Murrell Family, ancestors of our Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)
William, James, and Elizabeth are three of the most common names used by Murrells across the country. In researching some of the ancestors in the trees of one of our DNA matches, we came upon “Chronicle,” published by the Campbell County [Virginia] Historical Society. There are two Murrells listed in the article, “Campbell County in War Times January-March 1863, Part 6 of a series,” by Amelia A. Talley.
Information from Order Book 28 of the Circuit Court:
12 January 1863– A report was received by the court concerning the division of slaves from the estate of the deceased James Murrell, and orders to record it were noted. (Page 6 of “Chronicle”)
[This short Order gives us a lot of information! It tells us that a James Murrell had resided in Campbell County, had died, and his will was being probated in the county. We now know he died before 12 Jan 1863, and he owned slaves. These are hints to look at censuses, slave schedules, deeds- slaves may be recorded in deed books, and he likely owned property if he had slaves to work it- and also the probate files for Campbell County. The probate file probably contains an inventory, administration papers, etc., if it has survived.
This James Murrell is most likely Major James Murrell, husband to 1) Obedience Rudd, and 2) Nancy Cobbs. The Major died 25 Dec 1859. One of his sons with Nancy was John Cobbs Murrell, probably the John C. Murrell listed below.]
2 March 1863– John C. Murrell furnished an acceptable, able-bodied substitute, and thus was exempted from military service. (Page 7 of “Chronicle”)
[The Confederate forces of Virginia were in need of more able-bodied men by March of 1863, and thus an “Exemption Board” was created to examine male residents ages 40-45 who had claimed to not be required to serve. Up until that time, those in certain professions had been exempted, such as those who had large plantations- this is probably the origin of the “rich man’s war, poor man’s fight” saying. (See page 8 of “Chronicle” for more information on plantation owner exemptions.)
Of those men who had claimed exemptions for various reasons, the Board determined that 24 of the men were indeed exempt due to “permanent bodily infirmity.” Additional allowed exemptions included two local doctors who were needed in the community, however, if they stopped practicing, they would be required to serve. Two of the previously-exempted men had exceeded the age of 45 years and were therefore legally exempt. Eight other men had petitioned for exemption and the court overruled all of them; an additional five were determined to not be exempt, but they wished to appeal, and were granted a furlough of twenty days in which they could file and complete the appeal. John C. Murrell was one of five other men in this age group who furnished “able-bodied substitutes” that were accepted by the military, so John was then not required to serve in the Confederate Army.
This entry gives us some of the context of the times as well as individual detail. The Confederacy was in need of suitable soldiers, but had already enlisted or drafted all the young men it could. Next they had to find the most fit of the older generation, aged 40-45, to draft them into the Army. The “Exemption Board” held the lives of these men in their hands, and the lives of their families as well, so it must have been pretty tense in that courtroom. These men were able-bodied enough to run the farms, mills, businesses, and stores to keep a family and a town going, although the women and children most likely had to help out since the younger men were gone. With these older men now going off to war, getting crops planted and harvested, grain ground, etc., was going to be difficult, and protecting the homestead or other property from soldiers (on both sides!) would be even more challenging. Families knew what might be ahead for then- hunger, fields unused and businesses closed, goods and livestock looted or destroyed, and families torn apart by distance and the worst- the possibility that a loved one would not return.
We now also know a bit about the economics of the area- there were five men aged 40-45 who were affluent enough in 1863 to be able to pay a substitute to serve in their place. The cost of substitutes ranged from about $1,000 at the beginning of the war to $3,000 (over $56,000 in 2017 money), or maybe even more in the South where eligible men were scarce.]
9 March 1863– John C. Murrell was the Administrator of the estate of Anthony W. North, and as Administrator was taken to chancery court by North’s two underage daughters. The court appointed a guardian for three other children (presumably) of the deceased, and John was required to sell the slaves listed by the plaintiffs to the highest bidders. (Page 7 of “Chronicle”)
[John C. Murrell was a lawyer, per censuses and the “Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography”:
He then [after about 1844] studied law and was admitted to the bar of Campbell county, where he entered upon legal practice, and continued with unvaried success along the same line for the remainder of his life. He served in the capacity of commonwealth attorney from 1865 until his death, a period of almost a decade and a half. He was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens, occupying a prominent position, his advice and counsel being eagerly sought and followed.”
John would have been the lawyer for Anthony W. North, or was a close friend asked to be his Administrator.]
Notes, Sources, and References:
- Tree-shaped word cloud made on WordArt.com. They can use the art to print t-shirts, bags, etc.- very easy, very cool, and lots of options.
- “Chronicle,” Campbell County [Virginia] Historical Society, Volume 24, Issue 1, January 2013. http://www.campbellcountyvahistoricalsociety.org/Newsletters/Jan%202013%20Newsletter%20Final%20Draft.pdf
- For information on inherited slaves and their prices (shudder- this is hard to write, harder to read), see “Black Confederates and Afro-Yankees in Civil War Virginia” by Ervin L. Jordan, especially pages 40-43, etc.– https://books.google.com/books?id=366g6T8ADjkC&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=how+much+is+1863+$3000+worth+today&source=bl&ots=t_pQo4lHEz&sig=9Q2xT_e7kEPYfOb1hBD0UrfSNJI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjas42TjdHaAhXNoFMKHS0vBR0Q6AEIdTAH#v=onepage&q=how%20much%20is%201863%20%243000%20worth%20today&f=false
- Civil War substitutes– http://www.thecivilwaromnibus.com/articles/133/hired-soldiers-substitutes-during-the-civil-war/
- Inflation calculator– http://www.in2013dollars.com/1863-dollars-in-2017?amount=3000
- “Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography,” Vol. 4, page 176.
- Note: The entries above have not been taken word-for-word from “Chronicle” but the abstracts have been used with additional research to tell the stories of the Order Book entries.
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