Henry K. Emerson (1840-1918) enlisted in Company D, 7th Virginia Cavalry on August 10, 1861. Prior to his enlistment, he did not serve as a member of the local (97th Virginia) militia. He was a little slow in enlisting (the company was originally formed on June 1, 1861), but the reason for the delay cannot be determined. Following enlistment, his record is relatively simple to follow, not even being listed on a furlough until April 15, 1864. Prior to his furlough, he was detached to serve as an orderly (seemingly for Col. Thomas A. Marshall, Jr., commanding officer of the regiment). Though there is no record of another furlough, he was at home, in Page County, on July 7, 1864, when he married Sarah Elizabeth Dorrough/Dorraugh (1841-1914). Clearly returning to service sometime after the wedding, he was listed as absent sick from August 15 – August 30, 1864. There is no further record of his service after that date, and it’s not surprising considering the incomplete nature of the regimental records beginning in the fall of 1864.
Henry applied for and received a Virginia Confederate veteran’s pension. Yet, it appears that he is absent from local U.C.V. activities in years after the war (and not on the membership rolls at all). His obituary mentions nothing reflective of his service.
Henry Emerson, aged 84 years, an industrious and highly respected citizen of Page died on Monday after — with a complication —- incident to old age. Mr. Emerson had been a lifelong resident of —- wife preceeded him to —-about three years ago. The deceased is survived by one daughter and —- sons, Mrs. Kate Boyd of —- and Charles and Edward Emerson of this county. He is also survived by two brothers, Joseph ———-Emerson, both of Page. The funeral services were held from his —— at 11 a.m. on Sunday —–by Rev. Mr. Earp, pastor of ——- Christian church of which the —– had been a member —- forty years. Interment took place in the family graveyard of —- late home.
So, what about his siblings and even his brothers-in-law? Henry had at least one brother to also serve in the Confederate army.
Jacob D. Emerson (1845-1887) did not enlist until March 1864 and served in Co. E (not Co. D, like his older brother), but he had just turned 18 in January; perhaps reflecting a father’s preference for his son to wait. Jacob served until December 20, 1864 when he was listed as AWOL. No further record of his service is known to exist.
Like his brother, he applied for and received a pension… and his obituary mentions nothing of military service.
EMMERSON, JACOB died at his residence near Luray, last Sunday morning. He had been sick only about a week, his disease being pneumonia. He was a member of the Dunkard Church, quiet & unobtrusive in manner & was respected by all who knew him. He leaves a wife & 7 children. Mr. Emmerson was 42 years, 7 months & 6 days old. (PNC – issue 12 Apr 1887)
Yet, Jacob Emerson/Emmerson was buried in Green Hill Cemetery in Luray… the burial site of many members of the Rosser-Gibbons Camp, U.C.V.
James Joseph Emerson (1847-1924) may have served in Co. E, 33rd Virginia Infantry, but it isn’t clear. A James Emerson enlisted in the 33rd on 3/10/62, at which time, James Joseph would have been 15. There is no mention of military service in his obituary.
EMERSON, JOSEPH died at his home near Morning Star Church last Friday afternoon about five o’clock following an illness of several weeks from pneumonia. Mr. Emerson’s wife died about ten years ago and since that time has lived most of the time by himself. He was a quiet, inoffensive citizen and had the respect of all who knew him. His wants during his last illness were looked after by the citizens of that community. He was 77 years and one day old. The funeral was conducted in Morning Star church on Saturday afternoon by Rev. C. I. Morgan. Mr. Emerson leaves one brother, Edward Emerson of Luray (PNC – issue 01 Apr 1924).
Henry K. Emerson’s brothers-in-law, James Hiram Dorraugh (1837-1870) and Elijah Russell Dorraugh (1845-?) also served in Co. D, 7th Virginia Cavalry. James enlisted on June 1, 1861 and, by December 1862, was absent on a surgeon’s certificate. It is unclear what happened, but he was discharged in 1863 due to paralysis of his left side. Elijah Russell Dorraugh was a member of the same unit, but there is no enlistment date. I don’t have it handy, but somewhere in my collection, I have an account (published in the Page News & Courier on 12/15/1922) as written by his son (D.T. Dorraugh) of his father being the last man on the picket line of the Laurel Brigade (with which the 7th Virginia was regularly affiliated) when word came of Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. In this brief account, Elijah also recalled having “been starved for three days before he surrendered.”
As some might recall (from an earlier post), Henry K. Emerson was also 1st cousin to Edwin Arthur Emerson… the actor who was closely acquainted with John Wilkes Booth… and performed in the role of the character Lord Dundreary in Our American Cousin on the night that President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Out of Edwin A. Emerson’s five age-eligible brothers (age-eligible for service for the Confederacy under the three conscription acts), Benjamin Franklin Emerson (a tinsmith/coppersmith by trade) was the only one recorded as serving. He was originally a member of the Mt. Vernon Guards (militia) from Alexandria, Virginia; the militia unit later becoming Co. E, 17th Virginia Infantry. B.F. Emerson was mortally wounded at Frayser’s Farm and died in Richmond on July 19, 1862. He was not reburied in Alexandria (St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Cemetery) until November 26, 1865. (By the way, St. Paul’s has an interesting Civil War story of its own… for one, Wilmer McLean’s father, Daniel McLean, was a member… and then there is the story about the church being occupied by Federal soldiers and the arrest of the interim minister). I have a few Emerson ancestors buried in the cemetery, including my fourth great grandfather, Aquilla Emerson (1771-1850) and his wife Susannah Simpson Emerson (1772-1859), so I feel that the branch of my Emersons that lived in the Shenandoah Valley still probably had some form of contact with the branch back in Alexandria during the war.
While Henry K. Emerson seems to have become modest about his prior service or maybe he even considered himself among those who had left the past to the past, comrades did look upon his service in a favorable light. In the effort in the early 1910s to assess the loyal service of Page County’s Confederate veterans (for placement of the names of the loyal local Confederates on the Confederate monument in Luray), Henry K. Emerson’s comrades noted that he was a “good soldier.” I have no family stories about his service and no idea about his inspiration for service, so I don’t dare trot down the path of presumption and state in the affirmative that I know absolutely what he was fighting for or against; but based on what I do know, would he object to the placement of a Confederate headstone at his otherwise unmarked grave on the family homestead? I didn’t think so… and I ordered a headstone for him and placed it at his grave in 1999. Henry K. Emerson is one of my four (4) great-great grandfathers who were Confederate soldiers.
*Notes…
1) Henry K. Emerson’s father, William W. Emerson, was not a slaveholder. He was a tailor/farmer by trade.
2) Another 1st cousin to H.K. Emerson, John C. Emmerson may have served with Co. G, 3rd Maryland Cavalry, USA.
3) One of Henry K. Emerson’s sons married a granddaughter of the Garnett Nicholson mentioned in Confederate ancestor analysis #1. Edward Benjamin Emerson (1884-1970) & Mamie Virginia Nicholson (1891-1965) make-up one set of my great grandparents.
**This is part of a series in which I will be analyzing the service of my Confederate ancestors. For the analysis prior to this one, see Confederate ancestor analysis #1 – Garnett Nicholson. The analysis that follows this one focuses on Joseph Richards.
Of all of my direct ancestors (lineal alone), I had four (4) great-great grandfathers who served in the Confederate army (Henry K. Emerson, Siram W. Offenbacker, James Harvey Mayes, and Charles Robert Hilliard). I also have three (3) … possibly four (4) third great grandfathers who served in gray… Garnett Nicholson, Absalom Franklin Nauman, Joseph Richards, and maybe… William Davison. All were from Virginia except Davison, who was from Kentucky. All of their stories worked together are important for the fact that they help illustrate the diversity of sentiment (and not Confederate alone) in the South.
Coly Hope
July 7, 2009
What my ancestors did during the Civil war is not very clear. I know my great-great grandfather who was a farmer in Virginia fought for the 3rd New York but I am not sure what he did in the regiment. As for my other ancestors I know some sided with the Confederated but don’t know what they did during the war. How did you come up with information on our ancestors?
cenantua
July 7, 2009
Hi Coly,
A Virginia ancestor in a NY unit? Interesting. Have you checked his Union pension record and to see if he or his family applied in the Southern Claims Commission? Where was he from in Va?
I’ve been looking into my ancestry for over thirty years, so it’s been an interesting journey from point A to point B in understanding and making sense of all that I’ve found.
Coly Hope
July 7, 2009
He was from Accomac County which is on the Delmarva peninsula.
cenantua
July 7, 2009
Name?
Coly Hope
July 7, 2009
John Thomas Franklin Hope
cenantua
July 7, 2009
I checked both Northampton and Accomac counties, and there were no SCC claims applications from anyone named “Hope.” Of course, as you know, the military record is a bit complicated. I’m keying on the “John Hope” who is listed with Co. H, 2nd NY Inf., but there is no middle name listed in the service record or the pension. Are you certain that this is the John Hope you are looking for?
Coly Hope
July 7, 2009
He was in the 2nd NY Infantry. He was born in the early 1840’s and died around 1903.
cenantua
July 7, 2009
It looks like the one in Co. H, 2nd NY Inf. either applied or had something significant happen in Nov. 1902. Regretfully, my aol home service is worthless when it comes to my being able to use footnote.com. I’ll have to check the record again when I have better access to my footnote account. It might be worth your while to order his pension record from the Natl. Archives in D.C. I take it he outlived his wife as I don’t see a widow’s pension for her.
Coly Hope
July 7, 2009
Thanks for your help.
cenantua
July 7, 2009
Coly, You probably already have this, but, just in case… from ancestry.com…
John T. F. Hope, b. 1841, son of William S. Hope and Margaret Jane Miles. JTF Hope married Catharine A. Lewis… children 1) Sadie Annie, 2) Edward T., 3) Nona C., 4) Calie, 5) Marie J.
John T. F. Hope died in 1910.
It looks like one of JTF Hope’s brothers-in-law was in the 1st Md. Cav. (CSA)… William T. Dix.
Coly Hope
July 7, 2009
Those name sounds familiar. Are you sure the 4th child was Calie. My great grandfather was named Coley who I named after. Interesting story about my name. My parents thought my name was supposed to be spelled Coly which is on my birth certificate but they later found out the correct spelling is Coley.
cenantua
July 8, 2009
I’ll go back and check Coly… it could have been a matter of spelling the name incorrectly in the census record and the person doing the family tree work following the census taker’s example… used to happen quite often in the census, especially with names other than the standard fare.
Shane SKinner
September 11, 2009
One of my great grandfather’s was in the same unit as your grandfather. His name was Jeremiah Fairburn. He was captured near Brandy Station. We never have been able to determine what prison he was incarcerated in. It’s very interesting to see others with similar stories!
cenantua
September 11, 2009
Interesting… he has no service record with the 7th, but applied for a pension in La. as a member of Co. D, 7th. Is that where you found a reference to his being captured at Brandy Station?
Shane SKinner
September 12, 2009
I have his muster rolls. Also, I have letters that he wrote telling of his capture. I also have his enlistment papers.
john emmerson
January 11, 2010
The Emmerson’s came from Ludwell farm in Weardale Co. Durham ,England Traced back to about 1500.
Robert Moore
January 11, 2010
Thanks for commenting, Mr. Emmerson, but are you saying that you have a direct connection with these Emerson/Emmerson lines listed here? If so, I’d be very interested in knowing more.
Thomas Joseph Emmerson
February 3, 2010
I am not sure what to ask here, but it would be most interesting to know if you have a way of connecting me to my g,g,g,grandfather Robert Emmerson who evidently arrived in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island from England in and about the 1770’s and was married to Sarah Compton.
Robert, John, Jared, Joseph Frederick, Joseph Othniel to me Thomas Joseph Emmerson
I hope this is not bothersome.
Thank you,
tom emmerson
Robert Moore
February 3, 2010
Henry Emerson’s grandfather was Aquilla. It appears that Aquilla Emerson’s grandfather, John, died in Prince Georges Co., Md., but I have no idea of when or where they entered the colonies.
Thomas Joseph Emmerson
August 12, 2010
Hello John, Is there any way you could supply me with a link to information connecting me to the times prior to about 1775 when Robert Emmerson arrived in Prince Edward Island from England? Your comment about Ludwell farm in Weardale County, Durham, England is giving me a glimmer of hope that I will finally figure out where Robert Emmerson came from in England.
Thank you kindly,
tom
David Curtis
May 17, 2010
I am interested in John Emmerson’s intimation about Emmerson’s from Ludwell Farm in Weardale, Co. Durham who go back to 1500. Among my Anglo-Irish ancestors is a General Emmerson. One would think that a person of so high a rank would have left some traces in military records. But no, all we know of him is that General Emmerson was the father of Martha Shearman who married Thomas Shearman in Waterford Ireland. Thomas Shearman was the son of Robert Shearman of Grange, an alderman of the City of Kilkenny. Robert Shearman who married Frances (Fanny) Waye in 1740 were of the same generation as the elusive General Emmerson. Fanny Waye was the daughter of the Revd Thomas Waye, precentor and treasurer of St Cenisus Cathedral in Kilkenny. For his services to King William III when he was in Ireland, Thomas Waye was made Chancellor of the Diocese of Ossory. After the death of her first husband Thomas Shearman, Martha Emmerson married a Capt St Clair who served in a British regiment in Ireland that was involved in the war in Canada. It may be that General Emmerson was no longer alive when his daughter married Thomas Shearman. Could he possibly have been a General in one of the armies in India like the Maharattas? There a deal of comming and going between England, Ireland and the American and other in those days. Does anyone know anything about this General Emmerson?
Doug
February 3, 2013
I found your story very interesting. Thank you. I have been looking for the link between Aquilla Emerson (my gggggrandfather) and his arrival in the colonies. I also have seen the earliest (so far) of an Emerson arrival was in 1623. A woman no less. Earliest records found for Aquilla has been PG county, MD docs, which ties in with his marriage to the John Simpson family. I have been away from this for sometime and now need to restart my quest.
Robert Moore
February 4, 2013
Glad you found the piece of value. I think I’ve only made it successfully to one generation prior to Aquilla. Beyond that, I’ve relied on the work of others, which I haven’t verified. That said, however, I think there’s a great deal of information yet to found regarding Aquilla and his children.