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James
Franklin Loftin |
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Born: Abt. 1827, Lincoln County, NC Died:
16 May 1864, Drewry's Bluff, VA |
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James Franklin
Loftin was the son of
Thomas Loftin and
Sally Lavinia
Beatty. He was born about 1826-1827 in Lincoln/Catawba County, NC, and
frequently went by the name Franklin and Frank. |
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James Franklin was mentioned in the will of his paternal grandfather,
James
Loftin. His grandfather left him the 133 acres of property
where his father, Thomas, lived. |
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James Franklin
was mentioned in the Will of his maternal grandmother,
Isabella
McCorkle Beatty dated 11 Dec 1836. It says, “I also leave my
grandson JAMES FRANKLIN LOFTIN one sheet and checkered counterpen and piece quilt. “ |
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He is also
mentioned in the will of Matthew McCorkle, his Great Uncle and
brother to Isabella McCorkle Beatty, dated 07 April 1838.
The portion from the Will states, “From
any remaining monies, Caroline Loftin, daughter of
Thomas Loftin; Franklin and Salina Loftin, children of
Thomas and Lovina (Lavinia) Loftin, are to receive $50 each.” |
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James Franklin
married
Frances Elizabeth Fisher on August 13, 1847
(with Parson Naylor as the Bondsman & George Setzer as the
witness). Their North Carolina Marriage Bond lists Frances Elizabeth
Fisher's name as Franky E. Fisher. Elizabeth, as she was also called by her
family and friends, was born 08 Aug 1826 to
Reuben and
Mary
Fisher. According to
Cordie Loftin Wilson (daughter of
William Alexander Loftin),
Frances Elizabeth used to laugh and
tell the William Alexander Loftin family that she wore seven petticoats
at her wedding to Franklin. |
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Marriage Bond between James Franklin Loftin and Frances "Franky"
Elizabeth Fisher |
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James Franklin
Loftin's Signature |
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I had a difficult time finding the 1850
Census for James Franklin & Frances Elizabeth Fisher
Loftin because of the incorrect
spelling of their last name. Franklin's age is listed as
24, indicating that his birth year was 1826. His Real
Estate Value was listed as $500. Franklin & Elizabeth's
1st child was
Harriet J. Loftin, who was born in 1849. The
Census lets us know that the "J." in Harriet's middle name was
for Jone. There is no indication as to the "P." listed in
her name in the 1850 Census. |
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1850 Catawba County Census |
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Name |
Age |
Sex |
Occupation |
Real Estate Value |
Birth |
James F. Lofften |
24 |
M |
Farmer |
$500 |
Catawba |
Elizabeth " |
24 |
F |
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" |
Jone P. " |
1 |
F |
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" |
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James Franklin Loftin and Frances Elizabeth Fisher
had at least seven children. |
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Children of Franklin and Elizabeth Fisher Loftin |
Name |
Birth Date |
Death Date |
Spouse |
Harriet Jone Loftin |
11 Aug 1849
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
13 Dec 1908
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
Gilbert A. McKinnis
m. Abt. 1866
Catawba, Catawba Co, NC |
William Alexander Loftin |
26 Oct 1851
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
11 June 1939
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
Laura W. Cranford
m. 28 Jan 1875
Catawba, Catawba Co, NC |
James Edmund Loftin |
Abt. 1853/54
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
16 Nov 1925
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
(1) Mary Fannie
Eades
m. 16 Aug 1919, Catawba Co, NC
(2) Rebecca Jane McKinsey |
Mary Frances Loftin |
30 Nov 1855
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
08 May
1936
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
Jacob Francis Drum
m. 18 Aug 1875
Catawba, Catawba Co, NC |
Alonzo Loftin |
1857
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
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Washington Lafayette Loftin |
20 Jun 1859
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
18 May 1932
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
Margaret Jane Lackey
m. 28 Apr 1881
Catawba, Catawba Co, NC |
Oliver Cromwell Loftin |
15 Dec 1861
Catawba,
Catawba Co, NC |
02 Apr 1930
Lincolnton,
Lincoln Co, NC |
(1) Isabelle
"Belle" Jane Moore
m. 02 Mar 1882
(2) Rachel Luzetta "Zettie"
Abernathy McAlister
m. 08 May 1910, Lincoln Co, NC |
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Alonzo
apparently died as an infant. He was listed on the 1860 Census
as age 3, but not listed on the 1870 Census. He was not
mentioned on Cordie Wilson’s listing of Franklin’s children. |
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Franklin purchased property from
Thomas Beatty in 1859. |
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Property purchased by
James Franklin Loftin |
Grantee
(Purchaser) |
Grantor (Seller) |
Year |
Kind of
Instrument |
Book |
Page |
James Franklin Loftin |
Thomas Beatty |
1859 |
Deed |
7 |
608 |
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According to the
1860 Catawba County Census, Franklin and Elizabeth were age 36.
Their Real Estate Value was $600 and their Personal Estate Value
was $210. Their children were Harriet age 11, Alexander age 9,
James age 7, Mary age 5, Alonzo age 3 and
Lafayette age 1. Also
according to the Census, Elizabeth couldn’t read or write, but
Harriet and Alexander were enrolled in School. |
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1860 Catawba County Census |
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Last Name |
First Name |
Age |
Sex |
Occupation |
Real Estate |
Personal
Estate |
School |
Can't
Read or
Write |
Loftin |
Franklin |
36 |
M |
Farmer |
$600 |
$210 |
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------ |
Elizabeth |
36 |
F |
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X |
------ |
Harriett |
11 |
F |
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X |
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------ |
Alexander |
9 |
M |
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X |
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------ |
James |
7 |
M |
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Mary |
5 |
F |
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------ |
Alonzo |
3 |
M |
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------ |
Lafayette |
1 |
M |
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The 1860
Agricultural Census, shows that James Franklin had 1 horse, 1
cow, 7 pigs, 30 bushels of wheat, 75 bushels of Indian Corn and
215 bushels of oats. |
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1860 Catawba County Agricultural Census, Catawba Station, p.
77 |
Name of Owner: Franklin Loftin |
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Value of Livestock: $97 |
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Wheat, # of Bushels: 30 |
Improved (Land): 80 acres |
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Horses: 1 |
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Oats, # of Bushels: 215 |
Unimproved (Land): 120 acres |
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Mules: 0 |
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Indian Corn Bushels: 75 |
Cash Value of Farm: $600 |
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Milk Cows: 1 |
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Ginned Cotton Bales: 0 |
Value of Farm Implements : $30 |
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Working Oxen: 0 |
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Wool: 0 |
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Other Cattle: 0 |
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Swine: 7 |
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James Franklin Loftin
had three half brothers,
Eli
Anderson Loftin, Pinkney Loftin and William A.
Loftin, that also
served in the Civil War. All three brothers enlisted on the
same day, 6 June 1861, as was common with most families. The
tragedies of the Civil War usually ran deep within families, too. |
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Pinkney served
with the 23rd Reg. - Co. F and died 15 Sep 1861 of disease near
Manassas. |
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William served
with the 23 Reg. - Co. A and died 20 Oct 1861 from disease. |
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Eli was 19 years
old when he enlisted. He became part of the 23rd Reg. - Co. F.
He was shot in the knee 1 July 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg
and his left leg was amputated to the thigh. He lay on the
battlefield several days and nights, not being moved until after
the battles of Gettysburg were all over. The leg, however, was
removed by a surgeon on the field. Eli spent the next year in
various hospitals until he was finally exchanged and admitted to
the Salisbury, NC hospital at the end of 1864. |
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After having
lost a half-brother in 1861 and another one in 1862, James
Franklin Loftin also enlisted in the American Civil War. He
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. |
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The Last Will & Testament of James Franklin Loftin |
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Know all men by these present that I, James F.
Loftin, of the county of Catawba and state of North Carolina in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three,
The said James F. Loftin doth hereby bequeath to his wife,
Elizabeth Loftin, all of his tract of land, lying in the
aforesaid state and country above written adjoining lands of
Jesse Walden, Andrew Yount and others. For her to have, to hold
forever all of the afore land and premises for to sell or
distribute in any way that she sees proper, also all of the
other property, for her to hold forever and if she should be
indebted for her to sell any of the above property to satisfy
the debts that she sees proper. Given under my hand and seal
this the 23rd day of February 1863, Signed, Sealed
and delivered in the presence of: |
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Abram
Wyckoff
James F. Loftin
Elam A. Sherrill |
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James Franklin Loftin
enlisted in the American Civil War as part of the Confederacy on
03 Mar 1863 as a Private at the age of 35/36. His
enlistment location was 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
Loftin 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. According
to
Cordie Loftin Wilson, as he was preparing to leave home after
his last visit, he remarked that he would never return and did
not want Elizabeth to remarry. |
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Being in the 49th Regiment North Carolina Infantry, James
Franklin Loftin would have fought at the following battles
during the American Civil War: |
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49th Regiment North
Carolina Infantry Battles |
1863 - 1864 during James Franklin
Loftin's Service |
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Date |
Battle Location |
20 Apr 1863 |
Sandy Ridge, NC |
20 Jun 1863 |
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2 Jul 1863 |
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28 Jul 1863 |
Boone's Mill |
1 Sep 1863 |
Petersburg, VA |
15 Sep 1863 |
Sharpsburg, MD |
15 Nov 1863 |
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9 Mar 1864 |
Suffolk, VA |
15 Mar 1864 |
Petersburg, VA |
1 May 1864 |
Petersburg, VA |
7 May 1864 |
Petersburg, VA |
10 May 1864 |
Drewry's Bluff, VA |
13 May 1864 |
Drewry's Bluff, VA |
14 May 1864 |
Drewry's Bluff, VA |
15 May 1864 |
Drewry's Bluff, VA |
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James Franklin
served at Drewry’s Bluff, located in northeastern
Chesterfield County, Virginia. It was the site of
Confederate
Fort Darling during the
American Civil War and was named for a local landowner,
Confederate Captain
Augustus H. Drewry. |
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Fort Darling at Drewry's Bluff, VA, was
located at a sharp bend of the James River and saw no battle
action for two years. During that time it became an important
training ground for the Confederate Naval Academy and Marine
Corps Camp. On May 5, 1864, Union Major General Benjamin Butler
and his forces landed 15 south of Richmond and marched overland
to within three miles of Drewry's Bluff by May 9th. While
several Union regiments did manage to capture Fort Daling's
outer defenses, delays by Union generals spoiled their success.
Confederate infantry under General Beauregard, including troops
from Richmond and North Carolina, seized the initiative and
successfully counterattacked on May 16, 1864. The 18,000
Confederate forces defeated the 39,000 Union forces - but 400
Confederate soldiers were killed during the battle. |
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The Confederate Fort
Darling at Drewry's Bluff, Virginia |
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A True
History of Company I, 49th Regiment NC Troops
in the Great Civil War |
by W. A. Day
Newton, NC 1893 |
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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. |
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James Franklin Loftin
died during this battle at Drewry's Bluff, Virginia. His
tombstone gives his death date as May 1864. Confederate
Records list his death date as 16 Jul 1864 and states that he
was "killed in action" at Drewry's Bluff. Since the actual
date of the battle was 16 May 1864, it seems more logical that
his death date was indeed 16 May 1864. |
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It's wonderful that these records have
survived to help us understand more of the details. There
are a few mistakes, however, on the records. (Left) James
Franklin's enlistment date is shown as March 3, 1862 - the
correct enlistment date was March 3, 1863. |
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Confederate
Company Muster Roll, Company I, Regiment 49 |
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(Above and Below) James Franklin's enlistment date is
shown as Mar 3, 1862 - May 3, 1863 - May 3, 1963. Since most of
them show his enlistment date as March 3, 1863, the seems the
most logical choice. It
further states that he was "killed in action near Drewry's Bluff
on the 16th day of July 1864". The actual Battle at
Drewry's Bluff was 16 May 1864, not 16 July 1964. The
"Company Muster Roll" is reporting information for the months of
May & June 1864, which further suggests that his death date was
indeed 16 May and not 16 July. |
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Confederate
Company Muster Roll, Company I, Regiment 49 |
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The Catawba
County War Memorial on the square in Newton |
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The back side
of the memorial has a listing of the Catawba County men who were
killed during the Civil War from 1861 - 1865. James
Franklin Lofton/Loftin and his 1/2 brothers Pinkney & William
are listed there. |
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According to
the 1870 Catawba County Census, after James Franklin was killed in
the Civil War, Elizabeth continued to run the farm with the help
of her sons, William Alexander and James Edmund Loftin. |
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The actual burial site of James Franklin
Loftin
is not known.
As was common during the Civil War,
his body was not sent back
home
but was
buried on the battle field.
The tombstone where
Frances Elizabeth Fisher Loftin
is buried at
Center Methodist Church
in Catawba County,
remembers James
Franklin’s death
at Drewry Bluff in May of 1864.
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Center Methodist Church Cemetery |
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CLICK For additional information on
Frances Elizabeth Fisher Loftin |
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SOURCES |
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Thanks to Alisha Story for the "straw wagon"
photo from Hart's Square |
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Thanks to Peggy Loftin Brotherton for the
Confederate Company Muster Roll for James Franklin Loftin |
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Any photos or additional information on James
Franklin Loftin
would be appreciated. |
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Contact Curtis D. Loftin |
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