When her husband, William "Keith" Blalock joined the Confederate army, Malinda, determined to be with him, cut her hair and enlisted as S.M. "Sammy" Blalock, Keith's brother. Their intention to cross to the Union side was thwarted when the 26th regiment was not sent to the front, but was instead posted in Kinston, N.C. The stories vary, but it is said that Keith rolled in poison oak to be discharged, and "Sammy" revealed herself as a woman, whereupon she, too, was discharged.
The pair returned to the mountains of North Carolina where they became marauders, terrorizing their former neighbors, and even their own families. After the war, they settled down as farmers. Malinda died in her sleep of natural causes, though her husband's death a decade later is suspected by some to have been in revenge for wartime deeds.
*note* As with any local icons, the truth of the Blaylock's lives will probably never be known, and whether they were "marauders" or "Union Raiders" after the war depends largely on who wrote the history. Many such histories are available online for those who wish to learn more.∼See entry for BLAYLOCK, Sarah Malinda (nee Pritchard)
The pair returned to the mountains of North Carolina where they became marauders, terrorizing their former neighbors, and even their own families. After the war, they settled down as farmers. Malinda died in her sleep of natural causes, though her husband's death a decade later is suspected by some to have been in revenge for wartime deeds.
*note* As with any local icons, the truth of the Blaylock's lives will probably never be known, and whether they were "marauders" or "Union Raiders" after the war depends largely on who wrote the history. Many such histories are available online for those who wish to learn more.∼See entry for BLAYLOCK, Sarah Malinda (nee Pritchard)
When her husband, William "Keith" Blalock joined the Confederate army, Malinda, determined to be with him, cut her hair and enlisted as S.M. "Sammy" Blalock, Keith's brother. Their intention to cross to the Union side was thwarted when the 26th regiment was not sent to the front, but was instead posted in Kinston, N.C. The stories vary, but it is said that Keith rolled in poison oak to be discharged, and "Sammy" revealed herself as a woman, whereupon she, too, was discharged.
The pair returned to the mountains of North Carolina where they became marauders, terrorizing their former neighbors, and even their own families. After the war, they settled down as farmers. Malinda died in her sleep of natural causes, though her husband's death a decade later is suspected by some to have been in revenge for wartime deeds.
*note* As with any local icons, the truth of the Blaylock's lives will probably never be known, and whether they were "marauders" or "Union Raiders" after the war depends largely on who wrote the history. Many such histories are available online for those who wish to learn more.∼See entry for BLAYLOCK, Sarah Malinda (nee Pritchard)
The pair returned to the mountains of North Carolina where they became marauders, terrorizing their former neighbors, and even their own families. After the war, they settled down as farmers. Malinda died in her sleep of natural causes, though her husband's death a decade later is suspected by some to have been in revenge for wartime deeds.
*note* As with any local icons, the truth of the Blaylock's lives will probably never be known, and whether they were "marauders" or "Union Raiders" after the war depends largely on who wrote the history. Many such histories are available online for those who wish to learn more.∼See entry for BLAYLOCK, Sarah Malinda (nee Pritchard)
