Polk County, Tennessee

Thomas Jefferson Bandy

1843-1917

 

Born to Jonathan and Ruth Simonds Bandy August 22, 1844 in North Carolina. 1860 his family was listed as living in McMinn County, Tennessee. There he joined the confederate army November 16, 1861 at 18 years old. He enrolled at Riceville, Tennessee as a private in Capt. W. L. Lafferty’s Company, Gillespie’s’ Regiment Volunteers, Company H, 43rd Regiment Mounted. In February 1863 he was appointed 4th Corporal, on June 30, 1863 he was reported absent on parole. He was captured at Vicksburg Mississippi July 4, 1863 and paroled July 9, 1863.

 

Marriages

First Marriage:

Thomas Jefferson Bandy returned home to McMinn County, Tennessee after the war and On October 7, 1864 he married Mary (Polly Ann) Lewis. the daughter of Robert and Sarah Lewis of McMinn County, Tennessee . Thomas J. Bandy can be found living with his parents in the 1850 , and 1860 McMinn County, Tennessee census.

Thomas J. Bandy, wife, Mary and family are listed on the 1870 McMinn County, Tennessee Census. Mary Lewis Bandy died sometime after 1869.

Children of Thomas and Mary: Mary Bandy Elrod;  and Sarah Bandy.

 

Second Marriage:

Thomas J. Bandy married his second wife, Harriet Craig born in Tennessee around 1848. She was the daughter of John and Nancy Craig of Shoal Creek North Carolina. John Craig was born around 1822 in North Carolina and Nancy Craig was born around 1821 in Tennessee. The Craig family is living near Thomas Jefferson's parents in the 1870 Cherokee, North Carolina Census. Harriet was born in Tennessee around 1848 . One child was born to this couple on January 1, 1877 in North Carolina. Harriet Bandy died giving birth to their only child, Harriet Carolina Bandy. Harriet went by the name Callie Bandy and was raised by her father Thomas J. Bandy and her stepmother Jane Bandy, later Callie Bandy married her step-mothers brother, Lowery Roberson. Lowery Roberson and Harriet C. Bandy married: 25 Dec 1892 in Fannin County, Georgia. Lowery Roberson was the son of William Brazile Roberson and Susan Riding Roberson from North Carolina.

 

Third Marriage:

Thomas J. Bandy married his third wife Elizabeth J. Craig November 4, 1880. Elizabeth was born around 1858 in North Carolina to Elisha and Catherine Craig. Elisha Craig was born October 3, 1827 in Burke, North Carolina and Catherine Dobbins Craig was born around 1833 in Tennessee.6 Harriet and Elizabeth are believed to be related according to some of Elizabeth's relatives. Both families lived in Shoal Creek North Carolina and Isabella Tennessee area near some of the Bandys.

Thomas J. Bandy and Elizabeth Bandy had the following children.

Felix J. Craig Bandy, born 1879 and died 1927 (believed to step-son to Thomas Bandy)

Floid Bandy, daughter, born around 1883. She had a son by the name of Oscar Bandy who married Irene Sisson July 9, 1924 in Polk County, TN.

Florence Bandy-born March 1883 in North Carolina and died 1918 in Copper Hill, Polk County TN. She married Robert Henry Jones in 1873 Polk County, TN. They had: Mamie, Mattie, James, Cecil, and Frank. Florence died from complications of childbirth with her last child Frank. About a week or two after giving birth to Frank she had gotten up one morning and was trying to start breakfast and she just fell to the floor and died. They called it childbed fever, that is a disease that killed many women in their time, especially in the more rural parts. What would happen is that they would get some germs or dirt inside them while they were delivering their babies and it would poison their blood, so it was really sepsis. In England in the 1500s or so, women would die within two weeks after childbirth all the time and they called it childbed fever. [A special thanks to Lesley Teal Duckworth for the information on Florence Bandy. Lesley is a g-granddaughter of Florence Bandy. Lesleys grandfather was James Milton Jones, she said he was something else, he was a drinker and he constantly stayed in lots of trouble due to that. Lesley said she has a cousin living in Polk County, TN. She thinks her name is Patsy Elrod, daughter of either Mattie or Mamie. According to Lesley Florence and her husband Robert moved to Kannapolis NC on the border of Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. This is were most of their relatives still live].

Elisha Frank Bandy born March 1885 and died July 11, 1937 in Hot House, North Carolina. Frank Bandy married Bertha Nelson on September 19, 1904 in Polk County, Tennessee. Bandy was blind in his left eye.

Dora Bandy born April 1887. She married Lewis Gaddis July 12, 1902 in Polk County,Tennessee.

Janet (Janer) Bandy, daughter, born around 1889. No other information on her.

 

Forth Marriage:

Thomas J. Bandy married his fourth wife Sarah Jane Roberson of North Carolina on

January 7, 1892?(according to the 1900 census they were married around 1889) in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Sarah Jane Roberson was the daughter of William Brazile Roberson and Susan Riding Roberson. They had the following children.

Fred Bandy, b. October 22, 1888; Died: 27 Apr 1972 in Polk County, Tennessee.(Buried at Flax Creek Cemetery in Cherokee County, North Carolina) He married 1st: Laura Harris, August 1, 1914 in Polk county, Tennessee and then married 2nd: Geneva Mcarthur, April 22, 1939 in Fannin County, Georgia

Arthur Bandy, b. March 17, 1901;d. August 14, 1977(Buried at Tomotla Cemetery in North Carolina)

Charity Bandy, b. 1898; d.1984, married Gudger Smith, he was killed in the Burra Burra mines.(Both are buried at Bethlehem Cemetery in Isabella, TN)

Eamon-b. November 15, 1912;d. December 16, 1914(Buried at Bethlehem Cemetery , in

Isabella, TN.)

Ed Bandy

Edyth Bandy b. 1896; d. April 20, 1920

Hugh Bandy, b. April 17, 1905; d. March 18, 1979

Minnie Bandy, Born: June 10, 1903; d. July 26, 1904

Myrtle Bandy, b. July, 10, 1907; d. June 9,2000; m. Ed Montgomery; (Buried at Zion Hill

Cemetery in Turtletown, TN.)

Bill Bandy- b. 1910; d. 1978 (Buried at Zion Hill Baptist Church Cemetery in Turtletown, TN)

In 1915, at the age of seventy, Thomas Jefferson Bandy applied for his Civil War Pension. His application states he was a native of North Carolina.

As part of his parole agreement he was to take a three month furlough from fighting in the war. Even though he had served for two years his pension was denied because of his failure to return to the war. His pension application indicates he was living in 1915 in Isabelle, Tennessee with his forty-five year old wife and seven children. The youngest child was four and the oldest was twenty-one. He indicated on the application that he moved to Isabella, Tennessee in 1892.

Bandy, Thomas J., 4th Cpl., Co. H., born Cherokee Co., N. C. 1844, age 18, mustered in and enlisted November 16, 1861 at Riceville, Tenn. as Pvt., appointed 4th Cpl. February 1, 1863, captured and paroled at Vicksburg July 4-9, 1863, absent at March 11, 1864 muster, did not return to regiment, record contains correspondence from The Adjutant General to the Tennessee Board of Pension Examiners dated April 16, 1915, filed Tennessee pension #S14668 dated April 13, 1922 as resident of Polk Co. (M268 Roll 290)
08-25-1863[Tuesday]

Orders from Col. Reynolds of August 25 were that the 43rd, 59th and 3rd regiments were to assemble on this date at Athens, Tenn., the 31st at Mossy Creek and on the next day move on to Atlanta, Ga and report at the Camp of Parolled Prisoners at that point.. (Knoxville Daily Register, 10/15/63)

On this date the regiment was to report to a designated location upon expiration of their 30 days furlough.

Issac Stamper report “we . . . then reported at Athens, Tenn. for further orders. We received two months pay and the next day returned home to meet again the next Wednesday, the 2nd of September for further orders.(Stamper)

 

Thomas Jefferson Bandy was a blacksmith. He lived to be nearly seventy-five years old. At Thomas Jefferson Bandys funeral, it was said that he had 18 children present that claimed him as a father. Some of his grandchildren remember him saying that he fathered 18 children and raised a total of 30 children counting step-children, nieces and nephews.

Sarah Jane worked the Isabelle/ Ducktown Dago camp, cleaning and cooking for the miners. After Thomas Jefferson Bandy died, Jane was struggling to care of her youngest son Bill , and he was adopted by Hugh Bandy, Thomas and Jane Bandys older son, as told by Kenneth Bandy of Benton, Tennessee. Sarah Jane Roberson Bandy died in Polk County, Tennessee on March 12, 1926. Both are buried at Bethlehem Cemetery along with children Eamon, Minnine, John E., Charity and her husband Gudger Smith.

 

Citations:

 Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc.,

2008. Original data: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville, TN, USA: Tennessee State Library

and Archives. Microfilm.

 Source Citation: Year:1850; Census Place:District 13,Jefferson,Tennessee; Roll:M432_885; Page:398;

Image:478.

 Source Citation: Year:1860; Census Place:District 9,McMinn,Tennessee; Roll:M653_1262; Page:275;

Image:143.

Source Citation: Year:1870; Census Place:District 10,McMinn,Tennessee; Roll:M593_1549; Page:105;

Image:211.

Source Citation: Year:1860; Census Place:Shoal Creek,Cherokee,North Carolina; Roll:M653_892; Page:203;

Image:407.

 Source Citation: Year:1880; CensusPlace:Shoal Creek,Cherokee,North Carolina; Roll:T9_958; Family

History Film:1254958; Page:307.2000; Enumeration District:79; Image:0303.

 

 

written and submitted by Pam Rathbone, great granddaughter of Thomas J. Bandy

©Pam Rathbone