Apr 21, 2016 Orange County Review
Jackson enlisted on Aug. 31, 1863 for a three year term giving his age as 40 and joining Co. D, 6th USC Heavy Artillery.
Photo courtesy of Fold 3
Getting to know the rich African American history of a community such as Orange County is challenging but definitely worth the effort. For those of you researching ancestors, you may be interested in the Freedman’s Bureau records newly posted by Family Search.org. See the link below to the Orange County Court House files. Family Search also has marriage records for Orange County online and does not require a paid subscription.
There are a number of other resources, though unfortunately not all in one convenient place. The local courthouse records include wills, deeds (which might reveal sales or any other type of transfer of enslaved people of color), some birth, death and of course the very informative marriage records. In many cases marriage records offer age, place of birth, place of residence and the names of each party’s parents.
At the Library of Virginia, one can find additional death records as well as the personal property tax records. These can inform the researcher where an individual - just males who have reached the age of 21- were living. This is particularly important in the early years following the 1865 passing of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
t is a giant jigsaw puzzle for sure, but there are more answers now than ever before; one must be dedicated, diligent and a creative thinker. Without question, it is advantageous to have more than one brain working on the investigation!
Recently, I have shared the records of the Orange County born men who enlisted in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War, but only the very basics. Compiling the histories of each is an ambitious goal but I have been thinking, "How can we not do this?"
It is all there, if one is willing to commit the time. The entire military record can be found online at Fold 3, a paid subscription service. You might check at the local library to see if they offer access in house. These files will indicate if a pension record exists, but as I mentioned before, this will require either face time at the National Archives or a fee to a staff member there to conduct the research and mail out the results.
In the list of the near one hundred men was a man named Andrew Jackson; yes, born in Orange County. The factoid that grabbed me was the place of his enlistment: Natchez, Mississippi! Jackson enlisted on Aug. 31, 1863 for a three year term giving his age as 40 and joining Co. D, 6th USC Heavy Artillery.
The enlistment location is curious for a fellow from Virginia but there are two plausible scenarios: he was either sold south or relocated there with a farmer-owner who hoped to get into the cotton business.
You may be asking what was going on in the presumed depth of Confederate territory that would have allowed a black man to enlist in the Union Army in Mississippi. In July 1863, Major General U.S. Grant successfully closed the Confederacy’s last stronghold on the Mississippi River during the Vicksburg Campaign. Subsequently, the Union Army occupied the area with camps, headquarters and refugee centers.
Andrew Jackson, a native son of Orange County, survived the war. There were at least three men named Andrew Jackson living in Orange County per the 1870 Census. Was one of these Private Andrew Jackson, veteran soldier of the Civil War? We are still working on that one!
Until next week, be well.