Military Records

Maynor Family in Civil War

There were Maynors on both sides of the Civil War. My great-great-grandfather, George Washington Maynor served in Company H, Eighth Regiment, Virginia Infantry of the Union. When West Virginia became a state, their unit became the Seventh West Virginia Cavalry. He also had two brothers and a cousin who were in the same company. Some of the major battles of the 7th are: the Battle of Winchester, the Battle of New Creek, the Battle of Droop Mountain and the Battle of Cloyd's Farm in Virginia.

One reason George W. Maynor and his brothers may have joined the Union side is given by his son, C. P. Maynor in a newspaper article about the Cirtsville community. In it he states that James A. Maynor, Creed Maynor, and Sampson Stover were at John Stover's house on Clear Fork, Coal River. They were arrested by Confederate soldiers, but discharged afterwards. Creed ran and was shot and killed. He was only 15 or 16 years old. Creed was the youngest brother of George W. Maynor. James A. Maynor was George's cousin.

C.P. Maynor also describes in the article an incident that happened to George W. and John Maynor. He says:

My father and uncle (John) were home on furlough at Dixon's Branch. One morning they woke up and the house was surrounded by rebel soldiers. The soldiers captured them and took them to Dublin Depot and confined them in an old log house. General McCausland told them he was going to hold them as hostages for a man the Union Army had captured and if they shot that man he was going to shoot them and 10 more, the first he caught. They gave them a small piece of corn bread and water once a day and took all their clothes and gave them an old pair or pants and a shirt. This house had a door like a stable door with a steeple and a chain on the outside and a guard and when they would all get quiet, they would put a plank in a crack and lie down and go to sleep. One day my father noticed a chink in the wall. They drove a rock in the place and the rock was cracked. That night they waited until the guard went to sleep, and went to work, and worked this rock out. They just could reach the pin and lifted it out and walked out and took to the mountains. They were barefooted and traveled by way of the Narrows of New River, mostly of a night for three weeks and had nothing to eat but raw wheat that they had rubbed out. They came through by Shady Spring and reached home almost skeletons.

DECLARATION FOR PENSION

State of West Virginia, County of Raleigh

On this 31st day of May A.D. one thousand nine hundred and Twelve personally appeared before me, a notary public within and for the county and state aforesaid, George Washington Maynor, who, being duly sworn according to law, declares that he is 72 years of age, and a resident of Cirtsville County of Raleigh, State of West Virginia; and that he is the identical person who was ENROLLED at Buffalo WVa under the name of George Washington Maynor, on the 25 day of December 1861 as a priv in Co. H 8th West Virginia Cavalry in the service of the United States, in the Civil war, and was HONORABLY DISCHARGED at Charleston WVa. on the 1st day of August 1865. That he was not employed in the military or naval service of the United States otherwise than as stated above. That his personal description at enlistment was as follows: Height, 5 feet, 6-1/2 inches; complexion fair; color of eyes, blue; color of hair, light; that his occupation was farmer ; that he was born Apr 10, 1840 at Raleigh Co. WVa.

That his serveral places of residence since leaving the serve have been as follows: Raleigh Co. all the time.

Certificate Number 960740

That he makes this declaration for the purpose of being placed on the pension roll of the United States under the provisions of the act of May 11, 1912.

I HEREBY APPOINT AND EMPOWER WITH FULL POWER OF SUBSTITUTION, J. B. CRALLE & CO.,
my true and lawful attorneys to prosecute my claim.
That his post-office address is Cirtsville, county of Raleigh State of West Virginia

George Washington Maynor

Attest: J.R. Maynor
C. P. Maynor

Also personally appeared J. R. Maynor, residing in Raleigh Co. and C. P. Maynor, residing in Raleigh, persons whom I certify to be respectable and entitled to credit, and who, being by me duly sworn, say that they were present and saw George Washington Maynor, the claimant, sign his name (or make his mark) to the foregoing declaration; that they have every reason to believe, from the appearance of the claimant and their acquaintance with him of 40 years and 35 years, respectively, that he is the identical person he represents himself to be, and that they have to interest in the prosecution of this claim.

Copy of Pension Certificates

Created on ... September 21, 2000