Monday, February 28, 2011

2-28-11 L.F. Saltsman


I stumbled across an account of my great-great grandfather, Louis Frederick Saltsman today (the gentleman seated in the hat above) with some more dates of record.

This account was set down by his youngest son, Daniel L. Saltsman, apparently at a different time than the hand-written account of the Saltsman history that we have a copy of.

Some new information:

L.F. was wounded in battle (fighting against the Yankees) -- a scalp wound and a bullet to the left arm on June 30, 1864 and was then mustered out of service at the close of the war the following year. He walked from Virginia back home to Alabama, "gathering their food, such as parched corn, rabbit, bird, squirrel, and fish along the way."

The Saltsman home was on Hillabee Creek, nearest to the village of Cowpens, an overnight resting place for the stock of cattlemen driving their wares to market.

L.F. was 24 when he fell "headlong in love" with the local doctor's daughter, Miss Martha Ann Davis.

They were married August 4, 1867 and were together ten years before Martha died in childbirth with her fourth child.

At almost the same time, his brother-in-law William Thomas  Davis was killed as a bystander of a drunken brawl. The crew was celebrating the completion of a public road "with a jug of corn whiskey" when a fight broke out and "the Yates fellow whipped out his long bladed knife and made a stroke at his opponent, who ducked, and as he ducked he pushed Davis in the path of the knife and it went straight way into his jugular in the neck. Davis was bled white in a few seconds, dead and cold before any help could be obtained."

His wife had married William at age 15 and already born him three children when she found herself widowed at the ripe old age of 24.

On July 18, 1877 L.F. and Mary married, combining their Brady Bunch of seven children together to survive. They then went on to have ten more children together. To make room, the lumber of the Davis house was used to expand the Saltsman house.

Davis Children:
Samual Jefferson Davis (Jan. 5, 1868)
Mattie Matilda Davis (Jan. 9, 1870)
Mollie Beatrice Davis (June 24, 1872 - July 18, 1877)

First Saltsman Children:
Ida Florence Saltsman (April 30, 1868)
James Amerine Saltsman (April 9, 1871)
Valeria Saltsman (July 17, 1874 - June 20, 1879)
Estelle Saltsman (Dec. 7 1876 - Dec. 9 1957)

Latter Saltsman Children:
John Frederick Saltsman (Jan. 23, 1879 - Feb. 8, 1961)
Hattie LaVonia Saltsman (May 1 1880)
Baby boy Saltsman, died in infancy (Jan. 5, 1882)
Emma Ardalia Saltsman (Aug. 4, 1884)
Minnie Anne Saltsman (May 29, 1886)
Dr. Foraday Barker Saltsman (Dec. 8, 1887 - Nov. 24, 1939)
Rubie Agnes Saltsman (July 25, 1889)
Horace Grover Saltsman (Nov. 8, 1891 - Aug. 22, 1961)
Debeggi Mina Saltsman (March 7, 1894 - Oct. 23, 1896)
Daniel L. Saltsman (Oct. 18, 1895)

Whew. If you are counting, that means Mary had her first baby at 17 and her last at 43. And, judging by the dates, she didn't have much time in between. I think I'll stop blaming the size of my hips on the baby weight now and go hit the gym . . . .









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