Nathaniel J. Caraway

Abt 1835 - 1864  (29 years)

• Name	Nathaniel J. Caraway  [1, 2]
  Birth	Abt 1835	Mississippi   [2]
  Gender	Male
  Death	10 May 1864	Arkansas   [1]
  Notes	Nathaniel J. Caraway served as a major in the 11th Texas Infantry until his death on May 10, 1864. He was born in 1835 in Mississippi, the son of Vestal and Eliza Young Caraway. On December 20, 1855, he married Mary Ann Speights in Hemphill, Texas. Four children were born of the marriage: Vestal H. (born 1857), L.E.R. (born 1859), Clara (born 1862) and Nathaniel J., Jr. (born November 28, 1864, a little more than six months after the death of his father) Captain N.J. Caraway' s Company was mustered into the 11th Texas Infantry by Col. O.M. Roberts on February 17, 1862 in Hemphill, Texas. He was elected major on April 9, 1862. As part of Randal's Brigade, Walker's Division, Major Caraway and his regiment were heavily engaged in numerous actions in Arkansas and Louisiana, including the battles of Bayou Bourbeau, Mansfield, and Pleasant Hill. On April 30,1864, Major Caraway was mortally wounded during the futile confederate charges at the Battle of Jenkin's Ferry in Arkansas. Captured on the field by union troops, he was taken to a hospital in or near Little Rock. He died on May 10, 1864. His slave was allowed by federal authorities to take his horse, saber, and scabbard back to his widow, Mary Ann, in Hemphill. The saber and scabbard have been passed down to the firstborn son in the direct line of descent, beginning with William Vestal Caraway. Major Caraway was originally in Company F of his regiment. The sargeant of the company was Caraway's brother-in-law, Green William Speights. Sargeant Speights survived the war and is buried in Hemphill, Texas. Mary Ann Speights Caraway eventually moved to Logansport, Louisiana. She died in 1910 and is buried in Logansport near her youngest child, Nathaniel J. Caraway, Jr. Nathaniel J. Caraway, Jr. founded N.J. Caraway general store in Logansport, which has been in continuous operation ever since. Major Caraway's middle name is believed to be Jackson. Caraway's younger brother was William Rutillous Caraway, who served in the 27th Texas Cavalry until its surrender in May, 1865. After the war, he returned home to Shelbyville, Texas and eventually moved to Logansport, Louisiana, where he died in 1920.
  Person ID	I970	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Father	Vestal Caraway,   b. Bef 1814, South Carolina d. Bef 1850 (Age 36 years)
  Mother	Eliza R. Young,   b. Abt 1814, Tennessee d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	Bef 1835  [3]
  Family ID	F710	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary A. F. C. Speights,   b. 6 Dec 1835, Mississippi d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	1855	Sabine County, Texas   [3]
  Family ID	F705	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	9 Dec 2006

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - Abt 1835 - Mississippi Marriage - 1855 - Sabine County, Texas Death - 10 May 1864 - Arkansas  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S461] White & Toole, "Sabine County Historical Sketches and Genealogical Records" c. 1972. [S144] 1850 United States Federal Census [Ancestry.com database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005, (Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850. M432, 1,009 rolls. This database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1850 United States Federal Census, the Seventh Census of the United States. Census takers recorded many details including each person's name, age as of the census day, sex, color; birthplace, occupation of males over age fifteen, and more. No relationships were shown between members of a household. Additionally, the names of those listed on the population schedule are linked to actual images of the 1850 Federal Census.), Texas, Sabine County, Sabine District Enumerated 1 Oct 1850 16-16 (Reliability: 3). [S349] Schluter & Toole, "1850 Sabine County, Texas Census with Added Family Information and Corrections" c. 1979.