Joseph Sirah Fairchild was born in Russell County, Virginia on September 26, 1826. He likely was born and raised in Russell County – he was the last of three children of Benjamin and Barbara Ellen Litz Fairchild. His father Benjamin relocated to Letcher County, Kentucky and remarried in 1848 so it is likely that Joseph, 22 years old by then, remained in Russell County, Virginia, probably staying with his mother or living on his own.
His first marriage to Lucinda Bolling occurred in 1847 or 1848[1]. Their first son, John Milton (or Madison as noted in some sources) Fairchild was born on May 26, 1849 in Tazewell County, Virginia (bordering Russell County) and Lucinda (probably Lucy) did not survive the childbirth. Clearly this event was traumatic for Joseph because he became both a grieving widower and a first-time father at the same time.
In all likelihood his wife’s death drove Joseph to leave Virginia and relocate to Letcher County, Kentucky where his father had relocated years before. In a very short time Joseph remarried to Sarah “Sallie” Caudwell in Perry County, Kentucky. Sallie was born on October 23, 1834 and was only sixteen years old when she married Joseph in 1849. She bravely assumed parental responsibilities for baby John who was less than a year old.
Joseph and Sallie had twelve more children over the next 29 years. The children were all born in Whitesburg which is the County seat of Letcher County, Kentucky.
Like his father, Joseph was a blacksmith. In the 1850 U.S. Census the family lived in Whitesburg, Letcher County, Kentucky. Joseph’s age is listed as 21, which would make his birth year 1829, but other records indicate his birth was actually in 1826. In that Census his wife Sarah is listed as 16 years old and their first son, John M. Fairchild is listed as being one year old. As noted earlier, Sallie was not John’s birth mother.
In the 1860 U.S. Census the family still lived in Whitesburg. By this time the family had expanded to include six children: John, Mary, Robert, Rachael, Margaret and baby Samuel.
Civil War Era (1861-1865)
The Civil War brought hardship and deprivation to many regions of the country. Most able-bodied men enlisted in the military and fought for either the Union or Confederate armies over the almost five years that the Civil War lasted. Most Kentucky men enlisted in the Confederate Army.
Letcher County, Kentucky was no exception as the following excerpt about the Caudill family of Whitesburg writes:
Uncle Billie Caudill was a farmer and great hunter until the” war between the states” broke out in 1861. He enlisted in the Southern army and served on many of the hottest battlefields. When he returned to his home he found his large family almost in desperation for the necessities of life and living. His, as well as other farms about, were grown up in briers and bushes and many of the homes of his old neighbors and friends deserted.
In an article titled “The War on Civilians”[2] there are numerous accounts of the brutality that occurred in Eastern Kentucky during the Civil War and its toll on citizens. Several excerpts are noted:
- Late August 1862: Hiram Hogg reports that Col. Benjamin E. Caudill (Sally Caudill Fairchild’s brother) was recruiting for the 13th Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate States) near Whitesburg. What we all raised there is all destroyed, I have to move my family from there ….
- Same date: G.W. Noble reported that Bill Strong, a solider just out of the Union Army had been shot at by some Confederate sympathizers. According to Noble, “that fired him up, and he went to making a company of his own men and killing nearly every Southern citizen he found.”
- November 1862: Hiram Hogg wrote that members of the 13th KY Cavalry (CS) at the farm of Elisha Breeding on Breeding Creek, Letcher confiscated most of the family’s food supply. They took Elisha to another location and shot him in the back.
- Late December 1862: Francis Marion Wilcox wrote that “the people were loyal here, yet in great dread of roving guerilla bands that often scooped down on them taking their property and often murdering them …”
- March 1863: According to Etta Eversole, after her husband returned to war she and her family moved two miles down the river and it was there that a band of marauding guerillas descended on the helpless wife and children. The marauders tool all the cattle and horses except one blind mare and one yearling street which were hidden in the woods. They took all the meat from the smokehouse, killed the geese and threw them into the river to float downstream; they ripped the feather-beds and let the feathers blow away on the March wind.
- April 1863: Abijah Gilbert wrote that the 10th KY Cavalry took “every horse and mule I had, numbering thirteen … they go after my two oldest sons, up the branch from my house, and shot most of their ammunition at them. The Rebels then set fire to my houses, burning everything I had, leaving my wife and children with nothing but the clothes they had on. My wife got on her knees to them and offered them one thousand dollars in cash, not to burn our houses. They kept her off with their muskets; some few things, however, which she did get out were taken from her by the rebels … the balance all went to the flames.”
- May 1863: Sergeant Joseph Axline, 9th OH Cavalry (US) reported “The people are leaving by the hundreds from this and adjoining counties … and fleeing for their lives from the rebels and starvation and trying to get to the rear of our lines. Many have no definite place in view but anywhere that their families can be safe and get something to eat. We see these families almost hourly passing, some carrying their all on their backs, others are fortunate enough to have an old horse that the rebels would not have and their goods are packed on him. One family that I saw a few days ago had their all packed on the back of an ox of which they were fortunate owners and a little boy perched on top while the rest of the family was trudging along on foot.”
Another account[3] provides a compelling description of two battles that occurred in Whitesburg, which was Joseph and Sally’s home when the War started. Whitesburg is located in Letcher County, Kentucky in the shadow of Pine Mountain. At the beginning of the Civil War its population was about 350. Early in the War both Union and Confederate officials recognized the strategic importance of Whitesburg as it was the closest community to several gaps and roads through the steep Appalachian Mountains (Pine Mountain Range). Due to the steepness of the terrain that gaps and roads were the easiest and sometimes only accessible means of moving troops and supplies between Kentucky and Virginia.
Though spared from destruction, Whitesburg was in every sense of the imagination torn apart by the Civil War. People who had been the best of friends and neighbors were now willing to kill each other for their cause – not only were neighbors split, but families as well as a father and son or brothers were apt to join opposing armies and potentially face each other in combat.
The First Battle of Whitesburg occurred on December 13, 1862 at Pound Gap, approximately 12 miles north of Whitesburg. In the days preceding the Union officer learned that Col. Ben Caudill was away on business and his younger brother, Capt. David Caudill was recovering from an injury sustained in another battle. The Union Major assembled his men on December 12th and attempted to catch the Confederate contingent by surprise. Fortunately for the Confederates, they had posted scouts (sentinel pickets) and the attempted surprise attack was detected and the main contingent had sufficient time to prepare for the assault.
The battle raged throughout the day. Eventually, with neither side gaining advantage, the Union solders fell back toward Whitesburg and their original encampment. This ended the Battle of Whitesburg. Though the number of wounded and killed was small in comparison to other major Civil War battles, they were devastating to this area. The small community knew almost all of the involved combatants. According to the authors, the resentments, bitterness and hatred that grew out of the carnage resulted in mountain feuds and political bitterness that persists even today.
The Second Battle of Whitesburg occurred on April 16, 1865 (actually occurring 6 days after Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House). A group of Union soldiers was located in the area at the same time as a contingent of Col. Ben Caudill’s men – the two groups were separated by the rain-swollen North Fork of the Kentucky River near Whitesburg. Gunfire erupted on both sides of the river. Over time the superior fire power of the Union forces took its toll on the rebel forces. The Confederate leader hoisted a white flag and pretended to negotiate terms of surrender as a ruse to gain time to evacuate his men. The retreating troops moved southward toward the mouth of Sandlick Creek as they destroyed all skiffs and canoes that could be used by the Union Army to ford the river.
After the War soldiers on both sides came home to find their homes and barns burned or in disrepair and their fields overgrown. Most fences were gone because the rails were used for firewood. The destruction and hardship inflicted on the citizens of Southeastern Kentucky explain why Joseph and Sally decided to leave the area in the 1860s.
Taking Refuge in Virginia
Joseph Fairchild and his family clearly were impacted by the tumultuous events of the 1860s. As able-bodied men left to fight and farming activities ground to a halt there was little work for a blacksmith like Joseph Fairchild. He and his family had to do what was necessary to survive and avoid the violence and hardships described above.
The 1870 U.S. Census taken on August 5, 1870 shows the family living in Castle Woods Township, Russell County Virginia. Three additional children have been born since the 1860 Census: Elizabeth, Stephen and Nancy. Robert is listed as a “shop hand” and a young man named Hiram Maelemore is listed as a “blacksmith’s apprentice.”
In terms of why Joseph moved to Russell County, Virginia in particular, it is likely that he had family or friends in that area. It is also likely that the region of Southwest Virginia was relied on more heavily by the Confederate government to provide farm produce to feed the Army and other areas of the South. In the 1870 U.S. Census, on the page following the Fairchild family listing there is a listing for a family headed by Charles G. Gose. One of Benjamin and Sally’s sons is named Stephen Gose Fairchild, so it is likely that there is either a family or friend connection between these families (to be researched further).
Post-Civil War Era
By the time of the 1880 Census taken on June 14, 1880, the Civil War had ended and the family had moved back to Whitesburg, Kentucky. Joseph is listed as a farmer in this census. Joseph’s age is listed as 53 and Sally’s age is listed as 45. There are five unmarried children: Samuel (age 20 and listed as farm hand), Elizabeth (age 18), Stephen (age 16 and listed as farm hand), Joseph (age 9) and Mary (age 2). Daughter Margaret Asher (age 23) and Joseph’s granddaughter Sarah Asher (age 2) are also living with the family.
The 1900 U.S. Census, taken on June 9, 1900 reveals that the family is still in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Joseph is 73 years old and Sally is 65 years old. Samuel (age 40) is living with the family – it is possible that he is ill at this time because he died six weeks after the census was taken. His occupation is listed as civil engineer. The youngest child Poppie (Mary Ann) is still living at home – she is 21 years old. Stephen Blair, age 13, and George Adams are also listed as servants.
It is interesting to note on the 1900 U.S. Census that one of Joseph’s sons, Stephen and his family is also listed on the same page. Many of Sally Caudill Fairchild’s relatives also live in the same vicinity according to the census.
Joseph Sirah Fairchild died on December 9, 1904 in Whitesburg, Letcher, Kentucky. Sally lived ten years longer, passing on May 17, 1914.
Letcher County, Kentucky
Letcher County was formed in 1842 from portions of Harlan and Perry counties and is located in Kentucky’s Eastern Coal Field region. The county elevation ranges from 940 to 3,720 feet above sea level and has a land area of 339 square miles. The county seat is Whitesburg, located on the North Fork of the Kentucky River and founded in 1842 when the county was formed. The census for 1860 numbered the population of Whitesburg at 100; only one vote was recorded for Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election.
American Generation #6
Joseph Sirah Fairchild, Wife and Children
| Joseph Sirah Fairchild | b: Sep 25, 1826, Russell County, Virginia d: Sep 9, 1904, Sandlick. Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Lucinda Bolling Fairchild (Married abt. 1848) | b: Unknown d: May 26, 1849, Tazewell County, Virginia |
| Sarah “Sally” Caudill Fairchild (Married 1849) | b: Oct 23, 1824, Letcher County, Kentucky d: May 17, 1914, Whitesburg, Letcher County, Kentucky |
Children with Lucinda Bolling
| John Melton Fairchild, M.D. (Married Mollie Kincheloe in 1880) | b: May 19, 1845, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Jan 2, 1932, South Toe Township, Yancey, N.C. |
Children with Sally Caudill
| Mary Ann Fairchild (Married David M. Collier 1878) | b: Nov 4, 1850, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Dec 7, 1929, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Robert Sampson Fairchild (Married Rachel Asher 1876) | b: Jan 1, 1853, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Jul 22, 1881, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Rachel Fairchild (Married John Robertson Blair 1878) | b: Jan 29, 1855, Boyd, Kentucky d: Nov 1, 1950, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Margaret Fairchild (Married John Asher 1877) (Married Hiram Raleigh 1884) | b: Jul 17, 1857, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Jul 6, 1918, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Samuel Caudill Fairchild | b: Nov 24, 1859, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Jul 26, 1900, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Elizabeth Fairchild (Married Newt Lewis 1889) | b: Jan 29, 1862, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Jun 17, 1920, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Stephen Gose Fairchild (Married Sarah “Sally” Kelly 1894) | b: Apr 15, 1864, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Jul 15, 1963, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Mariah Fairchild | b: Aug 6, 1866, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Sep 12, 1866, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Nancy Fairchild | b: Sep 18, 1868, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Apr 3, 1877, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Joseph Watson Fairchild (Married Lydia Christian 1894) | b: Feb 24, 1871, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Feb 15, 1957, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Sarah Ellen Fairchild | b: Feb 12, 1873, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Feb 12, 1873, Letcher County, Kentucky |
| Mary Ann “Polly or Poppie” Fairchild (Married George Martin Adams 1900) | b: Jul 24, 1878, Letcher County, Kentucky d: Feb 26, 1974, Letcher County, Kentucky |
MATERNAL ANCESTRY:
LUCINDA BOLLING FAIRCHILD AND SALLY CAUDILL FAIRCHILD
Despite extensive research, no definitive familial information can be located about Lucinda Bolling of Tazewell County, Virginia. However, we know a few things. Joseph Sirah Fairchild married Lucinda Bowling sometime before 1849 and she died during childbirth on May 26, 1849, giving birth to Dr. John M. Fairchild.
It is likely that she is somehow related to Jarrett Bowling (1762-1856) Tazewell County, Virginia. Jarrett had thirteen children. His daughter, Mary H. Bowling was born in 1813 and married Christopher Gose (1807-1853). The Gose family were involved with Joseph Sirah and his wife Sarah Caudill Fairchild. They named one of their sons Stephen Gose Fairchild. Also, during the Civil War, Joseph Sirah moved from Whitesburg, Kentucky to Castle’s Woods, Russell County, Virginia and according to the 1870 U.S. Census. On this same Census a neighbor is named Charles H. Gose, one of Christopher and Mary Bowling Gose’s sons.
Given these facts it is likely that Lucinda Bowling was related to Mary H. Bowling Gose.
The Caudill Family
Sally Caudill was part of one of the oldest, most numerous, Influential and popular families in Eastern Kentucky. In 1803 the region was a vast wilderness. One of the earliest settlers was James Caudill who migrated from North Carolina. He was a Revolutionary War soldier and Indian fighter. He was born in North Carolina in 1750 and enlisted at a young age in the American army for service in the Revolutionary War. In the early days of the war he was captured by the British and suffered many indignities. He and his comrades escaped and returned to the American Army. He fought on many of Revolutionary War battlefields including King’s Mountain in 1780. He also fought at Guilford Courthouse.
After Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, James returned to his home in North Carolina. However he traveled deep into the wilds of Virginia and Kentucky and engaged hunting, trapping, farming and fighting Indian marauders.
He married the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier and fathered three sons in North Carolina. In 1803 he and his family made the final move to Eastern Kentucky, building homes, erecting a church and school house and otherwise establishing a viable settlement. In 1820 James Caudill became a charter member of the old Oven Fork Church, organized on the Cumberland River in what was then Harlan County. His son William Caudill was listed as a church deacon and his wife, Nancy was listed as a deaconess. The oldest son Henry had seven sons and two daughters. These were Stephen, born 1810; James, 1816; Henry H., 1818; Billie, 1820; Isom, 1822; Ben, 1824; Jesse, 1826 and David, 1828. James Caudill’s daughter, Abagail, and William Pennington, her husband, are also mentioned in the old Oven Fork record as among the first deaconesses and deacons of that church.
James Caudill was the brother of Sarah “Sally” Caudill Fairchild’s grandfather. So she lived at the same time and likely interacted with he and the entire Caudill clan over the years. As noted in the earlier analysis, Whitesburg was populated by many Caudill families.
[1] Early Fairchilds in America and Their Descendants, Compiled by Jean Fairchild Gilmore, p. 438.
[2] Researched and compiled by Marlitta H. Perkins; updated November 22, 2003 – http://www.oocities.org/eastkyunion/Mountain_Chronology.html
[3] The First Battle of Whitesburg (December 13, 1862) and The Second Battle of Whitesburg (April 16, 1865) By Richard Glen Brown and David Chaltas;http://bencaudill.com/documents_msc/whitesburg/whitesburg_battle.html
