WILLIAM HARRISON WOMACK

Mar. 1, 1840 – Aug. 4, 1905

William Harrison Womack, Senior by Farris Wade Womack  February 2001

This page describes the life and times of William Harrison Womack, Senior, and his wife, Harriett Euline Smith. It is the story of a common man who lived during one of the most difficult periods in American history. Like thousands of others, his life was irrevocably changed, certainly not for the better, by the Civil War. He was an ordinary cavalry trooper, a private throughout the War, who did what he said he would do and at the end of the conflict came home to face a life of hard work and economic hardship. He struggled his entire life and what he accomplished clearly did not include the accumulation of wealth or property. Nevertheless, he and Harriett reared their family and many of his descendants proudly bear his name and moral legacy. This page is dedicated to him and his many descendants. Please send comments, corrections, and suggestions to: fww@umich.edu

William Harrison Womack, Senior, was born March 1, 1840 in Georgia, perhaps in Stewart County, although the actual place of birth remains unknown. Throughout his life, he reported that Georgia was his birth place but he failed to mention the site. Current scholarship suggests that he was living with his father and mother in Stewart County, Georgia in 1840 and that the family moved to Tallapoosa County, Alabama in 1841 or 1842. That County along with nine others had been formed following the Creek Cession in 1832. The 1850 Census for Tallapoosa listed his father, Joel "Warrick" or "Wamick", in Township 24 along with the other Womack children then living, including William at age 10.. (Although the name Womack appears in a variety of spellings, in every instance when William personally signed his name, it was Womack.) That township was the place where Joel had acquired land Patents from the Government in 1849, 1850, and 1851 for 200 acres of land. In the 1860 Census for Tallapoosa County, he, by now age 20, was again listed in the household of his father and mother with a New Site post office. They had not moved but the name of the enumeration district had changed. In the fall of 1860, he married Harriett Euline Smith. On November 13, 1860, the marriage bond was recorded in Tallapoosa County. The bondsman was Lemuel P. Smith, brother of Harriett. Both William and Harriett were a few months beyond their 20th birthday. The dates of birth for William and Harriett, shown on this page, were obtained from a copy of the Family Bible fly leaf provided to the writer by Wendel Womack. The Family Bible was in the possession of Iva Qualls but this writer has never seen the original. The dates are consistent with Census and Marriage records mentioned above.

Harriett was born July 4, 1840 in Georgia although the exact location remains unknown. She was the daughter of John C. Smith and his wife, Amy. Harriett was the third child of that union and apparently the last one to be born in Georgia. John and Amy left Georgia probably in 1841 or 1842 and relocated in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. The 1850 Census for Tallapoosa County listed John and Amy and their five living children in Township 24. They were Family Number 1954 while the Womack's were Family Number 1851. The miles that separated these two families has not been determined. By 1860, the Family Numbers were 931 for the Womacks and 941 for the Smiths. Again, the miles separating these two families has not been determined but it was not far. Both families were enumerated for the Census on the same day. Harriett was 20 years of age and the oldest child at home. William and Harriett were married the following November and, in the course of their 45 year marriage, they would become the parents of 10 children, eight of whom would reach adulthood and have families of their own.

Although specific details are unavailable, William and Harriett no doubt began their married life as farmers in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, and quite likely they farmed with one or both of their parents. Current research has failed to reveal whether or not they actually owned land or were tenant farmers. As late as 1870, William listed his occupation as a farm laborer rather than that of a farmer, a distinction that might suggest that he continued to work for his father or father-in-law.

Dora Ann and John Emanuel were born September 5, 1861, not quite 10 months after the marriage of William and Harriett. John Emanuel apparently died at birth but Dora Ann survived. The third child, William Harrison Womack, Jr., was born January 2, 1863 at New Site, Tallapoosa County, Alabama. There exists some evidence that the actual name of the father and son was William Henry Harrison Womack and that over time the use of "Henry" was dropped. For example, the 1870 Census listed the younger Womack as Henry. Later, he used the initials W.H.H. Womack on his marriage application in Cleburne County, Arkansas although he was almost always referred to as "Harrison".

William Harrison Womack joined the Confederate Cavalry May 16, 1862. One wonders what motivated William and Harriett to choose such a course when one considers that she was a few months pregnant with their third child, that Dora Ann was just nine months old, and the springtime was a busy season for small time farmers whose livelihood depended upon making a crop. How would they keep the family together while William was away at war? They owned no slaves and neither did most, if not all, their neighbors. Nevertheless , he, like hundreds of thousands of others, did volunteer and soon they were engaged in one of the bloodiest struggles in American history. He was enrolled by John W. Hurt and assigned to Captain Hurt's Company, Crawford's Regiment of Cavalry. That company subsequently became Company I, 3rd Regiment, Georgia Cavalry. William was assigned the rank of Private. He gave his age as 22. Records in the National Archives show that he was on the Company Muster-in Roll and that Columbus, Georgia was the site for rendezvous. It seems likely that the actual enlistment might have occurred somewhere in Alabama while the rendezvous site was Columbus. Other units in this Regiment came from Northwest Georgia. His tour of duty was to be "three years or the war". There was a value of $175.00 placed upon his horse and another $25.00 for "horse equipment's".

Another Archive record showed that his name appeared on a Company Muster Roll for November and December 1863. That record showed that he was last paid by Capt. Moore, June 30, 1863. A notation shows "For use and risk of horse" $73.60 and under remarks "Use and risk of horse; Due pay as Blacksmith from June 30, 1863 to December 31, 1863." His named appeared on a Receipt Roll for clothing on March 26, 1864. Finally, his name appeared on a Company Muster Roll for November and December 1864 with an entry showing that he was last paid in March 1864 by Major Cariker. Additional remarks note "use and risk of horse" but no dollar amount was shown.

William served for the duration of the War and while it cannot be established that he was with the unit when it was surrendered by General Johnston at Durham Station, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865, there is every reason to believe that he was. In June 1902, William swore that he was honorably released from service on or about May 10, 1865. In June 1904, he swore that the release date was on or about May 20, 1865. Accordingly, William joined thousands of other Confederate soldiers who returned home in May 1865 to take up the task of farming once again.

Joel Gilbert Womack was born December 31, 1864 and thus it can be concluded that William was home on leave at least some of the time during the fighting. Many Confederate units granted leaves during the winter months when the weather was too harsh for engagements. Unit commanders would sometimes bring their wives and families for visits while in winter quarters but privates were not accorded such privileges. Although we cannot know with certainty, it is likely that Harriett found herself responsible for growing the food that the family needed while William was away and no matter how often he might have been able to come home, his time there would have been limited and thus the burden for the family fell upon her. Without doubt, Harriett's burden was lessened by the nearness of her father and father-in-law who could provide some of the labor required in William's absence.

When William returned to the life that he had left more than three years before, the conditions were dramatically different and far more difficult. Federal troops were stationed throughout the South and the fabric of government and culture was unfamiliar. Hard currency had always been in short supply but now it had the added negative of not only being scarce but worthless. In 1860, Joel Womack reported that his real estate was worth $1,200.00 and his personal property another $970.00. By 1870, those numbers had dropped to $350.00 and $300.00, respectively. John Smith's fortunes were equally gloomy. His estimates had declined from $800.00 for real estate and $400.00 for personal property in 1860 to $300.00 and $200.00 respectively. William listed no value for either. The most optimistic reading for the decade could only be that it had been a dismal one economically for the Womack's and Smith's.

When the war ended, William and Harriett were 25 years of age and four children had been born to them although John Emanuel probably was not living. If life had been harsh before, it would surely offer no respite now. Their little family continued to grow. Emma was born August 19, 1867 and Francis Delona was born April 23, 1870. As far as we know, the family was still engaged in the business of farming and one can only wonder about the social and economic hardships they faced. By the time William and Harriett celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary, the family now numbered five or perhaps six children ranging in age from 9 years to three months.

The 1870 Census for Tallapoosa County, Alabama, taken on August 8, 1870, listed William and Harriett and five of the aforementioned children. He and Harriett gave their ages as 29 although they would have been 30 at the time. The children listed were Ann (9), Henry (7), Joel (6), Emily (3), and Frances (3/12). John Emanuel would have died before the date of this Census. William listed his occupation as Farm Laborer, a classification that suggests that he was not a land owner but rather a hired hand or tenant farmer.

Sarah Elmirah was born September 6, 1871 but she died just over three years later on November 16, 1874. Ollie was born October 25, 1875 and Martha A. was born February 14, 1877. Shortly after the birth of Martha, the family left Alabama and moved to Independence County, Arkansas. The last child, Franklin Floyd, was born January 13, 1879 in Arkansas. With Franklin's birth, the family was complete. Ten children had been born in the spate of 19 years albeit two had died as infants.

William and Harriett lived in New Site, Tallapoosa County, for the first 17/18 years of their marriage. All of the children were born there with the exception of the youngest. Two were buried there. They were poor farmers with little material wealth to show for all their hard work and personal sacrifice. In late 1878 or early 1879, when both William and Harriett were 38/39 years of age, they left Alabama and moved to what was then Independence County, Arkansas. There they obtained land of their own, perhaps the only time in their life they had real estate of their own. They left no record to indicate why they chose to leave Alabama and come to Arkansas but the ability to get cheap land surely played an important part. No record has been found to indicate how they learned of the opportunity in Arkansas, whether or not any other families accompanied them, or the route taken to make the trip.

William acquired 160 acres of land in Independence County, Arkansas under the provisions of the 1862 Homestead Act. Although he entered the homestead in 1878, it was many years later before he obtained a fee simple title to it. He and his family were quite likely very similar to the hundreds of others pioneers who settled the Ozark foothills in the last quarter of the 19th century. They struggled to make a living by farming the rocky foothill country and most of them endured hard and difficult times. None amassed any wealth. Opportunities for an education were scarce and terms of school were short and sandwiched around the planting and harvesting cycles. The eight surviving Womack children grew to adulthood there and by 1900 all of them were married and rearing families.

William was in poor health the last several years of his life. On June 27, 1902, William applied for a pension from the State of Arkansas to compensate for his Civil War service as a member of Company I, 3rd George Cavalry. He swore that his incapacity was due to "Disease of blood vessels". On June 5, 1902, H. N. Dickson, MD of Independence County, provided evidence in support of the application by listing his diagnosis as "Arterio Sclerosis".

A "Proof of Service" affidavit was filed on June 27, 1902 by C. C. Jordan, a citizen of Tina, Arkansas. Jordan swore that he had known William for 35 years and that "he had ever reason to believe that he was a Confederate soldier, belonging to Company I, 3rd Regiment of Georgia Cavalry, that as such soldier he served from May 1862 to May 1865, that he was honorably released from such service and did not desert the same. That he is now and has been for the past twelve months a bona fide resident of Arkansas. That he is incapacitated for manual labor by reason of age and disease and that such incapacity (or disability) is not the result of his own vicious habits still persisted in. That to the best of our knowledge, all property now owned by him and his wife, together, is not worth exceeding $400.00 ( exclusive of household goods and wearing apparel). That neither he nor his wife is in receipt of any income, annuity, pension or wages for any services, or the emoluments of an office, in excess of $150.00 per year. That we have no interest in this claim." Signed: C. C. Jordan

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 27 day of June 1902: Signed W. D. Johnson, JP

(C. C. Jordan was the father of Naomi Jordan. Naomi was the wife of Franklin Floyd Womack, youngest child of William.) If C. C. Jordan actually knew William for 35 years, then he would have known him when both lived in Alabama. It is known that both families lived in Tallapoosa County, Alabama in the late 1860's.

The Cleburne Pension Board approved the application but the State Board "rejected proof insufficient". On June 24, 1903, William again filed an Application for Pension, giving essentially the same data that he had given in the first application one year before except that he asserted "that I am incapacitated to perform manual labor in any of the ordinary avocations of life and that such incapacity (or disability) is the result of wounds received in the service, being 'in so much hard service that my constitution was broke down and old age has caused me to ask for pension' and that such incapacity (or disability) is not the result of my own vicious habits still persisted in, so help me God". Signed: W. H. Womack

The application was sworn to before J. B. Conditt. Conditt was William's son-in-law, the husband of Francis Delona Womack.

An affidavit entitled Evidence of Physician, Paul L. Dickson, MD stated that he was well acquainted with William and that the physical condition and cause of his incapacity for manual labor was attributable to: " Partial paralysis, old age, and general debility." And under Extent of disability, he wrote, "is unable to [do] a days work at all or even part of a days work. Is disabled to the extent of 7/8 at least." This affidavit was sworn to June 24, 1903 before the above mentioned J. B. Conditt.

A "Proof of Service" affidavit was filed by J. C. Gallaway on June 9, 1903. He asserted that he had known William for 40 years and swears in the same form as above to the same items except that his statement as to the cause of William's incapacity was "his age and exposure during Service in War". Sworn to before Y. S. Carr.

Another Evidence of Physician was filed on July 6, 1905 by Charles M. Newton. His diagnosis as physical condition that caused his incapacity for manual labor attributable "to almost total insanity, superinduced by Chronic Nasal Catarch, and is totally helpless and is penniless and has no means of support in any way and deserves the full allowance of pension." Sworn to before J. B. Conditt

The 1903 application was approved but the amount was increased on July 29, 1905 to $100.00 based, at least in part, upon the preceding affidavit. William died within the month and on April 24, 1906, Harriett filed a Widow's Application as the widow of a Deceased Pensioner. Sworn to before J. B. Conditt. On August 8, 1906 she was granted a pension in the amount of $50.00. (Conditt's wife, Francis Delona, the daughter of William and Harriett, died in 1906, exact date unknown. Whether she had died when this event occurred or still later is unknown. Conditt moved to Oklahoma soon afterward.)

After William's death on August 4, 1905, Harriett moved from the family home in Cleburne County to Faulkner County to live with her youngest daughter, Martha A. Womack Newman, until her own death on December 24, 1916. William was buried at Mt. Zion Cemetery but Harriett was buried at Republican Cemetery in Faulkner County, Arkansas.

And so ends the saga of William Harrison Womack and Harriett Euline Smith. They were simply people who never had much to show for their hard work. But at least one of their special qualities was that they have hundreds of descendants who are proud of the name they gave and who are proud to have the legacy of their simple qualities. For many, that has been a handsome dividend.

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