No. 20 Thomas and Abigail McKnight

Up until now we have examined the paternal family of Matilda Elizabeth Coile, wife of Jacob M. Oakes of Jefferson County, Tennessee. In blog number 15 we also examined the life of Malinda McKnight, Elizabeth's mother. Now let's take a look at her family starting with her father and mother. Thomas McKnight was born in South Carolina about 1798. Little is known of Thomas McKnight. The 1840 census shows that only one property owner separated his land from that of his father-in-law, William Frazier. The property that stood between them was owned by Anna Frazier, probably a relative. Malinda's mother was Abigail Frazier, born 2 April 1804 in Jefferson County and probably in the Lost Creek Community near present day New Market. Abigail was born into a devout Quaker family. Her family was part of the Lost Creek Friends Monthly Meeting. Their present day meeting house stands near where the original meeting house stood in New Market. Little is known about Abigail other than that she married outside the Quaker faith and, as was the custom, was disowned by the Lost Creek Monthly Meeting. Abigail and Thomas married on 27 April 1818 as recorded in county records. Thomas was about 20 years old and Abigail was just past her 14th birthday. It is likely that Thomas was a Baptist. We do know that some of their children were members of the Baptist Church nearby. The McKnights, like most of their neighbors were farmers. We have found record that Thomas and Abigail had twelve children. As best I can determine these children are presented below in order of birth:

1. Grace McKnight
2. Mary A. McKnight, born about 1822
3. John McKnight, born about 1828
4. Lucinda McKnight, born about 1833
5. William A. McKnight, born about 1835
6. Malinda McKnight, born April 1836
7. Matilda McKnight, born about 1840
8. Martha McKnight, born about 1842
9. Elizabeth McKnight, born about 1844
10. Andrew Jackson McKnight, born about 1845
11. James McKnight, born about 1849
12. Thomas Jefferson McKnight, born about 1849

I believe that Thomas died about 1860 and that Abigail died afterwards. I do not have an exact date for her death.

No. 19 Four Brothers in the Civil War: William Shannon Coile - Confederate Soldier

Three brothers, Lafayette, David and Martin Coile, were Union soldiers. There brother, Shannon, was a soldier in the Confederate Army. Here is his story pieced together from the census records, Government Service Administration records and records of his military unit.

William Shannon Coile was born 19 February 1828 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. He married Mary Ann James. Shannon was the oldest of the four brothers who fought in the war. Jefferson County, TN tax records for 1862 show that he owned 160 acres of land worth $2500 and paid $15 in taxes. The war records show that he enlisted into Company B, 1st Regiment, Tennessee Provisional Infantry (also known as Turney's Infantry after its commander), Confederate Army on 25 February 1864 by a Major Johnson for the period of the war. This took place in Greenville, Tennessee. Military records show that Shannon testified that he had been taken from his home in East Tennessee and "forced into the Rebel Army." Apparently this happened during a time when Confederate raiders under General Morgan were raiding East Tennessee. It is interesting that two of Shannon's brothers were a part of Union force sent from Nashville into East Tennessee to pursue the same Rebel raiders that took him by force. Muster rolls show that Shannon was present at the Battle of the Wilderness in Central Virginia less than three months later and was able to cross over into the Union line. His infantry regiment was part of Archer's Brigade, Heth's Division and Ambrose P. Hill's Corp fighting under the commanding general, Robert E. Lee. A.P. Hill's Corps was on the Confederate right flank during the three-day battle. This placed them in front of Union general Hancock's Corps where much of the intense fighting took place. It began as Hill's Corps pushed along the plank road to the northeast, pushing the Union soldiers back towards Wilderness Tavern. They continued their push until Hancock's Corps was able to halt their advance. Both sides dug in and waited on reinforcements to come up and form opposing lines of battle. A. P. Hill's Corp was waiting on Longstreet's Corp to arrive but it was late. Around 4:15 p.m. the Union began and attack on the Confederate line. The Confederate line held and many Union soldiers died on the battlefield. Around 5:30 A.P. Hill attacked but only gained about 50 yards. As night fell the battle ended for 5 May 1864. Five Union divisions (38,000 men) had not been able to dislodge two Confederate divisions (14,000 men). Heth recommended that his men prepare a strong defensive position. Hill refused this plan as he expected Longstreet to arrive at any moment. Grant, commanding the Union army, ordered a general attack at dawn for 6 May 1864. During the night the Union lines were reinforced but the Confederate lines were still awaiting Longstreet and Anderson's troops to arrive. The fighting began at 5 a.m. Soon the Confederate right flank was being turned. Just in the nick of time Longstreet's first brigades began to arrive and reinforce A.P. Hill's line. Longstreet pressed a counter attack pushing the Union forces back to their line of departure. Later in the day he pushed further. Longstreet was wounded in the battle and gave command over to General Field. Longstreet had been wounded by friendly fire as some units advanced more rapidly than others in the Confederate assault. Soon afterwards General Lee arrived on the field and order that the advance be halted and the units to re-group and stabilize the lines. Late in the afternoon Lee ordered an assault but was unable to break through the Union line. During the intense fighting all along the front many brush fires broke out, hampering the ability of the soldiers to fire upon their enemy and halting some of the fighting. I speculate that when one of the Confederate assaults by Heth's division was pushed back, Shannon Coile was able to lay low and get captured as Union troops took back the ground he was on. In this way he became a prisoner of war. His testimony is that he had "always been a Union man and have four brothers in the Union Army." He indicated that he wished to take the oath of allegiance and return to East Tennessee. The only other brother on record is Archibald Coile and we don't know at this time whether he fought in the war or not. The Battle of the Wilderness continued another day with Grant disengaging and bounding around Lee's army towards Richmond. On 18 May 1864 Shannon was transported as a prisoner of war to Belle Plains, Virginia. From here he was transported to Point Lookout, Maryland. Muster roll records indicate that he arrived at Elmira Prison, New York 26 July 1864 and that he was "desirous of taking the Oath of allegiance to the United States" in August 1864. He was released on 16 August 1864 to return to his home. I have no further information on Shannon's life. I suppose that he returned to farming around New Market, Tennessee. Shannon died on 1 January 1900 and was buried at Lost Creek Cemetery in Jefferson County. Lost Creek was probably the cemetery associated with the Quaker church in New Market.

With this story we've gained an insight into the lives of four brothers, three Union and one forced to fight for the South. They all came home from the war and settle down again with their families in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

No. 18 Four Brothers in the Civil War: Martin Coile - Union Soldier

Martin Harrison Coile was a brother to my great-great grandfather Lafayette Coile. Along with Lafayette, Martin and David Coile also served in the Union Army during the Civil War. We will highlight their military career as outlined by the Government Service Administration and based on the history of their respective military units. We will started with Martin Coile:

According to the 1850 Jefferson County Census Martin was 19 years old at the time. Accordingly he would have been born in 1831. He married in 1854 to Peggy (last name unknown). The muster roll shows that he was present with Battery E, 1st Tennessee Light Artillery as of March 1864. He would have been an old man of 33 years of age if he enlisted in 1864. We don't know whether he joined the service prior to this or not. His younger brother, David N. Coile, had enlisted in the same unit in November of 1863 when the battery formed. Based on our records, we can follow his involvement in the army after E Battery completed its assignment to North Central Kentucky (March-April 1864) and moved south to the Nashville and Bull Gap area. In August the unit composed part of a larger Union force sent forth by wartime Tennessee Governor Andrew Johnson to put an end to Confederate raids into East Tennessee. This Union force pursued Confederate raiders, moving through Strawberry Plains to Greenville, to Moshiem (Blue Springs), Park's Gap and back to Greenville. At Greenville E Battery performed well. General Alvan Gillem commended the commander of E Battery for his gallantry. It was at this battle that the famous Confederate General John Hunt Morgan was surrounded and killed. In these skirmishes and battles Martin Coile traveled back and forth through his own county on at least two or three occasions. This Union force continued to pursue the Confederate raiders throughout the region through March 1865. According to the 1st Battalion Order No. 5, Corporal Martin Coile was reduced in rank to Private on 1 February 1865. The records do not tell us why. In March 1865 they became a part of Stoneman's Expedition from East Tennessee into southwest Virginia and western North Carolina. During that expedition they moved through Wytheville and east to Martinsville, Va., then south to Mocksville, Salisbury, Morganton, Hendersonville, NC and into East Tennessee again. In June the Expedition was ordered to Nashville where E Battery, along with many others, were mustered out of service in July.

Martin would have returned to Jefferson County and to his work as a farmer. His military pension reveals that he had seven children, three born before he enlisted in the Union Army. His wife died 8 May 1896. His military pension indicates his date of death as 2 February 1903. I know nothing more about the life of Martin Harrison Coile. If one of his descendants reads this I would love to hear more.

No. 17 Four Brothers in the Civil War: David Coile - Union Soldier

David Coile was a brother to Lafayette and Martin Coile. David was the third of the four brothers who fought in the Civil War. He was also a Union soldier from East Tennessee. We have very little information about David. Everything comes from the military records and widow's pension provided by the Government Services Administration. Some records indicate that his middle initial was "N", others indicate "M". I believe that his middle name was Nelson.

According to the census records David was born about 1842. He was married to Mary A. Lyle on 19 November 1861 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. According to her widow's pension declaration she was born about 1844.

He enlisted in Battery E, 1st Battalion, Tennessee Light Artillery, Tennessee Volunteers in the Union Army. According to muster roles and his widow's pension declaration he enlisted 23 November 1863 and held the rank of Private. November was the month the unit formed so David served in the unit from its beginning to the date it disbanded after the war ended. This puts him at about 21 years of age when he enlisted. The unit saw its first mission in the District of North Central Kentucky. On the last day of 1863 the battery is reported at Camp Nelson, Kentucky. The next day they marched as a larger force towards Knoxville. They were assigned to Nashville from April to August 1864. Governor Andrew Johnson ordered a larger Union force, including this regiment, to pursue Confederate raiders who were harrassing East Tennessee. This resulted in the regiment participating in fights with Confederate General John Morgan at Greenville, Tennessee and eventually in their participation in Stonemen's raid into North Carolina. Muster roll records indicate that David was hospitalized on 12 August 1864 in Kingston, Tennessee. We do not know for how long. The 1st Battalion of Tennessee Light Artillery participated in the battle to take Salisbury, NC. Read next weeks blog entry to learn more about this unit as we tell the story of David's younger brother, Martin Coile. He was also part of the same unit. Little more is known about David Coile, He was honorably discharged 1 August 1865. I suspect that David returned to Jefferson County and his family and farm work. David died 30 August 1895.

No. 16 James Coile of Jefferson County, TN

James Coile was my great-great-great grandfather on my mother's side. He was born in 1801 in Tennessee according to the 1850 Jefferson County Census. We do not know who his parents are. He is married to Elizabeth Sally Leonard. She is listed as being about three years older than James. James is listed in that census as a laborer. This may mean that he is not the owner of the land where he lives and works. He may have been sharecropping. The 1863 Jefferson County tax records for the 1st Civil District indicate that James had few taxable possessions. His total tax for that year was $1.25. This meant that he owned no land or slaves and very little property. The children listed in this census record are:

• Sarah
• Edy
• William
• Martin
• Archibald
• Jane
• Lafayette
• David

One other genealogical researcher has indicated that there were three additional older children who had left the home by the time of the 1850 Census. At this point I've not found proof that the following three are their children:

• James C. Coile
• Catherine Coile
• John Leonard Coile

While I would like to agree that these three are children of our John Coile, the ages of these children, supposedly being born prior to Sarah, would force James and Elizabeth to have started their family too early.

No. 15 Malinda McKnight

Malinda McKnight was my great-great grandmother. She was born on 15 April 1836 in Rock Valley Community, Jefferson County, Tennessee. We know very little about her. She married Lafayette Coile, a neighbor boy, in 1855. By our standards they were both kids still. Lafayette was 16 years old and Malinda was 18 years old. The Coiles and the McKnights were neighbors, living just down the road from one another. Malinda was the eleventh and last child of Thomas and Abigail Frazier McKnight. As the wife of a gristmiller she may have helped in the mill extensively. We know that her first child, my great grandmother Matilda Elizabeth Coile, was born before the Civil War began.

Matilda Elizabeth Coile was born about 1859 in Jefferson Co., TN

James Thomas Alexander Coile was born 8 September 1860 in Jefferson Co., TN

Robert Hudsell Coile was born about 1874 in Jefferson Co., TN

Both Malinda and Lafayette died young. Records indicate that he was still alive in 1880. In August 1889 the family executed a will distributing the inheritance between the children. We don't know which of the two died first. If Malinda survived Lafayette she wouldn't have been more than 53 years old at the time of her death. She, along with her husband are buried in the Vance Cemetery. Their nephew Wesley, son of William Shannon Coile, had married a Vance.

No. 14 Captain Lafayette Coile; the war years

According to Government Services Administration records, Lafayette Coile was assigned to Company D, 3rd Tn Cavalry Regiment, US Volunteers. The unit departed Nashville and moved south into Corinth, Mississippi in Jan 1864 and began to press towards Meridian, Mississippi. They reached as far as West Point, Ms before they were forced back. They fought against General Nathan Bedford Forrest's forces at Okolona, Mississippi on 22 Feb 1864. In disorder Union forces fell back as far as Ivey's Farm where the 3rd Tenn. Cav. took part in a brilliant charge which halted the Confederate pursuit. The expedition withdraw back to Memphis and then later to Nashville, arriving on 17 March 1864. For the next six months detachments of the unit conducted patrols in northern Alabama and guarded the Chattanooga - Nashville railroad. During August they were involved in skirmishes with Confederate cavalry that invaded Tennessee. Lafayette Coile would have been an enlisted man during these campaign, possibly the First Sergeant of his company.

In June he was commissioned as a Captain. Immediately after this promoted he was assigned the duty of mustering in new troops in Nashville. It is possible that he was given the responsibility to recruit troops for his own unit. By July he was back with the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry in the field.

In late July the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry was part of a larger movement of troops into northern Alabama. On 29 July 1864 the unit participated at the battle of Big Name Creek, near Pond Springs. Running engagements between Confederate and Union cavalry continued throughout August and September 1864. The 3rd Tennessee Cavalry was in a larger force of Union soldiers under the command of Union Colonel William Campbell. In late September, under attack by Confederate forces, he positioned a large number of the cavalry and infantry in a fortress near Athens, Alabama. On 24 September the same general, surrendered 150 of the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry Regiment to Confederate forces under General Nathan Bedford Forrest. This took place after he first refused to surrender. After his refusal General Forrest persuaded him to surrender after showing him the number of troops he had available for taking the fortress. The following day 400 men from the 3rd Tennessee cavalry were captured at nearby Sulphur Trestle. Captain Coile and the men of I Company (his command) were among those taken prisoner. The officers were treated reasonably well. It is likely that they were taken to the Prisoner of War camp at Cahawba, near Selma, Alabama. On 15 November 1864 the officers were paroled at Memphis but not exchanged. This means that they were returned to the Union forces but under an agreement that they would not fight against the Confederate forces until a captured Confederate officer of equal rank was freed in their place. Lafayette Coile was sent to the rear to Camp Chase, Ohio, arriving on 24 November 1864. Camp Chase is near Columbus, Ohio. Here he waited out the time until when he would be notified that a Confederate officer had been exchanged in his stead. Only then would he have been allowed to return to his unit. In December 1864 he was notified to return to service in Nashville. It is unclear whether he was there and serving in the Battle of Nashville during December. In February 1865 Captain Coile became ill and was hospitalized in Nashville. The 3rd Tennessee Cavalry was basically non-existent as all the unit's men were prisoners. Captain Coile recovered after an extended illness, possibly pneumonia. Those who remained of the unit were reorganized and spent the remainder of the war re-supplying.

The enlisted men of the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry were held prisoner longer. It wasn't until April 1865, as the war in the western theater of Tennessee was winding down, that these men were exchanged. They were moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi where the US Government had contracted with the company owning the steamship Sultana to transport these soldiers north to their homes. Most of the soldiers were from Ohio but there were 174 soldiers from the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry that also boarded. History tells us that the steamships' captain was in a hurry and did not pay adequate attention to a leaky boiler. Instead of having it replaced at significant expense, he had it patched. Add to this that these soldiers, many recently released from prisoner of war camps such as Andersonville and Cahawba, were eager to get home. They bribed and muscled their way onto the ship. The ship was designed to carry 376 passengers. It left port overflowing with as many as 1800 passengers packed into every berth and completely packing the deck. Many of these soldiers were weakened by their experience of imprisonment. It was 2 a.m. on 27 April 1865 when the Sultana was about 8 miles north of Memphis and the boilers gave way. The explosion immediately turned the steamship into a burning inferno. The 3rd Tennessee lost all its enlisted men that morning. Many died instantly, others jumped into the water and drown. Some were plucked from the water and over 300 died of burns later.

Captain Coile was among the officers who signed a statement protesting against the surrender which had resulted in their prisoner of war status. They claimed it was unjustified. They were critical of the commander who surrendered them without a fight. In their statement they pointed out that the fortress was a strong one, they had sufficient munitions, provisions and they felt certain that relief would have come soon. You can see this statement, along with Col. Campbell's statement by visiting website http://www.lwfaam.net/cw/union_reports/athens_al.htm When the war ended Lafayette was mustered out of service 3 August 1865. Lafayette returned to Rocky Valley in Jefferson County to resume life as a simple country farmer where he lived the remainder of his life, probably about twenty-four years more. He was around 50 years of age when he died.

No. 13 Lafayette Coile: Raised to the rank of Captain

Lafayette Coile, like many young men from the mountains of Tennessee and parts of the mountains of North Carolina were sympathetic with the northern causes. They held no slaves, they were simple farmers and in the case of Lafayette, some were descendants of Quakers who rejected slavery and actively opposed it. At the time of his role in the war Lafayette already had children. He was a young man of 22 years when the war began. He mustered into the Union Army at Nashville on 14 December 1863 at 24 years of age. By this time the northeastern part of Tennessee was already under Union control. Prior to this time enlisting could have put his family at risk. The following information is compiled from his service records provided by the Government Service Administration along with a History of the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry, Union Army.

It was common practice for the officers of volunteer units to be elected by the men themselves. We have little information about Lafayette's first days in the army. Muster roles indicates that he was serving in the role of First Sergeant for Company D, 3rd Tennessee Cavalry. This is the highest enlisted rank in a company. The only soldiers outranking him in the company would be the commissioned officers (lieutenants and a captain). To be elected into these roles must have meant that Lafayette was a popular and capable leader. On 13 June 1864 the muster role indicates that he was promoted to the rank of Captain. The photocopy of his commissioning papers was hard to read. Below is the document as best as I can read it. Note that it was a Tennessee state volunteer commission authorized by the Union governor of Tennessee, Andrew Johnson. The blanks for dates were just that, blanks where a hand entered date would go. These dates are illegible. Other blanks in the text below were simply illegible.

The Governor of the State of Tennessee, to all who shall see these presents, greetings:

Know ye, that ______ special trust and confidence in the patriotism, calor, fidelity and ability of Lafayette Coile of the County of Jefferson, we do appoint him Captain _____ in the Third Regiment of Cavalry of Tennessee Volunteers in the service of the United States for three years, unless sooner discharged; to rank as such from the ______ day of ______ one thousand eight hundred and sixty = ____.

He is, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge the duties of Captain by doing and performing all manner of things ________ belonging. And I do strictly charge and require all Officers and Soldiers under his command to be obedient to his orders, and he is to observe and follow such orders and directions, from time to time, as he shall receive from the President of the United States of America, or the General or superior Officers set over him, according to the Rules and Discipline of War.

Given under my hand, in the City of Nashville, this __________ day of June in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty ______, and in the Eighty ________ year of the Independence of the United States.

By the Governor: Andrew Johnson

Edward H. East Secretary of State

In our next blog we will follow Captain Lafayette Coile's military experiences from the point of his commissioning until the end of the war.

No. 12 Lafayette Coile

We've taken a look at the Jacob Oakes family. Now let's explore backwards in time and learn about the family of Jacob Oakes' wife, Matilda Elizabeth Coile. We'll start with her father, Lafayette Coile. Lafayette was one of 11 children born to James S. and Elizabeth Leonard Coile. He was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee about 1839, living most of his life in the Rocky Valley community near Strawberry Plains and the Quaker community of Lost Creek. County records show that he married Malinda McKnight on 5 December 1855. Lafayette was a gristmiller before and after the Civil War. The picture shows the 1860 census record of Lafayette and Malinda's small family. M.E. is Matilda Elizabeth, my great grandmother. Notice that a 13-year old girl is also living with them. I don't know who she is. By the 1880 census his is listed as a carpenter. Court records show that Lafayette was commissioned by the county to build a coffin for the widon anderson on 5 Jan 1876. It is likely that he had gone from miller to carpenter by this time. It is likely that he also farmed to some extent. The only other exception and that which is very interesting were his years of military service during the Civil War. I will share about Lafayette Coile's military service in subsequent blog entries. Lafayette and Malinda died sometime before 23 August 1889 when his will was executed and he was buried in the Vance Cemetery in Rocky Valley, not far from where he lived. We don't know who placed a tombstone on the graves of he and his wife, Malinda McKnight Coile. The Vance Cemetery is located in a wooded area on a hillside. I visited the graves on three occasions. In the late 1970's my uncle Charles Oakes took me to visit these graves. We asked permission from the home owners on the road below in order to climb up the hill and visit the cemetery. They were very kind and allowed us to visit. We were able to read the inscriptions on the tombstones. In order to read Malinda McKnight Coile's tombstone I had to rub some dirt on it. In 1983 I showed Boyd Coile, a great grandson of Lafayette, where the graves were. He had been under the impression that they were buried in the Oakes Cemetery in unmarked graves. In 2005 I returned to visit the cemetery with my uncle. A driveway has now been put in to a new horse barns on the hillside. We went to the barns to ask permission to visit but couldn't find anyone. We went on to visit the cemetery. Soon the owner of the barns came out and was angry at us for trespassing. Unfortunately no amount of explanation would suit this person. Nonetheless I am glad that I know where my great great grandfather is buried. I do plan to visit his grave again in the future. I believe that this right cannot be taken away from me, new landowner or not.

No. 11 The Children that were lost

One of the sad realities of the late 1800's and early 1900's was child mortality. According to my grandfather Jacob and Elizabeth Oakes had fourteen children. He was the youngest and the last one to survive infancy. As mentioned in one of the first blog entries, we do not know the names of the children who died as infants. Today if you visit the Oakes Cemetery in Rocky Valley near Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, you will find many graves marked only by a rock. No headstones have been erected and there is no one left these days to tell us who is buried where. At least ten of these graves seem to be those of the infant children of Jacob and Elizabeth. We don't know what were the causes of these specific deaths, only that it was not uncommon for infants to die. In 1900 the US reported that 30% of all deaths were among children under five years of age. Today's statistics are markedly improved with about 1% of children under 5 years of age dying. Medical journals indicated that the three chief causes of infant and child mortality were pneumonia, tuberculosis and diarrhea. For one living today it is hard to imagine the unbearable pain of losing not just one child but ten children. Among some of the old photographs owned by the Emma Oakes Palmer were these two photos of what I believe could be two of the children of Jacob and Elizabeth Oakes. In a time when having your photograph taken was rare, some families chose to have a photograph made of the deceased infant or child before burial. It gave them something to remember the child by. These would have been my great aunts or uncles had they lived.