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, Confederates, 48th North Carolina, Daniel Absolum Troutman, Ancestry.
• U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, Confederates, 48th North Carolina, John B Troutman, Ancestry.
• Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865, Confederate, Co C 48th NC, col 1, line 33, D A Troutman; Ancestry; NARA film publicaton #: M598.
• U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, Confederates, 48 North Carolina, Adam Carmi Troutman; Ancestry.

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFGZ-NKD : 12 April 2016), Daniel A Troutman, Virginia, United States; citing p. 40, family 270, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,178.
• Smyth County, Virginia, Register of Births, Book 1: 62, No Name Troutman (male), Dec. 1871. This birth was reported by N. H. Pratt, the baby’s maternal grandfather.
• Smyth County, Virginia, Register of Births, Book 1: 112, entry for Clifton P. Troutman, 22 Jun 1874; County Clerk’s Office, Marion.
• Smyth County, Virginia, Register of Births, Book 1: 133, entry for S. B. J. Troutman; County Clerk’s Office, Marion.
• Smyth County, Virginia, “Register of Births, Book 1”: 141, entry for Mary Ellen Troutman, 12 Nov 1878; County Clerk’s Office, Marion.
• Smyth County, Virginia, “Deaths, Vol. 1, 1857-1896”: 141, entry for Mary E. Troutman, 15 Sep 1879; County Clerk’s Office, Marion. Also, U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880, ED 84, p 1422, line 20, Mary E Troutman, Aug 1879, digital image Ancestry; NARA Roll: T1132_19.
• Smyth County, Virginia, “Deaths, Vol. 1, 1857-1896”: 52, entry for Clifton P. Troutman, 28 Sep 1879; County Clerk’s Office, Marion. Also, U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880, ED 84, p 1422, line 19, Clifton P Troutman, 28 Sep 1879; digital image Ancestry; NARA Roll: T1132_19.
• Smyth County Register of Deaths, Book 1, 1857-1896, entry for Sarah B Troutman, 6 Apr 1880; County Clerk’s Office, Marion. Also, U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880, ED 84, p 1422, line 2, entry for Bessie Troutman, Apr 1880; NARA Roll: T1132_19.
• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCR4-9KB : 15 July 2017), D A Troutman, Rich Valley, Smyth, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district ED 84, sheet 76B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: NARA, n.d.), roll 1390; FHL microfilm 1,255,390.
• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMJ4-W69 : accessed 9 January 2019), Dan Troutman, Rich Valley District (Broad Ford Precinct), Smyth, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 84, sheet 1B, family 13, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: NARA, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,728.
• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPGP-1TN : accessed 9 January 2019), Daniel Troutman, Ellendale, Smyth, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 89, sheet 1B, family 14, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: NARA, 1982), roll 1649; FHL microfilm 1,375,662.
• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVK9-4LWF : 13 December 2015), Daniel Absolum Troutman, 1918; Burial, Saltville, Smyth, Virginia, United States of America, Rich Valley Presbyterian Church Cemetery; citing record ID 29148836, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

Daniel Absalom Troutman at FamilySearch