Interesting Kin Folks In The Civil War
Note: To show the interesting and little known genealogical relationships between various folks involved in the late Rebellion, Buford, a member of a Civil War Chat Room and a well known Civil War author (under his real name of course), prepared this little diddy for us. I found it quite interesting and hope that you do. Buford reckoned as how it took him several months of research and hard work to unravel this stuff.
Kentucky was the scene of many family splits. Other than the Crittendens, who had a major general on either side, one of the best illustrations of the divisions caused by the war is the Buford family. General John Buford's wife Martha McDowell Duke Buford was an excellent example of this fact. She was a first cousin of the famed Confederate raider, Gen. Basil W. Duke, with whom she was raised. She was also a second cousin of Federal Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell.
Martha McDowell Duke Buford (known as Pattie) was also the granddaughter of the youngest sister of Chief Justice John Marshall. This means that she was closely related to Thomas Jefferson and all of the Virginia Randolphs. Among her cousins were Col. Thomas C. Marshall, commander of the 7th Virginia Cavalry, of the Laurel Brigade, and Col. James K. Marshall, of the 52nd North Carolina Infantry, who was KIA in Pickett's Charge. Finally, her maternal grandfather was a man named Col. Abraham Buford, a Revolutionary War hero. Col. Buford had a brother named Simeon. Simeon and Abraham started the horse racing industry in Kentucky. Then Simeon had several sons, including one named John Buford, Sr. That means that John Buford and his wife were third cousins. Another of Simeon's sons was the father of Brig. Gen. Abraham Buford, who commanded a division of cavalry under Forrest. Finally, another of the Bufords was married to Jubal Early's grandfather. This means that John Buford and Jubal Early were fourth cousins, although I suspect that they might not have known that. Finally, John had a half brother named Napoleon Bonaparte Buford, who was a major general in the Western Theatre whom Grant hated intensely.
Part of the Brandy Station battlefield is a small town called Stevensburg. Of course, John Buford made a great portion of his fame at Brandy Station, even though his division was not in the fighting at Stevensburg. The main road that runs through the Stevensburg battlefield is called Kirtley Road. The Buford relative that was married to Old Jubalee's grandfather was named Margaret Kirtley, whose mother's maiden name was Buford. The Earlys came from that part of Culpeper County, Virginia. How's that for an interesting tidbit?
This Page last updated 02/15/02