ELIJAH LINDLEY, 24TH TEXAS CAVALRY






Photo from collection of Buddy Sadler, contributed by Suzie Reese

ELIJAH LINDLEY

Thanks to Suzie Reese for her research and contributions to this article.


© Karen McCann Hett  All Rights Reserved 2003-2014

Elijah was born 20 March 1835, the son of Samuel Washington Lindley and Elizabeth Whitley, according to the book, Confederate Veterans of Madison County. Another date given in some records is 8 February 1835. The Lindleys moved from Illinois in about 1834, and Elijah was born in Texas. The family settled in Danville, Mongtgomery County. They appear there in early tax lists and on the census of 1850.

Elijah was a brother of John Lindley and James Lindley, and also of Mary Lindley, wife of Hiram Little.

Elijah first married Mrs. Eliza Tolbert Kelton, widow of Robert F Kelton; she was born in about 1831 and died about 1869. She was the daughter of John Tolbert and Margaret Collard. They were married 20 August 1855 in Walker County, by Rev. Isaac Tabor.

Elijah was on the tax list of Montgomery County in 1857 with 400 acres in the Samuel Lindley Survey, one slave, and three horses. He continued to render his taxes in Montgomery County through 1862.

The couple was enumerated in Montgomery County in 1860, living near Tolbert and Kelton families. Elijah was a farmer.

In April of 1862, Elijah enrolled as a private in Co. B 24th Regiment Texas Cavalry under Captain Samuel D. Wooldridge. He was mustered in on April 28th at Camp Carter. Also joining the company, in addition to his two brothers and a brother-in-law, were his two first cousins once removed, William B. Lawrence and Charles Lawrence.

By June, Elijah was absent sick, and he was furloughed on the 25th of June. From that point on, he was listed in the rolls as furloughed.

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Elijah and his family moved to Burleson County about this time, according to a book about the Kelton family.

After Eliza's death in about 1870 or before, presumably in Burleson County, Elijah moved to Madison County. He was enumerated in 1870 as a widower with three children. Shortly afterwards he married Margarett E. McGill, the daughter of Minister/teacher Walter and wife Isabella (Anderson) McGill. Margarett was born in about 1847 in Tennessee and migrated with her parents to Madison County, Texas, from Hamilton County, Tennessee, after 1860.

After their marriage, Elijah and Margarett moved with her parents to the vicinity of Pottersville, in Limestone County. This community is now known as Oletha and is about twelve miles southeast of Groesbeck. This information is in the book, A HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY TEXAS. Further information can be found in Lucille M. Bates' book, WALTER McGILL. Rev. McGill died in 1878 and is buried in Ferguson Cemetery, Limestone County.

The Elijah Lindley family is enumerated in the 1880 census in Bald Prairie Township, Robertson County, Texas, just a few miles across the county line. They had two children of their own.

Elijah's sister, Barsheba, and her husband, John Sadler, were already living in Limestone County at this time.

According to the McGill book, there was much lawlessness in the area around Pottersville. Mrs. Bates writes that Elijah was a victim of a shotgun blast. He died 28 July 1880, and is buried in Ferguson Cemetery in Limestone County near the community of Oletha. Margarett is also buried in Ferguson Cemetery.

Although there is what appears to be a recently erected marker for Eliza in this cemetery which matches Elijah's, it seems apparent that she died in Burleson County, or perhaps Madison.


Photos from Ferguson Cemetery
Contributed by Suzie Reese

Return to Co. B 24th Texas Cavalry

For further information and records of all Confederate soldiers of Montgomery County, Texas, as well as histories of the regiments they served in, see Montgomery County, Texas, CSA by Frank M. Johnson. The book may be purchased on Amazon.

Return to Barrett Family Branches Index Page

© Karen McCann Hett  All Rights Reserved 2003-2014
Content Used with Permission on © Barrett Branches