Alexander Bedsaul (1837-1889)
Alexander Bedsaul was a man with a remarkable heritage; one with very deep roots that extend into this area over a period of more than 240 years: and one which, based upon his early Quaker roots, would ordinarily not lend itself to anything but a peaceable heritage. But Alexander's ancestors were moved by events directly at their doorstep, and only 80 miles south east of this location – events that they could not ignore.
Allow me to set the stage and take you back, oh, about 280 years ago. This begins the currently known lineage of Alexander Bedsaul.
Alexander's Great Grandparents, Elisha Bedsaul and Mary Edwards, were both born about 1730, and were Quakers. Elisha and Mary wed 262 years ago next week (!) on September 16, 1751, at Cane Creek Meeting House, in old Orange County (now Alamance), North Carolina. Elisha and Mary came to Chestnut Creek in 1771, settling on a tract which later became the home place of Flower Swift, Captain, Montgomery County Militia, in the Revolutionary War. At the time, this area was part of Fincastle, carved out of Botetourt County. This was in the Iron Ridge / Hebron area of Carroll, and he lived there for some years before moving to another tract which is now situated in East Galax.
So, why did the Bedsaul Clan come north to this area, from old Orange? The year was 1771, and The Battle of Alamance was the final battle of the War of the Regulation, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over taxation and local control. In the past, historians considered the battle to be the opening salvo of the American Revolution[1] and locals agreed with this assessment. After this Battle, a group of intermarried families left the Piedmont of North Carolina and moved just across the Virginia border into what was described as virgin wilderness along Chestnut Creek and its tributaries...These families were mostly Quakers or disowned Quakers and many of the men had been active in the Regulator movement and participated in the Battle of Alamance. No doubt things were a little too close for comfort to remain in North Carolina. Amongst them was a Baptist named Flower Swift who was married to a Quaker woman named Mary Bedsaul...Elisha Bedsaul's daughter (DAR records confirm this fact, originally surmised by John Perry Alderman). Almost all of this group came from today's Randolph, Guilford, Alamance and Iredell counties.
Elisha assigned his first tract of land to Flower Swift, and the second tract he acquired from John Price, situated on both sides of Chestnut Creek, partly adjoined and inside the old Buchanan grant. It had been settled by Price in 1771, and Elisha Bedsaul had 172 acres of it surveyed in 1774 (out of Fincastle).
Elisha Bedsaul was a Blacksmith, taxed in 1773, served in Flower Swift's Militia Company, and in 1782 paid tax on a slave, 4 horses and 12 cattle, signifying considerable prosperity at that time. The 1782 record is the only one found of his holding a slave; the later tax lists charge him only with horses and cattle. Though Elisha had come to Virginia from some of the Quaker settlements of North Carolina, he was not active in Quaker affairs on Chestnut Creek.
Elisha and Mary had a son, John. There is a record in the Cane Creek Meeting Minutes (out of Orange County, North Carolina), of the marriage of John "Bedsalt" of Fincastle County, Virginia and Sarah Brown, stating John's parents as Elisha and Mary (in 1774). John served the Revolutionary Cause as a Soldier in Captain Enoch Osborn's Company. John and Sarah removed to Buncombe, North Carolina, where they died.
Elisha amassed a large amount of land, part on the west side of Chestnut, most on the east side of the stream and nearly all of it is now inside the boundaries of the City of Galax. There were 3 grants, and he bought 100 acres from Jacob Cummins. He deeded his grandson and namesake – Alexander's Grandfather - in March 1803 - 150 acres - a tract of it, and died owning the rest.
The younger Elisha – Alexander's Grandfather – married Margaret Pattie Edwards in August of 1794, and lived out his life on the land owned by his Grandfather Elisha. He had 12 known children, who settled on Coal Creek.
Elisha's son, Isaac – Alexander's Father – married Jane Jennie "Minnie" Davis in 1833 in Grayson, and settled on a tract of land deeded to him by his father.
And now we come to Alexander: Alexander Bedsaul was born on March 17th, 1837; locally, in what was then Grayson County, the 3rd born of 11 known children to parents Isaac Frazer Bedsaul, Sr. and Jane Jennie "Minnie" Davis.
We began the story of Alexander's heritage with the War of the Revolution, with his Great Grandfather and Great Great Grandfather having served, and we now come to the time of Civil War in this Nation – a time when Alexander, alongside brothers William and Elisha – served the Confederate Cause.
Alexander took the leap first, enlisting as a Private on April 3, 1862 in the 29th VA Infantry, Company C, at Saltville, VA, at the age of 25. Also in April of that year, Alexander transferred to Company F and was quickly promoted to Sergeant.
In 1862, Company C mustered at Camp Cumbo in Russell County, Camp Peery in Tazewell, and other locales, including Kinston, North Carolina and Howlett's House, Virginia, in 1864. Combat deaths for the 29th occurred at Middle Creek, Kentucky; Chester Gap, Virginia; Zollicoffer Station, Tennessee; Drewry's Bluff, Virginia; Cold Harbor, Virginia; Howlett's House and Howlett Line, Virginia; and Dinwiddie/Five Forks, Virginia.
In 1862, Company F mustered near Jeffersonville, Virginia; Camp Peery in Tazewell; Camp Crab Orchard in Bland; near Petersburg, Virginia. In 1863, near City Point; Suffolk, Virginia; and finally at Kinston, North Carolina and Howlett's House in Virginia.
Alexander took ill, also in April of 1862, but was thereafter present through April of 1864.
Alexander was one of about 25 of his comrades captured on June 3, 1864 at Cold Harbor, and was a POW at Point Lookout and Elmira. Alexander was involved in a prisoner exchange in February of 1865, a typical policy for the sick, and hospitalized at Richmond on February 27, 1865. Alexander was then furloughed. Alexander served the entirety of the Civil War, and was promoted to Full Sergeant.
Brothers William and Elisha enlisted less than six (6) weeks later – on May 15, 1862 – William at Wytheville, also in the 29th VA Infantry, but in Company F, at the age of 28. William was promoted to Corporal in 1862, and was ultimately promoted to Full Sergeant in 1864. William was present for all muster rolls through December of 1864. Elisha also enlisted at Wytheville, but he served the 63rd Infantry, Company G. Elisha was 27 years old, and the family was undoubtedly devastated when death came to Elisha fighting for the Confederacy, on March 12, 1864, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 29.
Alexander's oldest brother, William R. Bedsaul, suffered from Rheumatism, and contracted Measles while in the Civil War. He, too, served four (4) years for the 29th, and remained until Lee's surrender. William declared, "I was in the service from the beginning of the War until the surrender, and was totally disabled from earning a livelihood." William, like his brother farmed, though it was much more difficult for William, given his disability. At the date of application for his Pension, he was 74 years old. William lived just 11 months more, and died on March 17, 1909. William is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Carroll.
Other known relatives serving in the Civil War include Byram Bedsaul, Alexander's paternal 1st cousin who enlisted in the 29th, Company F; while another 1st cousin, Peter Bedsaul, enlisted in the 45th Virginia Infantry, Company E.
Following the Civil War, Alexander returned home, and soon married. On January 1, 1867, in a wedding service performed by Elisha Vaughn, Alexander Bedsaul married Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson, sister to Israel Nimrod Coulson. They had eight (8) known children; four (4) sons and four (4) daughters.
In the records enumerated on June 25, 1880, we know that, in 1879, Alexander, age 42, owned at least 320 acres of land. He tilled 140 acres, had another 123 acres as permanent meadow / pasture land, and another 60 acres as woodland / forest. He also owned livestock; he had 10 acres of grassland that was mowed, and 133 unmowed. He harvested 5 acres of hay and owned 3 horses, 2 working cows, 4 milk cows, 2 calves, made 50 pounds of butter on the farm that year, had 7 lambs, 7 fleeces clipped at a weight of 20 pounds, 11 hogs and 18 chickens. He planted 1 acre of Buckwheat and harvested 15 bushels, 6 acres of Indian corn and harvested 100 bushels, 2 acres of oats and harvested 20 bushels, 8 acres of Rye and harvested 40 bushels, ¼ acre of Sorghum and harvested 18 gallons, ¼ acre of Irish potatoes and harvested 20 bushels, ¼ acre of Sweet potatoes and harvested 25 bushels, and cut 20 cords of wood. Alexander was a hard-working farmer!
In her Confederate Widow's Pension, Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson Bedsaul, Alexander's wife, stated that he died at Piper's Gap in Carroll on July 24, 1889, of typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Alexander is buried in The Old Quaker Cemetery, next to the site of a brick Friends Meeting House, where Mt. Pleasant Meeting House was established in 1793, the date of Grayson County formation. At the penning of her Widow's Pension, the date was April 10, 1908, and Lydia had lived a difficult life, with no income or pension, since Alexander's death.
I want to close with the very words of Alexander Bedsaul's wife, Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson Bedsaul. Her simple statement fully embodies what it means to serve this great Country: "My husband lived through all the War and was ever at service."
Contributor: Barbara New Lagasse (47166243)
Hyperlink to Barbara New Lagasse Profile
click here
Alexander Bedsaul was a man with a remarkable heritage; one with very deep roots that extend into this area over a period of more than 240 years: and one which, based upon his early Quaker roots, would ordinarily not lend itself to anything but a peaceable heritage. But Alexander's ancestors were moved by events directly at their doorstep, and only 80 miles south east of this location – events that they could not ignore.
Allow me to set the stage and take you back, oh, about 280 years ago. This begins the currently known lineage of Alexander Bedsaul.
Alexander's Great Grandparents, Elisha Bedsaul and Mary Edwards, were both born about 1730, and were Quakers. Elisha and Mary wed 262 years ago next week (!) on September 16, 1751, at Cane Creek Meeting House, in old Orange County (now Alamance), North Carolina. Elisha and Mary came to Chestnut Creek in 1771, settling on a tract which later became the home place of Flower Swift, Captain, Montgomery County Militia, in the Revolutionary War. At the time, this area was part of Fincastle, carved out of Botetourt County. This was in the Iron Ridge / Hebron area of Carroll, and he lived there for some years before moving to another tract which is now situated in East Galax.
So, why did the Bedsaul Clan come north to this area, from old Orange? The year was 1771, and The Battle of Alamance was the final battle of the War of the Regulation, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over taxation and local control. In the past, historians considered the battle to be the opening salvo of the American Revolution[1] and locals agreed with this assessment. After this Battle, a group of intermarried families left the Piedmont of North Carolina and moved just across the Virginia border into what was described as virgin wilderness along Chestnut Creek and its tributaries...These families were mostly Quakers or disowned Quakers and many of the men had been active in the Regulator movement and participated in the Battle of Alamance. No doubt things were a little too close for comfort to remain in North Carolina. Amongst them was a Baptist named Flower Swift who was married to a Quaker woman named Mary Bedsaul...Elisha Bedsaul's daughter (DAR records confirm this fact, originally surmised by John Perry Alderman). Almost all of this group came from today's Randolph, Guilford, Alamance and Iredell counties.
Elisha assigned his first tract of land to Flower Swift, and the second tract he acquired from John Price, situated on both sides of Chestnut Creek, partly adjoined and inside the old Buchanan grant. It had been settled by Price in 1771, and Elisha Bedsaul had 172 acres of it surveyed in 1774 (out of Fincastle).
Elisha Bedsaul was a Blacksmith, taxed in 1773, served in Flower Swift's Militia Company, and in 1782 paid tax on a slave, 4 horses and 12 cattle, signifying considerable prosperity at that time. The 1782 record is the only one found of his holding a slave; the later tax lists charge him only with horses and cattle. Though Elisha had come to Virginia from some of the Quaker settlements of North Carolina, he was not active in Quaker affairs on Chestnut Creek.
Elisha and Mary had a son, John. There is a record in the Cane Creek Meeting Minutes (out of Orange County, North Carolina), of the marriage of John "Bedsalt" of Fincastle County, Virginia and Sarah Brown, stating John's parents as Elisha and Mary (in 1774). John served the Revolutionary Cause as a Soldier in Captain Enoch Osborn's Company. John and Sarah removed to Buncombe, North Carolina, where they died.
Elisha amassed a large amount of land, part on the west side of Chestnut, most on the east side of the stream and nearly all of it is now inside the boundaries of the City of Galax. There were 3 grants, and he bought 100 acres from Jacob Cummins. He deeded his grandson and namesake – Alexander's Grandfather - in March 1803 - 150 acres - a tract of it, and died owning the rest.
The younger Elisha – Alexander's Grandfather – married Margaret Pattie Edwards in August of 1794, and lived out his life on the land owned by his Grandfather Elisha. He had 12 known children, who settled on Coal Creek.
Elisha's son, Isaac – Alexander's Father – married Jane Jennie "Minnie" Davis in 1833 in Grayson, and settled on a tract of land deeded to him by his father.
And now we come to Alexander: Alexander Bedsaul was born on March 17th, 1837; locally, in what was then Grayson County, the 3rd born of 11 known children to parents Isaac Frazer Bedsaul, Sr. and Jane Jennie "Minnie" Davis.
We began the story of Alexander's heritage with the War of the Revolution, with his Great Grandfather and Great Great Grandfather having served, and we now come to the time of Civil War in this Nation – a time when Alexander, alongside brothers William and Elisha – served the Confederate Cause.
Alexander took the leap first, enlisting as a Private on April 3, 1862 in the 29th VA Infantry, Company C, at Saltville, VA, at the age of 25. Also in April of that year, Alexander transferred to Company F and was quickly promoted to Sergeant.
In 1862, Company C mustered at Camp Cumbo in Russell County, Camp Peery in Tazewell, and other locales, including Kinston, North Carolina and Howlett's House, Virginia, in 1864. Combat deaths for the 29th occurred at Middle Creek, Kentucky; Chester Gap, Virginia; Zollicoffer Station, Tennessee; Drewry's Bluff, Virginia; Cold Harbor, Virginia; Howlett's House and Howlett Line, Virginia; and Dinwiddie/Five Forks, Virginia.
In 1862, Company F mustered near Jeffersonville, Virginia; Camp Peery in Tazewell; Camp Crab Orchard in Bland; near Petersburg, Virginia. In 1863, near City Point; Suffolk, Virginia; and finally at Kinston, North Carolina and Howlett's House in Virginia.
Alexander took ill, also in April of 1862, but was thereafter present through April of 1864.
Alexander was one of about 25 of his comrades captured on June 3, 1864 at Cold Harbor, and was a POW at Point Lookout and Elmira. Alexander was involved in a prisoner exchange in February of 1865, a typical policy for the sick, and hospitalized at Richmond on February 27, 1865. Alexander was then furloughed. Alexander served the entirety of the Civil War, and was promoted to Full Sergeant.
Brothers William and Elisha enlisted less than six (6) weeks later – on May 15, 1862 – William at Wytheville, also in the 29th VA Infantry, but in Company F, at the age of 28. William was promoted to Corporal in 1862, and was ultimately promoted to Full Sergeant in 1864. William was present for all muster rolls through December of 1864. Elisha also enlisted at Wytheville, but he served the 63rd Infantry, Company G. Elisha was 27 years old, and the family was undoubtedly devastated when death came to Elisha fighting for the Confederacy, on March 12, 1864, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 29.
Alexander's oldest brother, William R. Bedsaul, suffered from Rheumatism, and contracted Measles while in the Civil War. He, too, served four (4) years for the 29th, and remained until Lee's surrender. William declared, "I was in the service from the beginning of the War until the surrender, and was totally disabled from earning a livelihood." William, like his brother farmed, though it was much more difficult for William, given his disability. At the date of application for his Pension, he was 74 years old. William lived just 11 months more, and died on March 17, 1909. William is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Carroll.
Other known relatives serving in the Civil War include Byram Bedsaul, Alexander's paternal 1st cousin who enlisted in the 29th, Company F; while another 1st cousin, Peter Bedsaul, enlisted in the 45th Virginia Infantry, Company E.
Following the Civil War, Alexander returned home, and soon married. On January 1, 1867, in a wedding service performed by Elisha Vaughn, Alexander Bedsaul married Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson, sister to Israel Nimrod Coulson. They had eight (8) known children; four (4) sons and four (4) daughters.
In the records enumerated on June 25, 1880, we know that, in 1879, Alexander, age 42, owned at least 320 acres of land. He tilled 140 acres, had another 123 acres as permanent meadow / pasture land, and another 60 acres as woodland / forest. He also owned livestock; he had 10 acres of grassland that was mowed, and 133 unmowed. He harvested 5 acres of hay and owned 3 horses, 2 working cows, 4 milk cows, 2 calves, made 50 pounds of butter on the farm that year, had 7 lambs, 7 fleeces clipped at a weight of 20 pounds, 11 hogs and 18 chickens. He planted 1 acre of Buckwheat and harvested 15 bushels, 6 acres of Indian corn and harvested 100 bushels, 2 acres of oats and harvested 20 bushels, 8 acres of Rye and harvested 40 bushels, ¼ acre of Sorghum and harvested 18 gallons, ¼ acre of Irish potatoes and harvested 20 bushels, ¼ acre of Sweet potatoes and harvested 25 bushels, and cut 20 cords of wood. Alexander was a hard-working farmer!
In her Confederate Widow's Pension, Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson Bedsaul, Alexander's wife, stated that he died at Piper's Gap in Carroll on July 24, 1889, of typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Alexander is buried in The Old Quaker Cemetery, next to the site of a brick Friends Meeting House, where Mt. Pleasant Meeting House was established in 1793, the date of Grayson County formation. At the penning of her Widow's Pension, the date was April 10, 1908, and Lydia had lived a difficult life, with no income or pension, since Alexander's death.
I want to close with the very words of Alexander Bedsaul's wife, Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson Bedsaul. Her simple statement fully embodies what it means to serve this great Country: "My husband lived through all the War and was ever at service."
Contributor: Barbara New Lagasse (47166243)
Hyperlink to Barbara New Lagasse Profile
click here
Alexander Bedsaul (1837-1889)
Alexander Bedsaul was a man with a remarkable heritage; one with very deep roots that extend into this area over a period of more than 240 years: and one which, based upon his early Quaker roots, would ordinarily not lend itself to anything but a peaceable heritage. But Alexander's ancestors were moved by events directly at their doorstep, and only 80 miles south east of this location – events that they could not ignore.
Allow me to set the stage and take you back, oh, about 280 years ago. This begins the currently known lineage of Alexander Bedsaul.
Alexander's Great Grandparents, Elisha Bedsaul and Mary Edwards, were both born about 1730, and were Quakers. Elisha and Mary wed 262 years ago next week (!) on September 16, 1751, at Cane Creek Meeting House, in old Orange County (now Alamance), North Carolina. Elisha and Mary came to Chestnut Creek in 1771, settling on a tract which later became the home place of Flower Swift, Captain, Montgomery County Militia, in the Revolutionary War. At the time, this area was part of Fincastle, carved out of Botetourt County. This was in the Iron Ridge / Hebron area of Carroll, and he lived there for some years before moving to another tract which is now situated in East Galax.
So, why did the Bedsaul Clan come north to this area, from old Orange? The year was 1771, and The Battle of Alamance was the final battle of the War of the Regulation, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over taxation and local control. In the past, historians considered the battle to be the opening salvo of the American Revolution[1] and locals agreed with this assessment. After this Battle, a group of intermarried families left the Piedmont of North Carolina and moved just across the Virginia border into what was described as virgin wilderness along Chestnut Creek and its tributaries...These families were mostly Quakers or disowned Quakers and many of the men had been active in the Regulator movement and participated in the Battle of Alamance. No doubt things were a little too close for comfort to remain in North Carolina. Amongst them was a Baptist named Flower Swift who was married to a Quaker woman named Mary Bedsaul...Elisha Bedsaul's daughter (DAR records confirm this fact, originally surmised by John Perry Alderman). Almost all of this group came from today's Randolph, Guilford, Alamance and Iredell counties.
Elisha assigned his first tract of land to Flower Swift, and the second tract he acquired from John Price, situated on both sides of Chestnut Creek, partly adjoined and inside the old Buchanan grant. It had been settled by Price in 1771, and Elisha Bedsaul had 172 acres of it surveyed in 1774 (out of Fincastle).
Elisha Bedsaul was a Blacksmith, taxed in 1773, served in Flower Swift's Militia Company, and in 1782 paid tax on a slave, 4 horses and 12 cattle, signifying considerable prosperity at that time. The 1782 record is the only one found of his holding a slave; the later tax lists charge him only with horses and cattle. Though Elisha had come to Virginia from some of the Quaker settlements of North Carolina, he was not active in Quaker affairs on Chestnut Creek.
Elisha and Mary had a son, John. There is a record in the Cane Creek Meeting Minutes (out of Orange County, North Carolina), of the marriage of John "Bedsalt" of Fincastle County, Virginia and Sarah Brown, stating John's parents as Elisha and Mary (in 1774). John served the Revolutionary Cause as a Soldier in Captain Enoch Osborn's Company. John and Sarah removed to Buncombe, North Carolina, where they died.
Elisha amassed a large amount of land, part on the west side of Chestnut, most on the east side of the stream and nearly all of it is now inside the boundaries of the City of Galax. There were 3 grants, and he bought 100 acres from Jacob Cummins. He deeded his grandson and namesake – Alexander's Grandfather - in March 1803 - 150 acres - a tract of it, and died owning the rest.
The younger Elisha – Alexander's Grandfather – married Margaret Pattie Edwards in August of 1794, and lived out his life on the land owned by his Grandfather Elisha. He had 12 known children, who settled on Coal Creek.
Elisha's son, Isaac – Alexander's Father – married Jane Jennie "Minnie" Davis in 1833 in Grayson, and settled on a tract of land deeded to him by his father.
And now we come to Alexander: Alexander Bedsaul was born on March 17th, 1837; locally, in what was then Grayson County, the 3rd born of 11 known children to parents Isaac Frazer Bedsaul, Sr. and Jane Jennie "Minnie" Davis.
We began the story of Alexander's heritage with the War of the Revolution, with his Great Grandfather and Great Great Grandfather having served, and we now come to the time of Civil War in this Nation – a time when Alexander, alongside brothers William and Elisha – served the Confederate Cause.
Alexander took the leap first, enlisting as a Private on April 3, 1862 in the 29th VA Infantry, Company C, at Saltville, VA, at the age of 25. Also in April of that year, Alexander transferred to Company F and was quickly promoted to Sergeant.
In 1862, Company C mustered at Camp Cumbo in Russell County, Camp Peery in Tazewell, and other locales, including Kinston, North Carolina and Howlett's House, Virginia, in 1864. Combat deaths for the 29th occurred at Middle Creek, Kentucky; Chester Gap, Virginia; Zollicoffer Station, Tennessee; Drewry's Bluff, Virginia; Cold Harbor, Virginia; Howlett's House and Howlett Line, Virginia; and Dinwiddie/Five Forks, Virginia.
In 1862, Company F mustered near Jeffersonville, Virginia; Camp Peery in Tazewell; Camp Crab Orchard in Bland; near Petersburg, Virginia. In 1863, near City Point; Suffolk, Virginia; and finally at Kinston, North Carolina and Howlett's House in Virginia.
Alexander took ill, also in April of 1862, but was thereafter present through April of 1864.
Alexander was one of about 25 of his comrades captured on June 3, 1864 at Cold Harbor, and was a POW at Point Lookout and Elmira. Alexander was involved in a prisoner exchange in February of 1865, a typical policy for the sick, and hospitalized at Richmond on February 27, 1865. Alexander was then furloughed. Alexander served the entirety of the Civil War, and was promoted to Full Sergeant.
Brothers William and Elisha enlisted less than six (6) weeks later – on May 15, 1862 – William at Wytheville, also in the 29th VA Infantry, but in Company F, at the age of 28. William was promoted to Corporal in 1862, and was ultimately promoted to Full Sergeant in 1864. William was present for all muster rolls through December of 1864. Elisha also enlisted at Wytheville, but he served the 63rd Infantry, Company G. Elisha was 27 years old, and the family was undoubtedly devastated when death came to Elisha fighting for the Confederacy, on March 12, 1864, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 29.
Alexander's oldest brother, William R. Bedsaul, suffered from Rheumatism, and contracted Measles while in the Civil War. He, too, served four (4) years for the 29th, and remained until Lee's surrender. William declared, "I was in the service from the beginning of the War until the surrender, and was totally disabled from earning a livelihood." William, like his brother farmed, though it was much more difficult for William, given his disability. At the date of application for his Pension, he was 74 years old. William lived just 11 months more, and died on March 17, 1909. William is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Carroll.
Other known relatives serving in the Civil War include Byram Bedsaul, Alexander's paternal 1st cousin who enlisted in the 29th, Company F; while another 1st cousin, Peter Bedsaul, enlisted in the 45th Virginia Infantry, Company E.
Following the Civil War, Alexander returned home, and soon married. On January 1, 1867, in a wedding service performed by Elisha Vaughn, Alexander Bedsaul married Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson, sister to Israel Nimrod Coulson. They had eight (8) known children; four (4) sons and four (4) daughters.
In the records enumerated on June 25, 1880, we know that, in 1879, Alexander, age 42, owned at least 320 acres of land. He tilled 140 acres, had another 123 acres as permanent meadow / pasture land, and another 60 acres as woodland / forest. He also owned livestock; he had 10 acres of grassland that was mowed, and 133 unmowed. He harvested 5 acres of hay and owned 3 horses, 2 working cows, 4 milk cows, 2 calves, made 50 pounds of butter on the farm that year, had 7 lambs, 7 fleeces clipped at a weight of 20 pounds, 11 hogs and 18 chickens. He planted 1 acre of Buckwheat and harvested 15 bushels, 6 acres of Indian corn and harvested 100 bushels, 2 acres of oats and harvested 20 bushels, 8 acres of Rye and harvested 40 bushels, ¼ acre of Sorghum and harvested 18 gallons, ¼ acre of Irish potatoes and harvested 20 bushels, ¼ acre of Sweet potatoes and harvested 25 bushels, and cut 20 cords of wood. Alexander was a hard-working farmer!
In her Confederate Widow's Pension, Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson Bedsaul, Alexander's wife, stated that he died at Piper's Gap in Carroll on July 24, 1889, of typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Alexander is buried in The Old Quaker Cemetery, next to the site of a brick Friends Meeting House, where Mt. Pleasant Meeting House was established in 1793, the date of Grayson County formation. At the penning of her Widow's Pension, the date was April 10, 1908, and Lydia had lived a difficult life, with no income or pension, since Alexander's death.
I want to close with the very words of Alexander Bedsaul's wife, Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson Bedsaul. Her simple statement fully embodies what it means to serve this great Country: "My husband lived through all the War and was ever at service."
Contributor: Barbara New Lagasse (47166243)
Hyperlink to Barbara New Lagasse Profile
click here
Alexander Bedsaul was a man with a remarkable heritage; one with very deep roots that extend into this area over a period of more than 240 years: and one which, based upon his early Quaker roots, would ordinarily not lend itself to anything but a peaceable heritage. But Alexander's ancestors were moved by events directly at their doorstep, and only 80 miles south east of this location – events that they could not ignore.
Allow me to set the stage and take you back, oh, about 280 years ago. This begins the currently known lineage of Alexander Bedsaul.
Alexander's Great Grandparents, Elisha Bedsaul and Mary Edwards, were both born about 1730, and were Quakers. Elisha and Mary wed 262 years ago next week (!) on September 16, 1751, at Cane Creek Meeting House, in old Orange County (now Alamance), North Carolina. Elisha and Mary came to Chestnut Creek in 1771, settling on a tract which later became the home place of Flower Swift, Captain, Montgomery County Militia, in the Revolutionary War. At the time, this area was part of Fincastle, carved out of Botetourt County. This was in the Iron Ridge / Hebron area of Carroll, and he lived there for some years before moving to another tract which is now situated in East Galax.
So, why did the Bedsaul Clan come north to this area, from old Orange? The year was 1771, and The Battle of Alamance was the final battle of the War of the Regulation, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over taxation and local control. In the past, historians considered the battle to be the opening salvo of the American Revolution[1] and locals agreed with this assessment. After this Battle, a group of intermarried families left the Piedmont of North Carolina and moved just across the Virginia border into what was described as virgin wilderness along Chestnut Creek and its tributaries...These families were mostly Quakers or disowned Quakers and many of the men had been active in the Regulator movement and participated in the Battle of Alamance. No doubt things were a little too close for comfort to remain in North Carolina. Amongst them was a Baptist named Flower Swift who was married to a Quaker woman named Mary Bedsaul...Elisha Bedsaul's daughter (DAR records confirm this fact, originally surmised by John Perry Alderman). Almost all of this group came from today's Randolph, Guilford, Alamance and Iredell counties.
Elisha assigned his first tract of land to Flower Swift, and the second tract he acquired from John Price, situated on both sides of Chestnut Creek, partly adjoined and inside the old Buchanan grant. It had been settled by Price in 1771, and Elisha Bedsaul had 172 acres of it surveyed in 1774 (out of Fincastle).
Elisha Bedsaul was a Blacksmith, taxed in 1773, served in Flower Swift's Militia Company, and in 1782 paid tax on a slave, 4 horses and 12 cattle, signifying considerable prosperity at that time. The 1782 record is the only one found of his holding a slave; the later tax lists charge him only with horses and cattle. Though Elisha had come to Virginia from some of the Quaker settlements of North Carolina, he was not active in Quaker affairs on Chestnut Creek.
Elisha and Mary had a son, John. There is a record in the Cane Creek Meeting Minutes (out of Orange County, North Carolina), of the marriage of John "Bedsalt" of Fincastle County, Virginia and Sarah Brown, stating John's parents as Elisha and Mary (in 1774). John served the Revolutionary Cause as a Soldier in Captain Enoch Osborn's Company. John and Sarah removed to Buncombe, North Carolina, where they died.
Elisha amassed a large amount of land, part on the west side of Chestnut, most on the east side of the stream and nearly all of it is now inside the boundaries of the City of Galax. There were 3 grants, and he bought 100 acres from Jacob Cummins. He deeded his grandson and namesake – Alexander's Grandfather - in March 1803 - 150 acres - a tract of it, and died owning the rest.
The younger Elisha – Alexander's Grandfather – married Margaret Pattie Edwards in August of 1794, and lived out his life on the land owned by his Grandfather Elisha. He had 12 known children, who settled on Coal Creek.
Elisha's son, Isaac – Alexander's Father – married Jane Jennie "Minnie" Davis in 1833 in Grayson, and settled on a tract of land deeded to him by his father.
And now we come to Alexander: Alexander Bedsaul was born on March 17th, 1837; locally, in what was then Grayson County, the 3rd born of 11 known children to parents Isaac Frazer Bedsaul, Sr. and Jane Jennie "Minnie" Davis.
We began the story of Alexander's heritage with the War of the Revolution, with his Great Grandfather and Great Great Grandfather having served, and we now come to the time of Civil War in this Nation – a time when Alexander, alongside brothers William and Elisha – served the Confederate Cause.
Alexander took the leap first, enlisting as a Private on April 3, 1862 in the 29th VA Infantry, Company C, at Saltville, VA, at the age of 25. Also in April of that year, Alexander transferred to Company F and was quickly promoted to Sergeant.
In 1862, Company C mustered at Camp Cumbo in Russell County, Camp Peery in Tazewell, and other locales, including Kinston, North Carolina and Howlett's House, Virginia, in 1864. Combat deaths for the 29th occurred at Middle Creek, Kentucky; Chester Gap, Virginia; Zollicoffer Station, Tennessee; Drewry's Bluff, Virginia; Cold Harbor, Virginia; Howlett's House and Howlett Line, Virginia; and Dinwiddie/Five Forks, Virginia.
In 1862, Company F mustered near Jeffersonville, Virginia; Camp Peery in Tazewell; Camp Crab Orchard in Bland; near Petersburg, Virginia. In 1863, near City Point; Suffolk, Virginia; and finally at Kinston, North Carolina and Howlett's House in Virginia.
Alexander took ill, also in April of 1862, but was thereafter present through April of 1864.
Alexander was one of about 25 of his comrades captured on June 3, 1864 at Cold Harbor, and was a POW at Point Lookout and Elmira. Alexander was involved in a prisoner exchange in February of 1865, a typical policy for the sick, and hospitalized at Richmond on February 27, 1865. Alexander was then furloughed. Alexander served the entirety of the Civil War, and was promoted to Full Sergeant.
Brothers William and Elisha enlisted less than six (6) weeks later – on May 15, 1862 – William at Wytheville, also in the 29th VA Infantry, but in Company F, at the age of 28. William was promoted to Corporal in 1862, and was ultimately promoted to Full Sergeant in 1864. William was present for all muster rolls through December of 1864. Elisha also enlisted at Wytheville, but he served the 63rd Infantry, Company G. Elisha was 27 years old, and the family was undoubtedly devastated when death came to Elisha fighting for the Confederacy, on March 12, 1864, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 29.
Alexander's oldest brother, William R. Bedsaul, suffered from Rheumatism, and contracted Measles while in the Civil War. He, too, served four (4) years for the 29th, and remained until Lee's surrender. William declared, "I was in the service from the beginning of the War until the surrender, and was totally disabled from earning a livelihood." William, like his brother farmed, though it was much more difficult for William, given his disability. At the date of application for his Pension, he was 74 years old. William lived just 11 months more, and died on March 17, 1909. William is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Carroll.
Other known relatives serving in the Civil War include Byram Bedsaul, Alexander's paternal 1st cousin who enlisted in the 29th, Company F; while another 1st cousin, Peter Bedsaul, enlisted in the 45th Virginia Infantry, Company E.
Following the Civil War, Alexander returned home, and soon married. On January 1, 1867, in a wedding service performed by Elisha Vaughn, Alexander Bedsaul married Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson, sister to Israel Nimrod Coulson. They had eight (8) known children; four (4) sons and four (4) daughters.
In the records enumerated on June 25, 1880, we know that, in 1879, Alexander, age 42, owned at least 320 acres of land. He tilled 140 acres, had another 123 acres as permanent meadow / pasture land, and another 60 acres as woodland / forest. He also owned livestock; he had 10 acres of grassland that was mowed, and 133 unmowed. He harvested 5 acres of hay and owned 3 horses, 2 working cows, 4 milk cows, 2 calves, made 50 pounds of butter on the farm that year, had 7 lambs, 7 fleeces clipped at a weight of 20 pounds, 11 hogs and 18 chickens. He planted 1 acre of Buckwheat and harvested 15 bushels, 6 acres of Indian corn and harvested 100 bushels, 2 acres of oats and harvested 20 bushels, 8 acres of Rye and harvested 40 bushels, ¼ acre of Sorghum and harvested 18 gallons, ¼ acre of Irish potatoes and harvested 20 bushels, ¼ acre of Sweet potatoes and harvested 25 bushels, and cut 20 cords of wood. Alexander was a hard-working farmer!
In her Confederate Widow's Pension, Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson Bedsaul, Alexander's wife, stated that he died at Piper's Gap in Carroll on July 24, 1889, of typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Alexander is buried in The Old Quaker Cemetery, next to the site of a brick Friends Meeting House, where Mt. Pleasant Meeting House was established in 1793, the date of Grayson County formation. At the penning of her Widow's Pension, the date was April 10, 1908, and Lydia had lived a difficult life, with no income or pension, since Alexander's death.
I want to close with the very words of Alexander Bedsaul's wife, Lydia Sarah Leanah Coulson Bedsaul. Her simple statement fully embodies what it means to serve this great Country: "My husband lived through all the War and was ever at service."
Contributor: Barbara New Lagasse (47166243)
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