By Rick Williams [Rwilliams8@triad.rr.com]

Daniel Webb married Elizabeth "Eliza" Derryberry between 1850 and 1854, probably in Cherokee County, North Carolina. The reasoning about this is that Eliza can be found at the age of 18 in the 1850 Cherokee County, North Carolina census.⁹ She was still living with her father. Daniel and Eliza’s first child was born in 1854.⁷ Although Daniel cannot be found in any official records like the US census, information gathered from family members believe that Daniel was either from Marble or Murphy, Cherokee County, North Carolina.¹

Daniel and Eliza had four children; Julettie, Benjamin Ballard (was also known as "Bud"), James Franklin and Docia.⁷ There is a discrepancy concerning Juliette and Benjamin’s birth year. In the 1870 Roane County, Tennessee census it shows that Julettie was 16 and Benjamin was 14 years old. That would put their birth years in 1854 and 1856 respectively. However, their tombstones show that Julettie was born on October 25,1850 and that Benjamin was born in 1852.⁵ I believe that the 1854 and 1856 are correct because their ages in the 1870 and 1880 censuses correspond to those years.^{7, 8}

What happened to Daniel is somewhat of a mystery and a controversy. He died between 1861 and 1870. This is based on the facts that his last child, Docia, was born in 1861 and that Eliza and her children were listed without Daniel in the 1870 Roane County census.^{5, 7} I have heard two different stories about what happen to Daniel. The first story, told by a great grand daughter of Daniel and Eliza, said that Daniel and a group of southerners fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War were sent to a small town in Tennessee called Loudon. There they were charged with preventing the Union forces from burning a railroad bridge that crossed the Holston River (now called the Tennessee River). The Union army captured Daniel and the other solders. Daniel was marched to a prison camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee where he was either killed or died in prison. ¹ Another story, told by another great grand daughter, said that Daniel fought for the Union Army and was captured by the Confederates and was sent to a Confederate prison camp.² I believe that the latter is true because Eliza received a Union solder’s widow’s pension from the US government. ^{3, 4} Both stories have one part that was the same. Eliza got to see Daniel one more time before he was marched to prison. It was a cold day with snow on the ground. Daniel did not have any shoes and his feet were bloody from having to walk in the cold and snow. Eliza took off her shoes and gave them to Daniel to wear. The style of shoe was such that he could wear them. Eliza never saw Daniel alive again.^{1, 2} Later, around 1871, Eliza had a chance to receive a war pension from Daniel’s service in the Civil War. However, she had to prove that her husband fought in that war. She traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee, the last known place that she knew Daniel was being marched. She found his grave in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Fort Oglethorpe is located just across the state line from Chattanooga and is the site of the Chickamagua Battle of the Civil War.¹ Eliza received an $8.00 a month pension starting in July of 1871.⁴ We know that Daniel died in prison because the 1890 Veterans schedules note this.³

Eliza and her family stayed in Loudon, Tennessee. It is said that Eliza supplemented her pension income by cooking lunches for working people, particularly for the railroad workers who were rebuilding a railroad bridge across the river in Loudon after the war.¹ Her son, James Franklin, married Mary Roberts and was said that he moved to California.^{1, 8} This was sometime after 1880 because the 1880 Loudon County census showed that he and Mary were still living in Loudon County. Mary’s mother, two brothers and sister were living with them as well. Eliza’s other son, Benjamin Ballard, married Temple Jane "Jennie" Wallace.⁶ The 1880 Loudon County census said that he worked in a sawmill. Family stories say that he was a shoemaker, also.² Eliza’s daughter, Julettie, married James Brewer and raised a family in Loudon.⁶ Not much is known about Eliza’s other daughter, Docia. It is said that she married George Mizell however, her tombstone has her name as "Docia Webb".^{1, 5} This could be an indication that she actually never married. Eliza, Benjamin and his wife, Julettie and her husband and Docia are all buried at the Riverview Cemetery in Loudon Tennessee.⁵

Hey Rick,

I've got a family update for you. All right first my dad was all wrong about Docia Webb and Docia Mizell. They are the same person. My great aunts Effie and Annie were her nieces and they had her buried under her maiden name. Her husband passed years before her and she never had children and my uncle Glenn said that's how everyone knew her so that's how they buried her. He said he had her Will somewhere at his house and he would find it and let me look at it. I have some pictures of her and I will also send you other pictures of Eliza Webb. My uncle had the same pictures that you sent me plus more. I'll keep you updated about that. I also have some pictures of some other Webbs.

P.S. I'll send the pictures in another letter.