Gone Too Soon

   


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GENEALOGY
LINE

LOFTIN

Cranford, Reid
World War I

Fisher, James C.
Civil War

Herman, Ted Franklin
Auto Accident

Loftin, Alice J. Gilleland
Miscarriage

Loftin, Cornelia Lowrance
Pneumonia

Loftin, Foy Max
Auto Accident

Loftin, W. Garland
Typhoid Fever

Loftin, James Franklin
Civil War: Shot

Loftin, Martin
Civil War: Typhoid

Loftin, Michael Lane
Auto Accident

Loftin, Mike Whitener
Auto Accident

Loftin, Pinkney
Civil War: Disease

Loftin, Wm. A.
Civil War: Disease

McCorkle, David Newton
Civil War: Typhoid

McCorkle, Francis M.
Civil War: Typhoid

McCorkle, Susan
Drowning

SETZER

Barringer, Mathias
Scalped

Setzer, Jacob Harvey
Civil War: Disease

Setzer, Marcus Elkanah
Civil War: Disease

GOBLE

Bunton, Marvin Lee Jr.
Pneumonia

Goble, Corban G.
Civil War: Typhoid
& Gangrene Bowels

Goble, Daniel
Hanged

Goble, Eliza Jane
Drowned

Sigmon, Wonda C.
SIDS: Crib Death

Sigmon, Larry Eugene
Gastrointestinal

Sigmon, Harry Everette
Hanged

JOHNSON

Fink, Daniel Monrow
Civil War

Hamilton, George W.
Civil War

Johnson, John Henry
Logging Accident

Johnson, Nancy C. Leslie
Suicide: Fire

Johnson, Pinkney C.
Civil War: Shot

__________

FAMILY
NAMES


LOFTIN:
 Beatty
 Corzine
 Cranford
 Fisher
 Givens
 Harwell
 Kaiser
 Lanier
 Lomax
 McCorkle
 Rudisill
 Sherrill
 Upright
 Washington
 Work


SETZER:
Aderholdt
Barringer
Bovey
Bushart
Deal
Heavner
Herman
Ikert
Miller
Motz
Rankin
Witherspoon

GOBLE:
Babst/Bobst
Douglas
Faber
Fink
Fulbright
Hefner
Meinhert
Miller
Muller
Pabst/Bobst
Robinson

JOHNSON:
Corzine
Fink
Hamilton
Kaiser
Leslie
Lewis
Moore
Sherrill
Upright
Wilkinson

 

Additional
Family
SURNAMES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

From Unexpected Circumstances

 

This particular page will take a closer look at family members who who have died from unexpected circumstances and usually at a young age.  It also includes older family members who died from "unusual" circumstances.  Family members have been added alphabetically but placed on this page according to family groupings: Loftin, Setzer, Goble and Johnson.

 
 

LOFTIN Family

 
 
 
CRANFORD, Reid Davis (18 Jul 1897 - 19 Jul 1918) age 22 World War I
 

Reid Davis Cranford was the son of Manley Wilson Cranford, Jr., of Davidson, NC, and the nephew of Willaim Alexander Loftin's wife, Laura Rossie Cranford. Reid went to Davidson College and was in the Glee Club where he sang bass. As the US entered World War I, Reid enlisted in the Marine Corps on 15 Dec 1917 where he was attached to Company "N", in Paris Island, SC.  In January of 1918 he was moved to Company "L".   At the age of 22, Reid died in France on July 19th, as a result of wounds received in the terrific fighting at the Battle of Soissons.  At the time of his death he was serving with the 83rd Company 6th Regiment US Marines.

Apparently his family didn't learn of his death until over six months later

 

 

 
 
 
 
FISHER, James C. (1835 - 02 Apr 1862) age 26 Civil War
 
James C. Fisher, age 26, enlisted 06 Jun 1861 as part of Company F, 23rd Regiment.  He died 02 Apr 1862/63 at Fredericksburg, VA.  James was a son of Reuben Fisher, a brother to Frances Elizabeth Fisher, the wife of James Franklin Loftin.
 
 
 
 
 
 
HERMAN, Ted Franklin (20 Aug 1935 - 14 Mar 1956) age 20 Automobile Accident
 
Ted Franklin Herman was the first child born to Ruel Franklin Herman and Daisy Pearl Loftin and the grandson of Alonzo Lester Loftin and Ida Lillian Setzer.  Ted was born 20 Aug 1935.

YOUTH THROWN FROM VEHICLE:  A 20-year-old Hickory area youth who returned home only last Saturday after two years service in the Army, including ten months in Germany, almost instantly was killed in a one-car accident on the Old Shelby Road three and one half miles south of Longview at 6:15 p.m., Wednesday.  Thrown from the 1956 Ford four-door sedan, which he is reported to have been driving, Ted Franklin Herman, son of Hickory township Constable Ruel Herman and Daisy Loftin Herman of 1312 Sixteenth Street, NE, the Sandy Ridge Road, died of a crushed skull and other injuries before a Hickory hospital could be reached.  Jimmy Huffman, of the Old Shelby Road, an uncle of Ted Franklin Herman, escaped injury.  State Trooper David Searcy said the Ford is owned by Mrs. Betty Herman, an aunt of young Herman, and brought out the fact that some eight months ago Mrs. Herman's husband lost his life in a traffic accident in the Shelby section of Cleveland County.  Jimmy Huffman, it is understood, also was a passenger then and went unhurt.  Searcy said the Hermans were headed north on the winding paved roadway, and that the vehicle went completely out of control and overturned two or three times before landing on its wheels, came to rest alongside Midway Grocery.  Mrs. Eugene Walls and her mother, Mrs. Mae Williams, watched the crash from their front porch.  Searcy siad the Ford traveled some 350 fee before it stopped beside of the grocery.  One of the tumbles had thrown young Herman out.

BURIAL RITES SLATED FRIDAY: Funeral services for Ted Franklin Herman, 20, of 1312 Sixteenth Street, NE, the Sandy Ridge Road, who was almost instantly killed at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday in a one-car accident on the Old Shelby Road south of Longview, will be conducted at St. Stephens Lutheran Church, the Missouri Synod, at 3:00 p.m. Friday by the pastor, the Rev. Lester A. Wolff.  Burial will be in the church cemetery.  The body was taken this afternoon from Bass-Smith Funeral Home to the residence of the parents, Hickory Township Constable Ruel Herman and Mrs. Daisy Loftin Herman, the Sandy Ridge Road section.  It will lie in state at the church from 2:30 until 3:00 o'clock.  Young Herman, born in Catawba County Aug 20, 1935, returned home only last Saturday after two years' service in the Army, including ten months in Germany.  He entered service March 23, 1954, and possessed the Good Conduct Medal.  He was married April 13, 1955, to the former Elizabeth Friar.  Surviving in addition to the parents and Mrs. Herman, are two sisters Alma dean and Pamela Herman, both of the home; the paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. K.L. Herman of Hickory Route One; the maternal grandmother, Mrs. Ida Loftin.  Young Herman attended St. Stephens Lutheran Day School and graduated from St. Stephens High School in June of 1953.  He was an outstanding basketball player in high school.  This youth was a member of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod.  He was confirmed June 5, 1949.

1952-1953 Boy's Basketball Team at St. Stephens High School; Ted graduated in 1953

 

    

 

 

 
 

     

 
LOFTIN, Alice Josephine Gilleland (20 Jul 1890 - 03 Jun 1928) age 37 Miscarriage
 
Alice Josephine Gilleland was the daughter of Mitchell Melmouth Gilleland and Delila Ann Catherine Murphy.  Josephine married Arthur Lee Loftin on 23 Sep 1906.  Their marriage produced ten children, but Josephine died from complications suffered from a miscarriage on 03 Jun 1928.  She was 37 years old.

(Left) Josephine; (Right) Lois, Josephine holding Glenn, and Lee holding Marie

 

 
 
 
 
LOFTIN, Cornelia Estelle Lowrance (18 Jul 1875 - 11 Feb 1904) age 28 Pneumonia
 
Cornelia Estelle Lowrance Loftin was the daughter of Henry Durant Lowrance and Sarah Josephine Bost.  Cornelia was born 18 Jul 1875 in Catawba County, NC.  Cornelia married Alonzo Lester Loftin on 23 Dec 1894 at the age of 19.  Their marriage produced 5 children: Nannie May Loftin, Lillie Stamey Loftin, Roy Henry Loftin, Floye Hovis Loftin, and Verdie Lee Loftin.  At the age of 28, Cornelia got sick and came down with pneumonia.  She died on 11 Feb 1904 due to complications from the pneumonia - just nine days after the death of her mother, Sarah Lowrance, also from pneumonia.  Cornelia's untimely death left Alonzo with five small children (8 years old and younger) to tend and still try to make a living.  Verdie Lee was sent to live with her paternal grandparents, Alec and Laura Loftin, while the rest of the children were sent away to an orphanage.  Alonzo couldn't work and watch the children at the same time, too, so he did the best he could.  Alonzo married Ida Lillian Setzer on 05 Nov 1904, six months after Cornelia's death, and then was able to bring the other children back home.

(Left to Right) Nannie, Alonzo, Roy, Cornelia holding Floye, and Lillie, around 1902

 
 
 
 
LOFTIN, Foy Max (24 Jul 1921 - 01 Dec 1943) age 21 Automobile Accident
 

Foy Max Loftin was the youngest son of Arthur Lee Loftin & Josephine Gilleland.  Foy was born 24 Jul 1921.  During World War II, Foy had hoped not to get drafted.  He had planned to join the Merchant Marines but was drafted into the Air Force before he had the opportunity to do so.  Foy's sister Helen Loftin White said of her brother, "He was in the military less than a year - and ready to go oversees - when he died in the auto accident while on a date."  According to a story that was passed on to me by James Loftin (Foy's nephew), there were actually several young people in the car when the accident occurred.  Apparently Foy was thrown from the car and the others left him unattended while they went to get help.  After a lengthy time, help arrived, but it was too late for Foy.  Foy Max Loftin died 01 Dec 1943 at 11:30 PM when the "auto ran into a telephone pole".  The death certificate lists the cause of death as an "intra-cranial hemorrhage; shock; fractured skull; fracture of clavicle".  He was 21 years old at the time of his death.

 

     

 
 
 
 
LOFTIN, W. Garland (23 May 1887 - 02 Aug 1912) age 25 Typhoid Fever
 
W. Garland Loftin was the fifth child born to William Alexander Loftin and Laura Rossie Cranford.  He was born 23 May 1887 in Catawba County, NC.  According to the 1910 Catawba County Census, Garland was 22 and working as a salesman at a local grocery store.  On 23 Jun 1912 Garland married Rosa N. Wike.  Garland was 25 and Rosa was just 19.  This were going well for the young married couple, until Garland came down with typhoid fever.  He died 6 weeks after his marriage to Rosa on 02 Aug 1912 at the age of 25.  According to Garland's sister Cordie, Rose didn't remarry for a long time, saying she'd never find another man as wonderful as Garland.
 

  

Group Photo: Garland on the right side with his eldest brother Alonzo sitting

 
 
 
LOFTIN, James Franklin (Abt. 1827 - 16 May 1864) age 36 Civil War: Gun Shot
 
James Franklin Loftin was the oldest son of Thomas Loftin and Sally Lavinia Beatty.  He was born about 1827 in Lincoln County (currently Catawba County), NC.  At the age of 35, Franklin enlisted as a Private in the Confederate Army during the Civil War on 03 Mar 1863 in Wilmington, NC.  He served with the 49th Regiment, Company I of NC Infantry and was described in the Catawba Soldier, p. 306, as “a fine, cheerful and kindly disposed soldier.”  It has been said by the family that when James Franklin went off to war, his son William Alexander was just tall enough to harness the horse to the plow.  James Franklin was listed as present with the group of troops from May thru December 1863, as well as March thru June 1864.  After having lost two half-brothers already during the Civil War, James Franklin realized that there was a real possibility that he would not return home from the war.  On 13 Feb 1863, he prepared his Last Will and Testament.  According to his granddaughter, Cordie Loftin Wilson, as he was preparing to leave home after his last visit home, he remarked that he would never return and did not want his wife Frances "Franky" Elizabeth Fisher Loftin to remarry.  James Franklin returned to service and served at Drewry’s Bluff, located in northeastern Chesterfield County, Virginia. Franklin was shot during this battle on 16 May 1864.  According to W.A. Day in his book, A True History of Company I, 49th Regiment NC Troops in the Great Civil War, published in 1893, "The wounded Yankees were suffering for water and while we were attending to their wants, we found one of our Company, Franklin Loftin, who was mortally wounded and left at the breast-works (a temporary fortification) when we fell back that morning.  He was lying back in the field under a board shelter where the enemy had placed him.  He said that they treated him very kind.  He was shot through the bowels."  James Franklin Loftin died on 16 May 1864 at the age of 36.  His wife, Franky, never remarried.

Authentic Civil War Wounded

 

 
 
 
LOFTIN, Martin (1926 - 12 Feb 1865) age 39 Civil War: Typhoid Fever
 
Martin Loftin was the son of Eldridge Edward Loftin & Mary Sherrill.  All three of their sons served in the Civil War.  They were Langdon A. Loftin, Marcus Lafayette Loftin and Martin Loftin.  Martin did not enter the conflict until toward the end of the war.  He enlisted with the 11th N.C. Reg. Co. E on 01 Oct 1864 at the age of 39.  He was captured near Petersburg, Virginia, on October 27, of the same year.  He was confined at Point Lookout, Maryland, where he died of typhoid fever on 12 Feb 1865 just months before the war was over.  Martin left behind a widow and eight children.

Civil War Reenactment

 
 
 
 
LOFTIN, Michael "Mikey" Lane (22 Mar 1949 - 25 Jan 1965) age 15 Automobile Accident
 
Michael "Mikey" Lane Loftin was born 22 Mar 1949, a little over a month after his father, Mike Whitner Loftin, was killed in an automobile accident.  Mike's widow, Eleanor, married Robert Rufty three months after her husband Mike's death, and together she and Robert raised Mikey.  As Mikey grew, his mother and step-father lived in Chatham County, Georgia, but they would visit the Rufty family home in Catawba occasionally.  Mikey enjoyed visiting with his uncle Sam Loftin and his family, who lived less than a quarter mile from the Rufty home on Robert Rufty Lane, in Catawba.  Mikey would frequently slip off from home to visit with his Loftin relatives (especially Billy Ray who was a few years older), but he'd also frequently get a "whipping" when he got back home because he had done so.  Curtis remembers walking with Mikey through the woods and back to the Rufty house, only to hear the scolding and whipping that took place.  Mikey told his mother that the Ruftys were not his family - the Loftins were.  On 25 Jan 1965, fifteen year old Michael Lane Loftin had been killed in an automobile accident in Tattnail County, Georgia.  He had been a passenger and was not driving the car.  Surprisingly to his uncles and aunts, his mother and step-father decided to have a closed-casket service when his body was brought back to Catawba County for burial next to his father at Center Methodist Church.  Knowing of the problems between Mikey and his stepfather, his uncles Sam & Oscar questioned whether or not he had actually died in the car accident as they visited with brother Speedo prior to the funeral.  They couldn't understand why his mother and step-father wouldn't let the Loftin family have a final opportunity to see him even though they had been told that Mikey's body was too badly damaged for an open casket.  Mikey was buried beside of his father, Mike Whitener Loftin, at Center Methodist Church in Catawba.  Even though no evidence of wrong doing was ever proven, some of the Loftin family still wondered about Mikey's death and the closed-casket funeral.  Years later, upon their deaths, Robert and Eleanor were buried in Florida.
 

   

The Robert Rufty house in Catawba

 
 
 
 
LOFTIN, Mike Whitner (18 Feb 1916 - 24 Feb 1949) age 33 Automobile Accident
 
Mike Whitener Loftin was the tenth child born to Alonzo Lester Loftin and Ida Lillian Setzer.  He was born 18 Feb 1916 in Catawba County, NC.  Mike married Eleanor Carolyn Irvin on 18 Oct 1947 and she became pregnant half-way through the next year.  He owned and operated a beer-joint next-door to his home on Hwy 10 in Catawba.  The facility functioned as a dine-and-dance and went by the name of "The Bamboo Club".  Like his brothers Theodore and Sam, Mike had illegal slot-machines in his beer-joint.  On the night of 24 Feb 1949, Mike was killed when the police car in which he was riding collided with a truck, which skidded into a second truck in the impact.  According to the Statesville Landmark Newspaper, "It is understood that the truck was in the act of turning around in the highway when the death car came over the crest of a hill at considerable speed.  Seriously injured were Deputy Sheriffs Ralph Pitts, 28, and Russell Herman, 60, both of Newton.  Catawba County Hospital attaches reported the men were in "extremely critical" condition.  Occupants of the trucks escaped injury in the crash.  They were identified as Early Reinhardt, 24, Negro, of Maiden, who was operating a vehicle owned by Bost Building Supply Company; and Pete Craig, 35, of Vale, Route 2 and David Leonard, Occupants of the other truck.  Loftin was reported to have been accompanying the deputy sheriffs on an investigation.  Authorities declined to disclose nature of the investigation, but Loftin was involved purely as a witness, they made clear".  A month after Mike's death, his son Michael "Mikey" Lane Loftin was born.  As fate would have it, Mikey also died in a car accident when he was 15.

(Left) Mike & Eleanor; (Right) Mike with Tate and Fred Pope

   

 
 
 
 
LOFTIN, Pinkney (Abt. 1844 - 15 Sep 1861) age 17 to 19 Civil War: Disease
 
Pinkney Loftin, was the son of Thomas Loftin and Margaret Fisher and the younger half-brother of James Franklin Loftin.  At the age of 19, Pinkney enlisted as a Private in Company F, 23rd Regiment of the Confederate Army on 06 June 1861 along with his brothers William and Eli.  The 1850 Catawba County Census lists Pinkney's age as 6, making his birth year 1844 so he may have been as young as 17 when he enlisted.  According to "The Catawba Soldier", Pinkney died exactly just three months later on 06 Sep 1861 at Fairfax Station, Virginia, from disease. Captain Hilton of the 23rd Regiment gives Pinkney's death as 15 Sep 1861 of disease near Manassas, and states that back pay was due his heirs.  Monthly pay for a soldier a the time was $11.

Civil War Reenactment

 

 
 
 
LOFTIN, William A. (Abt. 1833 - 20 Oct 1861) age 28 Civil War: Disease
 
William A. Loftin was the oldest son of Thomas Loftin and Margaret Fisher and the half-brother of James Franklin Loftin.  At the age of 28, William enlisted in Company F, 23rd Regiment of the Confederate Army on 06 Jun 1861 along with his brothers Pinkney and Eli.  In four short months, on 20 Oct 1861, William died from disease, just a month after his brother Pinkney also died from disease.
 
Brother Eli Anderson Loftin, another son of Thomas Loftin and Margaret Fisher, was the only one to survive his enlistment in the Civil War, but it wasn't without costs.  Eli was 19 when he enlisted with his brothers Pinkney and William on 06 Jun 1861 and before the end of the year, both of his brothers had died from disease and not from battle.  Eli was shot in the knee at the Battle of Gettysburg 01 Jul 1863 and lost his left leg, which was cut off half-way between the knee and hip.  He lay on the battlefield several days and nights, not being moved until after the battles of Gettysburg were all over.  The leg was eventually removed by a surgeon on the field.  His was the only limb lost by Company F.  He was the only one of four brothers to survive his Civil War enlistment.

Civil War Reenactment

 
 
 
 
McCORKLE, David Newton (1929 - 09 Jan 1862) age 43 Civil War: Typhoid Fever
 
David Newton McCorkle (son of Francis Marion McCorkle, Jr. and Elizabeth Mariah Abernathy) enlisted in the 23rd NC Infantry, Company F, during the Civil War, and served as a Sergeant.  David died at Banner Hospital in Richmond, VA, on 09 Jan 1862 of Typhoid Fever.  His wife, Rhoda Smith, is reported to have traveled to Virginia to retrieve his body and bring him back to North Carolina.  He was a 1/2 first cousin to James Franklin Loftin.

 
       
 
 
 
McCORKLE, Francis Marion (1823 - 16 Jun 1862) age39 Civil War: Typhoid Fever
 
Francis Marion McCorkle (son of Richard McCorkle & Agnes Sherrill) enlisted in the 23rd NC Regiment, Company F, and died of typhoid in Petersburg on 16 Jun 1862.  He was buried at Memorial Hill in Blandford Cemetery (Petersburg, VA) in a mass grave.  A headstone of memorial was placed at the McCorkle Family Cemetery in Sherrills Ford, NC.
 

 
 
 
 
McCORKLE, Susan/Susannah (12 Nov 1819 - 08 May 1824) Age 4 years 6 months Drowning
 

Susan/Susannah McCorkle (daughter of Francis Marion McCorkle, Jr. and Elizabeth Mariah Abernathy) was born November 12, 1819 and died May 08, 1824 from "drowning".  She was
4 Years, 6 Months, 26 Days old.
 
 
 
 
 
 

SETZER Family

 
 
 
BARRINGER, Mathias (30 Oct 1727 - 1776) age 49 Scalped
 
Mathias Barringer was born 30 Oct 1727 to Wilhelm Barringer/Behringer and Mary Paulina Dekker in Germany.  Mathias came to Pennsylvania, but soon relocated to North Carolina.  Eventually he married Margaret Bushart.  Mathias was a prominent citizen in the community and when a militia company was organized in the area where he lived, he was elected militia Captain.  British oppression at the time made such a militia necessary.  In July 1776, Mathias and a small group of militiamen went on a scouting expedition in the Quaker Meadows area (near Morganton, Burke County, NC).  A Cherokee war party trapped them and Mathias was killed in the first round of fire.  Plilip Frye, who hid behind a log, was the only survivor and reported how the Indians scalped Mathias - as well as the others.

Mathias Barringer Home in Lincoln/Catawba County

 
 
 
 
SETZER, Jacob Harvey (15 May 1837 - 18 Mar 1865) age 27 Civil War: Disease
 
Jacob Harvey Setzer was the fifth child born to Jacob Lanier Setzer and Delila Deal - and the third of seven sons.  He was born 15 May 1837.  All seven of Jake and Delila's sons served in the Civil War. On July 4, 1862, Marcus Elkanah (age 32), William Able (age 26), Jacob Harvey (age 25), Noah Monroe (age 24), John Wilburn (age 22), Patrick Sylvanus (age 19), and Henry Theodore (age 16) enlisted as part of the Confederate army, leaving Jacob with a large farm and no sons to help run it.  Jacob was hospitalized at Richmond, Virginia, 10 Oct 1862 with typhoid fever, then furloughed for thirty days on or about October 18, 1862. He returned to duty in November-December, 1862 and was reported present through October 31, 1863. Like his brothers, Jacob was in five battles.  Jacob was captured at Rappahannock Station, Virginia on 07  Nov 1863 and confined at Point Lookout, Maryland on 11 Nov 1863. He was confined for 16 months but was paroled at Point Lookout on 24 Feb 1865 and received at Aiken's Landing, James River, Virginia between February 25th and March 2, 1865, for exchange. Jacob ended up in the hospital at Richmond again on 02 Mar 1865 and was reported still in the hospital at Richmond on 18 Mar 1865.  Jacob died in the hospital at Richmond but the cause of death was not reported but was more than likely disease.

(Left) Jacob Harvey Setzer; (Right) Point Lookout, Maryland - Union Prison Camp

 

 
 
 
 
SETZER, Marcus Elkanah (10 Mar 1830 - 21 Mar 1865) age 35 Civil War: Disease
 
Marcus Elkanah Setzer was born 10 Mar 1830 in Lincoln/Catawba County, NC.  He was the first child born to Jacob Lanier Setzer and Delilah Deal.  All seven of Jake and Delila's sons served in the Civil War. On July 4, 1862, Marcus Elkanah (age 32), William Able (age 26), Jacob Harvey (age 25), Noah Monroe (age 24), John Wilburn (age 22), Patrick Sylvanus (age 19), and Henry Theodore (age 16) enlisted as part of the Confederate army.  In order for Marcus to serve, he had to leave behind his wife, Harriett Yount, and his three children.  Marcus died of disease as a POW on 21 Mar 1865 at Point Lookout, Maryland, ten days before the death of his brother Jacob.  The Civil War ended on 09 Apr 1865 when General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse - just 2 1/2 weeks after Marcus' death.  Marcus is buried at Point Lookout, MD, where he died.
 

 
 
 
 

GOBLE Family

 
 
 
BUNTON, Marvin Lee, Jr. (09 Sep 1931 - 08 May 1932) age 6 months Pneumonia
 
Marvin Lee Bunton, Jr. was the seventh child born to Marvin Lee Bunton, Sr. and Sarah Catherine Rebecca "Becky" Goble.  Marvin Jr. died 08 May 1932 from pneumonia.  There is discrepancy on his age.  The 1930 Census lists his age as 1 1/12  when the Census was taken in April 1930, indicating that he was probably born early 1929.  The problem is that his death certificate says he was 8 months old when he died in 1932.  His age could have been anywhere between 8 months to 2+ years.
 
 
 
 
 
 
BUNTON, Clyde Richard (14 Dec 1934 - 24 Apr 1975) age 40 Overdose of Alcohol & Sleeping Pills
 
Clyde Richard Bunton was the eighth child born to Marvin Lee Bunton, Sr., and Sarah Catherine Rebecca "Becky" Goble.  Clyde was born on 14 Dec 1934.  He married Katie Fox.  Clyde died 24 Apr 1975 from an accidental overdose of alcohol and Butabarbital, a barbiturate sleeping aid.  He was only 40 years old at the time.
 

 
 
 
 
GOBLE, Corban Gordon (22 Oct 1839 - 29 May 1861) age 22 Civil War: Typhoid Fever
 
Corban Gordon Goble (son of John & Sally Drum Goble; grandson of Corban Goble & Elizabeth Robinson Goble) was born in Alexander County, NC, 22 Oct 1839.  He married Sarah P. Moose and they had two daughters: Candas Josephine and Frances Leanah.  Corban enlisted on 29 May 1861 in Mecklenberg County at the age of 22 with Company A, North Carolina 7th Infantry Regiment, but he didn't live to see the end of the year.  Corban died at Camp Argyle on 27 Oct 1861 of typhoid fever and gangrene of the bowels.

Civil War Reenactment

 
 
 
 
GOBLE, Daniel (18 Jul 1641 - 25 Aug 1676) age 35 Hanged
 
Daniel Goble was born 18 Jul 1641.  He was the last child born to Thomas Goble and Alice Brookman. Daniel married Hanna (Anna) Brewer on 25 Feb 1663/64 in Sudbury, Massachusetts and they had four children.  Daniel Goble  (as well as Thomas, his brother) and Stephen (Thomas' son) were involved in the First Indian War - also called King Philip's War.  The war was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day New England and English colonists and their Native American allies.  Daniel Goble, Stephen Goble, Daniel Hoare and Nathaniel Wilde were tried tried for the murders of three Indian women and three Indian children on 07 Aug 1676 - five days before the end of King Philip's war.  Colonists feared these killings could push them back into war with the local Indians.  All four men were found guilty of the charges.  Daniel Hoare and Nathaniel Wilde were from wealthy families and after petitioning the court for pardons, they were granted.  Daniel Goble pleaded not guilty to the charge, but he and Stephen were farmers from less affluent families and both men were hanged on 26 Sep 1676.
 

 
 
 
 
GOBLE, Eliza Jane (13 Nov 1891 - 28 Apr 1907) age 15 Drowned
 
Eliza Jane Goble was the second child born to Jacob Hedrick Goble and Frances Elizabeth Douglas.  She was born 13 November 1891 in Alexander County, NC. 

THE LANDMARK: "Two Young Women Drowned" Tuesday, April 30, 1907   Sunday afternoon about 3 o'clock on the Catawba River at Lookout Shoals and near the Iredell-Alexander line, a boat containing two young women, a girl and two young men, overturned.  The young women, one a daughter of Mr. David James Fullbright of this county, and the other the daughter of Mr. Jacob Goble of Alexander, were drowned.  The others escaped.  Through the courtesy of Rev. W. A. Lutz, who went to the scene of the tragedy yesterday morning, and Mr. R.L. Bradford, THE LANDMARK has the following facts: Mr. Fullbright lives in Shiloh Township, near the river and near the Alexander County line.  Mr. Goble lives in Alexander County, not far from Mr. Fullbright.  Sunday morning five young ladies, Misses Sallie C, Odia and Nora E. Fullbright, all daughters of Mr. Fullbright; Miss Alice Miller, daughter of Mr. Shuford Miller, and Miss Eliza Jane Goble, daughter of Mr. Jacob Goble, left home to attend service at Bethel Lutheran church in Catawba County.  Mr. Will Fox took them safely across the river in a canoe.  After service they started back home and Messrs. Ben Moose and Boyce Johnson, two young men inexperienced in handling a boat, undertook to put them across the river.  Misses Odia Fulbright and Alice Miller decided not to risk crossing, the others named got in the boat and started over to the Iredell side.  The young men soon lost control of the boat and it was swept down the swift current, over the shoals and into water 15 feet deep, where it capsized.  Misses Sallie Fulbright and Eliza Jane Goble were drowned; Nora Fullbright, about 11 years old, was swept back to the boat by Mr. Moose and clung to it until rescued by parties on the bank.  The young men managed to save themselves.  Search was made all night for the bodies.  Yesterday morning at 9:30, Miss Fullbright's body was found.  Miss Goble's remains had not been recovered at 5 o'colock yesterday afternoon.  Miss Fullbright will be buried at Sharon Lutheran church today at 11.  If Miss Goble's body is found it will be buried at Sharon today.  Miss Fullbright was 17 years 10 months and 28 days old; Miss Goble was 16 years and 11 days old.  Both were members of Sharon Church and young women of fine character.  The accident was a most distressing one and there is much sympathy for the bereaved.  Mr. Fulbright is a merchant and magistrate of Shiloh Township and is well known in Statesville.

THE LANDMARK: "Miss Goble's Body Found" Friday, May 3, 1907  The body of Miss Eliza Jane Goble, who was drowned in the Catawba River at Lookout Shoals Sunday afternoon with Miss Sallie Fullbright, was recovered Tuesday afternoon about 3 o’clock.  The search for the bodies of the unfortunate young women was begun immediately after they were drowned and was kept up almost continuously until Miss Goble’s body was found.  Miss Fullbright’s body was recovered about 9:30 Monday morning and the remains were buried at Sharon Lutheran church Tuesday at 11 o’clock.  Miss Goble’s remains were buried at Sharon Wednesday at 11 o’clock, beside those of Miss Fullbright, and the graves of both were covered with flowers.  Rev. W. A. Lutz of Statesville, who went to the scene of the accident Monday morning, conducted the funeral services of both the young ladies, they being members at Sharon.  A large crowd of people were present at Sharon both on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The community is deeply stirred on account of the tragedy and there is much sympathy for the distressed families.  Miss Goble’s body was found by her brother, Mr. Martin Goble, about a half mile below the point where Miss Fullbright’s body was found.  Hundreds of people have participated in the search for the missing bodies, and after almost two days of continuous search, were about ready to despair of finding Miss Goble’s body.  Her brother, however, was determined that his sister’s remains should be found, and he was on the river in a canoe when he saw her clothes floating in the water. 

 

 

 
 
 
 
SIGMON, Wonda Christine (16 Nov 1946 - 07 Dec 1946) age 3 Weeks Old SIDS
 
Wonda Christine Sigmon was the first child born to Floyd Eugene Sigmon and Mary Helen Goble.  She was the granddaughter of Martin Luther Goble and Beulah Vernesta "Nessie" Johnson.  Wonda was born on 16 Nov 1946, but shortly after turning 3-weeks-old, her parents found that Wonda had died during the night.  The medical examiner stated on Wonda's Death Certificate, "Baby was found dead in bed.  I have no idea what killed this child - could have smothered)".  The time of death was 3:50 a.m.  Today, we call this type of crib death, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS.  Wonda was Floyd and Helen's first child, and in less than a year they would have a set of twin boys.  But the family tragedy doesn't end here.
 

  

 
 
 
 
Sigmon, Larry Eugene (05 Oct 1947 - 10 Jan 1948) age  3 Months Old Gastrointestinal
 
Larry Eugene Sigmon and Harry Everette Sigmon were the next children born to Floyd Eugene Sigmon and Mary Helen Goble.  The twin boys were born on 06 Oct 1947 - just 10 months after the death of Floyd & Helen's first child, Wonda, from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) or Crib Death.  When Larry was just 3 months old he became ill and his parents had to take him to the old hospital in Newton, NC.  He was there only one day when he died around 7:00 p.m. in the evening.  I had long heard that he died from whooping cough, but his Death Certificate lists his cause of death as "Gastro Intestinal Infant - Probably a Toxemia".  There appears to have been a problem with Larry's stomach or intestinal track.  Of Floyd and Helen's three children, two have now died.
 

 

 
 
 
 
Sigmon, Harry Everette (05 Oct 1947 - 08 Apr 1955) age 7 Years Old Hanged Himself
 
Harry Everette Sigmon was the twin brother of Larry Eugene Sigmon - twins sons of Floyd Eugene Sigmon and Mary Helen Goble.  Harry's older sister had died from SIDS at the age of 3 weeks, and then his twin brother Larry died from a gastrointestinal problem at the age of 3 months old.  Floyd and Helen were thrilled to see their last child grow and mature.  But the old belief that misfortunes come in threes definitely came true concerning the Sigmon children.  While Harry was at school on the morning of Friday, O8 Apr 1955, Helen and her sister Willie had spent the morning waxing Helen's floors and then had gone over to Willie's house to wax Willie's floors, too.  Helen made sure that she was at home when Harry got out of school that afternoon.  While Helen was fixing supper, Harry and his cousin from across the street went up into the woods to play.  Harry's cousin had gone home but when Harry didn't come home for supper they went to check on him and found that he had accidentally hanged himself.  Harry's Death Certificate says, "Accidentally Hanged himself by the neck with a rope - suffocation or choke".  The time of death was listed as 5:30 p.m.  As time passed, Helen tried to convince Floyd to adopt a child, but he said, "If the Lord wanted us to have a youngin', He'd have allowed them to keep one of their own". 
 

   

(Left) Intense grief on Floyd & Helen's faces after the loss of three children; (Right) Gravestones are added for the children

 

 
 
 
 

JOHNSON Family

 
 
 
FINK, Daniel Monrow (01 May 1834 - 02 Jun 1864) age 30 Civil War: Gun Shot
 
Daniel Monrow Fink was born 01 May 1834 to Daniel Fink and Elizabeth Broyer/Beaver.  The 1860 Census shows him working as a "Miller".  Daniel enlisted as a Private on 26 February 1862 at the age of 28 in Company A, 33rd Infantry Regiment North Carolina.  He died from wounds, Company A, 33rd Infantry Regiment North Carolina, on 2 Jun 1864 at Lynchburg, VA.
 
 
 
 
 
 
HAMILTON, George Washington (28 Jan 1844 - 15 May 1862) age 18 Civil War: Measles
 
George Washington Hamilton was born 28 Jan 1844 in Washington County, Indiana.  He was the last child born to Ninian Beall Hamilton (b. 1789) and Mary Margaret Wilfong.  On 13 Feb 1862, George enlisted in the Union army at the age of 18.  Three months later, George was dead - having died from the effects of measles.   George was actually in transit to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and died on the boat - the boat arrived on May 17th.  There are several Civil War letters both from George and pertaining to him that have been preserved by the Hamilton Family.  They can be seen on the George Washington Hamilton webpage.  He was buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, 2900 Sheridan Road, St. Louis MO 63125.
 

Part of A Letter From George's brother, David Wilfong Hamilton, to their sister, Candace Hamilton Martin

Letter Dated: June 13, (Friday) 1862
From: George Washington Hamilton's brother
- David Wilfong Hamilton (age 23)
To:
Isaac & Candace Hamilton Martin (age 20)  (Brother-in-Law & Sister)
Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Dear Bro. and Sister:
     At home again tired with the days labor. O dear, teaching is so perplexing. But, that does not weigh so heavily as the news your letter brought me yesterday. It struck me with extreme anguish to hear of his
(George Washington Hamilton) dying far from home, and the tender words of a kind father, which he  inferred, so much longed for during his illness. I weep while writing and can only find relief in out- gushing tears - I weep because he was young, far from home and friends, and I fear without any hope of immortality beyond the grave. God only knows, I don't.  And I weep because of the grief of father. His comforts were few at most and to have a son far away, languishing and dying, is more than he can bear. Last Saturday I was at Geneseo - saw the last letter he wrote to Dove (Delilah Ann Hamilton, sister), the last any of us got. I got his address last Sunday (June 8, 1862) and wrote him a letter. But one thing is left us, we have the comfort that he died in defense of his liberty. This war is dire and thousands of hearts among the living are wrung by it's consequences. But the instigators will reap their reward.
     My dear sister comfort our dear father. I long to see him. I hope George's body can be brought home and interred by mother. You could find out by writing to the captain of his company where he was buried, or if you write to the hospital surgeon at St. Louis, they have the names, the regiment, the company, and the residence of each soldier. If I had the means I would go myself and get it.

Your brother,
David Wilfong Hamilton
 
 
 
 
JOHNSON, John Henry "Pinkney" (12 Apr 1865 - 09 Jun 1889) age 23 Logging Accident
 
John Henry Pinkney Johnso II was born on 12 Apr 1865 to Pinkney C. Johnson and Lavina C. Sherrill.  Henry's father, Pinkney, died as a result of injuries sustained in the Civil War.  Henry was born 9 days after his father's death.  John Henry Johnson married Nancy Caroline Leslie on 03 Sep 1885 in Iredell County and their marriage produced two children: Beulah Vernesta "Nessie" Johnson and John Henry Johnson.  Henry had been a cripple from childhood.  He was a lumber jack and when he was 24 years old, a tree fell on him and killed him.  His death date is  09 Jun 1889.
 

 
 
 
 
JOHNSON, Nancy Caroline Leslie (07 Nov 1858 - 22 Sep 1905) age 46 Suicide: Fire
 
Nancy Caroline Leslie was the first child born to James Q. Leslie and Sarah C. Fink.  She was born on 07 Nov 1858.  Nancy Caroline Leslie married John Henry Johnson on 03 September 1885 in Iredell County, NC.  She was twenty seven years old and he was 20.  Henry was a lumber jack and when he was 24 years old, a tree fell on him and killed him. The lost of Henry had unsettling effects on Nancy and as time passed she became more and more unstable.  After several suicide attempts, Nancy died from setting herself on fire on 22 September 1905 at the age of 47.
THE LANDMARK NEWSPAPER: Mrs. Nancy Johnson was horribly burned about 10 o’clock Friday and died two hours later.  Mrs. Johnson had been failing mentally for some time and had made threats to take her own life.  At one time attempted to drown herself and at another time to hang herself.  It is thought she fired her clothes purposely.  Three matches were found about fifty yards from where she was lying when those who heard her screams reached her.  The trail of fire from her burning clothes lead where the matches were lying by a rock and two of the matches had been struck.  Mrs. Johnson was found about 150 yards from her house.  Nessie&Henry001a.jpgShe had been left alone; her children, Nessie and Henry, were in the field picking cotton.  Her son, about 16 years old, was the first to arrive at the scene.  Dr. Yount was nearby and was called, but could do nothing.  The woman’s clothes were all burned off and she died after terrible suffering.

Cotton Field

 
 
 
 
JOHNSON, Pinkney C. (Abt. 1827 - 03 Apr 1865) age 38 Civil War: Shot
 
Pinkney C. Johnson was born about 1827, the son of Robert Johnson and Mary Wilkinson.  Pinkney married Levina C. Sherrill.  Levina was born 22 Sep 1832.  Pinkney enlisted in the Civil War on 01 Aug 1862, in Company C, 48th Infantry Regiment and was promoted to full Corporal during his service.  He was wounded in the hand at Fredericksburg, VA on 13 Dec 1862 and was allowed some time off.  He returned to duty prior to 01 Mar 1863.  He was reported present in March - June 1863, March - April 1864, and Sept - Oct 1864.  Pinkney was admitted to a federal hospital on 01 Apr 1865 with a gunshot wound to the right leg that he had received at Appomattox.  His right leg had to be amputated.  Pinkney died in a federal hospital at Point of Rocks, VA on 03 Apr 1865 from his wounds.  He never saw his youngest son John Henry Johnson who was born 12 Apr 1865 - less than two weeks after Pinkney's death.

Civil War Reenactment

 
 
 
 
 
       
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
       
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
       
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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