Elijah Harrison Pinkney Sexton (1843-1863)


 * Sex : Male


 * Born: 1762, Bedford County, Virginia, United States


 * Died: 4, Cocke County, Tennessee at age 82

Civil War
Elijah Harrison Pinkney Sexton (1843-1863)

was born in 1843 in Greene County, Tennessee, died before 1 Mar 1863 in Rutherford County Tennessee, and was buried in Murfreesboro, Rutherford, Tennessee.

Biography

Elijah Pinkney Sexton was born about 1840 in Greene County, Tennessee. His father Elijah Sexton and

mother Sarah Rollins Sexton along with the family migrated to neighboring Cocke County, Tennessee.

Elijah Pinkney Sexton married Sarah Morrow Sexton in February 1859 in Tennessee.

Elijah Sexton mustered September 6, 1862 into the NC 60th Company H Confederate as a drummer along with two brothers, George and John.

Elijah died in Murfreesboro, TN during the Stones River Battle. Uncle George was a fifer player and died from disease shortly after Elijah died.

Uncle John left the NC 60th with distinguished service after becoming ill.

Sarah Morrow Sexton, survived her husband along with their two children. The eldest was a daughter Nancy Ellen Sexton who was born in 1859 and a son and his namesake, Elijah Harrison Sexton was born May 10, 1862,who was only about 4 months old when his father went to war.

Sarah died in 1918 and is buried near their home in Del Rio, TN at Morrow Cemetery. Sarah never remarried. Their daughter Nancy died in 1941 and their son and my

grandfather Elijah Harrison Sexton died in 1937.

Elijah Pinkney Sexton had two children, 18 grandchildren and 58 plus great grandchildren.

Elijah came from a family of military men. His father, Elijah Sexton, served in the Civil War

and the War with Mexico. Elijah's great grandfather, John Sexton, served in the Revolutionary

War, serving under General George Washington at Valley Forge. Another grandfather served with Gen.

Washington in the French and Indian Wars. The desire to fight for his beliefs came from a long lineage of military men who along with their wives supported the causes of their generation. His grandson served in the US Army and was at the Belgium Bulge receiving two purple hearts. Another grandson served in the Gulf War and another was on the USS Enterprise that fired the first missel into Baghdad in the current War with Iraq.

Elijah Pinkney Sexton died at age 22 in Murfreesboro, TN at the time of the Stones River

Battle. A fellow soldier sent a letter to the state of Tennessee on behalf of his wife Sarah. The letter simply stated, "I was a soldier in Company H and 60th NC Regiment with Elijah Sexton from

the time of his enlistment to the time of his death. He died at Murfreesboro, Tennessee in the year US T rebelled 1863. I know that he was properly enlisted and served as a soldier to the day of his death. I was present and saw him buried. Respectfully, M. M. Jones."

Elijah played the drum and his brother, Uncle George was a fifer musician.

As I researched the Stones River Battle, a story told as factual about the night before the battle began was found in a book written by Hattaway and Jones. It is so moving that it had to be mentioned in this part of the history of my Grandfather. I can imagine they would have been in the group of musicians as they played the songs they loved.

"Through skirmishing and artillery fire, both adversaries tried to ascertain locations of opposing lines. That night, an eerie prelude to battle occurred. Just before tattoo the military bands of each army began to play their favorite tunes. The music carried clearly on the cold, still air and each could hear the other's playing. "Yankee Doodle" and "Hail Columbia" drifted into everyone's ears, answered by "Dixie" and "'The Bonnie Blue Flag." The exchange continued for a time and then one band struck up a tune known and loved by all soldiers, regardless of allegiance, "Home Sweet Home." Suddenly all the bands on both sides joined in its playing, while thousands of voices, most betraying homesickness, joined in with the words."

Noted events in his life were:


 * He appeared on the 1850 census on 31 Aug 1850 in Greene Co. Tennessee.12 He was 11 years old and

born in Tennessee.


 * He appeared on the census in 1860 in Cocke County, Tennessee.21 He was a laboror with personal

property of $30.


 * Military: Elijah P. Sexton was in Co. H. 60th North Carolina Inf. CSA.11


 * He received a pension in Cocke County, Tennessee.22 His wife's claim for a pension was $2710.


 * He was buried at the Mass Grave in Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro, Rutherford, Tennessee,

USA. If he was one of the men killed or mortally wounded during the Battle of Murfreesboro,

Tennessee in December 1862 and January 1863 he would also have been buried in the cemetery or perhaps

upon the battlefield with many hunderds of other Confederate Soldiers.

In the 1930's the cemetery was turned into a service station and the boys were reburied in a Mass Grave in Evergreen Cemetery. Of the approximately 2,000 Confederate Burials there in this mass grave, only about 200 are known. The remainder are listed as Unknowns.

Elijah married Sarah Morrow in 1859. Sarah was born on 16 Dec 1841 in Burke County, North Carolina and died on 9 Dec 1913 at age 71.

Noted events in her life were:


 * She appeared on the census in 1860 in Cocke County, Tennessee.


 * She appeared on the 1870 census on 15 Jul 1870 in Cocke County, Tennessee.


 * She appeared on the census on 21 Jun 1880 in Big Creek, Cocke, Tennessee.


 * She was buried at the Morrow Cemetery in Del Rio, Cocke, Tennessee, USA in 1913.

Children from this marriage were:

Elijah Pinkney Sexton was born on 10 May 1862 and died on 25 Jun 1937 at age 75.

Nancy Ellen Sexton, was born in 1859, died in 1941 at age 82, and was buried in Jones Cemetery, Del Rio Tennessee.

Researched and written by Judy Sexton Root

Retirement
John appeared on the 1840 census in Greene County, Tennessee and is listed as being 79 years old. He was a war pensioner and involved in agriculture, manufacturing and trade. His wife is listed in the household as being between 70 and 80 years old.

Spouse(s)
John married Mary Gilbert on 4 March 1780 in Bedford County, Virigina. Mary was born in 1765 in Bedford County, Virigina and died in Cocke County, Tennessee.

Contributors

 * Chris V (Talk to me!)