Jason Henderson Hunter (c1815-c1885)

My great-great grandfather Jason Henderson Hunter lived an interesting life. 

He was probably born in Henderson County, North Carolina, and moved with his parents to Union County, Georgia.  In about 1839 he and his brother were soldiers in the group that marched the Indians from Georgia and North Carolina, to Oklahoma, known as "The Trail of Tears"

After that in about 1840 he moved to Franklin, North Carolina, and became a constable, where he had frequent run-in with presiding judges.

In 1842 Catherine Davis and Rebecca Trammell sued Jason for Bastardy.  Rebecca was the mother of my great grandfather William A. Hunter.  The judge ruled in favor of the women, Jason was to pay chld support of $100 yearly to each.  About 5 years later Catherine Davis sued Jason for the bastardy the second time..

Jason married Elizabth Sherrell in 1843 and they had five chilfen.


From Macon County, North Carolina, Deed Book D:


1782. Mortgage: JASON H. HUNTER of Macon to NICHOLAS W.WOODFIN of Buncombe Co., NC for $1, 167 ac. on which Hunter lives, purchased lives, purchased from Michael Wikle on the Tennessee R., Sec. 38, Dis. 16; also the Sellers tract purchased of JAMES SELLERS, 174 ac., Sec. 38 Dis. 1; also 50 ac. Sec. 64, Dis. 8, purchased of BENJAMIN HYDE; also 116 ac., purch. of Hyde, Sec. 69, Dis. 8. Also for $1 has sold to Woodfin three negro slaves, woman of dark complexion named EMMA, 27 years, one boy child of the woman Emma, aged abt. 4 yrs, of yellow complexion named JOHN and one other child of same woman, a female named MARGARET, aged 1 yr. Condition: Hunter indebted to Woodfin by $602 note dated Sep. 15, 1843, also following notes in hands of Woodfin as attorney for following Charleston merchants: $185.58 due firm of ROOSEVELT & BARKER, dated Oct. 26 1843, with credit of $50; one of $144.11, same firm, dated June 4, 1844; another of $61.60, due TOWNSEND & MENDELHALL & CO, dated Oct 27, 1843, with credit of $140.00; another of $351.79, due KELSEY & DEAS, dated June 4, 1844; another of $100.12, same firm, Dec 14, 1844.

J.H. Hunter, Wit: H.G. WOODFIN, who proved Dec 17, 1844. Registered Feb 12, 1845.

I had a chance to do some more research for my book at Tulane University's Special Collections Library (background on M. Jeff Thompson, who Jason Hunter served under) and also to visit the Confederate Museum. I'm amassing a lot of information on Jason's confederate military career both ashore and afloat and I know you will find this interesting. Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson, Missouri's Swamp Fox, said Jason was both heroic and patriotic. I'm off tomorrow to Sikeston, Missouri (still on vacation, but still searching for Jason's history). Jason and his men did a lot of fighting around Sikeston and I'm hoping to get up to Marble Hill, MO (formerly Dallas township) in Bollinger County, where Jason as a Captain raised a company for military service. I found some information on Jason in the Sikeston library, but need to spend more time in the area.

He was a representative from Bollinger CO in 1858. Also, according to the "History of Bollinger County: 1851-1976", Three companies of men were organized into a battalion of the State Guard troops under his command in early June 1861. In July, the battalion was joined with the Scoitt County Infantry Battalion into the Second Infantry Regiment, First Division Missouri State Guard, with the Bollinger County Battalion designated as the Second Battalion, Second Infantry. Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson (the Missouri Swamp Fox) was the head of the First Division. : I agree with you that Andrew J. and John A. are one and the same. My theory is that at age 13 or 14 in 1860--14 and 15 during the civil war outbreak--he may have gone with his father's battalion as a drummer boy...and been killed somewhere along the way. Of course, during those times in Bollinger CO, it

was literally neighbor against neighbor. In Missouri, in certain counties like Bollinger where the sentiments were about evenly split between Union and Confederate, it was '"hell on earth" for civilians. Maybe Andrew J. or John A. was killed by one of the guerrilla bands that frequented the area. One other possibility: Maybe Jason sent the family further south for protection (many

Missourians favoring the South did so).

My interest in finding out everything I can about him stems from a book I have been researching. The main character in my book (a Union officer) was first wounded in a skirmish with Jason and his men in Charleston, MO on Aug. 20, 1861. It has taken a lot of time just to identify Jason H. Hunter as the leader of the band. I started with a "Col. Hunter" and that was it! This was

complicated by the fact that Jason and his men were based at one time or another at "Camp Hunter" and "Hunter's Farm", two places owned by another segment of the Hunter family..

I appreciate the info on Jason as a member of Co A, 1st Bat, Mo Infantry and the fact that he was later elected Captain and served as Inspector and Mustering Officer. This was after he was court martialed and broken. Prior to that he was a Colonel. After being broken he joined Col. William L. Jeffers' 8th Missouri Cavalry Regiment, CSA, and saw frequent action in Arkansas. (More

later).

Bollinger CO. Marble Hill is the county seat, not Cape Girardeau. It was originally named Dallas and had that name during the civil war. Unfortunately I didn't get up to Bollinger CO on my trip to Sikeston, but plan to next time. I did find out that Jason was a Bollinger representative 1858-1860. Also the William Grimsley that was ruled against by the court along with Jason was a

storekeeper in Dallas who raised troops along with Jason. I think the court's ruling against the two was probably for alleged damages during the war and since neither was living in the county it was easy to dispose of their property.

I am checking on William L. Jeffers, Jason's old commander in the 8th Missouri Cavalry. After the war, he returned to Southeast Missouri, settling in Clarkton, where he operated a hotel and served as the local peace officer. He then spent his remaining years running a hotel in Dexter, MO. It is said he was always interested in the welfare of the ex-Confederate soldiers, so I'm working on the hunch that he and Jason communicated. I also plan to check out William C. Grimsley (the guy who lost his land along with Jason in the Bollinger CO court). Maybe he settled near Jason or at least kept in touch. Who knows? Hopefully, I can track down more correspondence of Jason's.

Yes, William Jeffers was quite a man. Some time after he died, his old comrades in arms raised money and erected a statue in Jackson, MO (his hometown) to honor him. It is still there. Some of the troops that rode with him were: the James brothers, the Younger brothers and Daniel McGee.

-Excerpts from e-mail notes of Richard "Rich" Wright - 1998


To be continued.