~ IN MEMORY OF ~
~ IN MEMORY OF ~
John Jackson "A. J." Ratledge b 16 Nov 1837 TN d 6 Mar 1893 buried Big Spring Presbyterian Church Cem, Blount CO, TN
(Two tombstones for him are located there. One is a family-placed marker with J. J. Ratledge; another, a military marker engraved "A. J. Ratledge CO E 3rd TN Mtd Inf USA.")
son of Asbury "Berry" Ratledge & Lucinda "Lucy" Clowers of Greene, McMinn, & Loudon COS, TN
m 1 Oct 1859 Blount CO, TN to
Sarah Gainey Rudd b 13 Feb 1841 TN d 13 Apr 1911 buried Big Spring Presbyterian Church Cem, Blount CO, TN
Ralph Houston Ratledge, Jr., wrote in The Blount County, TN Heritage,
"Because of the popularity of Pres. Andrew Jackson, someone hung the nickname Andrew on John Jackson and he was called John 'Andrew' Jackson (A. J.) Ratledge in his latter years. A. J. was a union loyalist and served in the Union Army. One brother, Daniel, served in the Confederate Army. The TN Union Roster shows 4 Ratledges while the Confederate Roster shows 9 Ratledges. Truly that awful war pitted brother against brother and cousin against cousin. A. J. came to Blount County in 1858 where he met and later married Sarah Gainey, an orphaned Cherokee Indian girl, who lived with and later took the Rudd last name."
Research proves that A. J. Ratledge's own father was enrolled in CO F 3rd (Lillard's) Mounted Infantry, CSA as private Osberry Ratlige, a spelling used by the mustering agent. Asbury/Asberry "Berry" Ratledge is the gr-gr-gr-grandfather of Stephen Ratledge, listed below. A. J.'s only older brother was James Franklin Ratledge, known affectionately by all kinfolks as "Uncle Jimmy." James Franklin Ratledge, gr-gr-grandfather of Stephen Ratledge, served the CSA also as private in CO G, 59th Mounted Infantry, called the "Old Fightin' 59th," that dug trenches, barricaded, and endured the dreadful seige of Vicksburg, MS.
by
Stephen Ratledge, gr-gr-gr-nephew
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