William
Eddins
Throughout
his life, William Eddins cited the state of Alabama
as the place of his birth. According to his children, he was born January 5th, 1824,
and reared in the Pineapple community of Wilcox
County.
On
July 30th, 1846,
William and Martha Jane Hardee were united in marriage. Oral family history
suggests that the ceremony took place at the Friendship Baptist church in
Pineapple, AL.
The 1850 census of Pineapple documents William and Martha living in their own
household with two children, William Abner, age 3, and Joseph, age 6 months. A
third child, Richard Thomas Eddins, is absent, having died in 1849 after
falling from a horse.
Prior
to 1854, William and Martha departed from Alabama,
seeking a new life in the Southeastern region of Mississippi.
This move was likely motivated by the relocation of Martha's parents, Kindred
and Margaret Hardee, from Pineapple to Clarke
County, Mississippi.
The
1860 United States Census of Jasper County records William and Martha living in
the Twistwood community. The child named Joseph is absent from this census.
George Manning Eddins, my Great-Grandfather, born January 23rd, 1854
is listed as the first of their children to be born in Mississippi.
William
and Martha resided together in Jasper
County
for the balance of their marriage. The location of their home is unknown, but
there appears to be some connection with the community known as Davisville.
Based upon older United States Geological Survey maps, Davisville is notated
near the site of Old
Salem
Church.
The remaining cemetery, where we have gathered today, is the lone relic of this
vanished landmark.
Fourteen
(possibly fifteen) children would result from the union of William and Martha.
On February 8th,
1948, Mattie
Eddins
Land,
their youngest child, published a family document that listed these children in
the order of their birth:
1. William
Abner Eddins
2. Richard
Thomas Eddins
3. Elijah
Richard Eddins
4. Mary
Ann Elizabeth Eddins
5. John
Henry Eddins
6. George
Manning Eddins
7. Rufus
Obid (Obadiah) Eddins
8. Amanda
Hasletine Eddins
9. Newton
Irby Eddins
10. Judson
Eddins
11. Julia
Eddins
12. Charley
Eddins
13. Fannie
Eddins
14. Mattie
Eddins
The
year of 1861 saw the start of a terrible war in this nation and thus marked the
beginnings of many hardships that would befall the residents of the south.
Although he was too young to enlist into the Confederate Army, it was reported
by his sister, Fannie Eddins Morris to her daughter Lillian, that William Abner
joined the Confederate forces as a drummer. On February 6th, 1863,
at the age of 39, with an expectant wife and 8 children at home, William Eddins
enlisted at the rank of private within the Army of the Confederate States of America.
Confederate records state that he joined at Paulding,
MS,
under LT. E.W. Stafford, Company H, 27th Infantry. William's company, called
the Jasper Blues, was raised in the counties of Jasper and Lauderdale. It is
not known if William and his son, William Abner, joined at the same time or
served in the same unit.
It
is reasonable to assume that William, and possibly William Abner, may have been
present at a portion of the engagements recorded by the 27th. Based upon the date
of William's enlistment, this involvement could have included the battles at Chickamauga,
Lookout
Mountain,
Missionary Ridge,
Resaca, Jonesboro,
Columbia,
Franklin,
and Nashville.
We
are all aware of the outcome of this war. William Eddins surrendered on May 4th, 1865
in Citronelle,
AL
and was paroled on June
15th, 1865. His physical description was recorded as
follows: Age: 41, Height: 5'-10", Complexion: dark, Eyes: gray, Hair:
light.
Following
his parole, William Eddins returned to his home and family in Jasper
County, Mississippi,
and resumed his life as a father and a farmer. In later years, Fannie Eddins
Morris reflected to her daughter that her eldest brother, William Abner, had
been severely injured during the war and later died as a result of those
injuries.
The
1870 the United States Census of Jasper notes William and Martha at home with
ten children. William is farming and Martha is keeping the house. William Abner
is absent, having succumbed to his war injuries on the December 10th, 1868.
Shortly
after 1870, Mary Ann Elizabeth, likely in her teens, reportedly eloped to Alabama
with a "railroad man". She later died while giving birth. The date of
her death and burial location are unknown.
On
October 12th, 1876 William's wife, Martha Jane Hardee Eddins died as a result
of unknown causes at the age of forty eight . Their productive marriage had
spanned thirty years. Two months later, young Charley, who is reported to have
suffered throughout his life with health problems, also died. Martha Jane and
Charley were laid to rest, here, in the Old Salem cemetery.
In
1880, William was living alone with a few of his younger children. As was a
common occurrence in those days, William chose to marry Martha's widowed
sister, Mary Ann Hardee Gough. The remaining children of William and Martha
soon migrated from home, some through marriage and some to live with their
siblings.
Due
to unknown reasons or circumstance, William and his new wife, Mary Ann,
departed Jasper County
and relocated to an unknown location in Clarke County,
Mississippi. A short time later, on May 18th, 1882, at the age of fifty
eight, William's life came to an end. He was returned to Davisville and laid to
rest with Martha Jane and his children.
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