Bridging Skeleton Trees and History
In the late 1800’s, genealogists focused on building “skeleton trees” which consist of the “bare bones” of people’s lives including their names and the dates of births, marriages, and deaths. Today most genealogists focus on building family narratives and telling the “whole story.” The foundation of chronicling this family identity is accuracy, authenticity, and comprehensiveness of the information.
Washington Clark was my 3rd great grandfather on my father’s side. A genealogist in the 1800’s would proclaim that Washington Clark was born in 1828 in Lee County, Virginia, died in Chicago, Illinois on September 14, 1864 and was buried on September 15. He married Lavina C. Burchett on January 28, 1847. Lavina was born in 1828 in Virginia and died in 1900. Washington and Lavina had five children: Samuel Clark, Droucilla Clark, William Franklin Clark (my 2nd great grandfather), Henry David Clark, and Mary A. Clark.
An historian in the late 1800’s would focus on the Civil War as the major historical event that occurred during Washington Clark’s life. The historian might summarize, “The Civil War in the United States began in 1861, after decades of simmering tensions between northern and southern states over slavery, states’ rights and westward expansion. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 caused seven southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America; four more states soon joined them. The War Between the States, as the Civil War was also known, ended in Confederate surrender in 1865. The conflict was the costliest and deadliest war ever fought on American soil, with some 620,000 of 2.4 million soldiers killed, millions more injured and much of the South left in ruin.” https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history
A genealogist today might bridge the information from the earlier genealogist and the historian and hopefully bring life to great-great-great grandfather Washington:
Washington Clark was born in 1828 in Lee County, Virginia to Robert Clark II and Rebecca Harris Clark. He married Lavina C. Burchett on January 28, 1847. Lavina was born on April 22, 1828 and died March 2, 1900. Lavina was a devout Christian and her Baptist church was very meaningful in her life. Washington and Lavina had five children.
Washington was a farmer and supported the confederacy.
He enlisted in the Confederate Army on February 1, 1863 at Jonesville, Lee County, Virginia. He was in the 64th Regiment, Virginia Mounted Infantry. On September 9, 1863, Washington and his regiment were guarding Cumberland Gap. Morale was low; the Union had just won major battles in Vicksburg and Gettysburg. The Confederate soldiers were also struggling because they had little combat experience and were greatly outnumbered by the Union. Feeling defeated, Brigadier General Frazier agreed to an unconditional surrender.
As part of the surrender, Washington Clark was captured at Cumberland Gap. Then on September 24, 1863, he was transferred from Louisville, Kentucky to Camp Douglas, Illinois.
Camp Douglas is often described as “the North’s Andersonville” and was one of the largest Union Army prisoner-of-war camps for Confederate soldiers taken prisoner during the American Civil War. According to http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/207.html, “Like all Civil War prisons, Camp Douglas had a high mortality rate: one prisoner in seven died in Chicago. Poor sanitation, hastily constructed buildings, and harsh weather conditions were to blame. By the end of the war more than 4,000 rebels had died in the camp.”
Washington Clark died on September 14, 1864 of inflammation of the lungs while still a POW.