CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Civil War veterans remembered in services at area cemeteries

Okeechobee News - 4/20/2018

Sons of Confederate Veterans will observe Confederate Memorial Day on April 21 by visiting the graves of Civil War veterans. The Okeechobee motorcade will meet at McDonald's on State Road 70 at 8 a.m. and from there travel to Evergreen Cemetery, then to the Fort Drum cemetery, and then to the Basinger cemetery. The local services honor veterans of the Confederate and Union armies.

Civil War veterans buried in Evergreen Cemetery include:

? William D. Yeager, born Aug. 6, 1845, in Coweta County, Ga., and died Jan. 9, 1940, in Okeechobee County. He was a private in Glenn's Georgia Regiment also known as 36th Regiment, Georgia Infantry. In April 1865. the 36th Regiment Georgia Volunteer Infantry was consolidated with the 42nd and parts of 34th and 66th regiments Georgia Volunteer Infantry, and formed a part of the army under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston in North Carolina at Henderson.

? William H. Raulerson, born Jan. 16, 1841, and died Jan. 6, 1914. He was a private, Company B, in the 7th Florida Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

Civil War veterans buried in the Fort Drum Cemetery include:

? Joel Wooten Swain, born June 6, 1836, died Feb. 3, 1900. He was 1st Sergeant, Company B, of Gen. Dickinson's regiment. Joel W. Swain was a Primitive Baptist minister and in 1868 was called to the Mount Enon Primitive Baptist Church in Plant City where he served as pastor until 1878. He and his family then moved, settling at Fort Drum. Joel Swain built the first church, which was located on the north side of the old Fort Drum Cemetery. He also constructed the first schoolhouse in Fort Drum, built across from the church, and was a teacher there. In 1881 the community of Fort Drum was founded and Mr. Swain remained pastor at the church.

? Henry Lewis Parker, born April 15, 1832, in Columbia County, Fla., and died March 13, 1908, in Fort Drum. He married Elizabeth Matilda (Brinkley) Holmes around 1859 in Columbia County, Fla. He served as private during the Seminole disturbance from Aug. 7 to Oct. 27, 1849, in Captain Joseph J. Knight's company. John Parker was appointed "Guardian of the Person and Estate of Henry Parker Minor, heir of Luke Parker, late of Columbia County, State of Florida" on Oct. 9, 1851, in Hillsborough County. On the same day John Parker applied for bounty land for Henry Parker based upon their father, Luke Parker's service in the Seminole War and the War of 1812. He received 160 acres under Warrant #20408. Later Henry Parker received 80 acres of bounty land for his 1849 service under Warrant #46065. In 1855, Henry Parker was elected sheriff of Hillsborough County. Henry enlisted as a private at Fort Brooke, Feb. 2, 1858, and served in Captain J.F. P. Johnston's Company, Florida Mounted Volunteer, s in the Third Seminole War. He mustered out at Fort Brooke, May 11, 1858. About 1859, Henry Parker moved back to Columbia County and married a widow, Elizabeth (Brinkley) Holmes, who had a son, Henry Allen Holmes, by her first marriage. Henry Holmes later married Joanna J Morgan, the daughter of Henry Parker's sister Mary Parker Morgan. Henry Parker enlisted as a private at Lake City, Columbia County, in Company B, 5th Florida Infantry, Confederate ArmyApril 19, 1862. He served on detailed or detached service waggoner. He was home on furlough at the time of Lee's surrender.

? Streaty Ashford Hair was born in 1847 in Columbia County. The Hair family moved to Manatee County in the late 1850s. During the Civil War, Streaty A. Hair enlisted in the Union army at Fort Myers, May 22, 1864, in Company B of the 2nd Florida U.S. Cavalry. He was mustered out of service at Tallahassee, Nov. 29, 1865. In 1866, he married Lydia Bea Crews. They had eight children. In the 1880s the family moved to Fort Drum. Streaty Hair was a rancher and farmer. He lived in Fort Drum until his death in 1908.

Civil War veterans buried at Basinger Cemetery include:

? Shadrach Meshack Chandler, born Dec. 24, 1824, died April 16, 1898. Mr. Chandler was born in Mississippi in 1824 and moved to Florida in 1859, settling in Fort Meade. He enlisted in the 8th Florida Infantry, Company K, on Sept. 15, 1861, and was discharged on Feb. 23, 1862, by order of General Trapier. He joined Munnerlyn's Battalion, Capt. A. Hendry'sCompany A, Florida Special Cavalry. Chandler left the company at the end of the war May 20, 1865. The Chandlers decided to settle at Basinger about 1877 and Shadrach soon opened up a general store there.

? William Underhill, born May 20, 1821, died Feb. 13, 1905. He was born in Ware County, Ga., to Joseph and Nancy Hilliard Underhill. Underhill served in the Confederate Army under Capt. F.A. Hendry, in Munnerlyn's Battalion. He remained a bachelor until he was 45 years of age, then married Samantha Chandler, daughter of Shadrach and Adeline (Tucker) Chandler on April 25, 1865, at Bartow; he was 25 years her senior. William and Samantha Underhill had the following children: Annie Cornelia Underhill Thomas, Rachel Finnetti Underhill Walker, Ellen Adeline Underhill Walker, Mary Emaline Underhill Walker, Wilford Perry Underhill, Joseph S. Underhill, Charles A. Underhill, Amy Agnes Underhill Hilliard, William Edward Underhill, Cuthbert Lenora Underhill Walker, Chester Arthur Underhill. William and his family resided in Polk County until the late 1870s when they moved to Basinger. William was instrumental in the establishment of the first school in Basinger. He was a leading cattleman in the area, owning over 3,000 head of cattle on the open range. William died at Basinger, his wife Samantha received a federal pension for his services in the Seminole Wars and a state pension of his Confederate service. She also died in Basinger.

? Matthew Underhill, born 1840, in Ware County, Ga., died 1918 in Basinger. He was the son of Joseph Underhill (veteran of War of 1812 and Indian Wars, and the son of Revolutionary War soldier William Underhill of North Carolina) and Nancy Hilliard. Matthew married twice, in 1873 to Elizabeth Catledge in Polk County, Fla.; and in 1879 to Isabelle Surrency also in Polk County. Mr. Underhill moved with his family as a boy sometime between 1840 and 1850 from Georgia to Florida, as he is listed as 10 years old in the 1850 Census living in Hillsborough County with his family. He served in the Civil War for the Confederacy under Captain J.A. Hendry in Colonel J.C. Munnerlyn's Company of State Home Guard Cattle Guard Battalion. He stated in his 1907 pension application that he enlisted in 1863 in Fort Meade. At the time of his application, he was living in Basinger, Fla. He stated in his application that he had lived in Florida for 68 years. The pension was approved on Oct. 20, 1907. He reapplied on Sept. 6, 1909, under the 1909 Soldier's Pension Claim, which was approved July 26, 1910, for the same amount. He reapplied Oct. 15, 1911. The last application in the file is dated Nov. 3, 1913. He was living in Basinger at the time of all the applications.

Matthew and Isabell Surrency had five known children: George Brady Underhill, Susan Underill/Dillon, Rosa Underhill/ Dillon, Jennie Underhill/Dillon and Fred Underhill/Dillon. They later divorced by 1893 and Isabelle married John Dillon.

? Jeremiah Walker, born 1838 in Ware County, Ga., died 1913 in Basinger. His wife was Martha M. Tumblin. Their children were Sarah Ann Jane Walker Hall, James Samuel Walker, John Hardy Walker, Joseph Milton Walker, William Frank Walker, George Washington Walker, Louis Hampton Walker and Louanna Walker Underhill.

The inscription on his headstone states:

"Oh ye who read with little care "And go away and leave me "Remember that you all here "Must try the danger called "Death as well as I.

"These simple words I leave with "You as I have often said "Don't grieve for me when I "Am gone nor think that I "Am dead."

? Abner Wright, was born in 1842 in Florida and died in 1924 in Basinger. His family was living in Basinger by 1900. Private Abner James Wright enlisted in Capt. George Call's company of infantry on April 12, 1861, at Fernandina, Fla. In July, Pvt. Wright's company was mustered in to Confederate service as Company K, 2nd Florida Infantry, at Jacksonville, and sent to Richmond, Va., for camp instruction. Its first combat was at Yorktown during the Peninsular campaign and it was during this time that Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Confederate Army and the 2nd Florida Infantry became part of the fabled Army of Northern Virginia. The 2nd Florida Infantry participated in every battle and surrendered with Lee at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Out of 2,194 men present for duty at war's start, Pvt. Wright was among the seven officers and 59 men of the 2nd Florida infantry to be present at the surrender.