Jasper Newton Bennett (1832 - 1909)

Born 25 Dec 1832 in Haywood, North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 7 Feb 1909 at age 76 in Haywood, North Carolina, United States

Biography

Jasper Bennett was born in Appalachia, in North Carolina.

Jasper Bennett was born in North Carolina.

Jasper Bennett served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 1860
Mustered out: 1865
Side: CSA

This profile is part of the Bennett Name Study.

Jasper Newton Bennett was born on December 25, 1832 in Haywood, North Carolina, United States, son of Young Bennett (1812–1894) and Alice Elvira Mease (1811–1891).

His siblings were:

• Archibald Lafayette Bennett (1835–1863)
• Creighton Maury Bennett (1836–1878)
• Washington George Bennett (1839–1919)
• Young Amanuel Bennett (1846–1939)

Jasper died on February 7, 1909 in Haywood, aged 76. He was buried in Green Hill Cemetery, Waynesville, North Carolina.

In 1900, 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900"
citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T623; Line: 60; Digital film/folder number: 004117828; FHL microfilm: 1241200; Image number: 246; Sheet number: 13; Sheet letter: B; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N00752-7
FamilySearch Record: MSYG-J67 (accessed 30 December 2023)
FamilySearch Image: S3HY-6GBW-B61
Entry for Jasper A and Jaley E Bennett, 1900.

Research Notes

Land sale Bought 100 acres from the Cherokees in cataloochee for $12.50

Per Mrs. R.T. Messer: Since I am writing this account for the information of my own family, children and grandchildren, I shall go more in detail about the life of Jasper Newton Bennett than I do of the other children of Young Bennett, because he was my grandfather.

Newton Bennett married Jalie Guillette, daughter of William Guillette and Eliza Holland. Some of the family claim that Eliza's mother was 1/4 Cherokee Indian. They had four children when he had to enlist for service in the Confederate Army.

He kept out of the army as long as he could, for several reasons. First, he could not see how his wife and children could live without him. Second, he did not own any slaves and was bitterly opposed to slavery. Third, he was a devoutly religious man and thought it was wrong under any circumstances to kill a fellow man. I do not have a record of when he volunteered, but it was when the state passed a conscript law covering his age group. He said it was his Christian duty to obey the laws of his state.

I have not yet learned in what regiment he served but hope to find out soon. He had only been in the army a few weeks when his regiment marched into Kentucky. They met the enemy at Cumberland Gap. Their commander surrendered without firing a shot. Many of his men were bitter about it. They were suspicious he had sold them out. However that was, he never fired a shot at the enemy.

The men were taken prisoners, taken to Chicago, and placed in Camp Douglas. Grandfather was kept here till the close of the war, 18 months later.

Grandfather never liked to talk of this time, but on a few occasions I heard him tell of the starvation, bitter cold in unheated barracks, mistreatment by guards, and death of hundreds from cold, starvation, and homesickness. He sometimes told of one occasion when a few women visited the prison. One of them had a fat little dog with her. The guards showed them over the barracks, and when they started to leave, the dog was missing and could not be found. She returned next day searching for it. As she left, she found the following words written on the bulletin board:

For want of bread The dog is dead. For want of meat The dog is eat.

He said women of the churches in Chicago often visited them but never brought them any food, and if they protested to the authorities about their treatment, they never saw any results.

Another man who was a prisoner at Camp Douglas for the last 14 months of this time told much about Grandfather's activities there. He was Merritt Trantham from Madison County. He came to Haywood after the war, met and married my Aunt Margaret Jarrett.

He said there were many men who lived to return to their families who would have died but for Newton Bennett. He was always ready to sit up night after night to care for the sick, ready to divide his meager meals with them, always had his pocket Testament ready to read and pray with them. His faith and courage inspired them to live, and many who died went out blessing him because they were prepared to go. At the close of the war he was given railroad transportation to somewhere in Kentucky. I don't remember the place. From there he walked home, begging his food en route. There were so many soldiers foot-loose in the country at that time begging and stealing, that very few people were willing to give, so he tramped many hungry miles. He said that it was only by God's help that he got home.

Three or four years after the war he bought a farm on the mountain between Fines Creek and Wilkins Creek. The land was all in timber. Here he built a cabin and brought his family.

Here he reared his children, 12 in all. The cabin in time was replaced by a large house of hewn logs, two stories, with an ell for a kitchen. Here by hard work and rigid economy by the whole family he was able to rear his family and give them an education far above the average of his day.

One of the first things he did after moving to Fines Creek was to unite with the Methodist Church at lower Fines Creek. He and Grandmother had a great part in the early history of that church.

In those days a Methodist circuit rider's territory covered almost half a county. He did well to visit each church once a month, so in the absence of the pastor a leading man in each church was named Class Leader to assist the stewards in the work of the church. Grandfather was Class Leader for many years, steward, Sunday School superintendent, taught a class, led the prayer meetings. In truth it could be, and was, said of him that "he went about doing good."

Throughout all his married life he gathered his family together morning and night, read a chapter in his Bible, and had prayer. It is small wonder that two of his sons became ministers, and his other children were a power in the church wherever they went.

About the year 1903, he and Grandmother found themselves alone in their mountain home, both too old and feeble to make a living on the farm. So they sold it and moved to Waynesville to live with their son, John C. Bennett.

P. S. Jasper Newton Bennett enlisted July 19th in Co. I, 62nd N. C., 1863. Captured at Cumberland, Kentucky, Sept 9, 1863. Refused the Oath of Amnesty every day.

The following are the children of Newton Bennett. I knew them all, but I do not remember dates of birth and death. His family Bible is somewhere in the family of John C. Bennett, but they are widely scattered, and I have been unable to contact them. Elizabeth Elvira Mary Jane William Young Joseph Manson George Newton Milas Edward Martha Thornton Randolph John Carmine Erastus, died in childhood James Hardy Oscar Kimsey

Sources

See also:

• 1850 Census: "United States Census, 1850"
  citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: M432; Line: 35; Digital film/folder number: 004203581_003_M9C8-1FN; FHL microfilm: 444646; Image number: 127; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N01140-5
  FamilySearch Record: M4BC-VKH (accessed 30 December 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: S3HT-6LD7-ZYD
  Entry for Tony Bennit and Elvira Bennit, 1850.
• 1860 Census: "United States Census, 1860"
  citing Page: 55; Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: M653; Digital film/folder number: 005170492; FHL microfilm: 803901; Image number: 61; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N01783-9
  FamilySearch Record: MD6Z-8NN (accessed 30 December 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: 33S7-9BS4-KZR
  Entry for J N Bennett and Larley E Bennett, 1860.
• Military: "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865"
  citing Affiliate Publication Title: Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of North Carolina.; Affiliate Publication Number: M230; Affiliate Film Number: 3; FHL microfilm: 821170; Record number: 2241; Packet letter: L
  FamilySearch Record: F9J7-DMQ (accessed 30 December 2023)
  Jasper N. Bennett, 1861-1865.
• Military: "North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865"
  citing Affiliate Publication Title: Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of North Carolina; Affiliate Publication Number: M270
  FamilySearch Record: XKFW-4SW (accessed 30 December 2023)
  http://www.fold3.com/document.php?doc=59240311&xid=215&p=ma
  Entry for Jasper N Bennett, 1862.
• 1880 Census: "United States Census, 1880"
  citing Volume: 1; Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T9; Affiliate Line Number: 00001; Digital film/folder number: 005161767; FHL microfilm: 1254967; Image number: 417; Sheet number: 206; Sheet letter: C; Packet letter: D
  FamilySearch Record: MCX9-CHV (accessed 30 December 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: 33S7-9YB6-9HFP
  Entry for J. Newton Bennett and Jaley E. Bennett, 1880.
• 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900"
  citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T623; Line: 60; Digital film/folder number: 004117828; FHL microfilm: 1241200; Image number: 246; Sheet number: 13; Sheet letter: B; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N00752-7
  FamilySearch Record: MSYG-J67 (accessed 30 December 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: S3HY-6GBW-B61
  Entry for Jasper A Bennett and Jaley E Bennett, 1900.
• Burial: "Find A Grave Index"
  citing record ID , Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com
  FamilySearch Record: QV25-2CC9 (accessed 30 December 2023)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #74156170
  Jasper Newton Bennett, 1909.
• FamilySearch Person: KNBK-C4J