October 2, 2008-Henry Forbis Bonner and The U.S.S. Gambier Bay-Part Two

The words of Henry Bonner about his experience on The U.S.S. Gambier Bay continued:

We lost all our supplies that were on the raft except a small 5" shell casing that had a little gauze, one bottle of malt tablets, and two cerites of morphine. They gave me one of the morphine and put me in the bottom of the raft. We finally ended up with this one raft, and a couple of floater nets, and a total of 67 men. I was really very lucky as of the 67 men, I was the only one who was badly wounded. So I had some good guys watching after me. Until my leg stopped bleeding, we had some shark problems, but we were in good hands and God watched over us and we had no damage or deaths from sharks the first day. I forgot to mention that the ship sunk after I had been on the raft about thirty minutes. They were still firing on the ship after I reached the raft, and after we had been on it a few minutes one of the marker shells that they were firing hit about ten feet from our raft. I had no idea what it was. I thought that it had hit us and what I was seeing in the air was blood (it was red), then I thought it might be gas. At any rate, most of the others and myself went off the raft and under the water to escape the "red". Just before I felt like I was going to drown, I came up and it had cleared. Then after a length of time, the Jap task force that sunk us came right back by us steaming back to where they had come from. I figured they would see and kill us all, so under the water we went again. I know they saw us as they were that close, but they just kept going.

The rest of the first day was spent organizing, knowing we would be picked up soon, watching the dog fights between our planes and Jap planes. Then it started to get dark. The men on the outside of the raft would take turns and change from raft to nets and nets to raft, etc.

The first night was miserable. We had burned up during the day, but at night being wet I got very cold. My teeth chattered so long and hard that the ends of my teeth were sore. No sleep. Just whispers. The second day finally came. Sure was hungry, but more thirsty. We knew we would be picked up today. No more sharks. Some men said they could see ships, but none were there. I couldn't see anything, as I was lying in the bottom of the raft. A First Class Signalman was holding my head out of the water (I'm sorry I cannot recall his name). The Corpsman checked my leg but couldn't do anything else for it, so he gave me the other morphine. The first day we could see other rafts, but today we couldn't see any of them.

The second day drug on and some of the shipmates and myself were doing some funny things and seeing things that weren't there. I was becoming delirious from fever as I had infection in my leg - and had some weird dreams and would pass out from time to time later in the second day. One dream was that I could see an island and on it was a big water tank truck like they wash city streets with. I could see the water coming out of the sprinklers on the truck and he was settling the dust on the island with the water. I knew we would get some when we got there. Another dream was the I broke away from the raft and swam to the island and picked up some beer and swam back to the raft, and in my dream I was trying to get the men on the raft to take some beer - some of the men said I was really handing them something (empty hand of course) and they couldn't figure out what I was doing. So I decided to keep it and drink it all myself. Every time I would come to my senses from one of these dreams, I would tell the man holding my head that when I pass out I'm not dead so don't throw me overboard, and he would assure me he wouldn't.

The Chief held on to our only food until later the second day. He felt it would lift our morale if he gave us a malt tablet, or a piece of one. I couldn't chew mine because my teeth were still sore from chattering the night before, but I managed to get it down. No water.

Well, here comes the second night. We had fired what few flares we had the first night because we just knew they were looking for us. I think it was finally decided later that we were answering another raft's flares. So we didn't have flares to give us hope the second night.

I wasn't looking forward to more chattering teeth and pain from my leg (no more morphine). After the night drug on, a few dreams and passing out a couple of times, we spotted the search lights from a ship. You hever heard the shouting and waving and carrying on we all did. Finally what seemed like hours, and it was a long time, the ship (a patrol craft smaller than a D.E.) had his spots right on the raft.

There had been numerous ships sunk in the area the last several days so shouted out and challenged us with "who won the world series". The Signalman who was holding my head signaled back the correct answer. Then the Skipper of this ship informed us that he was overloaded and couldn't take us aboard but that he would radio our position, and he left. You have never heard the hollering, swearing, and waving of arms, including mine. But, nevertheless, he left. It seemed to all of us that he could have given us a cask of water and medical supplies, fruit cocktail, or something to eat. But he didn't. It was (I was told later) about five hours before another ship (same class) arrived. He came along side and threw over a cargo net and all but two went up the net first. The two were the 1st Class Signalman, who was helping me, and myself. Some of their crew members came down and got me up the net and we were saved.

One other thing happened going to Leyte. Our little ship was attached by Jap aircraft. When the ship's crew started firing at the planes, I figured back in the water, but they chased them off.

Late the third day, I was finally put aboard an L.S.T. that was rigged for operating on wounded. A young Dr. Hershey looked at my leg and said "Son, I don't know what I can do but I'll do my best". Several hours later I awoke and saw five toes on my left leg, was very drowsy but happy.

The doctor talked to me the next day and said we had a new miracle drug - penicillin - so he left my leg on to see if he could kill the infection and get the wound to granulate for skin grafts.

I was later put on the hospital ship "Hope" I think and taken to New Guinea for about three weeks, then put on the luxury liner "Lurline" and eventually dropped off at the Oak Knol Naval Hospital in Oakland, California - then sent to the Naval Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was the nearest hospital to my home that had a skin graft specialist. I spent the next eleven months in New Orleans where they fixed my leg up best they could and gave me a Medical Discharge on January 6, 1946. I still get a 40% disability compensation from the V.A.


Yours truly,

Henry F. ("Hank") Bonner













Henry Forbis Bonner
1925-1991

Sept. 28, 2008-Nancy Manning and Tyre Harbin

On August 31, 2008, I wrote about Marjamin Manning and his family. Since then I have obtained additional information about some of his children. Today I will write about Nancy Minerva Manning (1840-1919) and her husband Tyre Harbin (1826-1898). They were married August 25, 1861 in Dawson county, Georgia. Like the Manning family, the Harbin family was from York, South Carolina. Before Tyre and Nancy were married, Tyre embarked on an interesting adventure.

Tyre and his brothers, John and Balaam, went to California during the Gold Rush. There is a great deal written about the Gold Rush and very easy to find on the internet. It began in 1848 and those traveling to California were called the "49 ers". It isn't exactly clear when Tyre and his brothers went to California, but it is noted by a genealogy researcher in the Grogan D Digest, V97 #39, that they stayed for nine years. They can be seen on the 1860 census in Nevada City, California. It was interesting to look at the 1860 Nevada City census. Most of the residents were young men between the ages of 25-35. Many countries around the globe were noted as their country of origin. Very few women and children were on that particular census.

People traveling to the Gold Rush could go by land in wagon trains and have the risk of Indian attacks. Many settlers chose the overland route and those with more money and resources went by sea. Some left the Eastern US and many other countries traveling around Cape Horn and on to California. There was no Panama Canal at that time and Cape Horn was the route if they wanted a complete ocean voyage. Those who wanted to get to California faster would go through Panama. They would arrive in Panama on the Atlantic side and then take canoes and mules for a weeks trek through the jungle. Then once on the Pacific side, they would wait for a ship to San Francisco. The Grogan Digest stated that Tyre and his brothers traveled through Panama and Cuba.

Normally the route from Georgia to Panama would be to depart from New Orleans. It isn't clear why the Harbin brothers went through Cuba coming or going to the Gold Rush. They may have entered Cuba going in both directions. We know they were in California in 1860 and that Tyre and Nancy married in 1861, if they stayed in California for nine years it may have been about 1852 that they left Georgia for California. In the early 1850's there was an epidemic of Yellow Fever in the United States. In 1853, over 8,000 people in New Orleans died from Yellow Fever. The route through Cuba would have been to avoid the infestation that existed in New Orleans. They were really adventurous.

I read at Wikipedia.org that the ordinary prospectors could have daily gold finds worth 10-15 times the daily wage they would earn on the East Coast. A person working 6 months in the gold fields could find gold equivalent to 6 years wages back home. That's a very good reason to go. After nine years, Tyre could have saved a great deal of money.

Upon his return to Georgia he married Nancy Minerva Manning and they started their family.

Their son, John William Harbin was born September 27, 1862. Their marriage date was recorded as August 25, 1861. From here the dates get a bit confusing. In 1864 their son Samuel Megaman was born and in 1865, a third son Nathanial James was born. In the meantime, military records show that Tyre enlisted in the CSA on July 14, 1863 and was paroled from the military May 12, 1865. He was noted to have been a 1st Lieutenant in the 11th Battalion, Co. C of the Georgia Infantry, the State Guards. After Tyre was discharged from the military, Nancy and Tyre had the rest of their children.

Barbara G. - 1867
Benjamin Mercer - March 27, 1869
Tyre Balaam - April 30, 1871
Nancy Caroline - September 29, 1872
Milinda Elander - April 26, 1874
Martha Ann -September 21, 1876
Hiram Andrew - June 19, 1878
Hanery Lee - May 3, 1882

Tyre Harbin died October 7, 1898 and is buried at the Old Tate Cemetery in Pickens, Georgia. In 1900 the first US census year after Tyre died, Nancy was living in Pickens county, Georgia, noted to be widowed and with her children: Eler (Milinda Elander), Hiram, Henry L. and three boarders. Hiram is noted to be a carpenter, Henry is a marble polisher. The area of Pickens county in which they lived was at the N.E. end of the marble quarry area. In the household right next door is Nancy's son, John W. and his family. In 1910, Nancy was in Pickens county and living with her son, John W. and his family and her daughter Ella (Milinda Elander).
Nancy Manning died January 15, 1919 and is also buried at the Old Tate Cemetery. I came across an interesting story about their son Hiram, which I will write another time.

Sept. 13, 2008-Milledgeville Insane Asylum

On August 31, 2008, I wrote about Marjamin Manning and the fact that he died at the Milledgeville Insane Asylum in Milledgeville, Georgia. Since then, I have written to the Georgia Department of Human Resources who maintain the records for Central State Hospital (that's what it is called now). I requested verification that Marjamin was a patient there and asked if he was buried at the Asylum. I received a quick response that said he was buried there and his burial number is 0043. I clarified with the gentleman that the numbering sequence of 0043 means that he was the 43rd person buried at this particular cemetery. The gentleman said he knows which cemetery and the approximate location of 0043. He also said that they show his name as Megimin.

The normal routine when someone at Milledgeville died, who was to be buried in a hospital cemetery, is they were given a burial number. Then a small metal stake with the number on it was placed in the location of the grave. When you look at the pictures of some of the burial locations, it appears that the metal stakes are less than one foot apart. There are fields and fields of markers. Here is a small picture of some of them.




An organization named Friends of Baldwin County Cemeteries has a web site on which many Baldwin County Cemeteries burials are listed. They show 5 cemeteries related to Central State Hospital. After looking at the listings of each one I found that one of them lists a grave marked number 43. That cemetery is Cedar Lane Cemetery. This grave 43 may not be Marjamin's, but its the only 43 I saw. Most of the listings reflected the presence of many graves with no markers of any kind.

There are estimates regarding how many former patients are buried at Milledgeville. One estimate I read reported 30,000. Another one in the Psychiatric News Vol. 42, #21, pg.3, by Aaron Levin said perhaps 25,000. It seems somewhat immoral that so many people would be buried and identified only as a number.

In his book, But For the Grace of God: The Inside Story of the Worlds Largest Insane Asylum, Peter G. Cranford said there were deaths resulting from maniacal exhaustion, the poor condition of the patient when they came in, disease, dysnetry and typhoid of 1854.

Milledgeville Insane Asylum opened in 1842. The Georgia state legislature approved the construction for in in 1837. Initially, there was one building that was four stories tall. Two floors were for men and two floors were for women. In 1859, there were approximately 300 patients there. The facility grew over the next 120 years to become the largest state asylum in the country. In 1960, there were approximately 12,000 patients living there. In 1859, Dr. Thomas Green, the Supertindent at Milledgeville in his Report By the Trustees of the State Lunatic Asylum at Milldgeville for the Year 1859, reported there were 308 patients and that it costs the Asylum 11 1/2 cents per day to care for them.

At the time of its opening, the treatment for mental illness was basically confinement. There were few treatments. Many of the first patients would arrived in shakels or tied up. They may have been in jails or family members may have chained them in order to control them. Upon their arrival, the chains and shakels would be removed and the patients allowed to walk freely. The groups of patients initially admitted were lunatics, idiots and epileptics. The epileptics were persons who had seizures while the idiots were persons born with disability such as retardation. The lunatics were the ones who did not fit the social norms because they could not control their behavior. I also have read that later the facility became a home for people with communicable diseases like tuberculosis. I wonder in which group Marjamin was placed. I will soon find out because I expect to hear from the Central State Hospital regarding Marjamin's medical information.

Sept. 6, 2008-Another Story Unfolds: The Legend of Tom Dooley

While planning a genealogy research trip to North Carolina to work on the Brown family, I decided to update myself on some of the family members. Jessie Wilson Brown (1826- ) had many brothers and sisters. I was interested in learning more about Joel H. Brown and Letty Brown Triplett before we make our trip. Jessie Wilson Brown was Don's great-great grandfather. Joel was his great great Uncle and Letty was his great great Aunt.

Joel left North Carolina, like all his brothers. But he returned to take care of his mother after his father James died in 1850. In reviewing the 1860 and 1870 census for Wilkes County, North Carolina, I found that Joel and his family lived in the same household with his mother, Nancy Brown. I also learned that Joel was a Baptist Minister. I didn't really come up with much other new information. So, I moved on to Letty Brown Triplett.

On the 1850 Wilkes County Census, Letty lived with her parents James and Nancy Brown and her three children (Pinkney, Angeline and Thomas). She had no husband named and was not noted to be widowed. I found her also on the 1860 and 1870 census with more children and no husband. I decided to search her children's names on Google. I started with Pinkney Triplett and the search opened an extremely interesting door and the Brown connection to The Legend of Tom Dooley. Right away I found sites describing Letty Brown Triplett and Angeline Triplett (her daughter) and their involvement in the story of Tom Dooley. At some point Letty Triplett changed her name and the names of all of her illegitimate children to Foster. So, they are referred to as Letty Foster and Angeline (Ann) Foster.

Tom Dooley was actually Tom Dula. Tom and his family lived in Wilkes County very close to the Brown family. Throughout the 1850, 1860, 1870 census you will find the Brown's and the Dula's practically next door to each other. The legend of Tom Dooley goes something like this.

Tom Dooley had several girl friends. One was Angeline (Ann) Foster and another was her cousin Laura Foster. It is said that Tom was having a relationship with both of them at the same time. Their relationships were well known by many people living near them, near Elkville, North Carolina. Ann had let it be known that she was very jealous of Laura Foster. Ann Foster must have tired of the "love triangle" because she married James Melton. But, it seems she basically just added a fourth person to the "love triangle" because Tom Dooley would visit Ann Foster Melton at her home. According to court documents, he would even sneak into her bedroom to spend the night. All the while, he was still having a relationship with Laura. As you would expect, one of them became pregnant. It was Laura. When she told Tom she was pregnant he said they would get married.

They made plans that on May 25, 1866 Tom and Laura would to go to Tennessee to be married. On May 24, the night before they were to meet, Tom was at Ann Melton's house and he and Ann left, taking some whiskey. They stayed out all night. Laura left her home very early in the morning of May 25, with some clothes. She took her father's horse and was to travel to the Bates Place to meet Tom, as they had planned. The Bates Place was six miles from Laura's home. Laura passed a neighbor on her way to meet Tom and told the neighbor where she was going and that she and Tom were going to be married. According to the court documents, the neighbor was Betsy Scott.

When Laura didn't return home, her father, Wilson Foster, went to Ann Melton's house to see if they she had seen Laura. Mr. Foster's horse returned home the next morning, but Laura didn't. The horse's reins was still attached to it, but it appeared to have been chewed in two. Speculation was that the horse chewed it in two to get away from where he was tied. A month went by and there was still no sign of Laura. Tom Dooley was still in the area. Remember, the morning Laura disappeared she told Betsy Scott that she was on her way to meet Tom and that they were going to be married. Tom must have known that people were suspecting that he had something to do with Laura's disappearance because he left Wilkes County and went to Tennessee.

Although Laura's body had not been found, Tom Dooley was arrested in June. He was taken to the jail in Wilkesboro. In August, Ann Melton disclosed to her cousin Pauline Foster that she knew where Laura was buried. She even offered to show Pauline the location. Pauline never went to the exact location with Ann, but she later made public comments that she knew where Laura was buried. Pauline Foster was picked up and questioned. The information she gave to the authorities led them to the spot where Laura was buried.

The transcript of the trial of Tom Dooley can be found at: http://www.fmoran.com/wilkes/anny2.html
Tom was found guilty of killing Laura Foster and he was hung on May 1, 1868, almost two years after Laura was killed. Ann Foster Melton was also tried as an accomplice to the murder, but she was acquitted. To this day, many believe that Ann killed Laura and Tom is the one who buried her. The transcript of the trial contains the questioning of Ann Foster Melton and her mother, Letty Foster aka Letty Brown Triplett and many others.

You can see a hand drawn map used at the trial of Tom Dooley. On the map you will see the home of James/Ann Melton, Letty Foster, many other neighbors. The surprise on the map is to see the home of Letty's brother, Joel H. Brown labeled on the map. See the map:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tom1231/273622466/

Just to summarize. Tom Dooley was accused of murdering Laura Foster and he was hung.
Ann Foster Melton was the lover of Tom Dooley. Ann told her cousin Pauline that she knew where Laura was buried. Ann Foster Melton was also known as Angeline Triplett and she was the daughter of Letty Brown Triplett. The court documents describe Angeline and her mother Letty as having frequent drinking binges. One reference I found online suggested that Letty Triplett actually did marry a Mr. Foster and it was believed that she killed him. Letty and her daughter were quite a pair.

So, there you are, the Tom Dooley/Brown connection. Listen to "Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htBR3imbFfI

Addendum: On September 23, 2008 we met with a genealogy researcher in Wilkes County, NC to discuss the Brown family and tour the county. We mentioned that we thought that Letty Triplett Foster was a child of James and Nancy Brown. He stated that even though she appears on the 1850 census living in the Brown home, he nor any local researcher believed she was related to the Browns. He said they may have taken her in because she had no home or she may have been domestic help. So, the story of Tom Dooley remains as I described, but we now do not believe that Letty is a Brown relative and will remove her from the family history. ( Sharon, September 27, 2008)

August 31, 2008-Another Marjamin Manning 1805-1882

In my entry of August 10, 2008, I reviewed The Many Thomas Mannings. I was very uncertain about Thomas Manning II. Thanks to a cousin, I now have him clearly in mind. She has given me a very thorough genealogy of the Mannings. Thomas Manning II was born abou 1776 and he died May 21, 1844. He was married to Elizabeth Beck and their children were:

Thomas J. Manning (Thomas III)
Marjamin Manning
Cathryn Manning

I know about Thomas Manning III and have documented him fairly well. You can read about him in the August 10, 2008 entry. I haven't yet looked at Cathryn Manning, but today I spent some time learning about Marjamin Manning. You may recall that Thomas Manning III had a son named Margamin Manning who died while a Prisoner of War. It appears he was named after his uncle, Marjamin.

Marjamin Manning was born in 1805 in South Carolina and died May 16, 1882 in Milledgeville, Georgia. He was married to Elizabeth Champion. Their children were:

Eliza Ann Manning (1825- October 14, 1906) She married Horatio Tatum (Sept. 1821-February 9, 1908). Their children were John, James, William A., Sarah, Hugh and Robert J. Horatio Tatum is noted to have been the sheriff of Dawson County, Georgia. I also found a picture of him sitting in front of McClure Mercantile in Dawson County with some other men. Here is the picture. He is the third from the right. The picture was posted on the Digital Georgia web site.

Hannah Manning (1831-1860). Hannah married Newton Harbin.

Massey Caroline Manning (1835- ). Caroline married William C. Anderson.

Mary Emily Manning (May 18, 1828-September 6, 1900). Mary married Henry Clifton Talley ( January 31, 1827-June 30, 1890). Both Mary and Henry died in Sparks, Bell County, Texas and are buried at the Volo Cemetery.

Sarah Manning (October 22, 1832-March 20, 1911). Sarah first married Sylvester Edwards (1829-1862). They had three children: Jasper, Nancy and Kiziah. Sylvester Edwards died July 24, 1862 in General Hospital #8 in Richmond, Va. as the result of a Civil War injury. He served with the 38th Regiment, Co. I, of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry. After his death, Sarah remarried to William Riley Sluder (1811- Novemeber 17, 1917). I haven't found that they had children. William Sluder served with Sylvester Edwards, Sarah's first husband, in the 38th Regiment, Co. I, of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry. William was captured at Spotsylvania, Va. May 12, 1864, paroled Febryary 1865 and then exchanged May 10, 1866 at Boulware & Cox's Wharves on the James River.

Nancy Manning (August 30, 1840-January 15, 1919). Nancy married Tyre Harden.

Kissiah R. Manning (1845- ) married William P. Gregory.

There are several interesting records about Marjamin Manning. In August 1860, the Grand Jury of Dawson County charged him and nine other men with Riot because they cursed, threw rocks at and hollered at people in the town square. They also beat up Henry Houser, the grocer. Marjamin was found guilty and sentenced to pay a $100 fine or serve 4 months in jail. It's unclear whether he paid the fine or went to jail.

He and his wife Elizabeth donated land for the First Baptist Church of Dawsonville.

An interesting but unclear issue about Marjamin is that he died May 16, 1882 in Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia in an insane asylum. His son in law, William Sluder, husband of Sarah Manning, was appointed his guardian because he was insane. He apparently had a will that was probated May 31, 1882, but I have not yet found that record. It is sad that two Mannings named Marjamin/Margamin died in very unfavorable locations. Marjamin in the Milledgesville Insane Asylum and Margamin at Camp Douglas as a Prisoner of War. The descriptions of Milledgesville Asylum are really horrible and sound very much like the conditions at Camp Douglas. Both were filthy, people were bound in chains, the food was rationed or not available. There was suffering and sickness in both. I will tell you more about Milledgesville in another blog entry.

August 26, 3008-Laura Manning's Uncles

On August 14, 2008 I wrote about finding Laura Manning and what a rewarding experience it was. Part of the frustration in knowing very little about her was that I knew quite a bit about her ancestors. Laura's mother was Amanda Mallow Griffith and her grandmother of Jerusha Jane Heffington Mallow. Her grandfather was Stewart Dickey Mallow. It is Stewart's brothers, who are Laura's great uncles that I want to mention today.

Stewart Dickey Mallow was one of 19 children born to Michael Mallow and Charlotte Gortner. Among the 19 were 11 sons, the oldest son Anderson was born in 1817 and the youngest son, Armstead was born in 1845. Six of the 11 sons served in the Civil War. They include:

Durrell Pendleton Mallow- Born November 27, 1843 and died during the war, but it is not known when or where. He served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's).

George Harrison Mallow-Born December 17, 1833 and died in 1863, probably in battle. He married Frances Tyler in 1857. George was a Sergeant and served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's).

John Preston Mallow-Born March 24, 1832 and died prior to 1863, probably in battle. He married Elvira E. Strother in 1857. John served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's).

Louis Clark Mallow-Born March 20, 1828 and died in 1916. In 1865 he married Sally Hampton. Louis served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's). He was a bugler.

Oliver Paton Mallow-Born September 4, 1826 and died July 26, 1912. He married Sara Ann Sander in 1853 and then he married Margaret Basket in 1872. Oliver served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's).

Thomas Augustus Mallow-Born March 3, 1839 and died July 11, 1929. He married Margaret P. Gates in 1866. He was the only one of the Mallow sons who did not serve with Fitzhugh. He served in the 22nd Regiment, Texas Cavalry (1st Indian-Texas Regiment).

It can certainly be said that the Mallow family gave of themselves through the military service of their sons, Laura's uncles. Laura's grandfather died before the Civil War at age 35, in 1857. Based upon the family's tradition of service, Stewart Dickie Mallow would have been among his brothers in service to his country had he not met an untimely death.

August 17, 2008-Back to the Mannings-Putting the Pieces Together

Today, as I was reading some Walker County, Georgia history, I came across a site that was listing historical sites in Walker County. The internet site was called Waymarking.com. The interesting finding was a house in Walker County named the William Little House. It is a house in which Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood spent some time recouperating after the Battle of Chickamauga. In that battle, Gen. Hood was injured and his leg was amputated just below the hip. Gen. Hood was invited to stay in the William Little House by Col. Francis "Frank" Little, the son of William. Prior to going to the William Little House, Gen. Hood had been treated at the Clisby-Austin House, home turned into hospital, in Tunnel Hill, Georgia.

Col. Frank Little had served in the 11th Georgia Infantry, Anderson's Brigade and Gen. John Bell Hood's Division at the Battle of Chickamauga.

When it caught my eye, I remembered that William Little was a neighbor of Thomas Manning Jr. (Thomas III). They both are buried in the Young Family Cemetery in Walker County. On the 1860 census of Walker County, William Little is household #680 and Thomas Manning is household #699. They were both land owners with property and estates valued at least $12,000 and above.

That suggests to me that they may have lead similar lifestyles. The picture of the William Little House reflects a rather genteel setting, white house, wrap around porch. I immediately thought that is possible that Thomas Manning had a comparable house in Walker County. So, I have saved a picture of the William Little House and I can reflect on Thomas Manning when I look at it and wonder what kind of house Thomas had. I think it was like William Little's house.

The William Little House

Walker County, Georgia