Origin and History of the Surname Chambers

William Maston Chambers, b. about 1823, married Sallie Magdalene, b. about 1835. They were my generation's GGG grandparents and the parents of Elizabeth Jane Chambers, known as Eliza, b. 1854.

Eliza married Arlendo Robert Heath, b. about 1850. They were the parents of Cora Lee Heath, b. 1872, who married William Samuel Field, b. 1865;

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They were the parents of Nelle Virginia Field, b. 1899, who married Carleton D Jones, b. 1895;

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They were the parents of Fleeta Claire, Paul Wesley, DeRand and Virginia Lee (Ginger) Jones;

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Claire, Paul and Ginger were the parents of my generation.

(Source of crest)

The Surname Chambers

 "This distinguished surname, with over fifteen entries in the "Dictionary of National Biography", and having no less than twenty-five Coats of Arms, is of French origin, and is an occupational name for an officer charged with the management of his lord's private living quarters.

The derivation is from the Old French "cha(u)mbre", room, chamber, ultimately from the Latin "camera". In medieval times, servants in royal households were held in high regard, and frequently those who occupied senior positions enjoyed certain privileges, and the post would often become hereditary. The name is synonymous in origin with Chamberlain, which originally denoted an official in charge of the private chambers of his master, and later became a title of high rank.

An interesting quote from the "Household Book of Queen Isabelle", dated 1358, reads "Griffin del Chambre, scutifier of Princess Isabel". Christopher Chambers, aged 24 yrs., who embarked from London on the ship "Constance" bound for Virginia in October 1635, was one of the earliest recorded namebearers to settle in America.

Sir Thomas Chambers (1814 - 1891), treasurer, 1872, and G.C., 1861, was recorder of the City of London in 1878. One of the earliest Coats of Arms granted to the family is a silver shield with a black chevron, surmounted of another ermine, between three chambers placed transverse of the escutcheon of the second, fired proper.

The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Nicholas de Chambres, which was dated 1219, in the "Curia Regis Rolls of Derbyshire", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272.

Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling." 

(Source)

Last revised 10/16/2011

Origin and History of the Surname Webb

In 1832, Ervin Heath, b. 1812, married Mary Webb, b. 1813. They were my generation's GGG grandparents and the parents of Arlendo Heath, born about 1850;

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Arlendo married Elizabeth Jane Chambers, b. 1854. They were the parents of Cora Lee Heath, b. 1872, who married William Samuel Field, b. 1865;

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They were the parents of Nelle Virginia Field, b. 1899, who married Carleton D Jones, b. 1895;

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They were the parents of Fleeta Claire, Paul Wesley, DeRand and Virginia Lee (Ginger) Jones;

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Claire, Paul and Ginger were the parents of my generation.

(Source of crest)

The Surname Webb

"This famous surname recorded as Webb, Webbe, Webber and Webster, is Olde English pre-7th Century. It derives from the word "web", meaning to weave.

Originally a male occupational name, the term "webbe" referred specifically to a male weaver and later "webster" to a female weaver; although this distinction was not always made in medieval English.

In the pipe rolls of the county of Suffolk, we find Osbert Webbe so recorded in 1221 and Alice la Webbe, in the rolls of the borough of Colchester, in 1327. The following quotation from the famous medieval book of social history "Piers Plowman" reads: "My wife was a webbe and woollen cloth made".

Later church recordings of the post medieval period include: Mary Webb, the daughter of George Webb, who was christened on March 5th 1550 at the church of St. Mary Woolnoth, in the city of London, and Mary Webbe who was christened on February 17th 1566, at the church of St. Benet Fink, also city of London.

One of the earliest famine emigrants who fled Ireland in the tragic year of 1846 was Richard Webb, aged 20 yrs., who sailed on the "coffin" ship "Cornelia of Liverpool" bound for New York on January 26th 1846. Rather more happily, Captain Webb was the first person to swim the twenty two miles of the English Channel in 1872.

The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alger se Webba which was dated circa 1100, in the "Olde English Byname Register", during the reign of King William 11, known as "Rufus", 1087 - 1100.

Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling."

(Source)

Last revised 10/15/2011

Origin and History of the Surname Field

WIlliam Samuel Field married Cora Lee Heath and they were my generation's great grandparents;
▼
They were the parents of Nelle Virginia Field, who married Carleton D Jones;
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They were the parents of Fleeta Claire, Paul Wesley, DeRand and Virginia Lee (Ginger) Jones;
▼

Claire, Paul and Ginger were the parents of my generation.

♦♦♦

The Surname Field

"This ancient name of pre-7th century German origins and Anglo-Saxon origins, is recorded in over seventy spellings. These range from Feild, Feld, and Field, to Delafield, Veld, Van den Velde, Feldmann, and the various ornamental compounds such as Feldblum or Fieldstone. However spelt, the name is topographical for someone who lived or worked on land which had been cleared of forest, but not brought into arable cultivation.

The derivation is from "feld", translating as pasture or open country, almost the opposite of the 20th century meaning.. The earliest recordings are to be found in England and Germany. These include Hugo de la Felde, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Bedfordshire, England, in the year 1188, and Petrus im dem Velde, of Mengen, Germany, in 1216. Other recordings include Franz van de Velde, the bishop of Herzogbusch, Germany, in 1576, and Margarett Feilde, who married at the church of St. Martin Orgar, London, in 1586.

Amongst the very first settlers to the new colony of Virgina, America, was James Feild. He arrived in the ship "Swan of London", in 1624.. The first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere in the world is believed to be that of Robert de Felde, which was dated 1185, in the list of Knights Templars, in the registers of the county of Gloucestershire, England. This was during the reign of King Henry 11nd, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189.

Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop", often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling."

(Source)
(Source of Crest)
Last revised 10/11/2011

Origin and History of the Surname Heath

Arlendo Heath married Elizabeth Jane Chambers and they were my generation's GG grandparents;

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They were parents of Cora Lee Heath, who married WiIliam Samuel Field;

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They were the parents of Nelle Virginia Field, who married Carleton D Jones;

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They were the parents of Fleeta Claire, Paul Wesley DeRand and Virginia Lee (Ginger) Jones;

▼

Claire, Paul and Ginger were the parents of my generation.

♦♦♦

The Surname Heath

"This famous surname is of Anglo-Saxon and Olde English pre-7th century origins. It is residential, denoting someone who lived at, on, or by, a moor or heath, or it can equally well be a locational surname from any of the numerous places called Heath, in for example, the counties of Derbyshire, Bedfordshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Yorkshire.

In all case the derivation is from the Olde English word "haeth", and the later Middle English "hethe", meaning heath or heather, the characteristic plant of heathland areas.

The name development has included: Laurence atte Hethe of Sussex in 1296; Peter del Heth of Yorkshire in 1296; and Alan Othehethe of Staffordshire in 1332. One Isack Heath, his wife Elizabeth, and daughter, also named Elizabeth, were early emigrants to the New England colonies of America. They left the port of London on the ship "Hopewell" in September 1635.

Notable namebearers include: Nicholas Heath (1501 - 1578). He was appointed Archbishop of York in 1555, and Lord Chancellor of England in the following year; whilst Robert Heath (1575 - 1649) was the Solicitor-general in 1621 and knighted in the same year. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John de la Heth. This was dated 1248, when he was a witness in the Court Records of the county of Essex, during the reign of King Henry 111rd of England, 1216 - 1272."

(Source) 
(Source of Crest)

Last updated 10/11/2011

Index and Links as of October, 2011

This link will take you to the latest update to the index for this blog...

Our Maternal Ancestors and Their Religion - updated

This page of this blog deals with our maternal ancestral family's involvement with religion. Because of additional information gleaned while researching other aspects of our family's history, it is an updated and expanded version of a previous page that deals with both their politics and religion.

This update leaves out their politics because that information hasn't changed. The previous information can be found here.
 

◄ Rev. Carleton D. Jones and Rev. Rhoda (Ranee) Schurman Jones, circa 1960

My generation’s maternal uncle DeRand Jones (1927-2002) reported that his grandmother, Leona Cash Jones (1873-1957), told him that other than their work, in pre-radio, pre-television days the church was a central part of the family's activities. 

That has proven to be an accurate assessment. As a matter of fact, in my research on our family history I’ve thus far identified - by name - seventeen people on the maternal side of our extended ancestral family who were either ministers or missionaries. The list extends back to Revolutionary War days and includes:

■ Rev. John Wesley McPherson, a Methodist Episcopal minister, my generation's GGG grandfather;

■ Rev. James Anderson;
 
■ His son, Rev. J.W. Anderson;
 
■ Rev. James Jones;
 
■ Rev. Carleton Jones, my generation’s maternal grandfather, first a Methodist Episcopal minister, switching to the Nazarene denomination following its split from the MEs;

■ Carleton's first wife, Rev. Nelle Virginia Field Jones, my generation’s maternal grandmother, also first a ME minister, then a Nazarene minister, later reported by her son (DeRand Jones) as having been defrocked, although this is disputed by her daughter (Claire Jones Dunn);

■ Carleton’s second wife, Rev. Rhoda (Ranee) Schurman Jones,  who was a Nazarene missionary to China before World War II, thereafter becoming pastor of a Nazarene church in Nova Scotia until her marriage to Carleton;
 
■ Rev. Jonathan Perkins;
 
■ Rev. Henry Cash;
 
■ Rev. William Galen Cash (in addition to his being a teacher, school superintendent and farmer);
 
■ William Maston Chambers, Jr., reportedly “a Holiness preacher”;

■ Dr. Elizabeth Field Moon, a Quaker minister;

■ Philip Solomon Moon, her husband, also a Quaker minister;

■ Dr. Grace Eleanor Field Chapman.

Add to the list a whole family who became Nazarene missionaries to India

■ Rev. Mary Elizabeth Jones Anderson, Carleton's sister;

■ Rev. J. Willis Anderson, her husband;

■ Rev. John Anderson, their son.

Based upon correspondence in DeRand’s archive, others of the Anderson’s descendants, whom I haven’t located, are believed to currently be involved in the ministry in one way or another, either as missionaries or ministers. 

[Editor's comment: Details of what's known about the lives of the people above are - or will be - included elsewhere in this blog. Readers can search this blog for them by putting a name into the search box above the Dunn family crest at the upper left corner of this page and clicking the little magnifying glass symbol.]

  

Beyond that, virtually every obituary or eulogy I’ve seen about our ancestral family contains references to their being active in their churches, being saved, being sanctified, teaching Sunday school, and so on. The one above is my generation's great grandfather and the one below is our GG grandfather. Fleet was Carleton's father and W.G. Cash was his maternal grandfather. (W.G.'s obit was provided by Cash cousin Cyndi R., and I'm grateful to have it, for it's almost 100 years old.)
(Click exhibits once - twice for the one below - to make 'em more readable.)

Also, biographical info about our ancestral family in the Belmont County centennial publication of 1903  makes reference to their very active involvement in their churches. Check out the link to Samuel W. Perkins and even the link to Thomas S. Rosengrant, M. D., who married Ada E. Jones, daughter of  my generation's GGG grandfather, Dr. William Jones. 

Furthermore, sprinkled throughout the various family lines are a large number of biblical names. For example, Mary and Elizabeth are seen frequently, and there is even a Delila among the female names. Among others, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Hezekiah can be found among the male names. 

Obviously, religion was very significant to the maternal side of our extended ancestral family.

♦♦♦

Their beliefs and practices

◄ Leona Cash Jones, circa 1932

So what do we know about their churches, their beliefs, practices, etc? In 1932 or ‘33, Leona Cash Jones, my generation’s maternal great grandmother, wrote the following, probably for a church newsletter. She said, “…I believe the holiness folk today are leading the world in sacrifice. We have opportunities and privileges that no other generation has ever had…”

This was written in the midst of the Great Depression, and in the article she was advocating strongly in favor of giving to the church “to share with the needy at home and across the seas”. Because her son was Carleton Jones and her daughter was Mary Jones Anderson, one a minister and the other a missionary, her views are not surprising.

The phrase “holiness folk” she used above intrigued me, for I was unfamiliar with the term. However, I’ve since become aware that she was, in all likelihood, referring to people who were part of what has been labeled the “Holiness Movement”, which provides us a clue to understanding their religious lives.

I ran across a website that describes that movement. Here’s a link for readers who might like to know more about the religious/spiritual context in which our ancestral family lived and worshipped.

Here's a link to an article that describes a revival service that was reportedly very emotional and full of preaching about "fire and brimstone". Here's a snippet from that article.

"...Penitents knelt, ordinarily in front of the pulpit, while the members prayed, sang, and shouted around them as others, out among the audience, urged them to go forward, under the penalty of an eternal punishment in an actual yawning hell of fire and brimstone to which they were sure to be consigned unless they repented..."

It also describes a confrontation between a minister and a parishioner that resulted in the arrest of the parishioner. 

The article is an excerpt from a 1907 book titled  Bonnie Belmont: A Historical Romance of the Days of Slavery and the Civil War, which describes life in Belmont County, Ohio, in the 1800s. (Our maternal family centered there during that era.) The church is labeled as Methodist, but was most likely actually Methodist Episcopal.

Related to this subject is this link which provides info about the early Nazarene church to which many of our ancestors turned after leaving the Methodist Episcopal denomination.




More recent family relationships with religion
With all that history, it saddens me when I think about the fact that when it came to my generation’s parents, all four of Rev. Carleton Jones’ children apparently walked away from their religious heritage.

In fact, one of his daughters clearly stated in a letter that she became a firmly committed atheist, saying she’d never seen any good come from religion. According to an online history of the Nazarene church, "The denomination started as a church that ministered to the homeless and poor, and wanted to keep that attitude of ministering to "lower classes" of society." (Source)

From what I've gathered, it appears that because his parishioners were at the low end of the social scale, Rev. Carleton Jones wasn't highly paid, and often his pay was not forthcoming at all. In addition, in letters about family history matters, my mother, a "preacher's kid", described how, as a family, they often got their clothes from what was called the "missionary barrel".

This was  a place in the church where hand-me-down clothes were stored for later distribution to visiting missionaries. She reported that their family was entitled to take clothing from the barrel - and apparently often had to do so. She was embarrassed by that fact, and it appears to have colored her view of the church, God and religion.

♦♦♦

Although our relationship was distant for most of his life, I grew to love and greatly admire my generation's uncle DeRand Jones in his later years as we corresponded and talked about family history matters. He never expressed to me any skepticism toward religion, and was, in fact, complimentary about the "church people" who "rescued" some of my cousins from an extremely dysfunctional situation. Therefore I was surprised to find in his little pocket-sized diary (part of his family history archive) the following:

"DeRand baptized by Dr. R.J. Williams in Vancouver, Wash. May 1927
Saved, Warwick [Ohio], Aug. 1, 1943
Sanctified, Aug. 8, 1943 at camp close to Kittanning, PA"

However, as can be seen in this copy of that page of his little diary, he bracketed the two entries about being saved and sanctified and drew an arrow to a note that says, "Not really. Was easier to go along and be "in" than fight it while living with Dad [Carleton] and at E.N.C." [Eastern Nazarene College, where he earned his bachelors degree]

This is pure speculation, but my guess is that the original entries were made while his father was alive, in case his father ever saw the diary, and that DeRand added the disclaimer after his father's death.

 ♦♦♦

Some family members turned back to religion

In spite of our parents' generation's unbelief, several of Carleton's grandchildren - cousins of my generation - have reported that they have had life-changing spiritual experiences, and testify that their lives have been impacted in amazing ways by becoming Christians.

As for me, I simply accepted - and defended - atheism as a youngster and into my early adulthood. However, in my mid-30s I had a spiritual experience that dramatically changed my life - and it's my conviction that it also changed my eternal destiny, for I became what's sometimes called an evangelical Christian.

While many people I know simply "inherited" their spiritual beliefs from their parents, what's especially interesting to me about my experience and that of some of my cousins is that each of us grew up in non-religious homes - in fact, extremely anti-religious homes - and each of us independently responded to the calls on our lives made by Christianity. 

My personal story is one that will someday be included in this blog, for it's part of our overall family history. Meantime, during my lifetime, if you're curious about why I gave up atheism and became a Christian, feel free to contact me; I'd be delighted to share my experience with you. 

Last revised 7/7/2012

Please refer to the disclaimer on the index page of this blog for a statement regarding the accuracy of - and documentation for - the information presented in this blog.

Our GGG grandpa Heath was a Rebel soldier in the U.S. Civil War

◄ Confederate States of America Civil War flag  

This exhibit records the Civil War service of Ervin Heath, who was my generation's maternal GGG grandfather.


This page of this blog details our connection to him and our Heath family lineage (those in our direct family line are in bold print). The significance of our Heath family line is that it's our connection to Cora Lee Heath Field. As detailed below, Cora was my generation's great grandmother and Ervin Heath was her grandfather. He's seen in the chart below. 
(Source)
(Right click, then click on "Open Link" to enlarge both the exhibit above and the chart below.)

(Source)  

The chart above takes Ervin's lineage back two generations. John William Heath (JWH) was my generation’s GGGGG grandfather, William Heath our GGGG grandfather.

The information quoted below is from a Heath family tree found on Ancestry.com. It says JWH enlisted as a corporal in the U.S. Revolutionary army and later became an officer. While it's possible this is our ancestor, I've not been able to document for certain that this is our JWH.

“John William Heath, was a gunsmith who came to America some time before the Revolutionary War. It is supposed that Maj. John Heath is the same John William Heath who was promoted to Lieutenant in 1778. (Although this [is] early for someone born in 1761. Lt. John Heath may or may not be the same Maj. John Heath who made a rifle, which was passed down through the family for several generations. Rev. John H. Heath wrote: "This rifle was made in 1778 - 1780, a flint and steel lock, by Major John Heath, and it saw service in the Revolutionary War.” (Source)

And...

"U.S. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 about John Heath Name: John Heath Rank - Induction: Corporal Roll Box: 109 Roll State: VA"
(Source)

♦♦♦

John William Heath

Birth: 1761 in Nazeing, Essex, England 
Death: Before 1840 in Craven Co., North Carolina

Spouse & children
Margaret Nancy "Peggy" Harmon (1765 – 1840)
William Heath (1787 – 1876)
Isaac Collin Heath (1787 – 1858)
Thomas Butler Heath (b. 1790)
Henry Heath (b. 1792)
John Alfred Heath (1800 – 1867)
Elizabeth Heath (1805 – 1869)
Eunice Heath (b. 1807)
Griffin A. Heath (1812 – 1865)
Eric (Enoch?) Heath (b. 1813)
(Source)

♦♦♦

William Heath

U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 about William Heath
Name: William Heath
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1787
Spouse Name: Betsy Rumbley
Spouse Birth Year: 1787
Marriage Year: 1810
Marriage State: NC

♦♦♦

North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868 about Beatsey Rumbley
Groom: William Heath
Bride: Beatsey Rumbley [Betsy]
Bond Date: 19 Feb 1810
County: Guilford
Bondsman: Heabekuk Morgan
Witness: Roddy Hannah

♦♦♦

The 1850 Census records William Heath as being a farmer in Guilford County, North Carolina, with the following being his household. (His son Ervin was born about 1851 and was not yet in the household when this census was taken.)

1850 United States Federal Census about William Heath
Name, Age
William Heath, 61
Rachel Heath, 37
William P Heath, 25
John C Heath, 23

♦♦♦

The 1860 Census again records William Heath as being a farmer in Guilford County, North Carolina, with the following being in his household.

1860 United States Federal Census about Wm Heath
Name, Age
Wm Heath, 73
Rachel Heath, 48
Mahala Heath, 37
E Heath, 8 [Ervin]
L C Heath, 7
Rachel E Heath, 5

♦♦♦

The 1870 Census records William Heath as being a farmer in Guilford County, North Carolina, with the following being in his household:

1870 United States Federal Census about William Heath
Name, Age
William Heath, 83
Rachel Heath, 58
Lorenzo Heath, 17
Rebecca Heath, 14
George Forbis, 23
Mahala Rumbly, 40

♦♦♦

Ervin Heath

B: 1812 in Guilford, North Carolina, United States
D: Apr 1894 in Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, USA
(Source)

Ervin Heath's descendancy looks like this:

Ervin was my generation's GGG grandfather.
▼
His son, Arlendo Robert Heath, was our GG grandfather.
▼
His daughter, Cora Lee Heath Field, was our great grandmother.
▼
Her daughter, Nelle Virginia Field Jones, was our maternal grandmother. Her siblings were Elizabeth Field Moon, Grace Field Chapman and Winfred Field.

♦♦♦

Ervin and Sarah Webb’s Marriage

U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 about Irvin Heath
Name: Irvin Heath [Ervin]
Gender: Male
Birth Place: NC
Birth Year: 1812
Spouse Name: Sarah Webb
Spouse Birth Year: 1813
Marriage year: 1832
Marriage State: NC
(Source)

North Carolina Marriage Collection, 1741-2004 about Ervin Heath
Name: Ervin Heath
Spouse: Sarah Webb
Marriage Date: 31 May 1832
Marriage County: Guilford
Marriage State: North Carolina
(Source)

North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868 about Sarah Webb
Groom: Ervin Heath
Bride: Sarah Webb
Bond Date: 21 May 1832
Marriage Date: 31 May 1832
County: Guilford
Bondsman: James Gilmer
Witness: A. E. Hanner
Performed By: E W Caruthers
(Source)

♦♦♦

1850 census – showing four children

1850 United States Federal Census about Irvin Heath
Name: Irvin Heath [Ervin] – Wagon Maker
Age: 37
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1813
Birth Place: North Carolina
Gender: Male
Home in 1850 (City,County,State):
Southern Division, Guilford, North Carolina

Household Members:
Name, Age
Irvin Heath [Ervin], 37
Sarah Heath, 36
Washington Heath, 12
Augustus Heath, 8
Cicero Heath, 4
Algernon Heath [Arlendo], 0
(Source)

♦♦♦

1850 United States Federal Census about Irvin Heath
Name: Irvin Heath [Ervin] - wheel right (sic)

[Dictionary: Wheelright - a person who builds and repairs wheels, especially wooden spoked ones]
Age: 37
Estimated Birth Year: about 1813
Birth Place: North Carolina
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Southern Division, Guilford, North Carolina

Household Members:
Name, Age
Irvin Heath, 37 [Ervin]
Sarah Heath, 36
Washington Heath, 12
Augustus Heath, 8
Cicero Heath, 4
Algernon Heath [Arlendo], 0
(Source of census info)
(Source of photo)

♦♦♦

1860 census – showing six children

1860 United States Federal Census about Ervin Heath
Name: Ervin Heath – Carriage Maker
Age in 1860: 48
Birth Year: abt 1812
Home in 1860: Eastern Division, Randolph, North Carolina
Post Office: New Salem

Household Members:
Name, Age
Ervin Heath, 48
Sarah Heath, 47
Washington Heath, 23
Augustus S Heath, 18
Joseph C Heath, 12
Orlendo Heath, 9 [Arlendo]
Nancy E Heath, 7
Jane Heath, 5
(Source)

♦♦♦

Here’s a list from a family tree on Ancestry.com which includes seven children.

Ervin Heath's spouse & children

A comment in this family tree from Ancestry.com says, “The 1850 census was taken in August, and Mary Ann Heath had married J. Franklin Kennett in May 1850 and was not in the home at the time of the census. She was 14 years old when she married.”

Neither was she in the household when the 1860 census was taken. Therefore she's not seen above, but was one of his children. as shown below.
(Source)

Sarah Webb (1812-1880)
Mary Ann Heath (1835-1915)
James Washington Heath (1837-1916)
Augustus S Heath (1842-)
Joseph Cicero Heath (1846-)
Arlendo Heath (1851-)
Nancy E Heath (1853-)
Jane Heath (1855-)
(Source)

♦♦♦

As noted at the beginning of this post, Ervin Heath fought in the Civil War. May 20, 1861, a resolution to secede from the Union was adopted by the state of North Carolina. Fifteen days later , on June 5th, 1861, Ervin enlisted as a private in the Confederate army at age 49, even though he was the father of seven children. He served for a year, mustering out in 1862, even though the war didn’t end until 1865.

His regiment fought many battles. I’ve snipped the list below to show only those recorded as having taken place during the year of his enlistment.

American Civil War Regiments
Regiment: 22nd Infantry Regiment North Carolina
Date of Organization: 11 Jul 1861
Muster[ed out] Date: 9 Apr 1865
Regiment State: North Carolina
Regiment Type: Infantry
Regiment Number: 22nd

Regimental History
[Battles fought during Ervin Heath’s enlistment with this regiment]

Fought on 28 May 1861 at Chickahominy River, VA.

◄ Chickahominy River,Va. Grapevine bridge, 1862
(Source)








Fought on 5 Aug 1861.
Fought on 15 Aug 1861 at Wilderness, VA.
Fought on 15 Aug 1861.
Fought on 28 Aug 1861 at Fredericksburg, VA.
Fought on 15 Oct 1861 at Fredericksburg, VA.
Fought on 9 Dec 1861 at Evansport, VA.
Fought on 9 Dec 1861.
Fought on 15 Mar 1862.
Fought on 31 Mar 1862 at Seven Pines, VA.
Fought on 15 Apr 1862.
Fought on 20 Apr 1862 at Richmond, VA And Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 5 May 1862 at Williamsburg, VA.
Fought on 15 May 1862.
Fought on 27 May 1862 at Frayser's Farm, VA.
Fought on 30 May 1862 at Seven Pines, VA.
Fought on 31 May 1862 at Seven Pines, VA.
Fought on 13 Jun 1862.
Fought on 15 Jun 1862.

♦♦♦

A bit of history about his regiment

"Formerly the 12th Volunteers, [the 22nd] completed it’s organization near Raleigh, North Carolina, in July, 1861. The men were recruited in the counties of Caldwell, McDowell, Surry, Ashe, Guilford, Alleghany, Caswell, Stokes, and Randolph. With nearly 1,000 men, the unit was ordered to Virginia and assigned to the Aquia District in the Department of Northern Virginia. Later it was brigaded under Generals Pettigrew, Pender, and Scales.

It fought with the army from Seven Pines to Cold Harbor, took its place in the Petersburg trenches south of the James River, and ended the war at Appomattox. 

In April, 1862, this regiment contained 752 men, [and] reported 161 casualties during the Seven days' Battles’..." 
(Source)

♦♦♦

"In all my readings of veterans, and of coolness under fire, I have never conceived of anything surpassing the coolness of our men in this fight." (An unnamed officer in the 22nd NC describing the regiment's demeanor during Seven Pines.) 
Source

[Editor's comment: Emphasis added above, for Ervin was still with the regiment during the "Seven days' Battles"  and "Seven Pines" referred to.]

♦♦♦

"...the Battle of Fair Oaks, [was] also known as Seven Pines. At Fair Oaks, Confederate troops succeeded in driving back Union forces from the edge of Richmond before the Union troops stabilized their position. Though both sides claimed victory, the battle marked the end of the Union offensive..."
(Source)

♦♦♦

"More than 125,000 North Carolinians, young and old, served the Confederacy.
They were known as Tar Heels for their reluctance to give up their allegiance to their home state, but when the call came, they went.

And they died...

Nearly half of these men were wounded at least once, and more than 40,000 of them died during the war - more than from any other Southern state. The number of survivors who suffered permanent physical or emotional scarring or died prematurely because of their war experiences cannot be known. "
(Source) 

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Ervin Heath mustered out 21 June 1862. The fact that he mustered out before the war was over is curious. It may be that he had only a one-year commitment, but it also suggests the possibility that he may have been wounded, thereby being unable to continue his service. Or perhaps his being 50 years old was a factor in this. However, all of that is speculation on my part.

As my generation's uncle DeRand Jones remarked in connection with the one surviving brother in our Field family line (of six who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War), if Ervin had not survived none of us in his descendancy would be here to read this. In fact, it would not have been written, for your editor descends directly from him.

Source)

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Sidebar: Other members of the Heath family also fought for the Confederacy. For example, one record I ran across says Ervin's son, Augustus Heath (Arlendo's older brother, see above), also enlisted on 5 Jun 1861, the same date as Ervin. He was 18 years old and his occupation is recorded as "blacksmith". 

The death certificate for another of Ervins's sons, James (1837-1916, see above) records him as being a carpenter and says he was living in a "Soldier's Home" in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the time of his death. This suggests that he, too, was a soldier in the Civil War. 
(Source)

I'm confident there were others of our ancestral Heaths in that war for whom I haven't discovered records. That's not my focus for this page; but I may l dig into this subject at a later time.

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I haven’t found a census for 1870 that includes Ervin. Here’s the next one in which he shows up.

1880 United States Federal Census about Irvin Heath
Name: Irvin [Ervin] Heath - Carpenter
Home in 1880: Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina
Age: 68
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1812
Birthplace: North Carolina
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)
Spouse's Name: Sarah Heath
Father's birthplace: North Carolina
Mother's birthplace: North Carolina
Occupation: Carpenter
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
(snip)

Household Members:
Name, Age
Irvin Heath, 68
Sarah Heath, 68
(Source)

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Arlendo Heath

Arlendo Heath was the father of our great grandmother, Cora Lee Heath Field, and my generation’s GG grandfather. The 1850 census records him as an infant, living with his parents, whose surname is misspelled Hayth. That misspelling is strange in view of the fact that the spelling of his name is correct.

1850 United States Federal Census about Algonon R Heath
Name: Algonon R Heath [Arlendo]
Age: 1
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1849
Birth Place: North Carolina
Gender: Male
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Northern Division, Guilford, North Carolina

Household Members:
Name, Age
Irvin Hayth, 38
Susan Hayth, 38 [Sarah]
James W Heath, 12
Augustus Heath, 10
Joseph E Heath, 6
Algonon R Heath [Arlendo], 1

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The 1870 census records him as being on his own at age 19. His occupation is recorded as [working at an] “Ax handle factory”

1870 United States Federal Census about A R Heath
Name: A R Heath
Birth Year: abt 1851
Age in 1870: 19
Birthplace: North Carolina
Home in 1870: Leaksville, Rockingham, North Carolina
Race: White
Gender: Male

Household Members:
Name, Age
A R Heath, 19

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The 1880 census records him as being married to Eliza J Heath and having fathered their first two children. His occupation is recorded as “Works in a spoke factory”.

Her complete name was Elizabeth Jane Chambers Heath; details about her - and her and Arlendo's descendancy - are in the next post on this blog. (Based upon her year of birth and appearance in this photo I estimate it to be circa 1894.)

A family tree on Ancestry.com records his marriage to “Eliza Chambers” on 5 September 1871. Although I can find no other documentation of that date, it seems to fit, for other records say their eldest child, Cora Lee Heath, was born 16 June 1872, ten months after the reported wedding date.
(Source)











1880 United States Federal Census about Arlendo R. Heath
Name: Arlendo R. Heath
Home in 1880: Gilmer, Guilford, North Carolina
Age: 29
Estimated Birth Year: about 1851
Birthplace: North Carolina
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)
Spouse's Name: Eliza J. Heath
Father's birthplace: North Carolina
Mother's birthplace: North Carolina
Occupation: Works In Spoke Factory
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male

Household Members: 
Name, Age
Arlendo R. Heath, 29
Eliza J. Heath, 26
Cora L. Heath, 7
George Heath, 5

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Last revised 9/16/2011

Please refer to the disclaimer on the index page of this blog for a statement regarding the accuracy of - and documentation for - the information presented in this blog.