MS and LA in the War of 1812
I have 3 brothers that were in the same unit at the same time during the War of 1812. I have their compiled service records. None of them lived long enough to apply for a pension. Two lived long enough to get bounty land. They were in the 10 and 20 Consolidated Louisiana Militia. They enlisted in Feliciana Parish on 25 Dec 1814. So far so good. So here is the problem. They were Mississippi boys.
At first I thought maybe they had enlisted in a MS Militia unit that later merged with a LA Militia unit because according to Casey, Powell A. Louisiana in the War of 1812. Baton Rouge: privately published, 1963. there are examples of MS units merging into LA units but the 10 and 20 isn’t listed as one that had been recipients of MS soldiers. But now I am not so sure. I dug out the bounty land application I have that I haven't looked at in eons and he specifically said he enlisted in Feliciana Parish so there goes that theory right out the window. What I need more than anything is a detailed history of the 10 and 20 Consolidated LA Militia just to make double sure.
Here is why it matters… The first record I have for these three guys (other than the service records) is in Greene County, MS in 1816. Their daddy shows up in the 1816 tax roll, territorial census, and he bought land that year (May, June, and July of 1816 so it looks like he just got there). His land was in what would become Perry County. Both Greene and Perry are burned counties and Perry is a VERY burned county so, I am very happy to have what little I do have.
Two of the boys appear to be living with daddy in 1816 based on the ages in the 1816 territorial census. The 3rd boy was probably out on his own because he shows up for the first time in the tax records in 1817 (next son shows up in 1818, and last son shows up in 1820). All of them are right where they should be, nice and tidy. Two of the boys were born in SC (per the 1850 census). The 3rd falls off the planet after 1819. SC to the MS territory is perfectly normal. SC to LA to the MS Territory is not. They would have significantly backtracked. I just don’t buy it.
I can’t find daddy anywhere in MS (or LA for that matter) prior to 1816 (weird because he had 2 slaves and someone would want the tax money for that). So two questions…
1) Does anyone know if a history of the 10 and 20 Consolidated Louisiana Militia? Specifically, the 2nd Division, 3rd Brigade, 10 Regiment. (Capt. Vincent Chance's company and then later Capt. Thomas Neasom's company?) I have looked everywhere I can think of. I sent an email to the LA Archives but no answer yet.
2) Where the heck was daddy in 1814 and 1815? Any thoughts? Two of the boys were only 20 and 17 when they enlisted in 1814, and the third boy (probably the oldest since he showed up on the tax records first) was probably in his very early 20s. It is POSSIBLE (but not probable) that the boys came to MS (LA) first and daddy followed after. Not buying that either. And no, none of them have passports, that would have been too easy.
Any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.
Michele
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I responded to this inquiry in Southern States Research group.
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1) Does anyone know if a history of the 10 and 20 Consolidated Louisiana Militia? Specifically, the 2nd Division, 3rd Brigade, 10 Regiment. (Capt. Vincent Chance's company and then later Capt. Thomas Neasom's company?) I have looked everywhere I can think of. I sent an email to the LA Archives but no answer yet.
I think you're going to be out of luck on a history of your ancestor's company, but you can find bits and pieces by searching for others in the same company, especially those with pension files. I used Fold3 to search and the two that I looked at had extremely long pension files because no muster rolls could be found as evidence of their service. According to testimony in these files, the second sergeant was Eli Chance, 1st Sgt. William Chance, and captain, Thomas Nesom (spelled at least six different ways), and served under command of Col. Fluker. The company fought in the Battle of New Orleans. Fold3 is a subscription site, but might be available at your local FamilySearch Center. I used "10 and 20 consolidated" as key words to search the site, and yes, put them in quotes.
2) Where the heck was daddy in 1814 and 1815? Any thoughts? Two of the boys were only 20 and 17 when they enlisted in 1814, and the third boy (probably the oldest since he showed up on the tax records first) was probably in his very early 20s. It is POSSIBLE (but not probable) that the boys came to MS (LA) first and daddy followed after. Not buying that either. And no, none of them have passports, that would have been too easy.
Boundary changes might come into play here. I would look for the father in Washington and Wayne counties, and maybe even Washington county, Alabama since the state boundary cut through that area in 1817. Also, I don't think Feliciana parish is that far away. Robert Wessel might be correct that the boys just wanted to be a part of the Louisiana militia, for whatever reason.
Have you found any records in South Carolina?
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