Charles McGuire was born about 1828 in Columbiana or Leeds, AL, the son of Davidson and Margaret Kelley McGuire. Davidson would have been about 26 and Margaret about 20 when he was born.
His birth position is either third or fourth child. There is no doubt that Timothy, born 1822, was the oldest. Next probably came Mary Jane, born 1824 - 1826. Then either Charles or James. If Davidson and Margaret followed the Irish-Scots naming pattern, then Charles would be their second son since Margaret was the daughter of Charles Kelley. The censuses do not provide enough definitive information, and there is a dearth of information about James. (See "The elusive James McGuire") for what is known.)
In the 1830 US Census for AL, Charles was one of the males 0 - 5 in the Shelby County household of Davidson McQuire. In 1840 he was one of the males 10 - 15 in the Jefferson County household of Davidson Mc Guire. In the 1850 US Census for AL, Charles McGuire was 22, born AL, laborer, living with Simeon Pledger and several households down from Thomas Pledger in Saint Clair County. The Pledgers were his brothers-in-law, his sister Elizabeth Jane having married Pleasant Pledger. His aunt Nancy Kelley married a Pledger, too.
On Sunday, January 20, Charles married Sarah Ann Hurst in Jefferson County. The bondsman/witness was William S. Earnest, a prominent lawyer and later legislator. Two days later Charles's brother John L. married Britta Ann Green in Jefferson County.
Sarah Ann Hurst was the daughter of Spencer G. Hurst and (probably) Catherine Marcum. She was born about 1834 in NC. In the 1850 US Census for AL, she is living with her parents in Saint Clair County. Please see my earlier post for more details about Sarah.
About a year after his marriage came the land: on March 1, 1855, Charles McGuire, Patentee, bought 39.975 acres of land from John McLaughlin, Warrantee, War of 1812, in Shelby County. This was located at Twp 12 S, Range 2W, Section 30. Here is an image of the document:
http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/Image.asp?PatentDocClassCode=MW&Accession=0869%2D139&Format=SmallGIF&Page=1&Index=4&QryID=51988%2E36
He probably got a good deal on it, for he bought it from John McLaughlin, who was father-in-law to Mary Jane, Mahala, and Axy F. McGuire. It's likely that he asked for his inheritance early, for he was not mentioned at all in the 1867 partial settlement of Davidson's will.
Whatever the case, Charles and Sarah settled into the life of Alabama's small, independent farmers. Children arrived regularly. In the 1860 US Census for AL, Charles McGuire was living in Saint Clair County, AL, with housewife Sarah and sons Isaac, 4, Robert, 2, and William, 2/12. He was 32, a farmer, born AL, $400. Could read and write. We now know that they would have four sons: Isaac Winston, born 1826 - 1829, Robert J, born 1859, William Spencer, born 1860, and Charles T, born 1862. It's interesting to note that all of the boys carried McGuire first names and not Hurst first names.
Then came the war. The War.
Here I'm going to let Barbara Strength take over. The following is quoted from material she sent me:
"I found Charles McGuire as a Private in the 5th Alabama Infantry Company F when he first enlisted in the Confederate Army. This is the web site:
http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/Personz_Detail.cfm
Later, members of this Company may have joined the 18th Alabama Regiment C. He is listed as being a member of this unit at the the following web site:
http://www.archives.state.al.un/civilwar/soldier.cfm?id=115206
(Note: when I checked those URLs today, the links didn't work. I'll check with Barbara and see if we can find the current, correct links.)
Charles died in a Confederate hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I have been able to narrow down the information to MY Charles due to a private journal written by a nurse at that hospital. She recorded that Charles McGuire of the 18th Alabama Regiment C died today (May 24, 1863). His wife lives in St. Clair County, Alabama..."
By the way, if you search microfilm of the general index cards or the enlistment papers, you will be disappointed. Only the front page of Charles' paperwork is recorded. I looked forwards and backward to be sure his papers were not mixed in with another McGuire. No such luck...Happy hunting."
http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?strength::mcguire::3922.html
"The name of the nurse's journal is as follows: The Journal of a Confederate Nurse, Kate Cummings. Reference to Charles McGuire is on page 94."
http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?strength::mcguire::3923.html
Here's some information that differs slightly from Barbara's:
I believe that Charles McGuire joined the 18th Alabama Infantry Company C at the same time as his brother, John L., who enlisted on February 1, 1863, in Cedar Grove, a PO near or in Leeds. A survivor in Leeds: Her Story recalls that both "Charlie and John McGuire" were in his division. I have seen a date of 1861 as the organization date for this group, which called themselves the "Cahaba Valley Rangers." So maybe I made a transcrption error, or else got the date wrong.
At any rate, the Alabama Archives list him in the 18th Alabama Infantry, Company C, here:
http://www.archives.state.al.us/civilwar/soldier.cfm?id=133234
John L. enlisted as a hospital guard. I suspect that Charles was active infantry because he died in a Chatanooga, TN, hospital rather than being taken captive in Cassville, GA, like John L. Men who became hospital guards were often disabled somehow--I know this from the case of my ggrandfather who was sent to the "Invalid Corps" of the Union Army.
Back to what's "fer shure."
Charles was buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Chatanooga, TN. Below is a link to the soldiers in that cemetery:
http://oneweb.utc.edu/~commdept/Cemetery/Alabama.html
After Charles died, Sarah and her family stayed in Jefferson County near her McGuire in-laws. By 1866 the area of Leeds where the McGuires lived had no male heads of household named McGuire. Plenty of McGuire women married to McLaughlins. And Sarah McGuire. But no male McGuire heads of household in an area that had had plenty of them.
My take:
When he was alive, Charles seems to have been a good citizen. I've not found any evidence of his getting into trouble with the law--unlike his brother, John L. He worked the earth, had prominent friends, married a high class wife, bought land, saved money, bred children, and died doing his duty for his homeland.
I like to think that he was a good big brother, too. I think John L. looked up to him. Why? First, of course, Charles had a deep love of his family as evidenced by his children's McGuire names. Second, I think John L. copied Charles. John L. married just two days after Charles. Brother James led John L. to fights and to court, but Charles led John L. to do his duty in the same infantry unit. Charles's family stayed close to the McGuires after his death, as opposed to John's wife Britta, who moved away. All signs of a good brother who watched out for his little bro.
Every family has good and not so good members. I like to think Charles was one of the good ones, like my own cousin Charles today.
Copyright July 2010 by ALRoots.Blogspot.com. All rights reserved.
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