Pattillo Thornally Ancestors: Samuel Murray Stover 1824-1897 My 2nd Great Granduncle on My Father's Side

This is one of several documents found on Fold3
about Samuel's contributions during the Civil War

Role During the Civil War

Between 1861 and 1864 Samuel supported the confederate army during the Civil War. On September 2,1861 he was paid $947 for six mules, two horses and a wagon. Between 1862 and 1864 he received an additional $1165 for 334 pounds of beef, 150 pounds of pork, an unspecified amount of bacon, 210 bushels of corn, 5000 pounds of hay, and 300 pounds of iron. The iron likely came from the Speedwell Bloomary Forge on Stoney Creek that was owned by his father William Stover.

Samuel served as a physician under Robert E. Lee in Clarkson’s Battalion with the Independent Rangers. Pvt. Co. C. He was also a Commissary Officer and worked with quartermasters of Vaughn’s Brigade, 8^th Virginia Cavalry and Morgan’s Men. One of the slaves he owned, Robert Stover accompanied Samuel when he went to Virginia. Robert served as a cavalry teamster. Apparently, Robert was the only known black soldier to serve the Confederacy from Carter County. Robert was awarded a pension from the State for his service.[1]

During the war the Stover family suffered the deaths of the family patriarch, William Stover and Samuel’s younger brother Daniel who was serving with the Union Army as a colonel with the 4^th Regiment of Volunteers.

H.L. Stover May 1868

Shortly after the Civil War ended Charles Daniel Stover was born on October 25, 1865. Next was H.L. Stover, a son born in May of 1868.

Charles Daniel Stover
1865-1897

More Land Transactions

Jacob Taylor and Pleasant Willams sold Samuel a 7-acre parcel on the south side of Stony Creek for $2000 in 1863. This parcel had been owned by Samuel’s father in 1857 when the meets and bounds were recorded in deed book N on page 483.

In 1865 Samuel sold 170 acres on the Watauga River to Charles P. Toncray of Carter County for $7500. This was the parcel he had purchased that was adjacent to his brother’s land. He also sold the parcel on Stony Point on Lynn Mountain as part of this transaction.[2] The following month Samuel sold an additional tract to David J Nave for $800.[3] These two sales were likely driven by the need to cover heavy taxation that was imposed after the Civil War.

In September of 1865 Samuel purchased another quarter interest in the 5000-acre parcel of land that had previously been owned by his father, from Pleasant Williams.[4]

The final land transaction I have found for Samuel occurred in May of 1866 when he sold a 50-acre parcel on the Watauga River for $1500 to William A.J. Pearce and John T. Pearce.[5] In total Samuel purchased twelve tracts of land during his lifetime (that I found records for) totally more than 1785 acres. All were located in Carter County – most in district 9 and a couple in district 10.

Late 1860s and the 1870s

Two news articles from 1867 demonstrate that Samuel continued to be actively engaged in civic affairs of the times. On May 17^th the East Tennessee Union Flag ran a story headlined “Convention of the Radical Unionists of Carter County”. In this column Samuel Stover was listed as a delegate from the 9^th District and as such attended a convention held at the Court House in Elizabethton to help nominate a representative for the county, and a candidate for senator in the first District of the State.

In July of the same year the Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig reported that Samuel Stover again represented the 9^th District from Carter to nominate a floater to represent Johnson and Carter counties in the representative branch of the next legislature.

A ninth child and last son, Henry Tucker Stover was born in November 1869 when the family was living in Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Headstone for Henry Tucker Stover

On the 1870 census Samuel was listed as S. Murray Stover which is unusual in most records he is listed as Samuel M. Stover. He and Caroline were living in house number 105 along with their 6 children including Minnie 15, Belle 14, Amelia L. 12, William B. 11, Sallie D. 9 and Charles D. 4. Samuel’s mother Sarah M. Stover, 76 was living with them as was Charlotte Stewart 21 who was employed as a housekeeper. I cannot figure out why their youngest child Henry T. Stover was not listed on this census. On this census Samuel was identified as a physician but his assets had declined substantially – likely due to the Civil War. Their real estate value was shown as $2800 and personal estate as only $956 – a combined loss of $23,744 since the 1860 census. Also interesting to note is that all of the real estate was listed under Caroline’s name.

Another Civil War record

In May of 1873, the Bristol news ran an interesting article as follows: “A Curiosity - Dr. S.M. Stover has laid upon our table, a very rare curiosity, being a couple of iron ore specimens, which would ordinarily be pronounced petrifactions. In reality, they are beautifully exact imitations of oak roots, showing the bark, with every wrinkle and prominence. Evidently the wooden particles have been replaced by this pure article of brown hematite ore. They are one and a half inches in diameter, and show the peculiar internal structure of the wood in the most minute manner. They were obtained from the center of a solid rock which had been rent asunder. They were taken from Stover's Ore Bank on Stony Creek, Carter Co. Tenn., eleven miles from Elizabethton.”

On July 27, 1873 Samuel and Caroline had their last child – a daughter named Emma Brooks Stover. According to the Social Security Death Index, this child lived to the age of 93 and died in Knoxville in 1967.

Samuel’s beloved mother Sarah died while living with Samuel and Caroline on May 21, 1874. She is buried in the Drakes Cliff Cemetery in Elizabethton beside her husband.

Caroline’s Death and Marriage to Amanda Hopkins

In January of 1875 Samuel’s wife Caroline died at the age of 41 leaving him with three young children. He did not remarry until October 29, 1878 at which time he married Amada Hopkins, also a native of Tennessee. Amanda was the daughter of James F. Hopkins and Sarah J.E. Hopkins.[6] Claude J. Stover was born March 24, 1880 when Samuel was 55.

Carrie Stover's marker

The 1880 Carter County census was taken in June. Samuel age 56 and Amanda age 20 were living at Stoney Creek with their son Claude age 1. Samuel was again listed as a physician. Later that year on June 12^th the Bristol News reported that the Samuel Stover family had returned to Sullivan County, Tennessee, “having bought the 1900-acre Palmer sawmill tract from Mr. M.L. Blackly, and the adjoining Hoffman-Blevins tract of 750 acres. He now has the finest forests of white pine and other timber in the county.” The reporter added, “I am glad he comes back to the neighborhood of Bristol. Our people always liked him and I am no exception to that rule. He is within eight miles of us.”[7]

Samuel lived to see at least five of his children be married. Almena in 1871, Belvadora in 1873, Amelia and William in 1884, and Charles in 1890. His son John Murray Stover was born February 6, 1889, and another son William Hopkins Stover was born November 6, 1895.

Samuel's original headstone.

Samuel died on March 20, 1897 at the age of 72. He is buried in the Drakes Cliff Cemetery in Elizabethton along with several of his children, his parents, one brother and Robert Stover, the former slave who accompanied Samuel during the Civil War.