Stanly County, North Carolina sent six Companies of men into the Civil War. Other Stanly County men joined up with Companies from other counties. Most were on the side of the Confederates, while a handful even found their way into the Union Army.While no precise count existed, Stanly County born, or connected, men numbered in the hundreds, if not over a thousand. Loss of life was great, disease taking at least as many as battle if not more. Many of those who made it home alive came bearing ailments, wounds and burdens that would take their lives during the years ensuing. Others survived the War, but not not make it home, lost in mind and lost in world. The Stanly County Whitleys were no different, giving up lots of sons and fathers, from teens to middle-aged men.
The Companies organized in Stanly County were:
1) The Stanly Marksmen Company H Organized May 13, 1861. Commanded by Captain Richard Anderson and Captain James Deberry.
2) The Stanly Yankee Hunters Company D Organized July 29, 1861. Commanded by Captain James Montgomery, Captain Durant Parker, Captain John W. Randle and Captain Moses J. Eudy.
3) The Stanly Guards Company K Organized September 7, 1862. Commanded by Captain John A Moody, Capt. James Crowell, and Captain Adam Whitman Stone.
4) Companies D and C Under Capt. Davidson Underwood
5) The Stanly Rebels Company I, Organized in March of 1862.Commanded by Captain John C.McCain, James C. Hearne and Samuel Lilly
6) In 1864, during the last dying grasps of the war, Companies of Junior Reserves were organized of boys in Companies E and G and Company G of the Senior Reserves, from men originally deemed too old for service.
I want to take a closer look at the Whitley men who fought in the War from Stanly County, as I think that could possibly lead to some answers to the questions that have been unearthed during my search for the Iredell County Whitleys with Stanly County origins.
For instance, the above household from the 1880 census from Davidson Township, Iredell County has a 24 year old woman named Telitha Jane Whitley (transcription error corrected), living in the home of 60 year old Mary Whitley, with 17 year old William A Whitley. Since it's the 1880, we know that Telitha Jane and William A Whitley were the children of Mary Whitley. Two years after this record Jane Whitley marries John Alexander Springer, born in 1861, in Stanly County, North Carolina to Confederate casualty, Israel Springer and his wife, Margaret M. Springer.
We know that her brother, William Alexander Whitley, was born April 8, 1868, in Stanly County, North Carolina, after marrying two Helms sisters originally from Union County, NC. Which would make sense that Jane was also born there. But who was Mary? Was she a Civil War widow? And where were they before 1880?
There's this, a Telitha Whitley born about 1856, the same year as the Telitha Jane Whitley in 1880 Iredell, in the 1870 census of Stanly County, living in the home of Alfred and Temperance Ledbetter. But where is Mary and William Alexander Whitley? Questions abound. Could taking a closer look at the Stanly County soldiers give up any clues?
Stanly County Marksmen
Oliver Harrison Whitley Co. H 42nd Infantry. Enlisted on March 2, 1863 at age 34. He was a Musician (a Fifer) and survived the War.
Personal: Born on October 29th 1828 to John and Jane Hathcock Whitley in Stanly County. Married to Me Martha Neal, by whom he had one son, Dr. Virgil Whitley. Married 2nd to Sarah Simpson. Died December 12, 1915 and was buried in the Old Albemarle Cemetery. Remained in Stanly County.
Solomon Snider Whitley Co. H 42nd Infantry. He enlisted on March 25, 1862, at the age of 27. He deserted later that year on August, 1862. He returned to duty in the fall of 1862 and served until August of 1863, when he deserted a second time. On October 4, 1863, he returned to duty a second time. He was captured at Bentonville, Johnston County, NC and confined at Point Lookout, Maryland. He was released by Oath of Allegiance on June 21, 1865.
Personal: Solomon Snider Whitley was the younger brother of Oliver Harrison Whitley, above. He married Josephine Hinson in 1854, and had four children before the War, three children during the War and two children after, for a total of 9. He settled in Lemley, Mecklenburg County NC. He and his wife both died before 1880.
Taylor Whitley Co H 42nd Infantry. He enlisted on August 4th, 1864 at Petersburg, Virginia. He must have followed his older brothers up, as he was a child of 16 years old. The young lad changed his mind and deserted just two weeks later on August 17, 1864. He returned to duty on October 19, 1864. He was shot in the thigh at Wyse Forks, near Kinston, Lenoir County, NC on March 10, 1865 and was captured by Union Forces. He died in the hospital at New Bern, NC on April 12, 1865.
Personal: Taylor Whitley, born about 1849, in Stanly County to Nancy Whitley, born in 1798. He was the youngest son. His father unknown, I'm still trying to find who Nancy was the widow of. He was buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in New Bern.
William Pinkney Whitley Co H 42nd Infantry. He enlisted in Stanly County on March 25, 1862 at the age of 21. He deserted on December 19th, that same year. He was incarcerated during the first six months of 1863 and returned to duty in the fall. He deserted a second time on August 16, 1864, the same day his little brother, Taylor did, and returned to duty on October 19, 1864. He survived and became a pensioner.
Personal: William Pinkney Whitley was also the son of Nancy Whitley, father as yet undetermined. He married Margaret Malinda Springer, maiden name unknown, widow of Civil War casualty, Israel Springer. They settled in Iredell County, North Carolina, as farmers, before 1880. He had no children of his own but raised his stepson, John Alexander Springer, who married Telitha Jane Whitley, mentioned above.
William Pinkney Whitley died on January 4, 1923 at the age of 23, after spending his last years at the Iredell County Home for the Aged and Infirm, where he was also buried. He was the only one of three known brothers to have survived the War.
William Rufus Whitley Co H 42nd Infantry. He enlisted in Stanly County on September 30, 1863, at the age of 17.
He was wounded at Bermuda Hundred, Virginia on May 20, 1864. He remained hospitalized until September, 1864. After his release, he deserted, or surrendered to the enemy on October 11, 1864. He afterwards remained in Pittsburgh, PA until the end of the War.
Personal: William Rufus Whitley was born in Big Lick, Stanly County, in 1846. He was one of the four illegitimate children of Susannah Whitley and Joshua Christian Burris. He would have several several run-ins with the law in Stanly, Cabarrus and Union Counties, but not to the level of his infamous brother, Alexander. 'Rufe' as he was called, married first to Sally Tucker, daughter of Lewis Tucker, by whom he would have a daughter, Charlotte. After her death, he married Minta Almond Burleson, by whom he would have 8 children.
The family would migrate to DeRoche, Arkansas, after which, his wife and children would escape to Texas, leaving him in Arkansas. He spent his last years in the Old Soldiers Home in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he passed away on December 20, 1910, at the age of 64.
William H Whitley Co. H 42nd Infantry. He enlisted on February 8, 1863 at the age of 18. He was wounded on June 24, 1864 and hospitalized at Petersburg, Virginia. He remained in the hospital until November 24th, of that year. He was wounded a second time and hospitalized in Charlotte, NC on January 17, 1865. He was paroled in Albemarle on May 19, 1865.
Personal: William H Whitley, born about 1836, was the son of John and Jane Hathcock Whitley, and a younger brother of Oliver Harrison Whitley and Solomon Snider Whitley, mentioned above. He married Julia Ann Smith, daughter of Moses Smith and wife, Mary Catherine Dry Smith and was the father of two daughters and two sons. He moved first to Davidson, Iredell County, then to Rocky River Township, Cabarrus County, then to Gastonia, Gaston County and finally to Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, where he passed away on July 2, 1921, at the age of 85. He was buried in Concord.
Ist Sergeant George Whitley Company K, 28th Infantry. He enlisted in Stanly County on September 7, 1861 at the age of 45, as a Private. He was captured by the enemy at Hanover Courthouse, Virginia on May 27, 1862. He was imprisoned as a POW at two locations, first at Fort Monroe, Virginia and second at Fort Columbus in the New York Harbor. He was paroled in an exchange at Aiken's Landing, South Carolina, where he afterwards returned to duty and was promoted to Sergeant. He was discharged in September of that year due to his age, and eventually paroled at Salisbury on May 19, 1865.
Personal: George Whitley was born on June 11, 1822, one of the older sons of John and Jane Hathcock Whitley. He was a brother of Oliver Harrison Whitley, Solomon Snider Whitley, and William H. Whitley, mentioned above. He married Keziah "Kizzie" Whitley, daughter of William Monroe Eudy and wife, Sabra Harwood Eudy. He was the father of 11 children.
Despite surviving the War, George's time as a POW may have had ill effects on his health. He remained in Stanly County and passed away on September 15th, 1869, at the age of 47 and was buried in the family cemetery. That cemetery is now known as the Keziah Whitley Cemetery and is located off Little Bear Creek in the Endy community.
Jesse J Whitley Co. K, 28th Infantry. He enlisted on November 17, 1863 in Stanly County as a Private at the age of 45.He was captured on April 2, 1865 at Five Forks, Dinwiddie, Virginia ,and taken to Point Lookout, Maryland. Two months later, on June 21, 1865, he took the Oath and was released.
Personal: Jesse Jappa Whitley was born about 1820, accepted as the son of William "Old Billy" Whitley and wife, Martha Hathcock Whitley. He was a double first cousin to the previously mentioned sons of John and Jane Hathcock Whitley. Jesse married Reauh Perry or Hathcock about 1844, daughter of Daniel Perry and Sarah Hathcock. They were the parents of six children. Jesse returned home to Stanly County, where he passed away in July of 1878. It is uncertain where he is buried.
Francis Monroe Whitley Co. K 28th Infantry. He enlisted on April 1st, 1864 at Liberty Mills, Virginia at the age of 19, in the same regiment as his father. He may have traveled up to find his father. He surrendered a year later, on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, at the end of the War.
Personal: Monroe was born on March 10, 1845, the son of the previously mentioned Jesse Whitley and wife, Reauah. He survived the War and settled home in Stanly County, marrying his second cousin, Nancy Elizabeth Whitley, daughter of George and Keziah Whitley in 1870. The family had ten children, including a daughter named Memphis. Monroe died on July 27, 1909; and is buried at the Mountain Creek Primitive Baptist Church near New London, NC.
Thomas W Whitley, Co. K, 28th Infantry. He enlisted in Stanly County, North Carolina on March 20, at the age of 27. He was wounded at Chancellorsville, Virginia in May of 1863, then later hospitalized in Richmond, Virginia, with a gunshot wound. He was on furlough during the fall of 1864, returned to duty and surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.
Personal: Thomas William Whitley was born on July 1, 1834 in Stanly County,NC. He was the son of Needham Whitley, Jr. and Mary Rebecca Cagle. He married Martha Jane Morton first, and had 5 children before the War, and one child during the war, and three afterwards. He did not remain in Stanly County, moving first to Alabama, then Texas, Arkansas and finally, Oklahoma. He married second to Ida Isabel Chadwick in 1877 in Red River, Texas. They had eight or nine more children, losing five in a fire in 1893. One was born after that tragedy.
Thomas W Whitley died on July 23, 1918, at the age of 84 in McCurtain County, Oklahoma.
Joshua Wood Co. K 28th Infantry. While not an official Whitley, Joshua Wood was married to Malinda "Linda" Whitley, daughter of John and Jane Hathcock Whitley, several of her brothers have been mentioned already. He enlisted on March 15, 1862, in Stanly County, NC, at the age of 32. He was discharged months later on August 23, 1862, due to disability.
Personal: Joshua Wood was born January 8, 1829 to William R. and Zelphia Wood and grew up in the Stanly County area. He married Malinda Whitley on November 11, 1862 in Stanly County. The couple had 11 children. They moved to the Davidson area of Mecklenburg County, NC, then to Concord, Cabarrus County, then to Salisbury, Rowan County.
Joshua died October 9, 1901, at the age of 72. He was buried at Chestnut Hill Cemetery, in Salisbury, NC.
Adam Whitley Company C 42nd Infantry. He enlisted in Rowan County, North Carolina on February 1, 1862, at the age of 39, giving his place of residence as Stanly County. He died of Typhoid Fever on March 5, 1863 and died at Weldon, Halifax County, North Carolina, at 40 years of age.
Personal: Adam Alex Whitley was born about 1823. His parents are undetermined, but he had a close relationship with several local Whitleys, including Needham Whitley, alotting him land, and signing bonds for him, land that adjoined Green D. Whitley and other connections. He married first, Sally Cagle, and had five children, one named Green D. Whitley. He married Penelope "Nellie" Hinson, daughter of Jordan Hinson, second, and had three children. His widow, Nellie, remarried to a Smith after his death. Adam Whitley was buried in a mass grave in New Bern, NC.
John E Whitley, Co. C 42 Infantry. He enlisted on February 1, 1862 at the age of 18, resident of Stanly County. He was transferred from Company C to Company K. Was listed as a POW on May 16th, 1865 and paroled to Rowan County on June 21, 1865.
Personal: There were no John E Whitleys this age range that I can find. There was a John Adam Whitley, that was born in 1844, and lived in Stanly County in 1860 and was a Confederate Veteran, with all the other John Whitleys from Stanly County accounted for.
John Adam Whitley was born about 1844 in Stanly County, NC to Adam Whitley, who died during the War of disease and is mentioned in this post, and his first wife, Sally Cagle. The son survived the War and married Clarice Emma Honeycutt, daughter of Joseph and Lucretia Honeycutt on April 21st, 1878. The family produced three children. They settled first in New Salem, Union County, before moving to the Coddle Creek area of Iredell County. John died in 1910 and was buried at the Blue Door Cemetery in Mooresville NC.
John W. Whitley Co H. 42nd Infantry. He enlisted on February 2, 1862. Captured at Bentonville on March 20, 1865. Paroled from Point Lookout, Maryland as a POW on June 21, 1865.
Personal: John Wesley Whitley was born on November 12, 1844, Smith's District, Stanly County. He was the son of Temple Irenus Whitley and wife Anna Hatley Whitley. He married Eunice Helena Efird, daughter of Simeon Howell Efird and wife, Harriett Delilah Fair White Efird, about 1867. There are a number of marriage records missing from this era. They were the parents of 13 children. He married later in life to Sarah Clementine Morton. They lived in the Endy area of Stanly County, and he was raised in Big Lick. His military records described him as light-complected, with brown hair, grey eyes and standing 5 feet, 8 3/4 inches tall. John Wesley Whitley passed away on Feb. 26, 1929, at the age of 84, and was buried at Saint Martin Lutheran Church.
John M Whitley Co. C 42nd Infantry. Enlisted on May 15, 1862. Present until the winter of 1863, when he was sick at Weldon. In the fall of '63, he was sick again, but back on duty by the winter of 1864, when it was noted that he lost 35 cartridges while on guard. Remained in Salisbury as a member of Gibbs Guards.
Personal: John M. Whitley was born March 29, 1844, in Stanly County. He was the son of George and Kizziah Eudy. His father also served in the War and has been previously mentioned in this post. He married Sarah Saunders, daughter of Stephen Saunders and wife, Dicy Morton Saunders on April 5, 1880. They were the parent of six children, but only four survived to adulthood. The couple settled in between Albemarle and Endy in Stanly County. John M Whitley died on June 20, 1921, at the age of 77 and is buried at Pine Grove Methodist Church in Albemarle, NC.
John R Whitley Co. H 42nd Infantry, Musician. Enlisted in Stanly County in March of 1863, by E. M. Honeycutt. He was on duty until it was noted that he had died on September 15, 1863. His pay due went to his widow, Susannah Whitley. He had been confined in the hospital at Goldsboro for Gastritis.
Personal: John Russell Whitley was born about 1826 in what Stanly County is now, NC. He was the son of John Whitley and Jane Hathcock Whitley. His brothers, Oliver, William, and Snider Whitley have already been mentioned in this list. He was married to Susannah Almond Whitley. They had three children. Russell was buried at Willow Dale Cemetery in Wayne County, North Carolina, where he died.
Ephraim J. Whitley Co H. 42nd Infantry. He enlisted on March 25, 1862, in Stanly County, at 19. He was captured at Wise's Forks, North Carolina, March 10, 1865 and confined at Point Lookout, Maryland until he was released on June 21, 1865, after taking the Oath.
Personal: Ephraim Irenus Whitley, was born on August 22, 1842, in Stanly County, NC. He was the son of Benjamin Lindsey Whitley and wife, Margaret C. Eudy Whitley. He married first, Sarah Ann Gilbert, on March 3, 1867. They had 3 children together. He married second, Margaret Cammaline Bowers, on October 23, 1873. They had five children together. He also had at least two children with Frances Julian Aldridge, whom he did not marry, and possibly two others that died as small children.
Ephraim lived and raised his family in Big Lick, Stanly County. He died on March 28, 1927, at 85 years old and is buried at Liberty Hill Primitive Baptist Church.
Temple Irenus Whitley Co. A 4th Regiment Calvary. Enlisted on August 24, 1863 at the age of 42. McRae 's Battalion Calvary. Transferred at Petersburg. Surrendered at Appomattox. He made it home, but was in a very weak and sickly condition and didn't live long afterwards.
Personal: Temple Irenus Whitley was born July 29, 1821 in Stanly County. He was the son of George Needham Whitley III and Rebecca Louise Cagle. Temple married Anna M. Hatley and was the father of 11 children. The previously mentioned John Wesley Whitley was his son and the above mentioned Ephraim Irenus Whitley was his nephew. Temple died May 15, 1865, at the age of 43. He is buried at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Red Cross.
Levi H Whitley Co H 42nd Infantry. He enlisted on May 10, 1862 in Stanly County, NC at the age of 27. He deserted in August of 1862, then returned to duty in August of 1863. He was captured at Wise's Forks, North Carolina on March 16, 1865 and confined at Point Lookout, Maryland until released in June by Oath of Allegiance.
Personal: Levi Hobson Whitley, born in 1839, was the youngest son of John and Jane Hathcock Whitley. Several of his brothers also served and have been mentioned previously. Of those, the family was fortunate in that they only lost one, John Russell Whitley. Levi married Margaret Jane Smith about 1863, daughter of Moses and Mary Catherine Dry Smith. They had four children together. After the war, they first moved from Stanly to Davidson, Iredell County, then to Rocky River, Cabarrus County, then he left the group that has included his mother, unmarried sisters, brother William and nephew Archie, and moved to Charlotte, then to Danville, Virginia before finally settling in North Gilmer, Guilford County, NC. Levi Hobson Whitley passed away on August 3, 1914 in Greensboro, Guilford County, NC. He is buried at Green Hill Cemetery in Greensboro.
Malachi Whitley Co H 42nd Infantry. He enlisted on May 25, 1862 in Stanly County at 20 years old. He deserted on August 9, 1863. He rejoined from desertion on October 4, 1863. He was killed on July 5, 1864 in Kenansville, Duplin County, NC.
Personal: Born about 1842, Malachi was the son of Edmund and Susanna Hatley Whitley. It is unknown where he was buried.
Martin H Whitley Co H, 42nd Infantry. He enlisted on March 19, 1864, in Wilmington, NC. He was sick in the hospital by August of that year. He reenlisted in Wilmington NC later that spring. No more information.
Personal: Martin H Whitley was born about 1848 and was the son of Allison and Elizabeth Whitley and the grandson of John and Jane Whitley. His fate after the War is unknown. He may have passed away. There's also a possibility he moved to Texas.
Noah A Whitley Co H 42nd Infantry. He enlisted May 10, 1862 in Salisbury, NC at the age of 23. He took a sick furlough to Albemarle in the summer of '63. He was wounded in August of 1864. In Petersburg, VA. He was hospitalized in Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia for chronic diarrhea. He was noted as missing in November of 1864. He made it home alive.
Personal: Noah Alexander Whitley was born June 28, 1839 in Stanly County. He was also the son of Allison and Elizabeth "Betsy" Eudy Whitley. He was married three times. He married Dovie Almond, daughter of Achilles and Christina Burleson Almond. Seven children. She died in September of 1872.
On July 4, 1873, he married relative Elizabeth Whitley, daughter of Green Deberry Whitley and Jane Elizabeth Almond Whitley. They had 3 children. Next, he married Mary "Polly" Smith, daughter of James and Mary Burgess Smith. They had four children, for a total of 15. Noah A Whitley raised his family in Big Lick, Stanly County,North Carolina. He passed away on September 26, 1914 and is buried at the Allison Whitley Family Cemetery near Oakboro.
There were a few Whitleys in the Stanly County list in error.
Willey Whitley Co. J, 14th enlisted in Wake County and was from Nash County, NC.
James W Whitley , a Private with Co. H, 2nd Infantry, was from Wilson, North Carolina.
J W Whitley, 1st Jr reserve
N Whitley G 1st Jr reserve s
Green D Whitley Co F 5th Infantry. He enlisted on August 8, 1862 at Gettysburg, PA. This was not the Stanly County Green Deberry Whitley, but a much younger one from Johnston County. A tell tale sign of our roots back there and a possible link to an original Green Deberry deep in the branches of the Whitley family tree.
There were a number of young boys who joined the Junior Reserves late in the War. I've not determined exactly who they may have been.
W Whitley G 1st Jr. Reserve aka JW age 17, from Stanly County, NC.
N Whitley Co. G 1st Junior Reserves, from Stanly County, NC.
While not appearing on the list I used, I know of one more Stanly County Whitley who served in the Civil War.
Davidson Whitley Co. G 5th Infantry Musician. He enlisted on August 13, 1862 in Northampton County, NC, at 32 years old. He was promoted on November 30, 1862. Camp Hill, NC. Later that winter, he deserted, on December 23, 1862, near 'Fleraby', Virginia. He was later captured and held as a POW in Missouri. He was released by the end of the War.
Personal: Davidson Whitley, born May 6, 1830, was the youngest son of William "Old Billy" Whitley and Martha Hathcock Whitley. He was married three times. First to Mary Burris, daughter of Allen and Lucy Hinson Burris. They were the parents of 14 children.
On October 12, 1872, he married Beadie Hartsell, daughter of Solomon Hartsell and widow of Cornell Helms. One daughter with Davidson Whitley. Lastly, on May 28, 1878, he married Sarah Ann Honeycutt, his nephew's widow. She was the daughter of Thomas F Honeycutt and Elizabeth Dry Honeycutt.
Davidson Whitley was the father of a 16th child, a son, by Mary Polly Osborne, born in 1869, while he was still married to his first wife. Davidson died on June 13, 1916, at the age of 86. His father lived to be 117. He lived in the Cabarrus and Locust, Stanly County area and is buried at Love's Grove United Methodist Church.
While I didn't determine who Mary Whitley was the widow of, I've learned a great deal more about the Stanly County Whitleys and how they are connected to each other. You might have noticed by the spouse names, that a small group of family names were often repeated. The Whitleys intermarried with Smiths, Furrs, Hinsons, Mortons, Burlesons, Hatleys, Burrises, Drys and Cagle, more often than not. This menage is what I refer to as the "West Stanly Soup", that created multiple connections among descendants, intergenerational endogamy if you will. Of course, by modern generations, they are scattered like chaffe the wind. I still cringe when I hear of a Hartsell/ Honeycutt wedding, or a Burris/ Whitley.
I may have missed a Whitley in the War or two. If anyone knows of any, please let me know, and I will add them to the roster.
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