Key Facts

Snapshot:	Confederate soldier and POW
Parents:	unknown
Born:	16 December 1829 North Carolina
Died:	23 January 1891 probably Walker County, Alabama
Buried:	New Prospect Baptist Church Cemetery, Walker County, Alabama Coordinates: N33.86295 W87.29754

114John Wesley Hanes was born on 16 December 18291 in North Carolina.2-4

Problem: Unresolved Who are 114Wesley's parents? In 1860 114Wesley (age 30) lived next door to James Haynes (also age 30) and very near William Haynes (age 22) and John Haynes (age 52).2 It's quite possible that James and William are 114Wesley's brothers, and that John is 114Wesley's father, but I have found no evidence to prove so.

114Wesley married 115Margaret ___, although details of their marriage and her identity are uncertain.

Problem: Unresolved When, where, and whom did 114Wesley marry? The 1860 census shows us that 114Wesley married a woman named 115Margaret, that she was born in Georgia, that their first two children were born in Georgia circa 1853 and 1855, and that the family moved to Alabama before the birth of their third child circa January 1860.1 There is a marriage certificate for a certain Wesley Hanes and Margaret Brown, who married 22 July 1852 in Hall County, Georgia5... but are these the same people? Hall County, Georgia is roughly 150 miles from Randolph County, Alabama, among other considerations. I haven't yet made a serious effort to find property records, etc. that would help prove that they're the same couple.

In 1860 114Wesley's family lived in Randolph County, Alabama. Judging by his children's ages and birthplaces, the family had lived in Georgia for some time and had moved to Alabama sometime within the past five years.2

114Wesley's family in the 1860 census. Full page.2

The Civil War began the following year. On 19 March 1862 114Wesley enlisted into Company G, 30th Alabama Infantry at Camp Curry, Alabama.6 Camp Curry seems to have been northeast of Talladega around coordinates N33.491 W86.0175.

Unfortunately, as you'll see below, records specific to 114Wesley's service are sparse, and it's clear that some records are missing. This summary of the 30th Alabama (written by the National Park Service) helps fill in the gaps, although one can't be certain that 114Wesley was present for any particular battle:

[The regiment] was organized at Talladega, Alabama, in April, 1862. [...] Ordered to Chattanooga, then further into East Tennessee, it was active at Cumberland Gap. The regiment went on to Kentucky and in December to Mississippi. Here it was assigned to General Tracy's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. The 30th fought at Port Gibson, lost 229 officers and men at Champion's Hill, and was captured when Vicksburg fell. After being exchanged and assigned to Pettus' Brigade, it participated in various conflicts from Chattanooga and Bentonville. During January, 1863, this unit had 400 effectives, reported 21 casualties at Chattanooga, and in December, 1863, there were 506 present with 347 arms. In January, 1865, about 250 were fit for dury and 75 surrendered with the Army of Tennessee. [...].

The Alabama Archives has some handwritten history notes about the 30th Alabama, although its sources aren't particularly clear.

114Wesley was somehow taken prisoner in 1862, since he's on a list of prisoners who were exchanged onboard the steamer Metropolitan near Vicksburg, Mississippi on 4 December 1862. At that time he was described as 5'7" with grey eyes and sandy hair.7

114Wesley was probably with his company in January 1863, when one private wrote a letter to his wife describing a smallpox epidemic that had broken out within the regiment. The letter explains that the regiment had been isolated from the rest of the brigade, and was heavily guarded day and night to enforce a quarantine.8

Along with basically the entire Army of Mississippi, 114Wesley was taken prisoner when Federal invaders overran Vicksburg on 4 July 1863. (Side note: During the surrender, the 30th Alabama's flag was stolen by an enemy thief, but it survived and is now housed at the Alabama Archives; you can see a photo of the flag.) 114Wesley signed his parole document on 9 July.9 He was later furloughed at Enterprise, Mississippi circa 22 July 1863.10

After being captured as a POW, 114Wesley signed this parole document on 9 July 1863.9

After the war, in 1866 we find 114Wesley's family in Calhoun County, Alabama.11 He registered to vote in Calhoun County the next year (1867), as well.12

1866: 114Wesley's family in Calhoun County, Alabama. Full page.11

By 1870 they had relocated to Cleburne County, Alabama3 and were still there in 1880.4

1870: 114Wesley's family in Cleburne County, Alabama. Full page.8

1880: 114Wesley's family still in Cleburne County. Full page.4

114Wesley may have moved again, since he's buried in Walker County, Alabama.1 (Data from his widow's pension application make clear that the grave is indeed our 114Wesley Hanes, versus someone else of the same name.13) He died on 23 January 1891 and is buried in New Prospect Baptist Church Cemetery, Walker County, Alabama at coordinates N33.86295 W87.29754. As you can see from the photos, his headstone has broken horizontally; someone propped the main portion of the headstone up against its base. Although not well visible in the two photos below, as of October 2024 the tombstone also has a serious crack/fissure all down its middle, which eventually may cause the front and rear faces of the headstone to separate from each other.

114Wesley's tombstone1

Sources Cited:

1: Tombstone of John Wesley Hanes (16 December 1829 - 23 January 1891), New Prospect Baptist Church Cemetery, Walker County, Alabama. The front photo is from: FindAGrave.com, <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109960736/john-wesley-hanes>. Photograph added by FindAGrave user TIW on 2 October 2014. The rear photo was taken by 1Bryant Knight on 18 October 2024.

2: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Northern division, Randolph County, Alabama. Page 210, dwelling 1477, family 1477, Wesley Haynes household. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 22. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBK-WXP?i=209&cc=1473181&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMHDP-LGV>, accessed 21 February 2021.

3: 1870 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Township 17 Range 11, Cleburne County, Alabama. Page 374, dwelling 17, family 17, Wesley Haynes household. NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 9. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6QT9-Z3Z?i=2&cc=1438024&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMHV1-S3W>, accessed 21 February 2021.

4: 1880 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Township 17 Range 11, Cleburne County, Alabama. Enumeration district 47, page 243, dwelling 6, family 6, John W Hames household. NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 8. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYYJ-32R?cc=1417683&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM4JC-438>, accessed 21 February 2021.

5: Hall County, Georgia. Marriage book A (1819-1870), page 214. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9XF-BNYV?i=270&cat=295561>, accessed 12 February 2021.

6: Compiled Confederate service record of Private W. Hanes of Company G, 30th Alabama Infantry, page 5. NARA microfilm publication M311, roll 333. Fold3, <https://www.fold3.com/image/10054826>. Since Fold3 restricts access to the images, I made copies, which you can download here as a ZIP file. Hereafter abbreviated as "Service record."

7: Service record, ibid., page 7.

8: Letter dated 24 January 1863 from Private Isaac B. Coleman of Company I, 30th Alabama Infantry, to his wife Nancy in Clay County, Alabama. Alabama Department of Archives & History, <https://digital.archives.alabama.gov/digital/collection/voices/id/2051>, accessed 24 February 2021.

9: Service record, op. cit., page 4.

10: Service record, ibid., page 9.

11: Alabama 1866 state census, Calhoun County, white population, page 61, entry for Westley Hanes. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GGYH-2KR?cc=1915987&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AV6PG-Y1J>, accessed 24 February 2021.

12: Return of Qualified Voters. Alabama, Calhoun County, election district 35, precinct 13, entry for Wesley Hanes. Ancestry.com ("Alabama, U.S., Voter Registration, 1867" / Calhoun / Volume 1 / Image 65 of 76), accessed 24 February 2021. Due to Ancestry's restricted access, I've saved a copy of the record, although I've cropped it to show only the relevant section. As you'll see, the image quality is exceptionally poor, barely even legible, but this is how it looked on Ancestry.com.

13: Alabama Confederate Pension Applications. Application by Margaret A. Hanes of Jefferson County, based on the service of Private Wesley Hanes of Company G, 30th Alabama. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3S7-BSCG?i=1541&cc=3029256>, accessed 25 February 2021.