Our Family History Story,
Part 5:
Where is Miles during the
Civil War?
Our family history story, part 5 continues:
Joyce ("Genealogy Grandma") writes:
Where is Miles during the Civil War?
Where is my great-grandfather during the Civil War? Did he fight for the Confederate or for the Union?
He had to choose a side because staying at home was not an option. He would have been about 35 years old when the war commenced in 1861, and as an able-bodied man he would have had to be involved. I have explored numerous records on the Fold3.com website, but to my dismay, no Miles Love.
His youngest son, Milas Sloan Love, was born in March 1863, during the heart of the war which means Miles Love was home in June 1862. Thus far I have not found any record of him in the Civil War....disturbing, but I will continue with the family history research.
Dorcas or Darcus Wilson-Love
When I first saw the photo of my great grandfather, Miles Love, I wondered what the names of his parents were. My aunt knew the first name of his mother, Dorcas, but she was unaware of her maiden name. I recall telling my aunt that if we could secure a copy of Miles' death certificate then we could find the name of his mother and father.
Little did I know about the time frame that states began keeping vital records, but fortunately for our family Mississippi began keeping vital records in 1912. Miles Love died in January 1926 and had he died in 1910 or 1911 there would be no death record for us to have in our family archives.
Miles' death certificate states he was born in Virginia in 1826, that he died of pneumonia, his mother's maiden name was Dorcas or Darcus Wilson and that, she too was born in Virginia. The disappointing thing, for me, was that there was no father. The record stated, “unknown“, under the heading for “father“.
The death certificate and the 1900 census are the only records in our archives that support Dorcas' existence, but they are proof and are consistent with the oral history of the family as told to us by my aunt, Dorothy Barnes.
I mention the 1900 Census in particular because this is where I found Dorcas in the household of her grandson, Milas Sloan Love. She is listed as his grandmother, is age 90 years old, was born in May 1810, and was from Virginia. This is a very important record, from a genealogical standpoint, because this and the death certificate validate the name of Miles Love's mother.
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