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Wesley & David Alston |
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Civil War Soldier |
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9th U.S.C.H.A. & Co. E, 100th U.S.C.T. (C.T.) |
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by John Quist |
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[NOTE: As with most African-Americans of this time, there is very little biographical information to be found, unless they paid to have an obituary or their autobiographies printed in a local history book.]
Farmer Wesley Alston was born in about 1819 (1) and farmer David in March 1836 (2) or 1837 (3) in Chatham County, NC. (4) It is not clear how the two African-American men were related. They apparently were part of a group of 28 slaves to be set free by the North Carolina mistress, Mrs. Oran D. (Miriam P.) Alston, from whom they took their surname. In May 1859, the 28 (and probably others) were moved to Ohio by wagon or underground railroad in a roundabout way from North Carolina to Kentucky and then to Ohio and freedom. (5) No information was found about their parents, except that Wesley gave his father’s name as William (6) and David stated that his parents were born in North Carolina. (7) On August 29, 1864 at Lewis Center, Delaware County, OH, Westley (as his name was recorded) and David Alston enlisted as Privates for one year in the 27th U.S. Colored Infantry or Colored Troops (27th U.S.C.I. or T.). (8) According to the regimental roster, they were listed as “unassigned recruits.” Under remarks, the roster stated, “no further record found.” (9) Both were immediately transferred to Company D, 9th Regiment U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery (9th U.S.C.H.A.) with their enlistment date remaining August 29th. Their enlistments were credited to Orange Township, Delaware County, where they had been residing. They were mustered in on September 3rd at Columbus, OH. (10) Wesley was described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, having hazel eyes, black hair, and black complexion, (11) and David as 5 feet 6 inches tall, having hazel eyes, black hair, and black complexion. (12) The regiment was organized at Clarksville and Nashville, TN (October 8-November 1, 1864). Authorization for its organization had been given by the Adjutant General in February, but the desire to fill up regiments already organized had prevented recruiting for this regiment until a short time before this date. One company had been recruited at Clarksville and 380 recruits from Ohio (including Wesley and David Alston) had been assigned to the command to fill up one battalion. The regiment would be attached to the District of Nashville, Department of the Cumberland until broken up on May 5, 1865. (13) From January through April 1865, David was “absent on recruiting service.” (14) In May, Wesley and David were transferred to the 100th Regiment U.S. Colored Infantry/Troops (100th U.S.C.T.) and assigned to Company E. (15) The regiment had been organized in Kentucky at large (May 3-June 1, 1864). By the time that Wesley and David joined Company E, it was engaged in guard duty on the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad. (16) David was “absent” from February 5th to April 1865 on recruiting service. (17) Privates Wesley and David Alston were mustered out on September 4, 1865 at Nashville at the expiration of their terms of service. (18) Wesley and David returned to Delaware City, Delaware County, OH. On October 18, 1866 there, David married Elizabeth Minton, (19) born in October 1831 in Ohio. (20) Her farmer father, James Minton, was born in about 1804 in Virginia and her mother, Edith, in about 1809 in Virginia. (21) Eight children were found in the 1850 U.S. federal census of Thompson Township, Delaware County: Elizabeth (c.1831), Eli (c.1833), Frederick (c.1835), Eliza J. (c.1836), James (c.1838), Angeline (c.1839), John W. (c.1841), and Jesse (c.1843). Father James died on January 7, 1861 and was buried in Delaware City’s Oak Grove Cemetery. (22) No information was found regarding Mother Edith’s death and burial. Elizabeth’s brother, James Minton, enlisted at the age of 24 as a Private for three years in Company D, 55th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer (Colored) Infantry on June 11, 1863 at Readsville (now part of Boston), MA. He was described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, having black eyes, black hair, and dark complexion. He was listed as a farmer. (23) He spent most of his enlistment in hospitals. He was found incapable of performing the duties of a soldier because of debility and mental incapacity and not fit to enter the Veteran Reserve Corps (V.R.C.); he might, however, earn a living at home. Thus he was discharged on June 17, 1864 at Folly Island, SC with a certificate of disability. (24) [NOTE: The V.R.C. had been created to make use, in a military or semi-military capacity, of soldiers who had been rendered unfit for active field service because of wounds or disease contracted in the line of duty, but who were still fit for garrison or other light duty, and were, in the opinion of their commanding officers, meritorious and deserving. (25)] For the 1900 census for Delaware City, Elizabeth stated that she had had two children and they were still living. Three children, however, were found: Sarah Jane (c.1868), (26) Angeline (1870), and Mary Ann (1871). (27) On July 30, 1881, David Alston applied for a U.S. government pension as an “invalid” Union veteran of the Civil War. (28) Elizabeth died before David. Unfortunately, no obituary or information was found. David died at his 130 South Washington Street home on December 7, 1915 and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery. (29) Again, no obituary was found. At some point, Wesley Alston married Emma, about whom no background information was found. They had at least one child: Divina (c.1864). (30) Sometime after the 1870 census, they moved from Orange Township, Delaware County to Paulding County. On October 12, 1887, Wesley applied for a U.S. government pension as an “invalid” Union veteran. (31) Wesley died in Jackson Township on November 10, 1895. (32) After Wesley’s death, Emma Alston applied for a U.S. government pension as the widow of a veteran. (33) She died at Latty, Paulding Township, Paulding County on either February 28 (34) or 27, 1911. (35)
Compiled by John W. Quist Delaware, Ohio September 9, 2013 |
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Footnotes |
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1
“Westley Alston.” U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and
Profiles, 2 “David Alston.” Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953, familysearch.org (online)
3
“David Alston.” 1900 U.S. federal census, Delaware City (Ward
2), Delaware 4 “Wesley Alston.” Company Descriptive Book of Company D, 9th Regiment U.S.
Colored
Heavy
Artillery,
Fold3, fold3.com/image/#267217606 (online) 6 “Wesley Alston.” Ohio, Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997, familysearch.org 7 Footnote 3 8 Footnote 1
“David
Alton.” U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles,
9
“Alton, David” and “Alston, Westley.” Unassigned Recruits, 27th
U.S.C.T., 655 10 “Wesley Alston.” Company Muster Roll of Company D, 9th Regiment U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, Fold3, fold3.com/image/#267217608
“David
Alston.” Company Muster Roll of Company D, 9th
Regiment U.S.
12
“David Alston.” Company Descriptive Book of Company D, 9th
Regiment U.S.
13
“9th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment.” Tennesseans
in the Civil War,
14
“David Alston.” Returns of Company D, 9th Regiment
U.S. Colored Heavy 15 Footnote 4
16
“100th Regiment Infantry.” Union, U.S. Colored Troops
Infantry (Part 3), Civil
17
“David Alston.” Returns of Company D, 9th Regiment
U.S. Colored Heavy
18
“Wesley Alston.” Detachment Muster-out Roll of Company E, 100th
Regiment
“David
Alston.” Detachment Muster-out Roll of Company E, 100th
Regiment 19 “Elizabeth Minton.” Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958, familysearch.org 20 “Elizabeth Alston.” 1900 U.S. census, Delaware City 21 “James Minton.” 1860 U.S. census, Thompson Township, Delaware County 22 “James Minton.” Find A Grave Memorial, findagrave.com (online)
23
“James Minton.” Company Descriptive Book of Company D, 55th
Regiment
24
“James Minton.” Certificate of Disability Discharge, Army of
the United 25 “Veteran Reserve Corps.” en.wikipedia.org (online) 26 “Sarah Jane Alston.” Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994, familysearch.org 27 Footnote 5
28
“David Alston.” Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension
Files, 29 “David Alston.” Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953 30 “Wesley Alston.” 1870 U.S. census, Orange Township, Delaware County
31
“Wesley Alston.” Civil War Pension Index: General Index to
Pension Files, 32 “Wesley Alston.” Ohio, Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 33 Footnote 31
34
“Emma Alston.” Ohio, Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and
1958-2007, 35 “Emma Alston.” Find A Grave Memorial |
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