As I continue researching my 3rd great-grandmother, Artimease Wederstrandt Benton, a former slave and widow of a Civil War United States Colored Troop (USCT), I'm amazed at the untold, underlying stories revealed during her life and times. It's taught me that the Antebellum and Postbellum South--Louisiana in particular, have a very complex history. When I started these research projects, like most African Americans, my presumptions were that racism and segregation would prove to show my family in complete isolation from the social mainstream and an ethnic divide analogous to the parting of the Red Sea. Yet, my Dear Mother always said "there's two sides to every coin" and I'm seeing that other side as I examine the role a man named William Maddox played in Artimease's life.
As I mentioned in my March 2013 post, "BENTON and JACKSONS: The Truth Revealed," the 1880 U.S. Federal Census in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana showed a household inhabiting Artimease with 5 of her 7 children. The household next door, 247 America Street, included her sister, "Wartha Wederstrandt," and according to oral history, her common-law husband, a white male named William Maddox, a carpenter. According to the census, Maddox was 55 years old and Wartha was 36 which places their birth dates in 1825 and 1844, respectively, as well as their birth locations in Louisiana.
My curiosity got the better of me, so I continued to research Maddox. When I examined the 1870 census in East Baton Rouge Parish, I discovered a white male, age 40, named William Maddox (b. 1830) from Ohio, living with "Waffie" Wederstrandt (another known alias of Wartha), age 25 and Joseph Wederstrandt, age 15, both born in Louisiana and listed as "Mulatto." With his occupation listed a "Carpenter," his real estate property is valued at $150 and personal property valued at $100.
In the 1860 U.S. Federal Census in East Baton Rouge Parish, nearly 8 months before the Civil War began (and 5 years before slavery ended), "Wm G Maddox," age 30, is listed alone as an "Overseer" with personal property valued at $500 and similar to the 1880 census, a native of Louisiana. To date, I find no other record of Maddox prior to 1860, but I will need to visit the Louisiana State Archives and the East Baton Rouge Parish Courthouse for further investigation.
|Death Notice on William G. Maddox |
Below, are Maddox's Confederate PRISONER OF WAR muster rolls showing his Battalion was captured near Port Hudson and paroled in July of 1863.
I also checked the National Park Service website which also contains a database on Civil War historical facts such as soldiers, regiments & battles. I found the following description of the 9th Battalion, Louisiana Infantry:
"OVERVIEW: 9th Infantry Battalion [also called 17th Battalion] was formed at Camp Moore, Louisiana, during March, 1862. It contained four companies, and some of the men were raised in Rapides Parish. The unit served in Gregg's and Maxey's Brigade in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana and was captured in the fight for Port Hudson. After being exchanged, it was not reorganized. Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Boyd and Major Tom Bynum were its field officers."
What is so intriguing about this information is that Artimease's husband, Thomas Benton, served as a U.S. Colored Troop from 1864-1867 with the 67th & 65th regiments--both organized at Port Hudson which was only 20 miles north of Baton Rouge--the place the regiments mustered out after the war in 1867. In addition, Wartha's death record states she was born in Bayou Sara, Louisiana and the 67th Regiment moved there during an expedition in 1864.
So, am I to believe that a white male Confederate soldier and former overseer of a plantation, upon his capture and parole from being a Prisoner of War in Port Hudson, establishes a friendship with 3 former slaves-- an African American soldier fighting for the opposition, his future wife, and her sister with whom he develops a lifelong relationship that lasts for more than 30 years????
|Affidavit from William G. Maddox|
William G. Maddox's signature can be found on several of these documents as a witness to the various claims made by Artimease and others. Maddox also provided his own sworn affidavits, as shown to the right, describing his knowledge of the family. He states he "kept a record of the births of the children of claimant and soldier having known them intimately." This comes as no surprise given his experience as an "overseer" in his previous line of work. The purpose of this affidavit was to provide written proof, on Artimease's behalf, that her youngest child at the time of Thomas' death, Nellie, was still a minor (under the age of 16) when Artimease filed the application for the pension, thus, making Artimease eligible to receive additional benefits for Nellie.
|General Affidavit by William G. Maddox|
It should be noted that Artimease was illiterate during this time period and there is no doubt in my mind that Maddox assisted her in the review, completion and processing of these documents. Shown to the right is an additional document signed by Maddox illustrating his direct involvement in assisting Artimease with her case for eligibility of widow's pension benefits.
In retrospect, it became apparent to me that, from the vantage point of the children, Maddox was truly their uncle. I commonly refer to him as "Uncle Will" because I believe as the only male figure and role model, he must have been an influential figure in their lives. My great aunt, Marguerite, told me that her grandfather, Edward Benton (Artimease's son), was a carpenter and that many of the men in the family derived from a long line of carpenters. Well, given the fact that Edward, the oldest, was only 7 when his father died, implies that he more than likely learned the trade from"Uncle Will," as did his brothers whose death records all indicate they were carpenters by trade. Lastly, I discovered newspaper articles on GenealogyBank.com that show Ernest Gibbons Benton, Artimease's youngest son, also purchased property sold to him by Maddox--again, more evidence of Maddox's involvement in the prosperity of these children.
In summary, William G. Maddox's influence in the lives of this African American family can not be denied. This man, a former plantation overseer who risked his life to support the Confederate States of America--a government dedicated to preserving the institution of slavery, has a change of heart and chooses a different path for his life at war's end. He appears to do everything he can to support Artimease and her children after the death of her husband. In my opinion, he loved Wartha until the day he died and he demonstrated that, not only by his devotion to her and their interracial marriage that wasn't recognized by the United States Constitution until 1967, but also, by helping her family through one of their darkest days. In some respects, given that he and Wartha never bore children, it is conceivable that he loved his nieces and nephews as if they were his own children.
These new revelations in my research have definitely given me a different perspective on the south, the war and what it meant to it's participants. As I stated before, Louisiana's history is a complex one, that when studied, must be examined as carefully and impartially as possible. Also, this information encourages me more to push my continual message that when it comes to the issue of the Civil War and Slavery, we as Americans need to have an honest national conversation about what happened and it's impact on both sides--the North and South, Black and White. I simply don't believe as a Nation, we will ever begin to heal until that task is completed.
Nevertheless, I came away with a newfound respect for "Uncle Will"--for his courage and his character. To me, his is a true story of redemption.
I like this side of the coin.