John Fairchild

BMDB data

     John Fairchild was born on 17 May 1832 Gatehousecote, Par. of Hobkirk, ROX, SCT, (family sources have this exact date, but a place of Jedburgh, I have assumed that because they have this date, that the baptism in Hobkirk on that date, to a James, no mother named, is this John.)^6,5,7 He was baptized on 29 Jul 1832 Par. of Hobkirk, ROX, SCT; entry reads: July 29 James Fairbairn Gatehousecote had a son born on the 17th day of May last & baptized this day His Name John.⁶
     John Fairchild married Rosa Belle Smith on 7 Apr 1868 Grand Meadow, Clayton Co., IA, USA.^2,5
     John Fairchild remarried on 2 Aug 1884 Blair, Washington Co., NE, USA, to Lucinda Boyce, daughter of Josiah Boyce and Margaret Louise Cotton.^8,9
     John Fairchild died on 8 May 1894 Marshalltown, Marshall Co., IA, USA, at age 61.^2,5 He was buried in the Iowa Veterans Cem., Marshalltown, IA, USA, Sec C Row 4 plot 9 (although some sites erroneously have Blair, Nebraska, which only contains 1st wife and son John - this error being identified by two researchers of the 4th Iowa Cavalry.)^10,11

Migration

     John Fairchild emigrated in 1852 to Boston, MA, USA; after 3 weeks in a sailing ship, after having deserted from the Army in Ireland.¹²

Census/Where lived/Occupations

     John Fairbairn appeared on the census of 1841 Sloethorn Bank, Selkirk Burgh, SEL, SCT, in the household of James Fairbairn and is assumed to be a son.^4,13 John Fairchild was likely to be ?Kilkenny, IRL, in 1851 supposedly serving in the 92nd Gordon Highlanders, but if they left Kilkenny in Mar 5th 1851, and he was a deserter, no wonder I can't find him in the 1851 census.^12,14
     John Fairchilds appeared on the census of 10 Aug 1870 Sioux City, Woodbury Cty, IA, USA, enumerated as John FAIRCHILDS, 36 brick mason b SCT both parents foreign born (I've not yet found Rosa and dtr Helen Joan.)¹⁵
     The census of 7 Jun 1880 showed John with his wife Rosa, their sons James, John and Robert, their dtrs Ellen and Barbara 184 Forth St, Blair, Washington Co., NE, USA, household enumerated as FAIRCHILD: John 46 brick mason b SCT; wife Rosa 26 keeps house b NY F/M b NY; Children: Ellen 11 b IA, James 9, John 7 both b Dakota, all at school; Barbara 3, Robert 9/12 b Sep, both b Nebraska, all F b SCT M b NY.²

Military

     John was in military service bet. 1850 - 1852 this again coming from "Grandma Viele": "Now in Scotland as in all customs in Foreign Nations young men are required to enter the military services at the age of 18. Father went in to the 92nd Gordon Highlanders Queen Victoria Reg. He wore the kilts and plaid of blue and green and was a piper. He was sent to Ireland near Dublin. In those days the worst part there. The low shanty Irish would put out a kettle of potatoes out to cool and the pigs and children would eat out of the kettle. He stood life in Ireland as long as he could and deserted. He went to his sister Hanna Reid's in Edinburgh. Her husband hid him in the garret until the hunt was over. He got him a passport to US. It was 1852 and he was 20 years old when he landed in Boston after three weeks in the sailing vessel" (this story places the desertion to after Oct 1851 as Hannah and James didn't marry until then, and may well be the actual reason for the name change?)
Electric Scotland has a potted history of the 92nd Gordon Highlanders that shows the regiment in Edinburgh until Apr 1846, then removed to Ireland where it remained till March 5th 1851, "when headquarters and 4 companies sailed from Queenstown for the Ionian Islands", the mayor of Kilkenny expressing regret in their leaving. The regiment disembarked at Corfu March 29th. From these dates, I would therefore place John's desertion to prior to March 1851.^12,7,14 He enlisted on 8 Feb 1864 Mt Vernon, Linn Co., IA, USA, (there are a surprising number of John Fairchilds listed, but this date, age and state match our chap, and the company from his Andersonville prision index entry), there's also an 1862 John from Iowa, who may be him in Company D, 14th Infantry Regiment, being discharged 27 Nov 1862 - but he was 34 in 1862 and is shown as born Iowa.)^16,7,17 John was a POW on 14 Dec 1864 Memphis, TN, USA, and shown as born Scotland, his record, code #52482 adds he was captured at White's Station, Tennessee 14th Dec, survived Andersonville and was mustered 24 Feb 1864, which is earlier than the other information held.¹⁸ And held at, Cahaba, AL, USA, "before being transferred to Andersonville".¹⁹
     There is an entry in the Andersonville Prisoners of War database about a John Fairchild, Private Company A, State IA, in the infantry. On 15 Apr 1865 John was exchanged from Andersonville Prison, (Camp Sumter), GA, USA, the record showing: "Remarks: Exchange Apr 15, 1865, no more information available".
Assorted web searches show that the stockade was originally built to accomodate 13,000 Federal captives, with the largest number held at any one time being more than 32,000 in Aug 1864. The prison ceased to exist in May 1865, a month after John was "exchanged". Records show that on Apr 5th, 10 days before John's exchange, the Commander George C Gibbs notified the Assisstant Adjutant General W Sidney Widner that all of the inmates will soon be removed, except for 20 too sick to travel, being tranferred to Union headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida, for exchange with Federal authorities. Check the citations link below for more information.^20,21,22 He ended military service on 5 Jun 1865 Clinton, IA, USA, "mustered out". Notes for the 4th Cavalry Regiment show that it was organized 23 Nov 1861, mustered 10 Aug 1865, "one of the distinguished cavalry regiments of the West". By Feb 1864, when John joined, the regiment was on the Meridian campaign with Gen. Sherman, immediately afterward starting home on furlough. I haven't checked which of the subsequent campaigns he was in between then and 14 Dec 1864 when he was captured beyond the Tupelo (Jul 1864, Mississippi, Union won) and Guntown mentioned above.^23,7

Names

     John Fairchild was also known as John Fairbairn but seems only to have used this version of his surname in Scotland, last record being 1841 census, thereafter appears in the States as Fairchild instead.⁴

All the other info

     From Grandma Helen Viele (Helen Joan Fairchild, dtr of John Fairbairn and Rosa Belle Smith): "David Fairbairn, father's cousin (son of David F. and Jane Herd), returned from California .. married his cousin Joan Safley (dtr of Helen Fairbairn, John's brother, and Robert Safley). Father (John Fairchild b 1832) thought him foolish to marry his second cousin (actually 1st cousins once removed as in different generations)...^24,7 " "Grandma Viele" adds that after John arrived in Boston he went down to Georgia where his older brother Archibald was and got on the railroad, Archibald being an engineer. "My father was a fireman. Father saw slavery with all its horrors and expressed his sentiments so strongly, he was forced to leave the country by night. He went north to Aunt Ellen's in Iowa (marr. Robert Safley) and at Aunt Janet's until the Civil War was well near over."¹²
     I've not found anything more about John until I pick him up in Iowa in 1864, which data fits with family records stating that John was in the Civil War. "He joined Co A 4 Iowa Cav. Vols. at Vicksburgh Miss and was in two big battles - Tupelo and Guntown, Miss. He was finally captured at Memphis, Tenn. while getting his war horse Selam shod at a black smith shop. he together with some others of his company had been detailed to take back some captured cannon. They were surprised and taken to Georgia and put in Andersonville prison, which was nothing but a stockade wall, with no roof over head. Prison guards watched at different places on the wall. The prisoners were exposed to all kinds of weather and filth and disease. Father was there for six months. He came out with sciatica and scurvy from which his teeth and gums rotted out so he could never have a dental plate. The men were taken to Florida and put on a farm to recuperate - to build up - many died. Many from over eating. Father used judgement and although like the others so thin from starvation he used will power and finally regained his strength. Finally when released at last he went back to Aunt Ellen's. He worked at his new trade plastering and laying bricks, and stone masonry."^7,20
     John outlived his first wife Rosa Belle Smith who died on 6 Apr 1882 leaving him with 5 children ranging in age from 2½ to 13.^2,5 John Fairchild and Lucinda Boyce separated cir. Nov 1885 "when their daughter was 3 months old."⁹
     John Fairchild was photographed Blair, Washington Co., NE, USA, the medal he is wearing has been identified as the standard GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) medal for Union veterans, a close up of one being included below his photo on the web.^25,19,26 Also from "Grandma Viele": Aunt Barbara was father's favorite sister. She took the name Fairchild when she came over from Scotland. She may have given him the idea to take the name Fairchild. ... She and my father were very close to one another."³