Deserter, Traitor, Malingerer?

Sometimes there is a reason why a family doesn’t speak much about an ancestor.  A very good friend of mine had virtually no oral history regarding an ancestor, a second great grandfather. He and his family have been in Georgia for many generations and he was sure that if his second great-grandfather was able bodied he must have fought in the “War of Northern Aggression” (the Civil War to us Yankees.) I told him I’d take a look and see what I could figure out. 

Hiram was born on May 25th, 1838, the fourth of six children, in Meriwether County, Georgia. His parents were Franklin H. and Ruth Glazier. He had one older brother, John, and two older sisters, Mary and an unknown sister. By 1850, when Hiram was only 12, his father was gone either through death or abandonment. He was loving with his mother, one sister and three brothers.

Probably in 1857, when he was about 19 years old, he appears to have begun heading west. In Mississippi, he married Jane Donnald on 12 November.  In January, 1860 their first child, Thomas, was born in Texas.  In July, 1860, the Census finds the three of them living near Quitman, in Wood County, Texas. Living with them in 1860 was Thomas Darnell; Thomas was 19 years old and also came from Georgia. Of course there is a wonder if their child was named after Thomas Darnell.

in 1861, Texas seceded from the union, joined the Confederacy, in March, and Hiram had his second child, Joseph. The Civil War broke out on the 12th of April, 1861.  In a pension application, Hiram claimed to have enlisted in Co. C., 1st Texas Reg. Partisan Rangers Cav. However, there was no record of him in the Regiment rolls at the time of his pension application. Sadly, the Units of the Confederate States Army by Joseph H. Crute, Jr. contains no history for this unit.  Not much seems to be recorded about this unit. 

According to union records, Hiram deserted on 11 July, 1864, entering the Union lines. Again, according to union records, on the 18th of July, 1864, Hiram took and oath of allegiance to the Union. This activity is not mentioned in his pension application. As a matter of fact, he states that he was never captured during the war. According to Hiram, in March of 1865 he was given furlough for 30 days due to a “disabled right hand.”  At the end of the 30 days he didn’t return to duty because the hand was not healed. He considered himself still on furlough at that time. Later, in May of 1865, his unit finally surrendered; Hiram still hadn’t rejoined his regiment because his hand was still disabled.

In 1866, Hiram’s third child, Charles was born and in 1868 Hiram returns to Georgia. 

In 1869, Hiram married Martha B. Fuller.  I am not sure what happened to Jane Donnald. 

In 1870, Hiram is living with his with Martha, who is 8 years his junior. Thomas and Joseph are living with them as is a still, apparently unnamed child, “Babe” who is two month old in July. Not sure what happened to the “Babe” but the child doesn’t show up in the 1880 Census.

By 1878, Hiram had moved over to Pike County, (the next county east) near Hollonville. His is paying taxes there and renting land. The 1880 census indicates him living with his wife Martha and six sons living with them. Thomas, Joseph, Charles, John, Whitfield, and Howard. 

Martha died between 1886 and 1900, leaving Hiram a widower living with six sons , John, Whitfield, Howard, Lyman, Benjamin, and Hiram, and a daughter, Lizzie.  His oldest son. Thomas, is living next door with his wife and five children.

On 7 May 1901, Hiram married his third wife. Dora Frances Argroves. Dora was much younger than him, 22 years younger. 

In 1904, his son Benjamin died and in 1910 his son, Layman, died also. 

The 1910 census shows neither Hiram nor Dora working, however, Hiram’s son, John, lives with them and is working as a merchant in a general store.

Sometime between 1910 and 1915 Hiram moved to Coweta County which is immediately north of Meriwether county. 

in 1915, Hiram applied for Soldier’s Pension under the act of 1910.  In the application he indicates that he had sold his mule and only had household goods valued at about $300.  He was disapproved for the pension because giving his oath to the Union back on July 18th, 1864 disqualified him from a pension.

Hiram died on June 9th, 1916, in Coweta County. He is buried at at Williamson UMC Cemetery, Williamson, Pike County, Georgia, USA.  He was survived by his wife Dora, and sons, Thomas, Joseph, John, Whitfield, Howard, Hiram/Hebe, and a daughter Lizzie (Ruth) Glazier Camp.

In 1937, Hiram’s widow Dora applied for a widow’s pension. Her application was likewise disapproved because “Hiram F. Glazier enlisted as private in Co. C, 1st Regt, Texas Calvary July 1862. Deserted to enemy in Louisiana July 11, 1864. Took oath of allegiance to the U. S. Govt., New Orleans, LA, July 18, 1864.”

My working theory is that Hiram did participate with the 1st Regt, Texas Calvary from his enlistment in July 1862 until July 1864.  I would like to think that he became separated from his unit and ended up walking into the union lines where he surrendered.  Both sides had horrific prisoner of war camps.  When given a choice of going to a prisoner of war camp or taking an Oath of Allegiance to the Union Government and promising to never take up arms against them, he picked the latter.  

I suspect he went against his oath to the Union and rejoined his confederate unit.  Had he been caught at that point it would have been treason to the Union and certain execution.  As such, when his hand was “disabled” he did whatever he could to stay away from his unit and a 30 day furlough was a great start.  He had little reason to return to duty with a trigger pulling hand “disabled” so he stayed away a little too long. 

Sources:

Ancestry.Com – 1850 Census

Ancestry.Com – 1860 Census

Ancestry.Com – 1870 Census

Ancestry.Com – 1880 Census

Ancestry.Com – 1900 Census

Ancestry.Com – 1810 Census

ancestry.Com – Georgia, Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1960 

Ancestry.com –  Georgia Marriages, 1851-1900 

ancestry.com – Georgia, Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892

Family Search – Hunting for Bears – Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935

Find A Grave – Memorial 25638222 – Hiram Frank Glazier

Fold 3 – Hiram F. Glazier – Civil War Records