Monthly Archives: September 2010

Tech Thursday: Blogging from Word

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Today is Tech Thursday–my day to play in the technology of blogging and learn a new skill. My frustration was tested this morning as I experimented with ways to download documents from Footnote.com and develop Word documents around them, which could then be posted to my blog via Word. It sounded so simple, since I have worked to proficiency on each step. HA! I had to finally calm down and think like a teacher:

Remember to start at the very beginning, and read some directions.

First, update the blog address on file in the Word program. Go to publish from the Drop Down Windows box, and manage your blog account. The directions are easy to follow if one remembers to think like a computer.

Next, note that downloaded documents from Footnote are opened with Windows Photo Gallery. The image can then be right-clicked, copied and pasted into a Word Document.

Once this was done I had this image of my great-great-uncle’s Civil War enlistment papers.

This copy looks washed out and is difficult to read. I clicked on the image and got to Word Picture Tools, which includes a great “document reader” in the left hand tool box. Reducing the Brightness by 30% yielded this:

Increasing the Contrast by 30% yielded this effect:

Next I tweeked the image by decreasing the Brightness to 40% and increasing the Contrast to 40% :


Finishing touches were added by compressing the image a smidge and adding a nice border from the middle of the Picture Tool bar.

Publishing to my blog required saying yes to the Microsoft prompt “do you really want us to send this even though people might be able to see your username and password if we send this?”–several times.  But finally computer met internet and Voila!

What you see is what I sent!  It was simple after all.


Wedding Wednesday: The Marriage of Marilyn and Norman

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This yellowed newspaper announcement was carefully preserved by a relative, and sent to me when they cleaned out their clutter.  Fortunately.  My parents divorced when I was a young adult, and their wedding momentos became casualties of the fight.  I am grateful to pack rats who unload their goodies to subsequent generations of pack rats.  And to those of you who are divorced, a tiny plea to preserve memories of your relationship’s beginnings.  Someday your children and grandchildren will want to see where they came from.

The Cruel War Is Raging, Johnny Has To Fight

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This is the third post in a series about young William Greene Dodson that began with A Mom’s Goodbye and The Cruel War Is Raging.

The Dodson Farm, Mecklenburg County, VirginiaThe land of Mecklenburg County, Virginia rolls from pasture to forest to creek.  Wild roses and honeysuckle form dense thickets, and glossy leaves of poison ivy climb oak and ash and maple.  In the 1860s this was farm country, dependent on bonded black labor to make its red soil produce abundant crops of tobacco, corn, hay.  And from her male ranks came soldiers prepared to fight for the right  to prosper by the South’s peculiar institution–slavery.

Among these men, in March of 1864, were William Green Dodson, age 18,and his uncle, Benjamin Franklin Dodson, age 37. Digging around in the archived Civil War Service Records within Footnote.com I discovered the elements of Ben and Greene’s 1864 story.  I then correlated that keystone data with information from the 1860 Federal Census and the book Chase City and Its Environs to tell this family tale.





Ben Dodson enlisted 8 March 1862 with Captain Thomas Taylor Pettus, commanding officer, signing his papers in Mecklenburg County.  The husband of Delia Boyd Dodson and father of five little ones signed up for the duration of the war. Ben Dodson was mustered in a 3rd Sergeant in the 4th Regiment Virginia Heavy Artillery, which was attached to the command of Brigadier-General Henry Wise.  During the Battle of Seven Pines, 31 May-1 June 1862 in Henrico County, Virginia, this unit manned the heavy guns at Drewry’s Bluff, successfully repulsing the advance of the Federal gunboats the Monitor and the Galena.  The men of Company B saw action again during the Seven Days Battle, at Frazier’s Farm and Malvern Hill, Virginia 25 June-1 July 1862.  The Brigade was then attached to the Department of Richmond and held the lines around the capital until 1863.

A view of Richmond, Virginia 1862

Ben Dodson fell ill during that guarding of Richmond.  The farmer was furloughed to recover at his home 25 October 1862 and rejoined his company in early 1863.


Ben Dodson led his men throughout the company’s 1863 defense of Charleston, South Carolina’s seacoast, under the command of Colonel John T. Goode, Major John R. Bagby, and Lieutenant-Colonel Randolph Harrison, with the regiment attached to the forces commanded by General G. T. Beauregard.

8 March 1864 the 4th Regiment Heavy Artillery was redesignated the 34th Regiment Virginia Infantry.

On 17 March 1864 Ben received leave to go home to Mecklenburg County for 15 days.

On 15 April 1864 William Greene Dodson enlisted, again,

…with Company B, 34th Regiment Virginia Infantry. Captain T. T. Pettus mustered him in as a private, to serve under his uncle, Sergeant Ben Dodson, for the duration of the war.

There are no muster cards on file to shed light on how Greene Dodson went from being a private with Company I, 25th Infantry Battalion in Richmond, December 1863, to being a private with his uncle’s regiment April 1864.  I am left with questions:  Why did Ben come home? Was he just needing a break? Was he recruiting?  Why was Greene home?  What words were exchanged between nephew and uncle? Did Sarah feel more or less relieved that her son was joining a close relative’s company?

One thing is certain: Ben and Greene returned to Company B that April 1864 in time to be swept up in General Beauregard’s move toward Petersburg, Virginia.  The families would be changed forever by that hot and dusty summer.

Next:  The Dodsons of Company B defend Petersburg.


View of Town. (Petersburg, Virginia.)

A view of Petersburg, Virginia 1864

Amanuensis Monday: Article of Agreement

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Today’s transcription comes from my Minor Treasure Box and sheds light on the characters introduced in last week’s Letter from Asa Minor to John P. Minor.

The musty yellowed paper has been folded in half, then in half, then in half again.  With gloves on I gently unfold the 3″ by 4″ packet; on one panel is the notation

Article of Agreement between Asa Minor of Warren County Ohio and John Pl Minor of the State of Pennsylvania

(A tmc? copy of the Original)

I unfold the document again and read some spidery script as being a record of payments, conveniently kept on the outside of the agreement.  I unfold this record one more time to read an agreement complete with ink smudges and crossed out words. Other words were inserted between lines and into small spaces as the parties hashed out these terms:

This Agreement made and concluded upon this 25th day of May Eighteen hundred and thirty five by and between Asa Minor of Warren County Ohio, of the one part and John P Minor of the State of Pennsylvania of the other part, both children and heirs at Law of Abia Minor late of Warren County Ohio deceased. Witnesseth, that for and in consideration of the sum of five hundred dollars good and lawful money of the United States to be paid to the said John P Minor, his heirs, executors or administrators by the said Asa Minor, his heirs, executors or administrators, in five years from the first day of January next, at the rate of six per cent per annum from the first of ??? next that then and in that case the full sum of five hundred dollars, with the interest  aforesaid, being paid by the said Asa as aforesaid, to the said P Minor as a aforesaid, he the said John in consideration of the said payment having been made as aforesaid, doth hereby covenant and agree for him self, his heirs, executors and administrators to and with the said Asa his heirs executors, and administrators to convey deed in fee simple to the said Asa his heirs, and assigns forever, all the right title , interest estate property, claim or demand whether in possession or remainder in Law Equity of the Real Estate (the Personal Estate excepted) which he is, or may be entitled to, as one of the children and heirs at Law of the said Abia Minor deceased, including the reversion of that portion of the said Real Estate which has been set off to the Widow of the deceased, after her decease.  In Witness whereof the parties do hereby set their hands and seals at Warren County Ohio this 25th day of May 1835 the interlincations and er????? being made .

Both Asa Minor and John P Minor set their signatures to this document, complete with hand-drawn seals.  The agreement was witnessed by James Thompson, R.M. Rofs and Thomas R Rofs.

Folding the agreement once more, I find the record of Asa’s payments to John P. Minor:

April the 4th 1836 paid on the within $50.09

november second 1837 paid $100

january the first 1838 paid $ 100 forty three dollars

This discovery adds definition to last weeks’ transcription.  In fact I believe that the $100 payment recorded for 2 November 1837 is the money mentioned in Asa’s letter.  The Panic of 1837 did not interfere with this family transaction, at least not until 1839.  I will be curious to see if any further payments were made, or if somewhere in my Treasure Box there is a deed for this land.

The Cruel War Is Raging

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In my last post, A Mom’s Goodbye, I began the story of Greene Dodson and his home-leaving to join the Army of the Confederate States of America.  Today I continue building proofs which document my family’s lore.

All sorts of paper have been saved by our federal, state and local governments, and while I may groan about filling out the forms today I am sure grateful my ancestors completed theirs.  The Confederate’s Citizens File is one such collection of forms and notes, offering proof of services and goods rendered by private citizens and businesses to the Confederate States of America.  My search of this data-mine was possible through the entity of Footnote.com through which I pulled up a file on James H Dodson, Mecklenburg County, Virginia.  Previous work with Federal census data from the mid-1800′s has confirmed the existence of only one James H Dodson in Mecklenburg County, and therefore this file documents some of the transactions my great-great-grandfather made.  Bonanza! for among these records was this scrap:

James H Dodson, Consents to the enlistment of his son. See paper filed with Co. I 25 Battl Va Inf–W.G. Dodson

The search moved to the files of Civil War Soldiers, Company I, 25th Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Richmond Battalion).  Upon clicking my cursor I felt a connection so palpable, I could almost talk to my ancestors.  In November of 1863, with the war continuing far longer than anyone had ever dreamed, Greene Dodson dropped out of school and traveled the hundred or so miles to Richmond, Virginia, capital of the Confederate States of America.  His father accompanied him in order to give his consent, which reads:


Richmond, Virginia  Nov 21, 1863

I hereby consent for my son, William G. Dodson, to join and become a member of Capt. Aston’s Co. I 25th Inf Batt.                                               James H Dodson

Witness: W.E. Hitchcock

It appears that someone had written out the text, with James filling in his son’s name, and signing his own name.

Four other documents are included in this file, yielding precious nuggets of information, keystone elements of my family’s story.  William Greene Dodson, seventeen years and eight months, stood 5’9″ tall.  Greene was light complected with dark hair. His hazel eyes must have burned with earnest bravado as the young farmer signed the enlistment papers for Captain Samuel T. Bayly.  Volunteering to serve three years or the duration of the War, my great-great-uncle took the oath of allegiance to the Confederate States of America and its leaders.  By the end of the day 25 November 1863 all the forms had been filled out, all the recruitment exams and procedures conducted–William Greene Dodson was a Private with Company I, 25th Battalion Virginia Infantry.

I imagine James and Sarah down home in southside Virginia, pausing during their chores, half expecting to see their son’s lanky frame come ’round a barn door. And then remembering with a mixture of pride and fear that Greene had stepped into being a man, answering a call to duty.

We leave Greene in Richmond, where he is on the List of Recruits, 31 December 1863.  There are no further muster cards for this ancestor with this company.  I can only speculate at this point what Greene did between December 1863 and 15 April 1864 when he re-enlisted.

Next:  The Dodsons of  Company B, 34th Regiment Virginia Infantry.

Zoom view

Map of Richmond, J.F. Gilmer, 1864