Jubal Early Chapter #553
Newsletter
Rocky Mount, Virginia
Volume 7 - Number 3
www.jubalearlyudc.org
March 2005
Chapter News
Twelve members and one guest were present at the meeting on
March 12th at the Franklin County Library in Rocky Mount. Sissy Chitwood
gave the program on Confederate Women Spys. Her program was very
interesting and Sissy provided photos of the women. Her program
appears on page three.
The First District Conference will be held in Abingdon on Saturday,
April 23rd from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Registration is $2.00 and lunch
is $18.50. Members who plan to attend should have their money to
Linda Nezbeth by the April 9th meeting so that reservations can be
mailed on time.
It was announced that our yard sale will be held in June at the
Airlee Court Baptist Church parking lot. The exact date and time will be
announced at the next meeting.
Martha Hubbard showed the Chapter the new scrapbook for the
2005 Convention. The cover was beautifully hand painted by her niece.
Chapter members voted to name the new Children of the
Confederacy Chapter as the “Miss Essie Smith Chapter.” Enrollment is
now open for children under the age of 16 who have a Confederate
Ancestor. Contact Sissy Chitwood for more information.
First District Chapters have been invited to participate in the “Bags
for Vets” program. Each Chapter will donate items to be included in the
bags and they will be presented to the veterans on Saturday May 21st
at the Veterans home in Salem. The Jubal Early Chapter will host the
event which will be from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. Our chapter will be in
charge of the refreshments. Spouses and children are encouraged to
participate and may wear period attire. More details will be available at
the April meeting.
Linda Stanley invited members to the Proclamation signing by the
Franklin County Board of Supervisors on May 17th at 1:30 at the court
house. Members planning to attend should arrive in period attire by 1:15.
The Veteran’s Memorial Day ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m.
on the Courthouse lawn in Rocky Mount. Members should plan to attend
in period attire. Guest speakers will include Ms. Dolores Smith, President,
Virginia Division, UDC
Sissy Chitwood with photos of Confederate Women Spys.
District Conferences
1st – April 23, 2005 - Abingdon
2nd – April 30, 2005 - Harrisonburg
3rd – April 2, 2005 - Lynchburg
4th – April 9, 2005 - Fauquier Springs
5th – April 16, 2005 - Richmond
Anyone who plans to attend any or all of these Conferences,
please contact Paula or Linda N. for registration forms.
Other News
The Elija Gates Camp of the SCV was voted the best SCV
Camp in Missouri, mainly for their Elija Blankenship Dedication
Ceremony in 2003. The Jubal Early Chapter congratulates them
on a JOB WELL DONE!
Six members marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Roanoke on
March 19th on a beautiful, warm, sunny day. This was one of the
largest turnouts of spectators and entries ever for the parade.
Upcoming Events
April 23rd - 9:00 a.m.
May 21st - 2:00p.m..
May 17th - 1:30 p.m.
May 28th - 11:00 a.m.
– 1st District Conference, Abingdon
– Salem Veteran’s Hospital
– Proclamation signing, FC Courthouse
– Veteran’s Memorial Day, Franklin
County Courthouse lawn.
April Meeting
Sat., April 9, 2004 - 11:00 a.m
Left to right: Lindsay Nezbeth, Linda Stanley, Maxene, Linda
Nezbeth, Paula, Ditty and Hunter Nezbeth. Also present were Pat
Early and Gale Brown.
Franklin County Library
See you there!
Confederate Ancestor of the Month
Each month the Jubal Early Chapter of the UDC features a Confederate Ancestor. The “Ancestor of the Month” for March 2005 is Benjamin F.
Parsel. The Jubal Early Chapter is proud to present his story.
Benjamin F. Parsell
Benjamin’s father was born in Rockbridge County and
fought in the War of 1812. As a result, he was given land
grant in Franklin County. He purchased additional property on the North Fork of Chestnut Creek in 1817. They
operated a mill in the area.
Ben and Lucy (Hunter) Parsell
On July 13,1 861, Ben enlisted in Co. G, 57th Virginia Infantry. This company saw action at Malvern Hill,
Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, and saw their heaviest
casualties at Gettysburg. They later fought in Greenville,
NC, Chester Station and Drewry’s Bluff. In 1865 they
fought at Five Forks, Dinwiddie Chourthouse, Petersburg
and farmville, before their surrender at Appomattox.
Born in Franklin County in 1838 to John and Jane
Benjamin married Lucy Jane Hunt in 1867. She was
(Ashworth) Parsell (Parcell), Benjamin was the youngest of
the daughter of John and Catherine Hunt. They would
eight children:
farm land in the Snow Creek area.
1. John William, Jr. served in Co. K, 9th Virginia InfanBen and Lucy had eleven children: James, Catherine
try. He would later serve in Picketts Division. The last action
seen by this unit was at the battle of Five Points on 1 April V., Henry B., Edgar E., Ella, Martha, Daisy, Frank, Alvia
1865. John Jr. was one of only five survivors of this group Lee, Rindia and Lowell.
and surrendered at Appamattox. He married Mary Ann
The family moved from Franklin County sometime
Coleman;
after
1870. Some moved to Bland, Henry and Pittsylvania
2. Mary Ann, who married Hardin Shumate;
3. Isaac, married Mary M. Pyrtle. He enlisted in counties and still others into West Virginia. It is not known
Crehshaw’s Artillery and was captured at the Battle of Five when they died or where they are buried.
Forks in April 1865. He was a POW at Point Lookout;
4. Peter, married Nancy Houseman and enlisted in Company A, 57th Virginia Infantry. He was captured the same
day as Isaac and was a POW at Point Lookout, Maryland
also;
5. Christopher Columbus, died in 1859;
6. Elizabeth, married Chapman Coleman;
7. William, married Martha Vaughn. He enlisted in Company A, 57th Virginia Infantry.
Confederate Women Spies
Sissy Chitwood
Belle Boyd - One of the most famous of Confederate spies, Belle Boyd served the Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley. She was born
Maria Isabella Boyd on May 4, 1844 in Martinsburg (which is now apart of West Virginia). She operated her spying operations from her father’s
hotel in Front Royal, providing valuable information to Generals Turner Ashby and Stonewall Jackson during the spring 1862 campaign in the
Valley. General Stonewall Jackson made her a captain and honorary aide-de-camp. As such she was able to witness troops reviews. Betrayed by
her lover, she was arrested on July 29, 1862, and held for a month in the Old Capitol Prison in Washington. Exchanged a month later, she was in
exile with relatives for a time but was again arrested in June 1863 while on a visit to Martinsburg. On December 1, 1863, she was released,
suffering from typhoid, and was then sent to Europe to regain her health. The blockade runner she attempted to return on was captured and she fell
in love with the prize master, Samuel Hardinge, who later married her in England after being dropped from the navy’s rolls for neglect of duty in
allowing her to proceed to Canada and then England. Samuel attempted to reach Richmond, was detained in Union hands, but died soon after his
release. While in England Belle had a stage career and published Belle Boyd in Camp and Prison. She died in 1900 while touring the western United
States. She is buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery in Wisconsin,
Antonia Ford - Antonia Ford was born in 1838 and died in 1871. Her father, Edward R. Ford, owned a house across from Fairfax Courthouse.
General JEB Stuart and John Singleton Mosby visited the Ford house a lot. In 1861, Federal troops were in Fairfax and Antonia sent a message to
General Stuart. He gave Antonia written honorary commission as an aide-de-camp. Because of this paper, she was arrested as a Confederate spy.
Her prison was Old Capital Prison in Washington, D.C. Antonia married Major Joseph C. Willard after he got her released from prison. Antonia
helped plan the Confederate raid on Fairfax County Courthouse. She also drove her carriage 20 miles past federal troops, in the rain, to report to
General Stuart, just before the Second Battle of Bull Run (1862) a Union plan to mislead Confederate troops. Antonia was instrumental in the
capture of Union General Edwin H. Stoughton in March 1863. Antonia and Joseph’s son, Joseph E. Willard, served as lieutenant governor of
Virginia and U.S. minister to Spain. A daughter of Joseph Willard married Kermit Roosevelt.
Rose O’Neal - Rose O’Neal was born about 1817 in Montgomery County, Maryland and died on October 1, 1864. Her nicknames were “Wild
Rose” and “Rebel Rose”. She married a wealthy Virginian Dr. Robert Greenhow. She lived in Washington, D.C. and became a well-known hostess.
They had four daughters. Dr. and Mrs. Greenhow moved to Mexico and then to San Francisco where Dr. Greenhow died in 1850. Rose moved
back to Washington, D.C. When the Civil War began, she supplied her Confederate friends with information she got from her pro-Union contacts.
One important piece of information that Rose passed along was the timetable for the Union Army’s movements towards Bull Run in 1861. That
allowed General Pierre G.T. Beauregard to gather enough forces before the battle of First Bull Run in July 1861, which he won. Rose spied so
successfully that President Jefferson Davis credited her with winning the battle of Bull Run. Allan Pinkerton, head of the detective agency and of
the federal government’s new secret service, became suspicious of Rose, and her arrested and her home searched on August 23, 1861. She was
placed under house arrest after maps and documents were found in her house. Rose still managed to pass information to the Confederate
espionage. Then she was taken to the Old Capital Prison in Washington, D.C. Her youngest daughter, Rose, was there too. She was still able to
pass information along like a message sewn in a tiny silk package inside of a Betty Duvall’s bun of hair. In May 1862, Rose was sent to
Richmond. She was greeted as a heroine. She was appointed to a diplomatic mission in England and France. During that summer, she published
her memoirs, My Imprisonment and the First Year of Abolition Rule at Washington. Rose was returning to America in 1864. The ship she was ran
aground on a sandbar while being chased by a Union ship. Rose drowned and was given a full military funeral and buried in the Oakdale Cemetery
in Wilmington, NC. Her coffin was wrapped in the Confederate flad and carried by Confederate troops. The marker for her grave, a marble cross,
bears the inscription, “Mrs. Rose O’N. Greenhow, a bearer of dispatchs [sic] to the Confederate Government.”
Nancy Hart - Nancy Hart was born about 1846 in Raleigh, NC and her death date is unknown. Nancy lived in Nicholas County (which is now
apart of West Virginia). She joined the Moccasin Rangers and served as a spy. She reported on federal troops and lead rebel raiders to their
position. It was said that she led a raid on Summersville in July 1861 at 18 years of age. She was captured but tricked one on her captors and used
his own gun to kill him. Then she escaped. She married Joshua Douglas after the war.
Laura Ratcliff - Laura Ratcliffe was born in 1836 and her death date is unknown. Laura lived in the Frying Pan area of Fairfax County. Her home
was sometimes used as headquarters by Col. John Singleton Mosby of Mosby’s Rangers during the Civil War. She found a Union plan to capture
Col. Mosby but told him so he could escape capture. Col. Mosby captured a lot of federal dollars and hid it at Laura’s house. She was also
associated with Major General JEB Stuart. Although it was very obvious that her house was the center of Confederate activity, Laura was never
arrested or formally charged. She married Milton Hanna.
Loreta Velazquez - Loreta Velazquez was born about 1842 and her death date is unknown. Loreta was known as Harry T. Buford. She claimed
four marriages but never took any of her husbands’ names. Her second husband enlisted in the Confederate army. He died in an accident and
Loreta enlisted in disguise and served at Bull Run, Ball’s Bull, Fort Donelson and Shiloh under the name Lieutenant Harry T. Buford. Loreta also
claims to have served as a spy. She often dressed as a woman working as a double agent for the Confederacy in the service of the U.S. Secret
Service.
Sources for information
She Went to the Field: Women Soldiers of the Civil War by Bonnie Tsui
www.womenshistory.about.com/library/misc/cw/bl_cw_spies_confederate.htm
www.civilwarhome.com/boydbio.htm
www.rootsweb.com/~albarbou/confederatespies.htm
www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/boyd-bel.htm