William Thomas Wellons
Where Does Your Family Fit In?
Birth
My great, great grandfather was born in Bohivar, Tennessee, on May 25, 1844.
He was the child of Larkin Wellons and Nancy Hannis, who met in North Carolina and died in Mississippi. He had many siblings, but was the oldest.
Marriage
Eventually he married my great, great grandmother, Roberta Alice Doyle. She went by her middle name, Alice. She was born in Petersburg, Virginia. Though she died before William, she still gave birth to five children: Charlie, Sallie, Johnnie, Cora, and Lewis.
War History
One of the reasons I chose William for my project was his involvement in the Civil War. He, living in Tennessee, sided with the confederates. His battling was short-lived due to a backfiring musket that took out his eye. He was taken out of the war for lack of sight and sent home to his family. My dad spoke of my grandfather telling wild stories about how my great, great grandfather would sometimes take out his fake eye in front of the family.
Death
My great, great grandfather lived to be almost one hundred years old. He died on January, 1940, in Jackson Mississippi (the same state his father died in). He finally passed away at the age of 95. He, however, did not remain a resident of the state where his wife passed away.