Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, on February 19, 1839; died in Ware Co. on December 27, 1910; buried at Ben James Church Cemetery, with a Confederate *CSA* grave marker.
JOHN CLELAND, born on 19 Feb 1839, in the Beaufort District of South Carolina and moved to Pierce County, Georgia as a young lad during the mid-1800 (one source says 1847).
We have not been unable to identify John with parents in either the 1850 Census for Georgia or South Carolina. His pension records say he came to Georgia about 1847. The Pierce County (Georgia) 1860 Census shows John Cleland with a wife named "Elender". Neither have we been able to identify the parents of Elender, but her surname is believed to be "SMITH". She has also been referred to as "Ellie and Nellie." In Pierce County, John was closely associated with the John Lugg family; Mary Lugg, is shown in the 1860 census married to William Jasper Riggins; in the 1900 Pierce County census, Mary is shown as a grandmother living with Allen Jackson Cleland, the son of our John Cleland. John is listed as Allen's father.
JOHN CLELAND, a "raw boned" farm boy, born in South Carolina, moved to Georgia, too proud to let Union Solders invade his southern homeland without a fight; relinquished his pride after 3 1/2 years of hard fierce battle under the command of General Robert E. Lee, in Northern Virginia and suffered humiliation along with General John B. Gordon (of Georgia) at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia on April 9, 1865.
TOO PROUD, TOO BRAVE, TOO TOUGH, TOO MUCH A CONFEDERATE REBEL, TO BE LOST IN THE ARCHIVES OF HISTORY! John resided in Pierce and Ware County, Georgia, for about 65 year, less the 3 1/2 Years he spent in Northern Virginia.
The south Georgia "Cleland family" originated with John Cleland in Pierce County, Georgia. John was born in Beaufort County, South Carolina, on February 19, 1839 (History of Pierce Co. (HPC)/South Georgia Rebels (SGR)). While there is no exact record of his arrival in Pierce County, it is believed to have been in 1847 (shown on John's application for Confederate pension). John Cleland and his wife Elender (Ellie), appeared in Pierce County's first Census in 1860. John was 21 years old at that time. He was also found in the 1880 Census with his wife and eight children.
Note: John's wife's name is listed as Elender in the 1860 Pierce Co. census; 1880 census shows, NELLIE; the death certificate of William Alfred (son) shows his mother's name to be "Ellie". We assume her name to be Elender, as shown in the 1860 census.
CHILDREN
1. HANSFORD (Hance), born March 01, 1862, Pierce Co., Ga., and died Nov. 18, 1922, in Appling Co., Georgia. He married Mary Jane Baxley, dob May, 1867, daughter of Mitchel Baxley and Cecilda Sellers. Mary Jane died about 1951. Evidence points to Appling Co., Ga. as place of death.
2. MARY, born April 06, 1865 in Pierce Co., Ga., and died September 25, 1913 in Appling County, Ga, and was buried at Johnson Memorial (Corinth) Cemetery. She married Duncan Malcom Johnson. He was born October 1852, and died October 15, 1914.
3. JAMES IRWIN, born Est 1868 Married Carolina Bowen on 1/25/1888. D. Est May, 1900, and was buried at Hudson, Florida. EXTRACTED FROM THE BLACKSHEAR TIMES: MAY 17, 1900: The shooting and instant killing of Mr. J. Irwin Cleland last week near Hudson, Fla., was a severe shock to his aged father (John Cleland) and relatives in this (Pierce) county. He was shot from ambush by negroes, of whom three has been lynched. Circumstances prevented the body from being brought home for burial and today it sleeps in Florida soil.
4. ADELINE (Addie), born 11/22/1869 in Brooks County, Ga., and died September 03, 1937 in Savannah, Ga. On Jan. 28,1886. She married Charles Nathaniel Lanier, born June 16, 1862 in Bullock Co. Georgia, and died January 30, 1937. Both are buried at Ben James Cem., in Pierce County, Georgia.
5. JOHN EDWARD, born 12/31/1871, and married Hattie Youmans D. 3/18/1941 B. 4/18/1879 D. 8/8/1962. Both are buried at Oakland Cem. Ware Co. NOTES FROM BLACKSHEAR TIMES (Provided by Mrs. Helen -Mrs. Don - Rowell): 1. JANUARY 20, 1898: John E. Cleland has tendered his resignation as Marshal and the same has been accepted. Rufus Henderson has been appointed in his stead. 2. JULY 21, 1898: A telegram from Captain Hopkins was received here Monday stating that John E. Cleland was quite ill and could not live. We understand that his father went down Monday night to see him. 3. JULY 28, 1898: A. Tampa, Fla., July 26, 1898, to Blackshear Times: The Second Georgia is now in camp on Tampa Heights, having removed from Palmetto Beach last Saturday. We were under orders to go to Fernandina, and was loaded for the trip, but at the last moment the order was countermanded and we are now booked for Santiago. There has been considerable sickness in camp but as the present camp is higher and dryer than the former, hopes are entertained that the sick list will be reduced in a short time. ... The boys are not pleased at all at the prospect of a trip to Santiago on account of the yellow fever now raging there, but from what I can ascertain every one would be delighted with a trip to Porto Rico. However, there is no certainty as to our movements and we are just as liable to go to Porto Rico, North Carolina, or Georgia, as we are to Santiago; all those places are prominently mentioned as probable points where we are to spend the balance of the warm months, then too, the is a vague fear that we may remain where we are until winter, as one regiment will be left here to guard the city and government property, and the citizens of Tampa have petitioned Mr. McKinleh to allow the Second Georgia to remain here, but none of us care to remain... Signed Leon Phillips. P. S. Mr. John Cleland has been down here several days in attendance upon his sick son, John E. We extend to Mr. Cleland every courtesy possible, also to his son, who was a point better Sunday afternoon. Signed as LP. B. John E. Cleland, who enlisted in Captain Hopkins' company, returned home Tuesday in a critical condition. He has typhoid fever and may not recover. He was accompanied by his father who went to Tampa the first of last week. 4. AUGUST 4, 1898: Mr. John E. Cleland, who was brought home from Tampa last week quite sick, is improving. Note: John Cleland, the father of John Edward had suffered a similar attack of TYPHOID while serving with the Confederate Army in Northern Virginia in the 1860s!
6. WILLIAM ALFRED, born 2/08/1873 Married Mina Ellen Hogarth on 10/16/1897. D. 8/11/1945 B. 3/11/1881 D. 9/4/1959 Both are buried at Ben James Cem., Pierce Co.
7. SARAH ELIZABETH (Lizzie) Married James L. Tuten on 2/22/1893. B. 4/1878, born 7/1875, died 1/20/1946. Burial location unknown.
8. ALLEN JACKSON, born 1/10/1879, married, #1 Martha J. Peacock on 02/25/1897, and died in April 1898. Married, #2 Martha A. Tuten on 02/25/1900. She was born on 2/22/1882 in Ware Co., and died 6/8/1943. Allen died 1/31/1963 in Ware County Ga. Both he and Martha Ann are buried at Oakland Cemetery in Waycross.
EVENTS IN LIFE OF JOHN CLELAND
After moving to Pierce County as a child from South Carolina, John Cleland worked most of his life as a farmer, except for three years and eight months he served in the Army of the Confederate States of America (CSA), obtaining the rank of Third Sergeant.
He volunteered into a Cavalry Company known as the Atlantic and Gulf Guards in early 1861. He has been identified as a Charter Member of that organization which was founded in Pierce County to defend the Georgia coast (HPC).
Later, on September 5th, 1861, John was sworn into the CSA Army as a Private before Captain Donald J. McDonald of Company H, 13th Regiment Georgia Infantry. This company was successively re-designated to Company D, 13th Regiment Georgia Infantry, and then to Company F, 26th Regiment Georgia Infantry (Ware Guards). After it's organization in August 1861 Company F was stationed at Camp Styles, St. Simons Island, and later at at Camp Hazlehurst at Waynesville. In the spring of 1862, orders were received to debark for Virginia to support the Confederate cause against aggressing federal troops.
Dean Broome's History of Pierce County noted that many Pierce County soldiers were granted leave from service to visit their family before departing for Virginia, and we believe that John Cleland had the occasion to see his first son, Hansford, before departing into battle. Hansford was born in April 1862. Subsequent additions to John Cleland's family occurred after the Civil War.
After volunteering as a Private, John Cleland was promoted to 1st Corporal. On March 1, 1864, he was appointed to fill the vacancy of 5th Sergeant John J. Henderson who was discharged in February 1864. Records dated November 6, 1864, indicated that John was later advanced to the rank of 3rd Sergeant of Company F, 26th Regiment.
Upon arriving in Virginia in early June 1962, the 26th Regiment including John's Company "F", was assigned to the "Confederate Army of Northern Virginia" under the command of General Robert E. Lee. The Georgia Brigade, also known as "Lawton's Brigade" and "Gordon's Brigade", was commanded by Generals Alexander R. Lawton, John B. Gordon, and Clement A. Evans. General John B. Gordon, eventually assumed command of the Second Corp which included General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's old command and the 26th Regiment.
Under these leaders the 26th Georgia Regiment was involved in many of the great civil war battles of Northern Virginia during the period of June 1982 and April 1865, a time when Sherman was marching through Georgia. They won many laurels for actions on the battle field (HPC).
On November 8, 1864, John was admitted to the CSA General Hospital at Charlottesville, Virginia, with a diagnosis of typhoid fever. He was hospitalized for approximately six weeks, released on December 18, 1864, and returned to his unit.
At the climax of the Civil War, Georgia's 26th Regiment as part of the Second Corp was surrendered by General Robert E. Lee to Lieutenant General U.S. Grant. 3rd Sergeant John Cleland's name appears on the register of Prisoners of War belonging to the CSA Army of Northern Virginia. The formal surrender was made at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia on April 9, 1865. (Register is dated Headquarters, 26th Georgia Regiment, April 10, 1865). With General Robert E. Lee being excused from the surrender ceremony held on April 12, 1865, General John B. Gordon led in presentation the Confederate compatriots consisting Stonewall Jackson Ole Brigade and the remnants of the "Fight'in Georgia Brigade" before the conquering Union Army.
Out of more than 5,000 South Georgians who went to Virginia three years earlier, only 841 were on hand to witness in the surrender ceremony. John Cleland was identified among the remaining 78 Georgians from the original 1000 assigned to Georgia's 26th Regiment, and was the ranking Sergeant of Company F (Ware Guards) (SRG). He was one of eight to remain alive of Company F (A company is normally composed of 100 men - 8 out of 100 men were present at the surrender ceremony at Appomattox, Va. Would you say HERO?, FAST RUNNER?, OR TALENTED AT HIDING? We wanted to know?
In the surrender negotiations between Generals Lee and Grant, the 26th Georgia Regiment was awarded a parole with authorization to return home. Sergeant John Cleland returned to Pierce County, as evidenced by the 1880 Census. In the latter years of his life John lived with his youngest son Allen Jackson Cleland in Pierce Co. (1900 Pierce Co Census- Listed as Father). Mary (believed to be Lugg) Riggins was also living with Allen, listed as a grandmother.
John Cleland died on December 27, 1910, while living with his son, Allen in Ware County, and was buried at Ben James Cemetery in Pierce County, Georgia. The death date and burial place of Elender (Ellie) Smith has not been determined. Ellie apparently died before the 1900 Census.