John Thomas Jefferson Culpepper

Male, #32387, (9 Aug 1827 - 1 Aug 1902)

ParentFrancis Gillespie Culpepper (31 Jan 1804 - 21 Oct 1903)
ParentEglintine Langley (6 Apr 1810 - 3 Apr 1878)
John Thomas Jefferson Culpepper|b. 9 Aug 1827\nd. 1 Aug 1902|p32387.htm|Francis Gillespie Culpepper|b. 31 Jan 1804\nd. 21 Oct 1903|p32062.htm|Eglintine Langley|b. 6 Apr 1810\nd. 3 Apr 1878|p32064.htm|John Culpepper of Randolph Co., AL|b. 1 Oct 1772\nd. 13 May 1855|p31566.htm|Nancy Gillespie|b. circa 1778\nd. 25 Jul 1848|p31584.htm|||||||

Birth*9 Aug 1827 John was born at Louina, Randolph Co., Alabama, on 9 Aug 1827. 
Employment* John's occupation: stockman. 
 He was the son of Francis Gillespie Culpepper and Eglintine Langley. 
(free wh male 00-05) 1830 Census1 Jun 1830 John was probably a free white male, age under 5, in Francis Gillespie Culpepper's houshold, on the 1830 Census at Talbot Co., Georgia. The enumerator recorded 3 Females 0-5 and no Male children. We believe this was an error and should have been recorded as 3 Males 0-5..1 
(free wh male 10-15) 1840 Census1 Jun 1840 John was probably a free white male, age 10 and under 15, in Francis Gillespie Culpepper's household, on the 1840 Census on 1 Jun 1840 at Chambers Co., Alabama.2 
1850 Census*1 Jun 1850 John was listed as a household member on the 1850 Census on 1 Jun 1850 at Marshall Co., Mississippi.
(In HH of Robert C. Greer).3 
Marriage*24 Jan 1855 He married Cynthia Ann Guthrie at Lavaca Co., Texas, on 24 Jan 1855.4 
1860 Census*1 Jun 1860 John was listed as the head of a family on the 1860 Census at Hallettsville, Lavaca Co., Texas.5 
Photographed*circa 1861 He was photographed circa 1861.6
John Thomas Jefferson Culpepper, Civil War
Civil War*between 1862 and 1865 He served in the War Between the States between 1862 and 1865. 
1870 Census*1 Jun 1870 John was listed as the head of a family on the 1870 Census at Lavaca Co., Texas.7 
1880 Census*1 Jun 1880 John was listed as the head of a family on the 1880 Census at Lavaca Co., Texas.8 
Marriage*3 Aug 1882 He married Mary Caroline Currington at Lavaca Co., Texas, on 3 Aug 1882.9 
1900 Census*1 Jun 1900 John was listed as the head of a family on the 1900 Census at Lavaca Co., Texas.10 
Death*1 Aug 1902 He died at Lavaca Co., Texas, on 1 Aug 1902. 
Burial*circa 3 Aug 1902 His body was interred circa 3 Aug 1902 at Mount Olive Cemetery, Lavaca Co., Texas.11 
Biography*  The "BIBLE FAMILY RECORD OF FRANCIS G. & EGLINTINE CULPEPPER" recorded J. T. J. Culpepper's birth (the day of birth was difficult to read and might be 1st): _________________________John T. J. Culpepper _________________________was Born Aug 9th 1827 However there is a notation after the record of J. T. J. Culpepper's death which reads "He was born June." In the 1900 census, he was listed as having been born Aug 1827. His tombstone in Mt. Olive Cem. lists his birth as August 8th, 1827.
      On p. 60 of On The Headwaters of the Lavaca and the Navidad Paul C. Boethel notes: John Thomas Jefferson Culpepper, born August 9, 1827 in Monroe County, Georgia, was the second son of Francis G. Culpepper and Eglantine Langley. The elder Culpepper with wife and thirteen children left Randolph [Chambers in 1840 census] County, Alabama, in 1846 and moved to Fayette [Lafayette in 1850 census] County, Mississippi, where they remained until 1851, when they moved on to Texas by way of Vicksburg and northern Louisiana. There were a slew of Culpeppers and many others in the party. John T. J. Culpepper and his older brother had come to Texas in 1849, and settled near the Sweet Home settlement. A second brother, William, born March 11, 1829, also settled in the area, and donated a tract of six acres for the Mt. Olive School and the Primitive Baptist Church. John T. J. Culpepper in 1877 led the county in two livestock classifications: (a) the largest number of horses, 86; and (b) the largest number of sheep, 2500.
      In the 1860 Hallettsville, Lavaca Co., AL census, "John Culpeper" was listed with his wife and young family. He was listed as having real estate valued at $1,500 and personal property valued at $5,000. Mrs. Travis (Jacqueline Lorenz) McClinton noted on the Shadrack Guthrie descendant list that John Thomas Jefferson was "1st sgt. Frederick J. Melone's Company Conf. Army 6 Aug 1861 for 12 months." On p. 54 of On The Headwaters of the Lavaca and the Navidad Paul C. Boethel includes: Muster roll of [Captain] Frederick J. Malone's Company, organized at Sweet Home, August 6, 1861. Enlistment for state service for twelve months. Note on roll: "No arms of an improved style."
      Included on the roster were: __________J. T. J. Culpepper, 1st sergeant __________D. F. Culpepper, private __________J. L. Culpepper, private __________W. R. Culpepper, private
      On p. 55 of On The Headwaters of the Lavaca and the Navidad Paul C. Boethel noted As military units for service in the Confederate army were recruited, the personnel of Searcy's and Malone's companies were sorely depleted and eventually the units were disbanded to be superseded by other state service units.
      Mrs. C. V. (Lois Anderson) Culpepper wrote 1 Jul 1978: John T. Jeff Culpepper - son of F. G. C. Served with the Terry Rangers - 2nd Sgt Co. D. 2nd Texas Cavalry
      The following is from pp. 145-154 of Col. Amasa Turner the Gentleman from Lavaca written by Judge Paul C. Boethel and published in 1963: TERRY'S TEXAS RANGERS Of the one thousand one hundred seventy men in the regiment, all but six were Texans; forty-seven were from Lavaca County.... Probably no other regiment on either side in the war had as many engagements with the enemy as the 8th Texas Cavalry, for it was constantly employed in scouting assignments, raids, charges, and in covering retreats. All told, it participated in thirty-eight general engagements, one hundred sixty skirmishes as a regiment, and three hundred seventy skirmishes as parts of a command, battalion, companies and squads. It was out of service but twenty-one days. The total killed, or died of exposure, disease and wounds, seven hundred thirty-six; total wounded in battle, eight hundred sixty. It served as an independent command, attached to brigades and armies; being essentially a cavalry unit, it operated over a considerable area, seeing service principally in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. It had no appreciable effect on the war, its numbers were too small for that, but it was a factor in two major battles: at Shiloh, where it checked the pursuit of the enemy, and at Bentonville, North Carolina, where it repulsed an attack, which, had it succeeded, would have been a disaster to the Confederate Army. The day preceding the surrender of the army at Jonesboro, April 28, 1865, two hundred forty-eight men answered the roll call for duty.... The roster of the Rangers from Lavaca County was as follows: 1. Sgt. J. T. J. Culpepper 2. Corp. A. G. Ledbetter 3. Corp. B. E. Joiner 4. Corp. L. Watson 5. J. H. Andrews 6. P. H. Arnold 7. T. J. Barker 8. A. M. Beall 9. J. K. P. Blackburn 10. Robert Campbell 11. Volney R. Cook 12. C. M. Dunneway 13. J. (Jake) R. Flewellyn 14. Roderick Gellhorn 15. S. A. Green 16. Charles H. Howard 17. Jno. P. Humphrey 18. W. H. Harris 19. Wm. Jackson 20. A. Jones 21. R. H. Jones 22. C. B. Jones 23. Ed. Kaylor (Koehler) 24. R. Kuykendall 25. R. P. Kirk 26. B. P. Lewis 27. Fritz Lindenberg 28. Henry C. Middlebrook 29. James McKinney 30. D. A. McGonagil 31. S. B. Noble 32. D. C. Payne 33. S. C. Patton 34. A. Ponton 35. R. H. Ray 36. N. C. Reeves 37. W. B. Reeves 38. W. B. Simons 39. W. (Bill) B. Simpson 40. A. G. Seals 41. Hy. Thigpen 42. S. G. Thigpen 43. George Q. Turner 44. B. R. Watson 45. W. T. Ware 46. James Woodley 47. Wm. Wroe Of the Rangers... the remainder, or thirty-six men, were members of Company F, under Captain Louis M. Strobel, and were recruited at La Grange. With the exception of Dunneway, who was a recruit added later, the Rangers from Lavaca County were mustered into service in September, 1861, to serve for the duration of the war. The recruits from Lavaca County came principally from two settlements, Sweet Home and Prairie Point. Sweet Home was a settlement on Mustang Creek in the Midwestern part of the county about eight miles southwest of the town of Hallettsville, and was founded by the Yorks, Wests, McCutcheons, Allens, Bennetts, and Ledbetters, prominent stock raisers and freighters. The settlement was augmented in the early '50s by a colony from Georgia led by F. G. Culpepper and Dr. A. G. Patton. James McKinney, son of John McKinney, sheriff, 1852-56, was a horse-wrangler of note, and though he is listed as recruited from Karnes County, he worked as a "cow-hunter" for the stockmen of Sweet Home, until he joined the Texas Rangers at San Antonio. Culpepper, Patton, Ledbetter, McGonagill, Noble and Middlebrook were all from families settled there.... The Regiment mobilized at Houston. Company F, with its contingent of Lavaca County recruits, was the first to arrive. The regiment encamped about the city, where they, particularly Strobel's Company, "kept the town in a continued bustle with their daring feats of horsemanship...." Their armament also impressed the people, "every man has a six-shooter and bowie knife as well as a rifle or a double-barrel shotgun slung on the saddle...." Adventure, and in many instances death, was to be the lot of the recruits, and it began en route. At New Iberia, Louisiana, there was a gap of a hundred miles not spanned by a railroad. The men, not mounted, started on foot, marched for a day, then began to impress horses into service. It was every man for himself: pick any horse the could be found, rope and break him.... At New Orleans, they were sent by way to Nashville to Bowling Green, Kentucky, in box cars used to ship cattle. Here they joined the army General Albert Sidney Johnston was assembling for the defense of the frontier. While there and at Nashville, an epidemic of measles and diarrhea struck the regiment and took a heavy toll.... The first duty assigned to the regiment was to patrol and picket the area from Bowling Green north as far as Woodsonville on the Green River. While on reconnaissance near the river, December 17th, they encountered the enemy on its march toward Bowling Green. Here, the regiment made the first of its famous charges--"Nothing could exceed the brilliancy and daring of that impetuous charge, our shotguns threw up a blaze of fire and shot almost in their faces...." The unit continued its scouting, picketing, and patrolling in the area until February, 1862. After the fall of Fort Donelson, General Johnston abandoned Kentucky and established his base of operations in Tennessee. In this operation, the Rangers witnessed and covered the evacuation of Bowling Green, and soon thereafter were dispatched to Charlotte to cover the retreat of the infantry units escaping from Fort Donelson. Following this, the regiment, together with other cavalry units, was sent to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to watch the movements of the enemy and intercept them if they moved southward.... In March, the cavalry units at Murfreesboro broke camp and joined the army at Corinth, Mississippi. On April 6th, the regiment participated in the Battle of Shiloh, one of the bloodiest engagements of the war. Twice it was dismounted to aid the infantry in holding the lines. On the 8th, they patrolled behind the army, acting as a rear guard on the retreat from Corinth. Late in the evening, the enemy's infantry pressed them so closely a stand was inevitable; it fell to the lot of the Rangers. In another impetuous charge, the enemy was driven back, their numbers falling like a "large covey of quail bunched on the ground, shot into with a load of birdshot." In this engagement, Company F mustered sixty-five men, and after three days of fighting, only fourteen men and the captain answered the roll. Aside from the casualties, the others were off on some duty, picketing and scouting where needed. Wounded were Culpepper, Letbetter, and Andrews.... Sergeant Culpepper, wounded at Shiloh, was wounded again in '63; this time in eastern Tennessee. In '65, he was still at it; it that year, he was captured but escaped and returned to duty....
      John T. Culpepper returned to Lavaca Co., TX after the war and was listed as a farmer in the 1870 census with his first wife, Cynthia, and young family. He was listed with real estate valued at $3,000 and personal property valued at $3,000. He was again listed with his first wife and younger children in the 1880 census of Lavaca Co., TX. Finally, in the 1900 census of Lavaca Co., TX, Thomas J. Culpepper was listed with his second wife and younger children. Mrs. R. M. (Anne Culpepper) Hunt wrote 27 Oct 1978: The pictures [of Lewis P. and George W. Culpepper] you sent remind me very much of my grandfather, Francis Gillespie Culpepper. I was 12 years old when I last saw him, in 1902 when we moved from Lavaca Co. Tx. My father, John Thomas Jefferson C. died Aug. 1st of that year, at the age of 75.... I remember my grandfather's looks, also my father and his brothers, they all had features much like the picture you sent of Geo. Washington Culpepper & Lewis Peek C. Grandpa was clean shaven, but his sons all wore beards. My father, J. T. J. was second son - he was a farmer & stockman, he sold out in Lavaca Co. in July of 1902 & bought land in Wilson Co. Tx. 35 or 40 miles south of San Antonio Tx. was sick when he returned to our home in Lavaca & never recovered, died Aug. 1st & was buried at old Mt. Olive Cemetery....
      John's death was also recorded in the Francis G. Culpepper Family Bible: _________________________John T. J. Culpepper _________________________Departed this life _________________________August 1st 1902
      Mrs. Travis (Jacqueline Lorenz) McClinton recorded the following from his tombstone in Mt. Olive Cemetery, Lavaca Co., TX: _________________________J. T. J. Culpepper _________________________Aug 8, 1827 _________________________Aug 1, 1902
      Dr. Charles L. Culpepper, Sr. wrote 4 Jul 1978: My father John Thomas Jefferson Culpepper, second son of F. G. Culpepper, was married twice. His first wife had 13 children... , and my mother had eight children.
      Culpepper Heritage Association records note: John Thomas Jefferson Culpepper was called "Thomas". 8/6/1861 - 12 months Enlistment, Frederick J. Malone's Co. 8/24/1861 - Co. F, 8th Cavalry (Terry's Rangers) 4th Regiment. He was a Sgt. and was wounded in the Battle of Shiloh, Ms. Terry's Rangers were a calvary unit and acted as a rear guard in the retreat from Corinth on April 8, 1862. He was wounded again 1863 in eastern Tennessee. In 1865 he was still fighting. He was captured by the Northern troops and imprisoned. He escaped and returned to duty. He eventually returned to the Sweet Home / Mt. Olive area of Lavaca Co. His grave site is in a wooden fenced in area in the northwestern corner of the Mt. Olive Cemetery where he is buried next to wooden fenced in area in the northwestern corner of the Mt. Olive Cemetery where he is buried next to his first wife, Cynthia Ann Guthrie.
(Names referenced above: John Thomas Jefferson Culpepper John Thomas Jefferson Culpepper). 

Family 1

Cynthia Ann Guthrie (10 Sep 1841 - 7 Sep 1881)
Marriage*24 Jan 1855 He married Cynthia Ann Guthrie at Lavaca Co., Texas, on 24 Jan 1855.4 
Children

Family 2

Mary Caroline Currington (3 Sep 1858 - 23 Apr 1930)
Marriage*3 Aug 1882 He married Mary Caroline Currington at Lavaca Co., Texas, on 3 Aug 1882.9 
Children

Charts Descendants of Joseph Culpepper of Edgecombe Co., NC (Six Generations)
Descendants of John Thomas Jefferson Culpepper of Lavaca Co., TX
Last Edited 30 Mar 2008

Citations

  1. 1830 Federal Census, United States.
    Page 339, Duprees Twp, Talbot Co., GA
    Francis G. Culpepper, 1 M20-30, 3 F0-5 (sic), 1 F20-30.
  2. 1840 Federal Census, United States.
    Page 179, Ancestry.com images 21-22, Unknown Township, Chambers Co., AL
    Francis Culpepper, 2 M0-5, 2 M5-10, 3 M10-15, 1 M30-40, 2 F0-5, 1 F5-10, 1 F30-40, 0 slaves.
  3. 1850 Federal Census, United States.
    Page 52, Family 369, Lines 18-21, Southern Division, Marshall Co., MS
    Robt. C. Greer, 39, M, Farmer, RE=$3000, TN
    Elizabeth Greer, 26 F, KY
    David Greer, 10/12, M, MS
    Thos J. Culpepper, 22, M, Farmer, SC.
  4. Texas Department of State Health Services, compiler, Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 and 1966-2002, Online database at Ancestry.com, 2005.
    http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8795
    Lavaca Co., TX: John T. J. Culpepper and Cyntha Ann Guthrie, 24 Jan 1855, Book I, p. 127.
  5. 1860 Federal Census, United States.
    Sheet 34, Pg 199B, (18 Jun 1860), Hallettsville PO, Lavaca Co., TX (Anc.com img# 34)
    John Culpepper, 31, M, GA, RE=$1500, PE=$1500, Farmer
    Cynthia Culpepper, 20, F, KY
    Francis Culpepper, 4, M, TX
    Benjamine Culpepper, 3, M, TX
    Joseph Culpepper, 1, M, TX.
  6. E-mail from Rynda Roberts Clar to Lew Griffin, 2002.
  7. 1870 Federal Census, United States.
    Sheet/Pg 155, Pg 484 (21 Jul 1870), Lavaca Co., TX
    John T. Culpepper, 41, M, GA, RE=$3000, PE=$3000, Farmer
    Cynthia Culpepper, 26, F, TN?
    Francis O. Culpepper, 14, M, TX
    Benjamine F. Culpepper, 12, M, TX
    Joseph W. Culpepper, 10, M, TX
    Eliza N. Culpepper, 8, F, TX
    Cintha A. Culpepper, 6, F, TX
    Daniel J. D. Culpepper, 4, M, TX
    William Culpepper, 2, M, TX.
  8. 1880 Federal Census, United States.
    ED 79, Sheet 27, Pg 421A, Pct 3, Lavaca Co., TX
    Tom Culpepper, M, 53, Head, M, GA SC SC, Farmer & Sheep Raiser
    Cintha A. Culpepper, F, 39, Wife, M, MS n/a n/a
    Jack Culpepper, M, 21, Son, S, TX GA MS, Farmer
    Tommie Culpepper, F, 17, Dau, S, TX GA MS
    Daniel Culpepper, M, 14, Son, S, TX GA MS
    Willie Culpepper, M, 12, Son, S, TX GA MS, Shepherd
    Kate Culpepper, F, 10, Dau, S, TX GA MS
    Robert Lee Culpepper, M, 8, Son, S, TX GA MS, Herding Sheep
    Noah Culpepper, M, 5, Son, S, TX GA MS
    James Culpepper, M, 3, Son, S, TX GA MS
    Hattie Culpepper, F, 1, Dau, S, TX GA MS.
  9. Texas Department of State Health Services, compiler, Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 and 1966-2002, Online database at Ancestry.com, 2005.
    http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8795
    Lavaca Co., TX: J. T. J. Culpepper and Mary Carry Currington, 3 Aug 1882, Book II, p. 565.
  10. 1900 Federal Census, United States.
    ED 88, Sheet 9B, Pg 136A, Pct 3, Gen.com Img 43, Lavaca Co., TX
    Thomas Culpepper, Head, M, Aug-1827, md-18 yrs, GA SC SC, Farmer
    Ruth Culpepper, Wife, F, Sep-1858, 41, md-18 yrs, Ch 7/7, AL AL AL
    Addie Culpepper, Daughter, F, Sep-1884, 15, S, TX GA AL
    Tina Culpepper, Daughter, F, Apr-1886, 14, S, TX GA AL
    Annie Culpepper, Daughter, F, May-1890, 10, S, TX GA AL
    Ruth Culpepper, Daughter, F, Feb-1893, 7, S, TX GA AL
    Charles Culpepper, Son, M, Mar-1895, 5, S, TX GA AL
    Samuel Culpepper, Son, M, Apr-1897, 3, S, TX GA AL
    Edward Hayman, Laborer, M, Apr-1877, 23, S, TX TN MS, Farm Laborer.
  11. Sammy Tise, Lavaca Co., TX - Cemetery Records, Hallettsville, TX: Sammy Tise.
    Vol I p 52.